Avoid disrupting the main program.

Following the administrative boundary reorganization, Thai Nguyen province continues to implement the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas with many practical contents, contributing to improving people's lives. However, the progress of implementation and disbursement of funds in some northern communes of the province is still slow.

The national target program for socio -economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas contributes to supporting the development of infrastructure and improving people's lives in the northern highland communes of the province (photo taken in Dinh Hoa commune).

Creating sustainable livelihoods

In Na Don village, Thanh Mai commune, many households are directly benefiting from community development support projects under the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bien, one of the households participating in Sub-project 2 since 2023, shared: "Thanks to the support from the Program, my family received 5 goats and 1 buffalo as breeding stock, along with guidance on care techniques and disease prevention for the livestock. As a result, the livestock have developed healthily, and the herd has now grown to more than a dozen animals, initially bringing in a decent income from selling commercial goats. By 2025, my family will have escaped poverty and is currently expanding livestock farming to stabilize our economy."

Sharing in the benefits of the project, Mr. Hoang Huu Thang happily stated: "In 2024, my family received support in the form of a female buffalo. Thanks to good care, the buffalo has now given birth to a calf. Besides livestock farming, my family also focuses on developing agriculture and planting production forests to increase income, stabilize the economy, and provide for our children's education. My family has escaped poverty."

The Dao ethnic people in Ngan Son commune have successfully cultivated the "immortal peach" tree, yielding quite high economic returns.

In 2025, Thanh Mai commune (after merger) was allocated over 15.4 billion VND from the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. However, by the end of June 2025, the commune had only disbursed nearly 20% of the funds, lagging behind the planned schedule. Faced with this situation, the local Party committee and government have issued decisive directives and mobilized the entire political system to accelerate the disbursement process.

Mr. Mai Trung Tuyen, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Mai commune, said: "The implementation of national target programs has always been a priority for the local Party committee and government. Many models have proven effective, contributing to creating livelihoods and improving people's lives. In the coming time, the commune will continue to inspect and review the models being implemented, assess their suitability, and advise on a more rational allocation of resources to ensure practical effectiveness."

In Tan Ky commune, the review and implementation of the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas has been carried out proactively and realistically. Mr. Bui Nguyen Quynh, Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, reported that in 2025, the commune was allocated nearly 32 billion VND for various projects, including Project 4 on essential infrastructure investment. The disbursement progress has been quite good, with 13 projects having received advance payments and final settlements totaling over 3.3 billion VND (reaching 50% of the plan).

Expedite the disbursement process.

Although many localities have proactively implemented specific solutions, the disbursement of funds under the Program remains slow. According to a report from the State Treasury, as of July 20, 2025, the total investment capital for socio-economic development under the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the province has been disbursed at 403.8/841.3 billion VND, equivalent to 48% of the plan. Disbursement of operational funds has only reached 98.3/932.2 billion VND, equivalent to 11% of the plan.

New roads have been invested in, upgraded, and expanded in Dong Phuc commune.

To expedite the disbursement process, the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions continues to advise the province on key solutions such as: strengthening leadership and guidance on ethnic affairs; reviewing and systematizing relevant legal documents; and promptly issuing resolutions that are consistent with reality.

The province also requested that departments, agencies, and localities proactively implement the project, complete the necessary documents and procedures according to regulations; and link disbursement with emulation and reward movements and the responsibility of the head of each agency.

Simultaneously, coordination among all levels and sectors will be strengthened; focus will be placed on resolving obstacles in land clearance; and propaganda and mobilization efforts will be intensified to encourage people to actively participate in livelihood support projects. Inspection and monitoring of progress, clarification of responsibilities, and strict handling of violations will also be emphasized to improve the efficiency of investment capital utilization.

In recent years, Phu Thong commune has seen many positive changes thanks to the implementation of the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

Mr. Hoang Thanh Oai, Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, said: In 2025, central government funds were allocated in two installments (in April and June), right at the time when localities were consolidating their administrative structures after mergers, causing difficulties in accessing and implementing the funds at the grassroots level.

In light of this situation, immediately after the two levels of local government became operational and stable, the Department advised the Provincial People's Committee to direct the communes participating in the Program to review their assigned tasks, targets, and budgets. The transfer of tasks from the district to the communes was carried out continuously, without interruption.

Simultaneously, Steering Committees for the Program's implementation at all levels were established to accelerate the progress of deployment and disbursement of funds, especially for funds with low disbursement rates.

Currently, localities are focusing on implementing the Program, ensuring uninterrupted execution after the merger. The review and adjustment of investment portfolios continues to be intensified at the grassroots level. For the Program to be effective, close coordination is needed from the provincial to the commune level, ensuring the early stabilization of the organizational structure after the merger, clearly assigning responsibilities to each unit, and closely monitoring implementation progress to help ethnic minorities in mountainous areas benefit from the policies as soon as possible.

During the period 2021-2025, communes in the northern part of Thai Nguyen province implemented 7 projects to resettle and stabilize residents in disadvantaged areas, with a total investment of over 136 billion VND. To date, 6 projects have been completed in the communes of Cao Minh, Nghia Ta, Tan Ky, Thuong Quan, Phuc Loc, and Phong Quang. The projects include: roads, housing, electricity, clean water, and auxiliary facilities.

The remaining project in Na Hoi village (Phuc Loc commune) has reached 50% completion and is expected to be finished in the fourth quarter of 2025. These projects contribute to stabilizing the lives and long-term livelihoods of the people.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202508/khong-de-gian-doan-chuong-trinh-lon-6615a44/