Nhu Thanh is a mountainous district in the west of Thanh Hoa province, with 14 communes, towns and 159 villages and neighborhoods, of which 2 communes and 17 villages are in the especially difficult category. The socio-economic life of ethnic minorities (EMs) still faces many difficulties due to rugged mountainous terrain, limited infrastructure, and uneven educational levels.

However, from the resources of the National Target Program 1719, the projects and components of the Program are implemented synchronously and drastically. Thereby, it is expected to bring about comprehensive changes in the ethnic minority areas of the mountainous district of Như Thanh.

From the capital of the National Target Program 1719, phase 2021-2023, 42 infrastructure projects, with a total cost of 37 billion VND, have been built, including 11 traffic projects, 2 centralized water projects, 21 village cultural houses, 5 schools, 2 traffic spillways, and 1 lighting project.

These projects not only help improve living conditions, but also promote connectivity between regions, facilitate trade and production, and improve the quality of people's cultural life.

Currently, Nhu Thanh district has implemented 9/10 projects within the framework of the program, with a total support budget from the Central Government of more than 60 billion VND, focusing on essential fields, creating a solid foundation for the long-term development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

A typical example is Project 3 on sustainable agricultural and forestry production development, which is one of the important highlights of the National Target Program 1719 in Nhu Thanh district. Implemented with a budget of more than 2.3 billion VND, the project has implemented 5 community production development projects in Thanh Tan, Thanh Ky, Can Khe and Phuong Nghi communes.

Thanks to these projects, many poor and near-poor households have been supported to raise buffaloes, cows and goats for breeding, contributing to increasing income and improving their lives. Promoting local economic potential, combined with value chain production models, has created positive changes, helping ethnic minorities improve their lives and escape poverty in a sustainable way.

As one of the poor households benefiting from the above project, Mr. Nguyen Van Quan, Dong Lam village, Thanh Tan commune, happily shared: His family is a poor household. Through evaluation, the family was supported with 10 million VND to buy breeding cows from the Community Production Development Project. Borrowing 4 million VND from relatives as counterpart capital, Mr. Quan bought cows worth 14 million VND to raise.

"After several years of care, the original cow has now grown to two more calves. Thanks to that, the family has a stable livelihood. The 1719 program has really helped us escape poverty and develop a sustainable economy.", Mr. Quan excitedly informed.

In addition, Nhu Thanh district also focuses its investment resources on essential infrastructure to serve production and life. In 2023, Nhu Thanh district implemented 18 infrastructure projects, with a total cost of more than 13.6 billion VND. Of these, 12 new projects were started and 6 projects were maintained and repaired, including cultural houses, traffic works, schools, and lighting.

Investing in transport infrastructure and essential works not only solves difficulties in travel, study, and living, but also creates conditions to boost production, attract investment, and develop local tourism.

The National Target Program 1719 in Nhu Thanh district also pays special attention to human resource development, through investment in education and vocational training for ethnic minorities. In 2023, Nhu Thanh district organized 13 short-term vocational training courses for 455 students and 29 career guidance courses in communes, towns and schools. These courses not only help improve vocational skills, but also open up job opportunities, solving labor problems in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

At the same time, sub-projects on education development at ethnic minority boarding and semi-boarding schools have also helped improve teaching quality, improve learning conditions, and contribute to building qualified young human resources to meet the requirements of socio-economic development in ethnic minority areas in the future.

To effectively implement the National Target Program 1719 in Nhu Thanh, it is impossible not to mention the decisive and flexible leadership role of the Party Committee and local government. From the reasonable allocation of capital, timely implementation of projects, to monitoring and urging implementation, all are closely carried out by the local government.

Accordingly, from the consensus and unity in leadership and direction and the active response of the people, the projects under the National Target Program 1719 have brought about positive results, creating important breakthroughs for the development of the district.

Ms. Le Ngoc Hoa, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nhu Thanh district, said: In recent years, the socio-economic development situation in the district has had many clear changes. Nhu Thanh district has always been evaluated as being at the top in the field of rapid poverty reduction (11.8% in 2021, 3.7% in 2023; the poverty rate among ethnic minorities and mountainous areas in 2021 is 14.08%, 4.17% in 2023). In particular, the work of building new rural areas has achieved many high results, the district strives to reach the goal of a new rural district in 2024.