HÀ TĨNH — Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ has asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to create criteria for building model rural residential areas, gardens and farm households to submit to the Government as soon as possible. 
He made the request at a conference in the central coastal province of Hà Tĩnh yesterday with representatives from 63 cities and provinces across the country. 
According to the Deputy PM, such models will serve as an important foundation to build model rural areas at the communal and district levels. 
He praised localities including Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Ninh, Thanh Hóa, Quảng Nam and Thái Nguyên for their initial achievements, with new rural models meeting local residents’ aspiration. 
Huệ highlighted the role of authorities in devising schemes to build model residential areas and gardens that suit the conditions of each locality, adding that regular review is needed to learn from experience. 
The national target programme on building new-style rural areas, initiated by the Vietnamese Government in 2010, sets 19 criteria on socio-economic development, politics, and defence, aiming to boost rural regions of Việt Nam. 
The list of criteria includes development of infrastructure, improvement of production capacity, environmental protection, and promotion of cultural values.    
To date, as many as 3,289 communes nationwide have been recognised as rural areas, making up around 36.8 per cent of the total communes. 
Particularly, localities such as Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Ninh, Quảng Nam, Thái Nguyên, Thanh Hóa, HCM City, Lào Cai, and Quảng Ngai have produced criteria for model rural residential areas, while Hà Tĩnh and Quảng Ninh provinces have created criteria on building model gardens. — VNS