For a mountainous and border province like Lang Son, implementing the goals of the new rural construction program requires large investment resources and support from the State.

State support

By the end of 2020, the whole province had 65 communes recognized as meeting NTM standards, of which 7 communes met advanced NTM standards, with each commune achieving an average of 12.97 NTM criteria. In the 2021-2025 period, the whole province strives to have 50 more communes meeting NTM standards (an average of 10 more communes meeting NTM standards each year); 25 advanced NTM communes, 12 model NTM communes...

From 2021 to now, the implementation of goals and tasks of building new rural areas in the province has encountered many difficulties due to limited investment resources; communes with favorable conditions have been selected to build new rural areas in previous stages, so this stage still has many communes with special difficulties; the set of criteria for building new rural areas in the 2021-2025 period has many new and difficult criteria, requiring greater investment needs, especially infrastructure criteria...

Mr. Nguyen Huu Chien, Director of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, said: Faced with these difficulties, the Department has advised the Provincial People's Committee to direct relevant departments, branches, and People's Committees of districts and cities to focus on synchronously implementing solutions to overcome difficulties, determined to strive to complete the goals and tasks of building new rural areas every year and in the set period. To support districts and cities in building new rural areas, the Provincial People's Committee has balanced and integrated the allocation of resources to support communes in implementing the criteria of new rural communes, advanced new rural areas, and model new rural areas...

Specifically, in the 2021-2025 period, the total State budget resources directly supporting the program are estimated at VND 1,919 billion, with integrated capital of VND 5,748 billion. State investment capital has supported key communes striving to meet NTM standards by investing in the construction of over 340 infrastructure works such as traffic, health, education, cultural facilities, electricity, irrigation, rural markets; building 86 models to support production development, increase income for people... Thereby creating favorable conditions for production development, people's lives as well as directly contributing to the completion of many difficult criteria in NTM construction in the area.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Tuan, Chairman of Binh Gia District People's Committee, said: The implementation of goals and tasks in building new rural areas in the district faces many difficulties due to the low starting point of the communes, with 100% of the communes starting to build new rural areas being extremely disadvantaged communes. Faced with that reality, from 2021 to present, the District People's Committee has reviewed and deployed investment in the construction of 70 works in key communes striving to meet new rural and advanced new rural standards in the period of 2021-2025. The invested works have made an important contribution to helping the communes complete the infrastructure criteria. Up to now, 10/18 communes in the district have met new rural standards, of which 2 communes have met advanced new rural standards.

Along with infrastructure construction, from the State's support capital, districts and cities have implemented models to support production development to increase people's income. Ms. Vu Thi Huong, Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dinh Lap district, said: From the production support capital of the New Rural Construction Program, in the period of 2022-2024, the district has supported the construction of 5 production development models with a budget of 3.7 billion VND. Thereby, it has contributed to innovating the form of production organization, increasing people's income as well as contributing to the completion of income and poverty reduction criteria of communes. Up to now, 100% of communes in the district have met the New Rural Construction standards.

In addition to the investment and resource support from the State, in recent years, people in the province have also actively joined hands and contributed to implementing the criteria of new rural areas, advanced new rural areas, and model new rural areas.

People join hands

To achieve the goals and tasks of building the new rural areas, mobilizing resources from the people plays a very important role. With this clear understanding, in recent years, relevant levels and sectors have proactively and synchronously deployed solutions so that people clearly understand the purpose and meaning of the program and their role as subjects in building the new rural areas.

Mr. Hoang Dang Dung, Head of the Rural Development Department, Department of Agriculture and Environment said: To mobilize people, all levels and sectors have focused on promoting propaganda and mobilization work in many forms such as propaganda through conferences and training; propaganda on mass media, direct propaganda to each village, hamlet, and household...

Specifically, every year, relevant levels, sectors, the Fatherland Front and associations and organizations have organized specialized propaganda, integrating contents related to new rural construction in nearly 4,000 sessions with nearly 300,000 participants; organized over 100 training and refresher courses on new rural construction; propagated over 1,000 news and articles on mass media... Along with that, for a number of projects facing difficulties (mainly in terms of land), relevant levels and sectors regularly go directly to each village, hamlet, and household to propagate and mobilize...

Mr. Hoang Van Dieu, Party Secretary, Chairman of the People's Committee of Cao Lau Commune, Cao Loc District, said: In 2024, Cao Lau Commune was selected as a pilot commune striving to meet the new rural standards. To implement the new rural criteria, in addition to the State's investment resources, the People's Committee of the Commune has proactively coordinated with agencies to organize propaganda and mobilization through conferences from the commune to 100% of the villages; propaganda on the loudspeaker system, social networks in the commune, village... with contents related to the construction of new rural areas, especially the implementation of the construction of roads that require the joint efforts of the people in donating land. Through propaganda, people understand and actively join hands to implement.

Mr. Trieu Van Dien, Na Va village, Cao Lau commune said: In 2024, the State has a policy to build a road through a part of the family's land area. After being propagandized and mobilized, my family clearly understood the purpose and meaning of building the road and voluntarily donated 2024 m2 of land and some trees on the land so that the project could be implemented and completed soon.

Together with Mr. Dien's family, in 2024, people in Cao Lau commune donated over 20,000 m2 of land, cash and working days to join hands to implement traffic criteria, cultural facilities, environment... The people's cooperation and contribution have made an important contribution to helping Cao Lau commune complete the goal of meeting NTM standards in 2024.

Not only the people in Cao Lau commune, implementing the new rural construction program, from 2021 to now, people in other communes in the province have also actively contributed labor, money, and donated land to join hands to implement the new rural, advanced new rural, and model new rural criteria. Specifically, from 2021 to now, people have contributed money, labor, and donated land worth over 413 billion VND.

From the State's investment resources, the people's cooperation and contributions, along with other legal resources, have made important contributions to the implementation of the common goals and tasks of building new rural areas in the province. In the 2021-2024 period, the whole province recognized 44 more communes meeting new rural standards (exceeding the annual target). Thereby, by the end of 2024, the whole province had 106 communes recognized as meeting new rural standards, of which 27 communes met advanced new rural standards, 10 communes met model new rural standards, with each commune achieving an average of 15.18 criteria.

By 2025, the province is expected to strive to have 9 more communes meeting the NTM standards. However, the province is currently organizing the arrangement of the administrative apparatus, including the merger of communes and wards, leading to some communes having to adjust their boundaries as well as criteria. Therefore, the communes are continuing to propagate and mobilize people to maintain and consolidate the achieved criteria, while mobilizing resources to continue building infrastructure to better serve the needs of socio-economic development in the area.

Overcoming many difficulties and challenges, it can be affirmed that up to now, the implementation of new rural construction in the province has achieved many positive results. In the coming time, the implementation of new rural construction nationwide, including Lang Son province, will have changes suitable to the practical conditions after the rearrangement. However, with the close attention and direction of all levels and sectors, the cooperation and contribution of the people, it is believed that in the coming time, the implementation of new rural construction goals in the province will continue to achieve many more positive results. Thereby contributing significantly to changing the face of the countryside, continuing to improve the material and spiritual life of the people as well as the overall socio-economic development in the province.