Many programs supporting ethnic minority communities in Son La province in switching to new crops have proven effective.

Son La province is gradually improving the appearance of rural mountainous areas, raising the material and spiritual lives of ethnic minorities, contributing to ensuring social security, preserving cultural identity, and strengthening national unity.

During the 2021-2025 period, Son La province issued a total of 178 documents to implement the Program, including resolutions of the Provincial People's Council, decisions and guidelines of the Son La Provincial People's Committee and relevant departments and agencies. The total capital mobilized for the program during this period was over 8,690 billion VND, of which central government budget accounted for over 6,154 billion VND, local budget over 310 billion VND, and credit loans over 2,128 billion VND. Resources were prioritized for investment in 10 component projects, including: infrastructure development, production support, education, health, culture, sustainable poverty reduction, preservation of ethnic identity, and gender equality. By early July 2025, Son La province had disbursed over 3,434 billion VND, reaching nearly 70% of the allocated capital plan. Of that, investment capital alone reached a disbursement rate of 80%, focusing on essential projects such as roads, schools, water supply facilities, markets, health stations, and cultural centers... helping to improve the living conditions of people in remote, mountainous, and border areas.

According to Mr. Nguyen Viet Hung, Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions of Son La province, the program has set many specific goals regarding income, infrastructure, education, health, culture, and social security, and most of them have been achieved or exceeded. The average income of ethnic minorities in Son La is expected to reach 39.2 million VND/person/year by the end of 2025, double that of 2020. The poverty and near-poverty rate is projected to decrease by an average of 4.47% per year; 100% of communes have paved or concrete roads leading to their centers; and 78.3% of villages have hardened roads leading to their centers. The percentage of the population using the power grid reaches 99.5%; and the percentage of the rural population using clean water reaches 97.5%. The school enrollment rate for all levels, from 5-year-old kindergarten to high school, is over 90%, and over 98% for primary and lower secondary schools. The literacy rate in the Vietnamese language is over 94%.

The program has had a significant impact on social services, such as: 98% of ethnic minorities participate in health insurance; over 80% of women give birth at medical facilities and receive medical support; the rate of malnourished children has decreased to 17.4%. Emphasis has been placed on stabilizing the settlements of households migrating without proper planning and those in areas at risk of natural disasters, achieving over 80% of the plan. The percentage of villages with community centers has reached 92.5%; 100% of villages have performing arts groups and clubs that operate regularly. The percentage of ethnic minority officials at the commune level has reached over 86%, at the district level over 35%, and at the provincial level over 26%...

During the implementation of the Program, Son La province paid special attention to propaganda, training, and communication about the program. From speakers and communicators to mass media, social networks, and theatrical performances, competitions, and conferences in communes and villages, all were implemented synchronously and effectively. As a result, awareness and consensus within the community were significantly raised. At the grassroots level, people understood their role as key stakeholders in the Program, actively contributing labor and materials to construction projects, participating in production models, and organizing their own livelihoods. Along with this, the province also focused on integrating gender perspectives and promoting gender equality in component projects, especially Project 8 on women and children. This gradually narrowed the gender gap in labor, employment, access to health services and education, contributing to reducing child marriage and consanguineous marriage.

Despite the achievements, the implementation of the Program still faces some difficulties. These include a low disbursement rate of operational funds, especially for sub-projects supporting production development. Some guiding documents for implementation were issued late; the involvement of some levels and sectors lacked decisiveness; and the detailed capital allocation mechanism remained rigid and inflexible for localities. Subjectively, some officials were still confused and did not fully grasp the mechanism; the allocation of counterpart funds in some districts was slow and lacked resources.

Given these difficulties, Son La province has requested the Central Government to continue maintaining the Program for the 2026-2030 period. At the same time, it stated that in the next phase (2026-2030), the province's total capital requirement is over 5,450 billion VND, equal to the amount allocated for the 2021-2025 period. Of this, development investment capital accounts for over 4,000 billion VND, a 30% increase compared to the previous period; recurrent expenditure capital is over 1,399 billion VND, a 40% decrease, to focus on projects with long-term benefits such as production, education, and social welfare. The province also proposed adjusting the support level for road hardening to 3.6 billion VND/km, in line with the actual cost of materials and mountainous terrain...

Over the five years of implementing the Program, the Provincial Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions has effectively carried out inspection and supervision, coordinating with other departments, agencies, and localities to overcome difficulties and make flexible adjustments to achieve the set goals. Inspections have shown that the participation of the people throughout the entire process, from planning to implementation, has created consensus and widespread impact, contributing to improving the lives of ethnic minorities and creating new impetus for sustainable socio-economic development in Son La.