The "sweet fruit" of the new countryside

(AG Provincial E-Portal) - The province's inaugural new rural district was Thoai Son, which was established by the Prime Minister's Decision 750/QD-TTg. After more than a decade of effort and triumph, this is the "sweet fruit" that serves as the foundation and impetus for An Giang to transform the new countryside into a "livable countryside," a destination that is both desirable to return to and retains tourists.

A new appearance on the land of Mr. Thoai

Thoai Son was the first new countryside in the province in 2018, surpassing the roadmap by one year with respect to the plan. The Party Committee, the government, and the residents of Mr. Thoai's Land are committed to achieving the criteria of an advanced countryside and are continuously striving to do so, despite the accomplishments they have already made. The "sweet fruit" of that endeavor is that all 14 of the 14 communes in the district have achieved advanced countryside communes, including two model new countryside communes (Dinh Thanh commune in the field of production organization and Vinh Trach commune in the field of education). Additionally, three towns have become civilized cities. This is the rationale behind the signing of Decision 750/QD-TTg by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang on August 1, 2024, which acknowledges that the Thoai Son district satisfies the advanced countryside district standards for 2023.

The accomplishment of Thoai Son's advanced new countryside district is entirely justified. Today, the provincial road known as "the most beautiful in An Giang" is a source of excitement for all who travel from the center of Long Xuyen City to Thoai Son district along Provincial Road 943. The road is flanked by two rows of mausoleums and phoenixes. Since 2018, nearly 43 km of commune roads have been completely hardened. In order to guarantee traffic safety, they have invested in construction and have planted trees to provide shade.

The length of the 118.83km road network, which includes 31 hamlet and inter-hamlet roads, is 100% plasticized or concreted to meet standards. This represents a 40.03km increase from 2018. In the same vein, 21 alleys and hamlets, which span 19.4km, are also being hardened to ensure that they are bright, green, clean, and beautiful. 27,909 households in 14 advanced new countryside communes have permanent or semi-permanent residences, which accounts for 87.86% of the 31,766 households.

Thoai Son, which is referred to as the "rice granary" of the province, is committed to the development of high-quality rice raw material areas, green growth, and low emissions. Additionally, it promotes the transformation of crop and livestock structures in a manner that is appropriate, with the aim of fostering handicrafts, trade, services, and tourism. By doing so, the production value of agricultural land will be increased to an average of 215 million VND/ha, the per capita income in rural areas will be raised to 73.5 million VND/person/year, and the rate of impoverished households will be reduced to 1.32%. The district has attracted large enterprises to invest in production, resulting in the creation of approximately 10,000 jobs for local workers.

Revitalizing economically disadvantaged regions

Tri Ton district's construction of new countryside is more challenging than that of other localities in the province due to the challenging socio-economic conditions and low starting point. Nevertheless, districts are resolute in their efforts to construct new countryside, particularly in deep-lying, remote, ethnic minority, and border areas, as they view this as an opportunity to achieve a significant development milestone. Currently, 6 out of 12 communes in the Tri Ton district have been designated as new countryside communes, with 2 of them being advanced.

The working group of the Central Economic Commission recently conducted a visit to the households of the Khmer ethnic minority in Nui To commune (Tri Ton district). The delegates were significantly impressed by the significant transformation that had occurred in the villages. In place of the previous "sunny, dusty, muddy" roads, there are now clean, airy concrete roads that are illuminated at night. And the dilapidated houses have been replaced with houses that are gradually solidifying.

The Central Economic Committee's working group made a visit to the Tri Ton district to assess the production situation of the Khmer people

"My family does not have any production land and works for rent. Our stable house is constructed with the assistance of the state, which guarantees shade from the sun and rain. Additionally, we are supported by a pair of breeding cows. All of us are exceedingly pleased. On a daily basis, I take the opportunity to cut grass to feed the cows, in addition to laboring for hire, in order to make a profit from our labor." - Ms. Neang Sa Rum, a Khmer household in To Thuan hamlet (Nui To commune), was enthusiastic.

Mr. Do Minh Tri, the Vice Chairman of the Tri Ton District People's Committee, stated that Nui To is a commune with a significant number of Khmer ethnic minorities, and the socio-economic conditions are particularly challenging. The district's objective is to construct Nui To in 2025 to meet the standards of new countryside communes, thereby serving as an incentive for the construction of new countryside in other ethnic communes. "The district's development is significantly influenced by the three agriculture programs and the new countryside. The countryside is undergoing a positive transformation as a result of budget capital and socialization. This has attracted numerous large enterprises to invest, create jobs, and capitalize on the district's strengths, thereby enhancing the quality of life for the populace." shared Mr. Do Minh Tri.

Creating new positions and forces

An Giang is a province located in the headwaters of the Mekong River. The province's total area of 353,700 hectares of natural land is nearly 80% agricultural production land. With a population exceeding 1.9 million individuals (the largest in the Mekong Delta), over 68.4% reside in rural areas, and ethnic minorities (primarily Khmer and Cham) comprise 5.17%. The construction of new countryside is of practical importance to the economic development of rural areas, thereby enhancing the material and spiritual well-being of the populace.

According to Mr. Pham Thai Binh, the Deputy Chief of the Provincial New Countryside Coordination Office, An Giang's starting point for the new countryside construction was extremely low, with over 90% of communes (108/119 communes) meeting less than five criteria when the project was initiated in 2011. Meanwhile, budget conditions and social resource mobilization remain challenging. Nevertheless, the province has achieved a rate of 69.09% for 76 out of 110 communes that meet the new countryside standards, with an average of 17 criteria per commune. Additionally, there are 34 advanced new countryside communes, 2 model new countryside communes, 14 hamlets in border communes, and disadvantaged communes that meet the new countryside hamlet standards.

Chau Doc City and Long Xuyen City have successfully completed the construction of new countryside at the district level. Thoai Son District has recently achieved the status of an advanced new countryside district. The province's objective is to establish three additional district-level units that either meet the standards of the new countryside district or conclude the construction of the new countryside by 2025. So far, Cho Moi district has met 7 out of 9 criteria and 28 out of 36 targets, while Chau Thanh district has met 4 out of 9 criteria and 27 out of 36 targets. In particular, Tan Chau Town has established a roadmap that will be completed by the end of 2024. The task of constructing a new countryside will be completed shortly, as 100% of the communes meet the criteria for new countryside communes (there are three advanced new countryside communes) and 100% of the wards reach urban civilization standards.

Author: Ngo Chuan
Translator: Kim Thuan