Reputable individuals in Son La regularly coordinate with various forces to promote and encourage people to develop the economy.

Among the 2,200 influential individuals in Son La province selected and recognized according to Decision No. 12/2018/QD-TTg dated March 6, 2018, of the Prime Minister, 247 influential individuals reside in border communes of Son La province. By position, 260 influential individuals hold the positions of village secretary or village head, and 53 influential individuals are heads of the Fatherland Front Committee.

To better understand the role of influential figures among ethnic minorities in the remote, border, and disadvantaged areas of Son La province, we visited Bac Yen district. This is one of the districts where over 90% of the population are ethnic minorities living in remote villages and hamlets, with nearly 50% being Hmong people.

The cardamom cultivation model of the Giàng A Chu family, a respected figure in Pa Cư Sáng village, Hang Chú commune, Bắc Yên district.

Comrade Nguyen Dang Thuc, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Department of Bac Yen district, informed: Implementing the Party and State's guidelines and policies on socio-economic development, ethnic minority people in the district have actively switched to cultivating crops with high economic value, such as hawthorn trees, and terraced rice...

In particular, the people have also developed community-based tourism. The poverty rate among the H'Mông ethnic minority has decreased to 14.3%. Political security and social order are ensured and maintained. The people trust in the leadership of the Party committee and the government. These results are due in no small part to the contributions of influential figures in the ethnic minority communities.

For example, in the mountainous commune of Hang Chu,Bac Yen districtIn a place that was once plagued by many difficulties and outdated customs in daily life, including deforestation for slash-and-burn agriculture, the re-cultivation of opium poppies, child marriage, and prolonged funeral and wedding ceremonies affecting production and daily life, the commune has now undergone many changes…

Mr. Sung Gia Dia (in the middle) is a respected figure in Cong Chap village, Phong Lai commune, Thuan Chau district. He is a pioneer and has helped villagers cultivate medicinal plants under the forest canopy.

Comrade Mua Pao Tua, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hang Chu commune, Bac Yen district, said: "In recent years, the appearance of the commune has changed significantly, with strong economic development. This change is due not only to the Party and State's attention to infrastructure investment, but also to the contributions of influential people in the villages who have pioneered bringing new, high-value economic ideas to the people. They are not only exemplary figures in economic development, but also important figures in disseminating and mobilizing the people to effectively implement the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws..."

In Hang Chu commune, the H'Mong people all know Mr. Giang A Chu, 75 years old, a respected figure in Pa Cu Sang village. He has taken innovative approaches, encouraging villagers to abandon opium cultivation and replace it with cardamom, a crop with higher economic value. To date, his family's life has stabilized, and his children and grandchildren are able to attend school. Pa Cu Sang village has been selected as the cleanest and most forest-preserving village in the commune.

Determined to help his fellow villagers escape poverty, Mr. Giàng A Chu bought 15kg of cardamom seeds himself, meticulously researched and guided people in poverty alleviation through this model. From his family's initial 3 hectares of cardamom, the area planted in Hang Chú commune has now increased to over 300 hectares, becoming the largest cardamom growing region in Sơn La province, with cardamom-growing households earning 40-50 million VND per year.

Mr. Giàng A Chu shared: "Having been a Party member for 35 years, I always have to set an example for Party members and my fellow villagers. For people to listen to me and follow my lead, I must first lead by example and do my job well. Over the years, I have earned the trust of the people, and I have been invited to participate in everything in the village, from patriotic emulation movements to road construction, propaganda, mobilizing people to develop the economy, and ensuring children of school age attend school."

Over the years, influential people in the regionethnic minority peopleIt has played a significant role in economic development and other areas.

In Chieng Khong village, Quy Huong commune, Moc Chau district, everyone knows Mr. Trieu Van Dan, a respected figure of the Dao ethnic group. Besides actively participating in village movements and activities, and being a leading example in economic development, Mr. Dan also collaborates with the village management board to encourage people to switch from growing corn and cassava on hillside fields to growing fruit trees and developing livestock farming towards commercial production.

Mr. Trieu Van Dan said: "Currently, my family cultivates over 1 hectare of longan, custard apple, and banana trees, raises breeding cows and pigs for meat, earning over 200 million VND per year. From our integrated economic model, in addition to increasing our family's income, many households have come to learn from us and have escaped poverty."

Comrade Nguyen Van Thu, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of Son La province, informed: In recent years, the team of influential people in Son La province has always been a core force of the masses. They have been helping agencies in the political system successfully fulfill their assigned functions and tasks. At the same time, through these influential individuals, the Party committees and authorities at all levels have been able to understand the thoughts, feelings, and aspirations of the people.

Assessments show that: In production development, many reputable individuals in communes and villages in Son La have set exemplary examples, participating in disseminating information and mobilizing people to promote the application of new scientific and technical advancements in production, intensive farming, and household economic development; actively implementing the province's policies and mechanisms for agricultural and rural development.

Mr. Vàng Dúa Di, from Long Hẹ commune, Thuận Châu district, is also a respected figure in economic development and in mobilizing the people in the highlands to eradicate opium poppy cultivation.

Currently, in Son La province, there are many exemplary and reputable households and individuals in labor, production, and business. In 2023 alone, 37 households and individuals were recognized and honored as outstanding examples nationwide and participated in the "Support for Villages" program.

Contributions from reputable individuals atSon La provinceOver the years, this has helped Party committees and authorities at all levels in the province successfully achieve socio-economic development goals. Specifically, the poverty rate in Son La province has decreased from nearly 22% in 2021 to just over 11% in 2024; the poverty rate among ethnic minorities has decreased from 21.34% in 2021 to 10.9% in 2024.

This contributes to building the Party, strengthening the political system at the grassroots level; building unity among ethnic groups; and consolidating the trust of ethnic minority people in Son La province in the Party and the State.

QUOC TUAN