Yen Tho is one of Nhu Thanh district’s 4 target communes of the national program on new rural development. During 3 years implementing the program, Yen Tho was able to mobilize 4 million USD, mostly from the local people’s contributions, to upgrade the local traffic and irrigation systems, as well as rezone the farming areas for higher productivity. The commune’s roads connecting hamlets, and with other communes are now paved while all of its schools, healthcare centers, and cultural houses have been upgraded or newly built. Nguyen Ngoc Ty, chairman of Yen Tho communal People’s Committee, said: "Yen Tho commune has achieved 16 out of the 19 criteria set in the national program on new rural development, and aims to target the remaining 3 criteria within this year. We put the local people and their interests at the center of every work we do. We are proposing the government to support us in building the communal offices to create the best conditions for the local people in dealing with administrative procedures."

Yen Tho commune has focused on restructuring their crops, targeting those with higher yield such as cross-bred rice, capsicum, sugarcane, and mushroom, earning the local people around 10,000 USD for every farming hectare. Le Dinh Mai, head of a mushroom-growing facility, said this job, which can utilize the available organic materials and helps clean the environment, has brought his family annual revenue of 10,000 USD while creating jobs for up to 20 local laborers. Ho Thi Sinh from Xuan Tho hamlet said that growing capsicum and squash has helped stabilize her family economy and now they can even accumulate from their farming work. Sinh said: "Our living conditions have become more comfortable since we restructured our crops. Growing capsicum can generate up to 500 USD/ crop. We hope to have more stable outlets for our products."

Tran Van Tuan, Nhu Thanh district’s Party Secretary, said the district has mobilized around 280 million USD, mostly donated by the local people, and got 16 communes involved in the national program on new rural development. Tuan said a number of communes are expected to complete the program by 2015: "We have acknowledged the importance of improving the local understanding of the program while reaching a consensus with the local people on any matters regarding new rural development. As Nhu Thanh remains a poor district, we put a lot of attention and effort to improving our farming production to improve the local people’s income. For us, this is both the objective and method to make the new rural development program a success as our ultimate goal is to increase the local income and living conditions."

Nhu Thanh has become a role model in the national program on new rural development thanks to its wise strategies that put the local people’s interests at the core of any activity made by the local authorities.