By the end of 2023, the province had 48 communes that met or basically met the standards for New Rural Development (NRD), with the average income of rural residents reaching 26 million VND/year; the poverty rate in rural areas decreased to nearly 37%; and the average number of NRD criteria met per commune was approximately 14. The material and spiritual lives of the people are increasingly improving, and the appearance of rural Dien Bien is changing and flourishing. However, when reviewing the NRD program in the province, the challenge of maintaining NRD standards arises because many communes have not met the standards. The most difficult criteria are income, poverty rate, and infrastructure and culture, which are all difficult for communes to achieve and maintain.
Besides the challenge of maintaining standards, the fact that some districts such as Dien Bien Dong, Tuan Giao, Tua Chua, and Muong Cha do not yet have communes meeting the New Rural Area standards is also a matter of concern. In reality, building New Rural Areas in the province requires each level and sector to proactively participate, find solutions to overcome difficulties, and leverage investment resources to effectively implement programs and projects to improve rural infrastructure, helping people increase their income and improve their living standards to escape poverty.
With the perspective that building new rural areas has a starting point but no end point, Dien Bien province has mobilized the entire political system, encouraging families and villages to work together to build new rural areas. The province's plan for building new rural areas in the 2021-2025 period clearly defines the goals, solutions, and assigned tasks for implementation. The province strives to have 2 district-level units complete the construction of new rural areas by 2025, 1 commune achieving the model new rural area standard, 9 communes achieving the advanced new rural area standard, 76 communes achieving the standard or basically achieving the standard, and 650 villages achieving the new rural area standard and model new rural area standard. Among them, Muong Lay town aims to be the district-level unit to complete the task of building new rural areas. In implementing the plan, each locality, based on its actual situation, participates in building new rural areas, starting with tasks that do not yet require financial contributions, such as environmental sanitation and maintaining cultural lifestyles.
In economic development, localities are exploring and guiding people to switch to crop and livestock farming in a way that links production and consumption, increasing income; and focusing on concentrated production. Dien Bien district, with its Muong Thanh rice fields, has researched and applied new scientific and technical advancements in agricultural production, especially rice cultivation, to increase yield and value. At the same time, the district focuses on developing agricultural production towards a commodity-based approach, diversifying models to create livelihoods for the people. Many specialized crop farms and family farms have emerged in the district, helping people access new production methods and increase their income. In Tuan Giao district, the climate and soil are suitable for macadamia nut cultivation. Taking advantage of this, the district is promoting agricultural restructuring, converting low-productivity land to high-value crops by expanding the area under macadamia cultivation. The district has focused resources on projects supporting production development under national target programs to plant new macadamia trees in concentrated areas in the communes of Pú Nhung, Ta Ma, Phình Sáng, Rạng Đông, etc. Currently, the entire Tuần Giáo district has nearly 1,000 hectares of macadamia trees ready for harvest, with an estimated yield of nearly 3,000 tons of fresh fruit in 2023. In Nậm Pồ district, the Si Pa Phìn High-Tech Agricultural Cooperative is implementing a model of growing clean, high-quality vegetables and fruits, linking agricultural product consumption in markets inside and outside the province.
With the involvement of mass organizations, people's awareness has changed significantly, and they are actively participating in building new rural areas by donating land for roads and cultural centers. However, the income criterion is a difficult challenge for Dien Bien province to achieve due to the high poverty rate and difficult production conditions. Meanwhile, the criteria for new rural areas continue to raise the standards for criteria, and income levels are also increasing, making it even more difficult for communes to implement. Communes with more favorable conditions have strived to achieve new rural area status, while the remaining communes have low starting points, uneven levels of education, lack of arable land, and difficulty applying science and technology to production, leading to difficulties in increasing income. In reality, the construction of new rural areas in the province also reveals a situation where a significant number of farmers still have a mindset of waiting and relying on state support, unwilling to escape poverty. The Party committees and authorities of some localities are "satisfied" with the results achieved; lacking the determination to strive for the criteria that have not yet been met for new rural areas. Building new rural areas requires significant funding, while resources for achieving the program's goals, supported by the central and provincial governments, are limited and insufficient to meet requirements. Furthermore, mobilizing local resources and contributions from the people faces numerous challenges.
The challenges in building new rural areas in the province are both subjective and objective, but it is necessary to identify solutions, overcome difficulties, and raise awareness and responsibility among the people and Party committees and authorities. It is crucial to strengthen propaganda and mobilization efforts throughout the political system, enhancing the role and responsibility of the people in building new rural areas. Successful models, best practices, initiatives, and experiences in new rural development should be replicated. The government should connect with, support, and guide people in effectively implementing the contents and criteria of new rural development; especially by developing model projects on high-tech agricultural production linked to product consumption to be replicated and improve the income of rural people.
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