The HCMC People’s Committee has just submitted a report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, evaluating the results of the implementation of the national target program and proposing investment guidelines for the upcoming phase of the program.

In 2021-2025, HCMC exceeded its poverty reduction targets, with the poverty rate under the city’s standards dropping to below 0.5 percent. Notably, by 2024, the city had no households classified as poor under the national standards. This achievement was made possible through the synchronization of social welfare policies, including support in healthcare, education, preferential credit, as well as vocational training and job placement programs.

This achievement stems from synchronized social welfare policies, including healthcare, education, preferential credit, vocational training, and job introduction programs.

In education alone, the city has provided tuition exemptions for over 73,000 students and granted scholarships totaling VND115 billion. In healthcare, nearly half a million health insurance cards have been issued free to disadvantaged groups, with a total budget of nearly VND420 billion.

Additionally, policies on supporting housing, clean water, social subsidies, and household electricity consumption have been implemented robustly. Hundreds of thousands of households accessed these support policies, contributing to effective and sustainable poverty reduction.

For the 2026–2030 period, HCMC plans to integrate poverty reduction with the new rural development program, particularly advanced and smart rural development. The program will focus on improving residents’ quality of life and narrowing the development gap between urban and rural areas.

The city has identified three key target groups: reducing wealth disparity; ensuring full access to basic social services such as healthcare, education, housing, employment, and information; and enhancing the capacity for management, monitoring, and coordination of the program at all levels.

A notable new proposal is strengthening the capacity of program implementation staff. The city will organize training sessions, workshops, and policy dialogues to improve grassroots implementation efficiency. Alongside this, communication efforts will be enhanced through radio, television, and the publication of handbooks and materials to disseminate poverty reduction policies.

In particular, HCMC has proposed increasing the application of digital technology and innovation in new rural development and poverty reduction. Implementing livelihood models linked to digital transformation will help residents access markets, improve production, and enhance business capabilities.

Funding for the program will come from the city’s budget, central budget, financial institutions like the Social Policy Bank, and contributions from social organizations, businesses, and the community. The city also proposes increasing the mobilization of socialized capital and linking poverty reduction with local startup models.

Dam De