Leading the way

Following the motto "The people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people inspect," Son La province has consistently focused on building, consolidating, and enhancing the capacity of the "Community Investment Monitoring" model. The activities of the Community Investment Monitoring Boards have significantly contributed to the effective implementation of investment programs and projects in Son La province, especially those under the three National Target Programs.

The monitoring work, carried out with the motto "pioneering," has contributed to ensuring that policies are implemented effectively in the right areas and meet the needs of the beneficiaries.

For example, in Bo Mon village, Tu Nang commune, Yen Chau district, the entire village has 142 households and 720 inhabitants, comprising two ethnic groups, the Mong and Kinh, living together.

Despite having over 100 hectares of spring-summer corn, upland rice, and 170 hectares of fruit trees, and despite the villagers raising livestock and poultry, Bo Mon remains a particularly disadvantaged village.

According to Mr. Mua A Chinh, Party Secretary and Head of Bo Mon village, the reason is that the 3-kilometer road from Provincial Road 13 to Bo Mon village, Tu Nang commune, Yen Chau district, was previously a rough, unpaved road that was difficult to travel on, making it hard to sell agricultural products.

Therefore, when there was a plan to invest in infrastructure projects, after surveying and gathering opinions from the people, although there was still a lack of a village cultural center, the people of Bo Mon unanimously agreed to request investment in a road.

To meet that aspiration, from the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas giai đoạn 2021 – 2030 (National Target Program 1719), Yen Chau district allocated 7.6 billion VND to build a concrete road to Bo Mon village. The completed road helps people travel more conveniently, especially during the agricultural harvest season.

Similarly, the investment project for the Song village school branch, part of Chieng La Commune Kindergarten in Thuan Chau District, was undertaken. After surveying local needs, the Thuan Chau District Investment and Construction Project Management Board, acting as the project's investor, identified the urgent needs of teachers and students in the area; subsequently, they advised the competent authority to approve the investment project for the Song village school branch.

Construction on this project began in August 2024, with a total budget of over 1.4 billion VND from the National Target Program 1719. Upon completion and commissioning, the Song village school will provide 26 children and teachers with a spacious and modern school building, eliminating the need to use the village's cultural center for classes.

Go with a supervisor.

During the implementation of projects funded by the National Target Program 1719 in Son La province, monitoring has been given special attention by the provincial departments and localities; in particular, by leveraging the "extended arm" of the Community Investment Monitoring Board, the effectiveness of investment from the National Target Program 1719 has been maximized.

During the monitoring process, the community investment monitoring boards promptly detected violations in construction, design, materials, environment, and progress. For example, in 2023, Nam Gion commune (Muong La district) invested in a water supply project for Den Din village, with a total cost of over 2.2 billion VND from the National Target Program 1719.

During the inspection, it was discovered that the construction unit did not adhere to the economic and technical report and design; neglected the direction and supervision of workers, resulting in poor construction quality; and construction work on the site was interrupted...

According to Mr. Quang Van Bien, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nam Gion commune and Head of the Community Investment Monitoring Board of Nam Gion commune, the Board has recommended that the Commune People's Committee report to the District People's Committee, the investor, and relevant agencies to direct the rectification, repair, and commissioning of the project according to the plan.

“From 2023 to the present, the Community Investment Monitoring Board of the commune has conducted 10 monitoring sessions covering 8 out of 9 investment projects in the commune. During the monitoring process, two projects were found to be not constructed according to the design documents. The Community Investment Monitoring Board has drawn up a report and requested the construction unit to rectify the issues,” Mr. Bien shared.

Along with identifying shortcomings and negative aspects, through monitoring work, with the motto "working together to implement," the Community Investment Monitoring Boards in Son La province have promoted the people's right to ownership; thereby mobilizing resources from the people to increase investment efficiency.

In April 2024, the Hung Nhan Village Cultural Center in Chieng Pha Commune (Thuan Chau District) was completed and put into use. The project was invested in by the District Investment and Construction Project Management Board, with a total investment of 1.8 billion VND.

According to Ms. Hoang Thi Lan, Party Secretary and Head of Hung Nhan village, during the construction process, the village's community investment monitoring committee assigned five members to regularly supervise. All procedures were publicly and transparently announced by the investor and contractor, so no violations occurred. In addition to funding from the State, villagers contributed labor worth nearly 40 million VND.

Follow the summary

According to a report by the Ethnic Affairs Committee of Son La province, during the period 2021-2025, the province was allocated 6,154.924 billion VND to implement all 10 component projects of the National Target Program 1719. Due to the large amount of capital and numerous policy contents, the province is paying special attention to inspection and supervision during the implementation process.

Thanks to the efforts of the entire political system and the proactive participation of the people, the implementation of component projects of the National Target Program 1719 in the province has achieved many positive results. By the end of 2023, the entire province had invested in the construction of 158 centralized water supply projects; solving the problem of decentralized water supply for 6,162 households. Infrastructure, equipment, and teaching materials were also improved for 179 ethnic boarding and semi-boarding schools...

2024 is the year the province is determined to make a breakthrough in implementing National Target Program 1719. As of November, the entire province has provided land for housing to 55 households; housing support to 585 households; decentralized water supply support to 6,282 households; invested in 85 centralized water supply projects for 8,233 households; and allocated stable housing land to 715 households.

In addition, the entire province invested in 163 essential infrastructure projects serving production and daily life in ethnic minority areas; 191 community centers; 2 commune health stations meeting standards; 66 school buildings; 132 irrigation projects; and maintained 291 projects in communes in ethnic minority areas. Furthermore, 57 vocational training models were implemented with 3,419 participants; and job counseling and placement services were provided to 3,600 workers...

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Thu, Head of the Provincial Ethnic Affairs Committee, in 2025, Son La province will continue to decentralize and empower localities and people to implement the program to enhance the proactiveness and flexibility of all levels in management and implementation. Besides implementing comprehensive management measures and strengthening the integration of capital sources to focus investment and support on disadvantaged communes and villages, the province will continue to promote and effectively implement the motto "The people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people inspect, the people supervise, and the people benefit," and "The State and the people work together" in implementing specific projects and models.