The GREAT project supports the production model of ramie in Song Khua commune.

The Provincial People's Committee closely followed the Government's decrees, proactively built a legal framework and a comprehensive plan, and issued a program to strengthen cooperation and mobilize foreign non-governmental aid for the period 2020-2025. It actively coordinated with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Committee for Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations, and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations to implement the program.

Mr. Nguyen Van May, Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs, informed: The Department has advised the province to develop a list of projects seeking foreign non-governmental organization (NGO) aid in both Vietnamese and English, helping donors easily access and understand the province's priority projects; enhancing transparency and accessibility for international organizations. The Department actively meets and exchanges information with NGOs, introducing their aid mobilization needs. At the same time, it monitors the implementation of programs and projects and promptly coordinates to resolve any difficulties or obstacles that arise.

During the period 2019-2025, the total value of aid from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to Son La province reached US$19,393,768. NGO programs and projects are implemented in ethnic minority areas and remote regions of the province, focusing on the following areas: enhancing livelihoods for ethnic minorities through community tourism; supporting production to increase income and develop rural agriculture; combating climate change, environmental protection, health, education and training; emergency relief; clean water; child care and protection, etc.

Many projects have a ripple effect, becoming exemplary models for other localities to learn from and replicate. Through these projects, good relationships are built between partners and people in the province, contributing to introducing and promoting the cultural identity, potential, and strengths of Son La to international friends.

The GREAT project is a technical assistance project with the overall goal of enhancing the empowerment, socio-economic status, and resilience of women in ethnic minority communities. In Son La province, Phase 2 of the project, implemented from 2022 to 2027 in all localities within the province, has a total investment of over 250 billion VND, including over 236 billion VND in non-refundable ODA from the Australian Government and 14.5 billion VND in counterpart funding from the provincial budget.

In Ngoc Chien commune, with support from the GREAT2 project, local people's participation in the tourism value chain has been mobilized, enhancing management capacity and effectively exploiting tourism potential. Mr. Luong Van Xien, Director of Ngoc Chien Community Tourism Cooperative, said: "The project helps us build tourism tours based on cultural experiences, introducing the unique features of the Thai, Mong, and La Ha ethnic groups to tourists, creating additional income for cooperative members and contributing to the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values. As a result, community tourism in Ngoc Chien is creating jobs and improving the lives of many households, especially women and ethnic minorities."

In implementing the program to strengthen cooperation and mobilize foreign non-governmental aid in the coming period, our province will continue to reform administrative procedures related to the process of receiving, appraising, and approving aid, creating favorable conditions for foreign non-governmental organizations to implement their funded programs and projects. At the same time, we will strengthen efforts to attract aid for the sustainable development goals of the locality.