rural development

Update news rural development

Vietnam plans $30.7 billion program for social and rural development

The Government has proposed consolidating four national target programs into a single $30.7 billion initiative for the 2026-2035 period.

How a bold crop switch turned Khanh Hoa farmers into high earners

Once struggling on hillside farms, Raglai families in Khanh Hoa took loans and switched to durian. Their gamble is now delivering harvests worth hundreds of millions of dong.

Inside Dak Lak’s giant gourd fields grown for seeds, not fruit

Hidden beneath lush green leaves, giant gourds weighing 5-10kg lie across the fields. Grown for seeds worth around $15 per kilogram, the crop is opening up a promising new source of income for farmers in Dak Lak.

Woman turns forgotten mountain yam into a highland specialty

Once a survival food during the lean season, mountain yam is now generating new income for highland communities in northern Vietnam through value-added processing.

Solving the clean water challenge in Vietnam's ethnic minority regions

Vietnam has built hundreds of water supply systems in ethnic minority areas, yet clean water shortages remain one of the biggest obstacles to improving living conditions.

Once seen only on TV, spotted deer transform lives in central Vietnam

Spotted deer farming is emerging as a new economic opportunity for ethnic minority households in central Vietnam, supported by local authorities and market partnerships.

Thai ethnic youth turns borderland chili farm into billion-dong business

A young Thai ethnic entrepreneur in Dak Lak has turned a small family chili plot into a 10-ha export production area that brings in billions of dong each year.

Harvesting 40kg of tea a day: Co Hon villagers escape poverty

Amid the rolling mountains of Vietnam's northwestern region, when the first rains arrive after weeks of dry weather, Co Hon village in Muong Lan Commune, Dien Bien Province enters its annual tea harvesting season.

An Giang orchard sells durian to visitors at triple the market price

Nguyen Ngoc Giau’s durian orchard in An Giang has opened its doors to hundreds of visitors daily, selling durian at prices double or triple the market rate.

Forest-edge beekeepers turn local honey into a protected brand

Communities in the buffer zone of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park are adding value to their honey through quality standards, branding and intellectual property protection.

Former battlefield land becomes ‘green gold mine’

From the hillsides at the foot of historic Pha Din Pass, macadamia trees are greening many areas in Dien Bien, opening a path to wealth for highland communities.

Dao community in Quang Ninh carves its own path out of poverty

Better roads have done more than improve transport in Quang Ninh's remote Dao villages - they have helped spark a shift from dependence on state support to self-reliance, entrepreneurship and community-led development.

Vietnam targets universal access to safe water in rural communities

Providing domestic water for ethnic minority regions and mountainous areas in 2026–2030 is not only about building more facilities, but about ensuring people have clean, stable, safe water that can be used year-round.

Vietnam's integrated national program faces implementation test

Three provinces from different regions have identified the same obstacle to Vietnam's integrated National Target Program: implementation, not policy design, is now the biggest challenge.

Minister calls for stronger investment in ethnic minority areas

Vietnam's Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs has urged Khanh Hoa Province to prioritise investment in ethnic minority communities while preparing resources for the next phase of the national target programme.

One-stop services reach remote border village, changing lives

Some villagers were nearly 70 before receiving a birth certificate, while others registered their marriages after decades together as local authorities took one-stop public services into a remote border community.

New inter-ministerial program targets sustainable development in remote areas

Vietnam’s Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs and Ministry of Agriculture and Environment have launched a new coordination program aimed at improving living standards in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

Ethnic women ‘awaken’ traditional craft-making for a sustainable future

Amid modern life reaching remote villages, many traditional values have faded, yet many ethnic minority women quietly remain at their looms, restoring their homeland’s weaving craft.

Investment must focus on essential fields in national target programmes

Deputy PM Ho Quoc Dung today chaired a meeting reviewing the implementation of the national target programme on new-style rural area building, sustainable poverty reduction, and socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

The man who reshaped a mountain village’s future

What began as curiosity during a tea delivery journey evolved into a bold transformation that uplifted a remote Hmong village.