Farmers in Muong Sai commune are tending their orange orchards.

Mr. Luong Van Bua, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Sai Commune, said: During the period 2020-2025, Muong Sai Commune (formerly Muong Sai and Nam Et Commune), using funds from national target programs and the Project for stabilizing the population and developing the socio-economic conditions of the Son La hydropower resettlement area (Project 666), has invested in building essential rural infrastructure, such as centralized water supply systems, rural electricity supply systems, and concreting 13 roads… To date, 100% of inter-commune roads, over 90% of inter-village roads, and 100% of intra-village roads have been paved. At the same time, support has been provided in terms of fruit tree seedlings and breeding stock such as cattle and goats, guiding people to change the structure of crops and livestock, and developing economic models suitable to local conditions.

In 2025 alone, Muong Sai commune received over 6 billion VND from the National Target Program 1719 to implement four projects: repairing school buildings; upgrading domestic water supply facilities; and purchasing equipment for commune officials and civil servants after the reorganization and merger according to the two-tiered local government model. In addition, the commune also received investment for paving the road connecting the Nam Et and Muong Sai areas with a total investment of over 18.6 billion VND; projects to repair public housing, build meeting rooms and other facilities, and purchase working equipment for the commune headquarters; and a project to develop a general planning scheme for Muong Sai commune… all from public investment and other sources.

Muong Sai has developed the industry of cage fish farming on the reservoir of the hydroelectric power plant.

Thanks to the support of various programs and projects, the commune's economy is gradually improving, with effective models. Annually, the people focus on planting 5,000 hectares of crops on hillside fields; planting and caring for over 350 hectares of fruit trees; raising over 95,000 livestock and poultry; and maintaining over 450 fish cages in the hydropower reservoir, with a total aquaculture and fishing output exceeding 600 tons per year. The commune currently has 8 cooperatives operating in the agricultural and fisheries sectors; its Nặm Ét oranges have been certified as OCOP 3-star standard. The income of local people is gradually increasing, and the poverty rate is projected to be only 4.5% in 2025 (a decrease of 0.8% compared to 2024).

In Tom village, where nearly 100 La Ha ethnic minority households live together, for many years, poor households in the village have received support in the form of seedlings and livestock to create stable livelihoods. The commune regularly sends officials to educate and guide the villagers on production methods, shifting from small-scale, free-range livestock farming to raising livestock in pens for commercial purposes.

Fish farming in cages on the lake in Muong Sai commune.

Mr. Quang Van Panh, Party Secretary and Head of Tom Village, said: "Thanks to the State's support in production development, families are gradually stabilizing their lives. The village currently has 330 head of livestock, 3,500 poultry, cultivates 140 hectares of corn, 60 hectares of cassava, and 3 hectares of fruit trees. In addition, the villagers protect more than 165 hectares of forest. While in 2020, poor households accounted for more than one-third of the families in the village, today there are only 8 poor households left. Recently, 13 households in the village also received support in the form of water tanks, helping to solve the problem of water shortage for many years."

Building on the achievements already made, in the coming period, Muong Sai will continue to leverage state support funds to prioritize investment in essential infrastructure serving the lives and production of the people, and maintain and improve the criteria for new rural areas and sustainable poverty reduction. The goal is to eliminate poverty by 2030, achieve an average income of 49 million VND per person, promote clean and organic agriculture, and develop OCOP (One Commune One Product) codes for agricultural production areas.

Text and photos: Thanh Dao