Mr. Phan Huy Ngoc, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, with delegates at the fifth special session of the 19th Tuyen Quang Provincial People’s Council, term 2021-2026 (December 2025)
From Direct Aid to Sustainable Livelihoods
In the early 2000s, the “roof, water tank, and cow” support program introduced by the former Ha Giang province emerged as a breakthrough policy. Even today, it is widely remembered by highland communities as a defining milestone.
Recognizing the severe hardships faced by residents at the time, and guided by the orientations of the Provincial Party Committee, the Ha Giang Provincial People’s Council adopted resolutions that clearly defined beneficiaries and support levels. These policies enabled households in villages across the rocky highland plateau of northern Vietnam to replace temporary roofs with durable fibro-cement roofing, build solid water tanks, and receive breeding cows. The program stood out as a practical example of a people-first approach, addressing the most basic and urgent needs of local communities.
Khuon Lu Bridge in Dong Ngoc village, Luc Hanh commune, built under Resolution 55 of the Provincial People’s Council, facilitating safer and more convenient travel for local residents
Building on this foundation, the Ha Giang Provincial People’s Council continued to issue resolutions supporting farmers with seedlings, livestock breeds, fertilizers, and animal feed; assisting with housing construction, livestock facilities, and rural road development across villages in the country’s northernmost border areas.
Most notably, Resolution No. 58/2020/NQ-HDND, dated December 9, 2020, introduced special policies to support household garden economies and the sustainable development of Sanh oranges during the 2021-2025 period. Under this framework, poor and near-poor households were eligible for zero-interest loans to rehabilitate their gardens, while Sanh orange growers could access capital to improve product quality and production efficiency.
In Tuyen Quang, a series of resolutions providing direct support to villages, communes, and households were also adopted. These policies have helped reshape the rural landscape, serving as a practical bridge that enables local people to invest more effectively in production and business, thereby improving both material conditions and quality of life. Measures ranged from incentives for farm-based economic development and commodity production to support for high-quality forestry seedlings, agricultural cooperatives, fisheries, water-saving irrigation systems, irrigation canal upgrades, rural roads, and community cultural centers.
Among the most prominent policies over the past five years are Resolution No. 55/NQ-HDND, dated November 20, 2020, approving a rural road concreting and bridge construction program for the 2021-2025 period, and Resolution No. 03/NQ-HDND, dated July 16, 2021, on supporting agricultural, forestry, and fisheries commodity production, OCOP products, and rural modernization across the province.
Resolution No. 03 alone comprises 10 policy groups with nearly 30 support mechanisms for both organizations and individuals. These range from interest rate subsidies to direct financial assistance for purchasing seeds and livestock, product processing and promotion, cooperative establishment, and production infrastructure investment.
Transforming Rural Life
Experience has shown that when policies align with people’s aspirations, they receive strong public support and generate broad consensus. In many localities, residents voluntarily donated thousands of square meters of land and cleared crops and assets to make way for roads, bridges, and community facilities. As a result, living conditions and the rural landscape have steadily improved.
A household garden rehabilitation model for specialized vegetable cultivation in Seo Lung B village, Sa Phin commune, delivering high economic returns
Under Resolution No. 55, more than 1,000 kilometers of rural roads and 200 bridges were built across the former Tuyen Quang province. Meanwhile, nearly VND 140 billion (approximately USD 5.5 million) was disbursed under Resolution No. 03, benefiting 12,218 organizations and individuals.
In the Ha Giang area during the 2021-2025 period, around 4,600 households accessed loans totaling over VND 100 billion (approximately USD 4 million) to rehabilitate household gardens. In addition, 415 organizations and individuals borrowed nearly VND 13 billion (about USD 520,000) to support the sustainable development of hundreds of hectares of Sanh orange orchards.
Immediately after the provincial merger, the 19th Provincial People’s Council held seven sessions - including two regular and five special-session meetings - passing nearly 100 resolutions across social and livelihood-related fields. Many of these decisions reflected the province’s close attention to the well-being of both officials and residents.
Rooted in real-life conditions and legitimate public needs, the Provincial People’s Council’s decisions over successive terms have consistently affirmed a people-centered governance approach, recognizing citizens as both the beneficiaries and active drivers of development. These policies have contributed to visible changes in rural areas, improved material conditions and quality of life, strengthened public trust, and fostered social consensus. When public policy aligns with people’s aspirations, collective strength is multiplied, laying a solid foundation for the province’s sustainable development in a new phase.
Nguyen Thanh Hieu
From a Vietnamese article on the Tuyen Quang online
