Recognizing infrastructure development as one of the key tasks in promoting socio-economic development, Song Ma district, Son La province, has consistently prioritized investment over the years. Each year, dozens of construction projects are completed and put into operation, yielding high efficiency.
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Thanks to a focus on investing in infrastructure development, the rural landscape of Song Ma border district is changing for the better.
Song Ma is a mountainous, border district of Son La province, comprising 18 communes and 1 town, with a population of nearly 150,000 people. It is located more than 100km south of Son La city center along National Highway 4G. It borders Thuan Chau district to the north, Mai Son district to the east, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Sop Cop district to the south, and Dien Bien province to the west.
Over the years, Song Ma district has consistently focused on investing in essential infrastructure to support the production activities of its people.
In investing in essential infrastructure, Song Ma district pays special attention to transportation and irrigation projects. Many roads from the district center to remote communes have been paved, facilitating travel and trade for the people. Dozens of irrigation works and canals in the fields have also been renovated, upgraded, and newly constructed to serve the production development needs of the people.
It is known that the Song Ma District Investment and Construction Project Management Board is the unit assigned to represent the investor for most infrastructure construction projects in the district. To ensure the efficient use of capital and the quality of construction, the district focuses its investment and construction efforts on key areas, rather than spreading resources thinly, meeting the living and production needs of the people, especially in remote and isolated villages and hamlets.
During the implementation of construction projects, the District Investment and Construction Project Management Board strengthens supervision and closely coordinates with specialized departments and community supervision boards in construction. At the same time, it organizes the acceptance of work in accordance with regulations on construction quality management.
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A view of Song Ma district.
In addition, regular on-site inspections and monitoring were conducted, and timely solutions were provided to address difficulties and obstacles during implementation. Completed projects were inspected and evaluated by specialized construction agencies and found to meet requirements. Therefore, all projects put into use have yielded effective investment results.
Concrete roads, sturdy bridges, and hundreds of infrastructure projects implemented as part of the Essential Infrastructure Investment Project, serving the production and lives of the people, have rapidly transformed the appearance of the rural areas in the Song Ma border highlands. Song Ma district invested over 74 billion VND in the construction and maintenance of 80 projects in 15 communes in Zone III and 4 particularly disadvantaged villages in 3 communes in Zone I. These include 15 transportation projects, 5 irrigation projects, 46 cultural centers, 7 bridges, 6 school buildings, and 1 rural electricity project. This has contributed to raising the percentage of villages with paved roads from the commune center to 54.8%; 97% of households have access to safe electricity; and 98.6% of the rural population has access to clean drinking water.
Currently, the district is continuing to integrate and prioritize investment resources for essential infrastructure in remote, disadvantaged, and particularly difficult areas. Investment capital is focused on projects and works that meet the urgent needs of people in these areas, such as hardening rural roads, irrigation infrastructure serving agricultural and forestry production, school buildings, and community cultural centers. The goal is to achieve, by 2025, 85% of villages having hardened roads connecting them to the commune center; 100% of communes having solidly built schools and classrooms; and a reduction of over 20% in the number of particularly difficult communes and villages.
The focus on improving the quality of investment in essential infrastructure projects in the border district of Song Ma has been yielding practical results, contributing to socio-economic development, improving people's lives, and changing the face of rural mountainous areas.