(VOVworld) – The model for building new rural areas in Thanh Van on the outskirts of Hanoi has proven to be very effective. People’s living standards have improved considerably and everyone is satisfied with local authorities’ concern for them.

An orange garden in Thanh Oai district (photo: hanoimoi.com.vn)

Thanh Van is a rice-growing low-land area in Thanh Oai district. In the early 1990s, 85% of the local households needed aid during between-crop periods. 20 years later, everything has changed for the better. Many households have become affluent, able to build multi-storey houses. All the children now attend school. This has been the result of a model for building new rural areas in a spirit of self-help instead of waiting for state investment. Party Secretary of Thanh Van commune Quang Van Thinh said: “The idea to build new rural areas began in the 1990s when most of the local households were poor. In the beginning, we only hoped to improve people’s material and spiritual lives a little, not to fulfill any of the criteria for new rural areas. We only thought of ways to help people get adequate food, clothing, and housing. We have been pioneers in building new rural areas this way.”

In 1991 Thanh Van established a fund to reduce poverty with just 20 tonnes of rice and 1000 USD. The money was used to provide no-interest loans to farmers to buy seedlings, breeding animals, and bricks to build houses. This fund has gradually been expanded to help hundreds of local households escape poverty. In particular, the commune has zoned agricultural land and farms for long-term use and mass production. The commune used 6% of its 650 hectares of agricultural land for crop restructuring. This acreage was allocated to all households to develop farm production in order to increase their incomes. The commune also reserved land to build houses and roads to make it easier to produce and trade farm produce. Head of Bach Nao hamlet Nguyen Chi Tuyen said: “The multi-storey houses, which can found anywhere in our commune, are thanks to what we call “the land revolution”.

Thanh Van has mobilized 30 million USD to upgrade rural infrastructure without using any state funding. The commune’s Bo Nau field has been used to grow high-quality rice on a large scale. Bo Nau has become a prestigious rice brand on the market. While building new rural areas, Thanh Van authorities have focused on grassroots democracy and transparency, allowing the people to discuss and oversee every specific project. This policy has achieved high consensus and improved people’s trust in the local government. Nguyen Tam Thanh, a local resident, said: “We are all supportive of this policy because it has helped to improve our lives.”

People in Thanh Van have established their own social welfare fund worth 2.3 million USD to provide pensions for farmers. Thanh Van’s new rural development model, which adheres to people’s aspirations, has become a success story.