Khánh Sơn mountainous district has two communes achieving new-style rural area standards, contributing to economic and social development and improving people's lives. — VNA/VNS Photo Đặng Tuấn

KHÁNH HOÀ — Khánh Hoà is a coastal province in the south central region, known as the land of beautiful bays.

It has great potential for socio-economic development and is on the way to becoming a rich and flourishing new-style rural province, while also offering great value across many aspects.

Through years of effort, the rural landscape has changed dramatically, becoming brighter and more vibrant.

Concrete roads wind through green fields connecting many villages, while spacious houses are built next to durian and green-skinned grapefruit orchards.

Peaceful and vibrant countryside

In recent years, Ninh Quang Commune in Ninh Hoà Town has had many effective initiatives such as ‘Lights on Countryside Roads’ and ‘Flower Roads’, creating a rich and peaceful new rural area.

This place is also known as a smart village, using the Zalo application to closely connect people with local authorities, while disseminating the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws.

From a purely agricultural locality, facing many difficulties, after more than a decade of solidarity and efforts from the authority and its people, Ninh Quang has risen.

The commune now has eight villages with more than 3,000 households and around 12,000 residents, where only 30 per cent of households work in agriculture. The remaining households participate in trade, services and trade.

Last year, Ninh Quang was honoured to be one of the first two communes in Khánh Hoà Province to meet the standards of a model new-style rural commune.

At present, all commune and village roads in Ninh Quang have been paved, improving daily life for residents.

The rate of trained workers is 75 per cent, while the average income is nearly VNĐ69 million (US$2,600) per person per year.

Notably, the commune has no more poor households, and the percentage of people buying health insurance has reached 90 per cent. The locality also has two effective cooperatives, with agricultural products achieving three-star one commune one product (OCOP) certification.

Local resident, Nguyễn Thị Hoà, said: “In the past, traffic was inconvenient and it was very difficult to travel. Now the roads are nice and cars run smoothly. Schools and medical stations have been upgraded, we are very excited. The commune Women's Union has conducted many good and creative ways to improve the material and spiritual lives of the people.”

In recognition of the commune’s efforts and achievements, the Khánh Hoà People's Committee awarded a certificate of merit to the commune for its outstanding contributions to the campaign 'The whole country works together to build new-style rural areas' in 2024.

Sustainable development

After more than a decade of implementation, the National Target Programme on New Rural Development in Khánh Hoà Province has left its mark, changing the face of the countryside, improving the quality of life for the people.

Infrastructure has been built to meet the development requirements and it is not just the civic structures which have changed, people's awareness has also been improved.

Many families have voluntarily donated land and labour to build public works when setting up new-style rural areas. In Sơn Hiệp Commune, Khánh Sơn District, dozens of households have donated land to expand roads, creating favourable conditions for socio-economic development.

Local Bo Bo Thị Thanh donated 1,000sq.m of land to build a road to the commune cemetery and 500sq.m of land to build a public road. Resident Bo Bo Biến also donated 2,000sq.m of land to build a road.

Bo Bo Biến excitedly said: “Although the land is quite valuable, when the State implemented a policy to build a road, I donated it to support the road expansion. Because I believe the Party and the State always care about the people, build roads to serve the people.”

The Chairman of the Sơn Hiệp Commune People's Committee, Nguyễn Ngọc Hải, said that thanks to consensus of the ethnic people, village roads and alleys have been cleared, cleaned, and are now greener and more beautiful.

Sơn Hiệp Commune's infrastructure has developed rapidly, most notably the road system into the commune centre has been concreted, wide enough for cars.

Đinh Văn Dũng, Chairman of the Khánh Sơn District People's Committee, said that in February this year, Khánh Sơn and Khánh Vĩnh districts were removed from the list of those in poverty.

Vạn Thạnh Commune, which is in the coastal and island areas of Vạn Ninh District, was also removed from the list of disadvantaged communes by the Government.

From a commune with more than 7,000 people, people mainly living on aquaculture, fishing and small-scale trading, now Vạn Thạnh Commune achieved all of 19 new-style rural area criteria, marking a major step forward in socio-economic development.

Multiple resources

An overview of Suối Tiên Commune, Diên Khánh District, Khánh Hoà Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Đặng Tuấn

Chairman of the Sơn Hiệp Commune People's Committee Nguyễn Ngọc Hải is calling for more resources for new-style rural area construction, with the commune organising many educational sessions to encourage the people and Party members to participate actively.

One of the important solutions is to promote sustainable rural economic development, combined with eco-tourism and community tourism, creating jobs and increasing incomes for ethnic groups in the area.

Chairman of the Sơn Bình Commune People's Committee in Khánh Sơn District, Tạ Quốc Phong, determined that to maintain and improve the quality of the achieved criteria, the commune would continue to enhance the role and responsibility of Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front and socio-political organisations in building a new-style countryside.

Chairman of Khánh Sơn District People's Committee Đinh Văn Dũng emphasised that the district would develop rural tourism, utilize the OCOP programme, and bring local typical products to the market.

It will also boldly apply digital technology from management to online sales to expand opportunities for developing local products.

With the spirit of solidarity, creativity and high determination, he is confident that the mountainous district of Khánh Sơn will become increasingly prosperous and beautiful.

Director of the Khánh Hoà Province Department of Agriculture and Environment Nguyễn Duy Quang said that the new-style rural area development programme in the province had brought many positive results, improving people's lives and promoting socio-economic growth.

To reach sustainable development, the locality needs to improve management, and encourage science and technology applications in production and environmental protection.

Khánh Hoà aims for 76 out of 90 communes to meet new-style rural area standards by the end of this year, with 40 of them reaching advanced new-style rural area standards.

To achieve this goal, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment will coordinate with local departments to remove difficulties and accelerate the programme's progress.

Quang emphasised that Khánh Hoà would focus on key aspects, including investing in ethnic and mountainous areas, supporting the elimination of temporary and dilapidated houses, hunger eradication and poverty reduction programmes, restructuring of crops and livestock and the building of industrial zones in rural areas to create jobs.

The programmes will be realised to create a comprehensive effect, ensuring sustainable development and setting up advanced new-style rural areas. — VNS