“Fire proves gold, adversity proves men”

Son Dong is a highland district of Bac Giang province, 80km northeast of the provincial capital. Its natural area is 860.27sq.m (accounting for 22 percent of the province's area). Of which, the forest land area accounts for 82.67 percent, with a forest coverage of over 61 percent. The district has 15 communes and 2 townships with 124 villages, hamlets and residential quarters (including 14 extremely difficult communes and 108 extremely difficult villages belonging to region-2 communes).

Son Dong is changing every day.

Therefore, right from the beginning, the district Party Committee and People's Committee determined that the implementation of the national target programme on new-style rural area building in remote communes in the locality is an important task that would create changes and eliminate backwardness, so it needs the engagement of the entire political system and people in the movement, with the motto of “doing easy jobs first and difficult ones later, and step by step satisfying the criteria as soon as possible”.

“Fire proves gold, adversity proves men”. After 10 years of implementation, overcoming many difficulties and challenges, Son Dong district has harvested the first "sweet fruits". The appearance of the mountainous countryside has changed significantly, with socio-economic development in rural areas and improved people's material and spiritual lives.

Farm economic development is bringing about positive results in the new-style rural area building movement.

The strong deployment of the national target programme has changed the upland farmers’ cultivation and production habits and practices, gradually reduced their dependence on State support resources, and encouraged them to work hard to rise out of poverty and get rich, dare to think and dare to do.

Vuong Van An, a resident in Nhan Dinh village, Yen Dinh commune said: “The biggest change is seen in roads which used to be muddy but now have expanded and concreted to facilitate locals’ traveling and economic development activities”.

Passing through Heaven’s Gate

Meeting the new-style rural area criteria is a rather difficult problem for Son Dong district, which has a difficult-to-access terrain and low population density. In addition, the district's own resources to build infrastructure works and implement projects to increase income for local people are also limited. Its resources mainly come from the provincial support through projects and target programmes on poverty reduction.

Spacious cultural facilities have been built in the disadvantaged district of Son Dong.

However, with its high determination, Son Dong district set a target that by 2025, it will have at least four communes completing the new-style rural area criteria and recognized as new-style rural areas in the 2021-2025 period.

Nguy Van Tuyen, Secretary of the district Party Committee, said that his agency has identified and agreed on six groups of key tasks to promote the new-style rural area building movement in the district during the 2021-2024 period.

The district will continue to invest in developing socio-economic infrastructure according to the planning and new-style rural area standards. It will step up the development of forms of production and accelerate economic restructuring to increase income for residents; while focusing on attracting businesses to invest in the fields of agriculture and forestry. The district is creating a favorable environment for enterprises to invest in agriculture and rural areas, with priority given to investment in high-tech agriculture for the large-scale production, processing and preservation of agricultural products, thus creating jobs for local workers.

“Despite being the poorest and most remote district of Bac Giang province, Son Dong also boasts many advantages as it is only 60km from ports in Quang Ninh province. Currently, Bac Giang province plans to build a new road to link Son Dong and the ports. Son Dong is also home to a vast wood material area. In addition, it has great potential for developing ecotourism with many attractive tourist destinations such as Tay Yen Tu eco-spiritual tourist area, Khe Ro and Dong Cao”, Tuyen added.

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Chuong Huyen