Part 2 - Journey to unlock the potential of land and people

From a low starting point, “weak” in infrastructure, “lacking” in resources, “new” in organization, after nearly three decades, Bac Kan has steadily moved forward, positioning itself with its own strengths. A small mountainous province with limited internal resources has overcome all barriers to establish a development path, taking the promotion of human values, resources and highland culture as the foundation.

The first decade after the province’s re-establishment was a period of overcoming difficulties. Administrative agency areas, functional areas, “electricity – roads – schools and stations” were the top priorities of Bac Kan during the period of homeland construction.

With the mission of “leading the way”, transportation is identified as the breakthrough focus for Bac Kan to escape isolation. As a province located in the Northeast economic region, many key and urgent inter-regional transportation projects are urgently under construction. From national highways 3, 3B, 279 which have been gradually invested in and upgraded, to provincial roads 255, 257, 258, 259… The interconnected transportation system is the foundation for reaching out, creating a new driving force for socio-economic development.

In the following years, the urbanization rate in the whole province was quite fast. Thousands of large and small projects were invested, gradually removing the "bottlenecks" in infrastructure. The appearance of rural and urban areas has increasingly improved along with the economic and social momentum, gradually bringing Bac Kan out of the "lowland".



Without a large industrial advantage or a strong business ecosystem, Bac Kan chose a direction suitable to its actual conditions: Developing sustainable forestry, commodity agriculture and eco-community tourism.

As a purely agricultural province, the agricultural sector has always held a leading position, being the foundation and support of the local economy. If in the early period of re-establishment, people had to worry about every meal, then after only ten years, Bac Kan has solved the problem of food security, farmers have gradually escaped poverty on their homeland.

The Party Committee and the government have issued appropriate policies for investment in agriculture, focusing on exploiting potentials and advantages to develop production in the direction of commodities. Key crops with advantages have been planned into concentrated production areas, such as: Bao Thai rice growing area in Cho Don, Khau Nua Lech sticky rice in Ngan Son; Shan Tuyet tea in Bang Phuc (Cho Don); dong rieng in Na Ri, Ba Be; oranges and tangerines in Bach Thong, Cho Don, Ba Be... Many products have been recognized for geographical indications and certified for collective trademarks. The Bac Kan OCOP brand has recently made a splash nationwide with 245 recognized products.

Forests are an invaluable resource, a comparative advantage of Bac Kan, with forested hills accounting for over 85% of the area. The vegetation is rich and diverse, with many valuable forest products and medicinal herbs. The forest coverage rate of over 73% makes Bac Kan the province with the largest forest coverage in the country.

Ba Be Lake is the third Ramsar site in Vietnam.

Geological tectonic movements have created unique natural wonders for Bac Kan. The famous Ba Be Lake is not only a valuable natural heritage, but also a potential for Bac Kan to develop tourism.

Nature and environment have created for Bac Kan abundant potential for economic development. That is also the condition for the locality to “choose the right direction”.

Culture and people are the third pillar in the sustainable development strategy. Traditional cultural forms such as then singing, tinh lute, bowl dance, sli, luon, pao dung... are restored and taught in the community. Traditional festivals such as: Long Tong, Ba Be spring festival, Mu La, Tham temple festival, Gau Tao festival... with their own characteristics of the highlands are increasingly attracting people and visitors from afar. Folk songs echoing from the mountainside, colorful traditional costumes in the market and many beautiful features in the customs and practices of the people are like the underground cultural stream that nourishes the souls of Bac Kan people through many generations.

With more than 80% of the population being Tay, Nung, Dao, Mong, etc., the ethnic picture of Bac Kan is colorful and unified in diversity. The process of building villages, protecting villages, conquering nature, and working in production has consolidated the community, creating solidarity. The virtues of diligence, hard work, simplicity, and steadfast belief in the Party and the revolution despite hardships, which have been nurtured through many generations, are also valuable assets that create the character and unique values ​​of the people of Bac Kan.

Rich potential and strong cultural identity are endogenous strength, pride, and a premise for Bac Kan people to promote good values ​​and unique strengths to integrate and develop./. (continued)

Magnolia - Trang Le - Xuan Nghiep

Source: https://baobackan.vn/ky-2-hanh-trinh-khai-mo-tiem-luc-dat-va-nguoi-post70981.html