Moc Chau town center, Moc Chau district.

Moc Chau is a gateway city connecting the Northwest mountainous region with the capital Hanoi and the Northern Delta on the main traffic routes of National Highway 6 and National Highway 43, is the center of tourism, culture, ecology, and resort services of Moc Chau National Tourist Area; the center of technology transfer, industry, high-tech agriculture, production, and processing of agricultural products of the province. Moc Chau is also an important commercial center on the Northwest economic corridor associated with the development of trade and economy at Long Sap international border gate, effectively connecting with the Lao PDR.

Implementing the Resolution of the 15th Son La Provincial Party Congress and Resolution No. 10-NQ/TU of the Standing Committee of the Son La Provincial Party Committee on building Moc Chau district into a town by 2025; Moc Chau District People's Committee has coordinated with relevant departments, branches, sectors and units to organize the development and submission for approval of plans, programs and projects, including: Moc Chau urban master plan to 2040; Moc Chau urban development program to 2030; Project to propose recognition of Moc Chau urban area, meeting the criteria of a type IV urban area and assessing the level of urban infrastructure development in the area planned to establish wards in Moc Chau town.

With the goal of building Moc Chau into a green urban area with synchronous, modern and smart infrastructure; bearing cultural identity, natural landscape and typical highland climate; sustainable and comprehensive development. Being a national tourist city; the center of socio-economic development of the province; a center of production, processing and transfer of high-tech agriculture in a circular and environmentally friendly direction. Being a border urban area associated with the development of international border gate trade and economy; having a strategic and important position in terms of national defense and security.

Moc Chau Island tourist area in Muong Sang commune, Moc Chau district.

Mr. Le Trong Binh, Chairman of Moc Chau District People's Committee, said: The establishment of a project to recognize Moc Chau urban area as meeting the criteria of a type IV urban area and assessing the level of urban infrastructure development in the area planned to establish a ward in Moc Chau town is an inevitable requirement, in accordance with the Son La Provincial Planning to 2030, with a vision to 2050, the Resolution of the Son La Provincial Party Congress and the Resolution of the Moc Chau District Party Congress. This is a premise for Moc Chau urban area to promote investment and development in the future; it is also a recognition of the efforts to build and develop by the Party Committee, government and people of Moc Chau district..

The route from Tien Tien sub-area intersection to National Highway 43, Moc Chau Farm town has just been completed and put into use.

 Building green Moc Chau urban area

The project to recognize Moc Chau urban area as meeting the criteria of a type IV urban area includes the following criteria: Location, function, role, structure and level of socio-economic development; population size; population density; non-agricultural labor rate; level of infrastructure development and urban landscape architecture. In the process of implementing the criteria, Moc Chau district encountered certain difficulties and pressures in administrative management, social order and safety, construction order, planning, architecture, infrastructure, land resource use, etc.

On the other hand, Moc Chau's terrain is mountainous, fragmented and has many high mountains, so the focus of urban development is on areas including two towns (recognized as type IV urban areas) and expanding to 3 neighboring communes (which are the development areas of the core area of ​​the national tourist area); the remaining suburban communes continue to develop agriculture and forestry to create ecological space, supporting the development of eco-tourism in Moc Chau urban area.

Promoting potentials and strengths, with the goal of building a green Moc Chau urban area with synchronous, modern, smart infrastructure, cultural identity, natural landscape and typical climate of the plateau; sustainable and comprehensive development. From 2020 to present, on the basis of approved plans, Son La province and Moc Chau district have focused on mobilizing and integrating resources to invest in and develop infrastructure, gradually completing and improving the urban criteria recognized in 2019.

Up to now, 6 projects decided by the Provincial People's Committee for investment have been completed, 8 projects decided by the Provincial People's Committee for investment related to the development of Moc Chau urban infrastructure are being implemented. Along with that, 4 projects decided by the Moc Chau District People's Committee for investment have been completed and 6 projects are being implemented, contributing to meeting the criteria and indicators of a type IV urban area.

Construction of urban main road project - Moc Chau inner city.

The 10km-long Moc Chau Urban Main Road Project is one of the important projects that the district is focusing on implementing, connecting two towns and tourist attractions in the area. This project passes through Muong Sang commune, Moc Chau town and Moc Chau Farm town. The project's clearance area is 35.8 hectares, affecting about 600 households, of which 150 households have residential land and houses on the land. Up to now, the district has approved 36 compensation and support packages for 325 affected households.

Ms. Le Thi Thanh Thuy, Chairman of Moc Chau Town People's Committee, said: To implement the project, Moc Chau Town has 258 affected households that must clear the land. To ensure the progress of the project, the Town People's Committee propagates and disseminates legal documents on land clearance so that people can understand and create consensus during the implementation process. At the same time, it mobilizes households to coordinate and proactively submit documents of land origin and related legal documents as a basis for preparing documents according to regulations, contributing to ensuring the project is on schedule.

Through the process of investing in developing Moc Chau urban infrastructure, the appearance of the district from urban to rural areas has changed positively. People are excited, united, and contribute to building a civilized urban lifestyle, maintaining a bright, green, clean, and beautiful environment.

The inter-ministerial working group surveyed and evaluated the criteria for type IV urban areas and the level of infrastructure expected to establish wards.
belongs to Moc Chau town.

Realize the desire to rise up

After 5 years of implementing and implementing urban construction according to the approved planning, Moc Chau district has achieved many achievements in socio-economic development. The economy has shifted towards increasing the proportion of tourism and trade services, rapid urbanization, infrastructure systems have been invested in and built in a modern and synchronous manner according to the standards of a type IV urban area; the area planned to establish a ward has met the ward criteria, medical, educational, and commercial service facilities have been improved in quality to serve the needs of urban residents.

The average economic growth in the last 3 years reached 7.41%; the economic structure developed towards increasing the proportion of industry, trade and services; the poverty rate according to the current multidimensional poverty standard in the urban area is 3.47%; the non-agricultural labor rate in the whole urban area reached 55.7%; the rate of solid houses reached 99.8%; the rate of illuminated streets reached 98.2%; the rate of urban population supplied with clean water through the centralized water supply system and using hygienic water sources reached 100%; the rate of administrative procedures processed through online public services reached 70.7%...

With the drastic and synchronous direction of the Party Committee and the government, promoting the strength of solidarity, innovation, democracy, and responsibility of each cadre, party member and people, on October 22, 2024, the National Urban Classification Council unanimously voted to approve the Project proposing to recognize Moc Chau urban area as meeting the criteria of a type IV urban area with a score of 86.6/100 points; 100% of Council members approved the report assessing the level of urban infrastructure development in the area where wards in Moc Chau urban area are expected to be established.

In addition to the achieved results, Moc Chau urban area still has some criteria that have not been achieved and have low scores. In the coming time, Moc Chau district will continue to develop a plan to concentrate resources to gradually complete the missing and weak criteria to gradually complete all criteria according to regulations; at the same time, the district will continue to balance resources to further improve the criteria in depth, serving the maximum urban utilities for the people.

Moc Chau is recognized as a type IV urban area and will be the basis and premise to become a town according to Resolution No. 10-NQ/TU of the Standing Committee of Son La Provincial Party Committee. La. This is not only a step forward in improving the quality of life for the people but also a solid foundation for developing Moc Chau into a modern urban area, playing an important role in the socio-economic development strategy of Son La province and the Northwest region.

According to: Son La Newspaper