New life in Dak Ui

From a once disadvantaged area, Dak Ui commune in Quang Ngai province is transforming day by day with smooth concrete roads and sturdy houses built under the "Great Solidarity" program...

From a once disadvantaged area, Dak Ui commune in Quang Ngai province is transforming day by day with smooth concrete roads and spacious "Great Solidarity" houses...

...The achievements are thanks to the decisive leadership and guidance of the Party committees and government, the unity and joint efforts of the people, and the immense resources from national target programs.

Leveraging policy capital

Visiting Dak Ui in the final days of 2025, we clearly felt the significant changes taking place in this area. With over 12,000 inhabitants, of which ethnic minorities account for 63.2%, 11 out of 15 villages are inhabited by ethnic minorities, and 6 villages are classified as particularly disadvantaged, the challenge of developing the economy , improving people's lives, and building new rural areas poses considerable difficulties for the Party Committee and the local government.

However, "fire tests gold, hardship tests strength," and it is precisely in these difficulties that the determination of the entire political system and the people here is further tempered. By identifying national target programs as the "golden key" to unlocking the door to development, Dak Ui has transformed the policies and guidelines of the Party and State into concrete and vivid results.

During the period 2023-2025, the total capital allocated to the socio-economic development program for ethnic minority and mountainous areas and the New Rural Development Program in the commune amounted to over 16.6 billion VND. This figure reflects the attention of the central government and the province to a remote, mountainous commune inhabited by ethnic minorities.

It is noteworthy that the disbursement rate of development investment capital in the commune reached a very high, almost absolute level. Specifically, the New Rural Development Program disbursed 99.35% and the Socio-Economic Development Program for Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas reached 99.24%. This result not only reflects the outstanding efforts of the local government in directing and managing the program but also shows the active participation of the people, the true stakeholders of these programs.

According to Y Sương, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Đăk Ui commune: “We recognize that ethnic minorities are not only beneficiaries of policies, but more importantly, active participants in building their homeland. Therefore, all implementation activities are carried out according to the principles of openness, transparency, and the mobilization of consensus and input from the community.”

As a result of implementing sub-projects under the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, 192 poor, near-poor, and newly-escaped-from-poverty households have received support in the form of breeding cows, a basic and practical livelihood model for a locality with a tradition of livestock farming like Dak Ui.

In addition, 429 poor and near-poor households received housing support; 24 households received support for decentralized water supply, significantly improving their quality of life. Furthermore, essential infrastructure systems such as roads, schools, cultural centers, electricity, and water supply have been continuously improved through the integration of funding from other programs and projects.

The sweet fruits of collective effort and unity.

While funding is a necessary condition, the consensus and cooperation of the people are the sufficient conditions for programs to bear fruit. The story of Mr. A Luc's family in Dak K'Dem village, one of the particularly disadvantaged villages in the commune, is a vivid example of the effectiveness of the policy. Previously, his family was classified as a poor household, relying solely on a few acres of rice paddies year-round, leading a precarious life.

Approved by the local authorities, his family is one of 192 poor and near-poor households in the entire commune that received a breeding cow from the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

Mr. Luc cares for his cow as if it were the most valuable asset of his family. He proactively participates in training courses on livestock farming techniques and building barns organized by the commune. Having received the breeding cow at the end of 2023, the cow has now given birth to two calves, providing Mr. Luc with a useful source of manure to fertilize over 200 coffee trees in his garden.

Thanks to this, over the past two years, the income from selling coffee alone has brought the family more than 160 million VND, helping to cover living expenses and lift them out of poverty. Mr. A Luc shared: “I never dreamed I would have achieved what I have today. Without the Party and the State's care, I don't know when my family would have escaped poverty. My wife and I are determined to work hard to care for and expand our herd of cattle so as not to disappoint the government.”

The story of Mr. A Luc is not unique. The "sweet fruits" are evident throughout the villages of Dak Ui. The entire commune has achieved 19 out of 19 criteria for New Rural Development. The movement to build New Rural Development villages in ethnic minority areas and model New Rural Development villages is spreading strongly. To date, 6 out of 11 ethnic minority villages have been recognized as meeting the standards, and 4 out of 4 registered villages have achieved the standards for model residential villages. Villages like Thanh Xuan, Dak Tin, Doan Ket… have become shining examples of building cultural life, maintaining security and order, and developing the economy.

Not only has Dak Ui commune achieved the standard of a New Rural Commune, but it is also striving to meet the criteria of an Advanced New Rural Commune. To date, the entire commune has completed 14 out of 19 advanced New Rural Commune criteria, with the remaining 5 criteria being further developed, including: planning, information and communication, income, production organization and rural economic development, and health care.

According to Nong Van Ngay, Party Secretary and Head of Dak K'Dem village, “When we started implementing the model village program, we determined that the people were at the center. From expanding the concrete road and planting flowers along the roadside to weekly garbage collection, everything was done proactively by the villagers with a spirit of voluntariness. We are most proud of the clean living environment, the playground for children, and the communal space for the elderly.”

From being a locality facing many economic and infrastructure difficulties, Dak Ui commune is gradually transforming itself into a shining example in the remote areas of Quang Ngai province. The achievements in implementing the National Target Program not only demonstrate the high sense of responsibility of the political system but also reflect the people's participation in the cause of building and developing their homeland.

PHUC THANG

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/suc-song-moi-tai-dak-ui-408238.html