Ngoc Chien, a region known as "a fairytale land amidst the mountains and forests" in Son La - Northwest Vietnam, will officially begin operating with a new leadership team from July 1st.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Deputy Chief of the Office of the People's Committee of Son La province, has been entrusted with the important responsibility of being the Party Secretary of Ngoc Chien commune. This is both an honor and a source of pride, but also a great responsibility for Mr. Tuan. He is determined to do his best, working together with the commune's leadership team in unity; developing the abilities and strengths of each individual; and encouraging the people to work together to preserve the ethnic cultural identity in order to promote sustainable tourism development in Ngoc Chien.

“The Standing Committee of the Commune Party Committee has also unanimously agreed to focus on developing tourism and agriculture – the commune's strengths. To achieve this, we need the determination and unity of the entire Standing Committee of the Commune Party Committee, the attention and assistance of the province, the unanimous agreement of the people, and the involvement of the entire political system. We are confident that we will achieve this goal,” Mr. Tuan said.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan (wearing a white shirt, at the first table in the middle row) attends a meeting with the collective of officials and leaders of Ngoc Chien commune, ready to operate the new system from July 1, 2025.

For Mr. Vang A La, despite having held many positions and leadership roles, such as Deputy Secretary and Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union, and Chairman of the Provincial Labor Union of Son La, he was deeply moved when the Provincial Party Standing Committee entrusted him with the responsibility of being the Party Secretary of the newly merged Phieng Cam commune (comprising Phieng Cam and Chieng Noi communes). These communes are particularly disadvantaged, primarily inhabited by the Mong ethnic group, and have low levels of education. Therefore, he is determined to do his utmost to bring a "new breeze" to transform the face of the highland countryside.

Mr. Vang A La shared that, being a Hmong person himself, now leading a commune where his ethnic group is the majority, he will easily implement the "four together" principle with the people, including eating together, living together, working together, and speaking the same language. Through this, he hopes to work with the Party committee, the government, and the people to accelerate the poverty eradication efforts in the locality.

“As the leader, being of the same ethnic group as the majority of the people, it's inevitable that some might harbor thoughts of kinship or lineage from others. However, I believe that with my personal efforts and the determination of the entire commune's staff, including both local personnel and those reinforced from the province, I am confident and determined not to disappoint the trust of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and the people, and to gradually strive to bring about new developments in Phiêng Cằm commune in the not-too-distant future,” said Mr. Vàng A Lả.

Mr. Vang A La, Chairman of the Son La Provincial Federation of Labor, has been transferred to the position of Secretary of the Party Committee of the newly established Phieng Cam commune, Son La province, effective July 1, 2025 (photo: MT).

The border commune of Long Sap, primarily inhabited by the Mong and Thai ethnic minorities, currently has the highest poverty rate in Moc Chau town, exceeding 16%. By the end of 2024, the average per capita income in the commune was only 24 million VND, while the average income for the district was over 45 million VND per person per year. This commune also faces many complexities regarding security and order, drug trafficking, and uncontrolled migration.

Mr. Tran Xuan Thanh, currently the Deputy Head of the Agriculture and Environment Department of Moc Chau town, who has been assigned to the position of Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune from July 1, 2025, shared that there will be many things to do and must be implemented decisively in the coming time to ensure that the people have a more stable and prosperous life. He himself determined that he must strengthen his presence at the grassroots level, be close to the people, and propagate and encourage them to change their mindset and awareness of a new cultural life. Along with that, he will "guide and instruct" them on how to raise livestock and produce organic and circular products to develop their family economy.

"We will strive to regularly disseminate information and provide hands-on support to the people to develop the economy, focusing on temperate fruit trees and concentrated large-scale livestock farming, aiming to create safe and high-quality products, thereby developing socio-economic conditions and improving the lives of the people," Mr. Thanh said.

Since June 24, 2025, the newly established communes and wards in Son La province have been operating on a trial basis.

The workload is substantial, and many issues may arise when the new model officially comes into operation. However, the leadership teams of the new communes and wards in Son La are fully aware of their responsibilities and are meticulously preparing their mindset, methods, and knowledge to effectively carry out their assigned tasks, determined to help their localities achieve breakthroughs and greater success when implementing the two-tiered local government model, starting from July 1, 2025.