Back in 2011, when Thai Nguyen first embarked on the National Target Program (NTP) for New Rural Development (NRD), both the political system and local residents were unfamiliar with the process. However, after the first year, the review of all 19 NRD criteria in each commune was completed, development plans for “potential” communes were put in place, and Thai Nguyen began to see its first communes meet the NRD standards.

Transportation is one of the key criteria that requires active participation from the people. With enthusiastic support from residents in various localities, many rural roads have been widened and reinforced.

A typical example is the road in Hamlet 11 (Cu Van Commune, Dai Tu District), which was recently reinforced. To complete the nearly 1-kilometer road, in addition to cement provided by the province, local people contributed funds to buy sand and gravel, as well as labor to build the road.

Thanks to these proactive contributions from residents, rural transport infrastructure in the province has seen remarkable changes in recent years. Bumpy, muddy trails have been transformed into smooth, winding concrete roads.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam, Director of the Provincial Sub-Department of Cooperative Economy and Rural Development, shared: "With strong support from the people, in 2024 alone, localities across the province focused on building, renovating, and upgrading over 380 kilometers of rural roads."

Similarly, criteria such as cultural infrastructure, schools, irrigation, and disaster prevention have also received active contributions from the people. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy (from Hamlet 6, Binh Thuan Commune, Dai Tu District) said: “The New Rural Development Program is for the benefit of the people, so we always support the right policies of the State and local authorities—especially those that invest in rural infrastructure.”

Between 2021 and 2025, of the more than VND 78.2 trillion mobilized for implementing the National Target Program for New Rural Development, local people proactively borrowed nearly VND 70.7 trillion from banks as matching funds. This figure demonstrates the people’s significant and active contributions. In addition, people, together with businesses and the community, also contributed in-kind materials and labor (converted into monetary value), amounting to approximately VND 1.7 trillion.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam affirmed: “It is precisely the unity and consensus of the people that have enabled this major program to yield results beyond expectations.”

Thanks to the joint efforts and contributions of the people—the central actors in building new rural areas—by the end of March 2025, 115 out of 121 communes in the province (95.04%) had met the New Rural Development standards. Among them, 50 communes (43.5%) met advanced NRD standards, and 12 communes (10.43%) achieved exemplary NRD status. Additionally, six district-level units completed their tasks and met the NRD standards. These impressive figures reflect the success of Thai Nguyen’s implementation of the National Target Program for New Rural Development.