Hanoi at the forefront of new rural development

The Prime Minister's recognition of Dong Anh and Thanh Oai districts as meeting the advanced new rural standards makes Hanoi the leading place in Vietnam for rural development, with five districts achieving this standard.

Compared to the goals set in Program No.04-CTr/TU issued by the Hanoi Party Committee on March 17, 2021, Hanoi has exceeded its target by four districts.

Over the past four years, the program has successfully transformed the capital's rural areas, making them more prosperous, modern, and livable.

By the end of 2021, all 382 communes in Hanoi met the new rural standards, four years ahead of schedule. In just three years (2021-2023), a total of 12 districts were recognized by the Prime Minister as meeting these standards.

As a result, 100% of Hanoi's districts and townships have achieved new rural status, two years before the target.

By the end of 2024, 229 out of 382 communes had achieved advanced new rural standards, exceeding the target by 73 communes. In addition, 109 communes have become exemplary new rural models, exceeding the target by 29 communes.

Between 2021 and 2023, 11 more districts were recognized as new rural districts, bringing the total to 17 districts and Son Tay Township. Hanoi has now submitted its application to be officially recognized as a "City that has completed the new rural development mission."

During 2021-2025, Hanoi's rural economy has made remarkable progress. Although agricultural land has been lost to urbanization, crop and livestock production has shifted positively.

Annual growth in agriculture, forestry and fisheries has remained between 2.5% and 3.3%. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the agricultural sector played a critical role in stabilizing the economy and ensuring food security.

Hanoi has also pressed ahead with its One Commune, One Product (OCOP) program. To date, the city has 3,317 OCOP-certified products, including six with five-star ratings and 22 five-star candidates. Cooperative and farm economies, as well as traditional craft villages, have flourished, bringing positive changes to local communities.

The average rural income in Hanoi has reached approximately VND73.8 million (US$2,890) per year, an increase of VND18.8 million (US$730) compared to 2020. The city has also completely eradicated poverty under the 2022-2025 standards, achieving this goal one year ahead of schedule.

Most rural households now live in solid, well-built houses, and the gap between urban and rural living standards has narrowed significantly.

Over the past four years, Hanoi has mobilized more than VND86.8 trillion ($3.4 billion), or 120% of the plan, to invest in essential infrastructure for rural development. More than VND4 trillion ($156.8 million) came from extra-budgetary sources.

The city also allocated VND800 billion ($31.3 million) through the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies to assist enterprises and individuals to expand production. In particular, 12 urban districts contributed more than VND1.1 trillion ($43 million) to help rural districts develop new rural areas.

These achievements are the result not only of the efforts of Hanoi authorities, but also of the strong commitment and contribution of rural communities. In Tan Tien (Chuong My District) and Tan Dan (Soc Son District), local governments have actively involved residents in maintaining and improving rural development standards.

The Party committees in these communes have established village-level rural development committees to work with social organizations in overseeing investments and ensuring their effectiveness. Both communes have successfully met all 19 criteria of the 2021-2025 Advanced Rural Standards Framework.

The two communes are among 38 communes in 12 districts, including Chuong My, My Duc, Thuong Tin, Ung Hoa, Phu Xuyen, Dong Anh, Phuc Tho, Ba Vi, Soc Son, Quoc Oai, Thach That, and Thanh Oai, to meet the standards for advanced new rural communes in 2024.

Nguyen Xuan Binh, Chairman of Tan Dan Commune, credited the community's combined efforts for making this happen.

A survey showed that nearly 98% of residents were satisfied with the new rural development results, he said.

Duong Van Son, Party Secretary and Head of Mon Tu Village (Tan Dan Commune), said that residents are excited about the improved infrastructure and higher standard of living.

Nguyen Minh Tan, Head of My Thuong Village (Thanh Mai Commune, Thanh Oai District), said that rural development has become a shared responsibility, with many households voluntarily upgrading roads for future generations.

Nguyen Trong Hoan, Chairman of Phu Cat Commune (Quoc Oai District), emphasized that local authorities have made community involvement a priority.

In 2021 and 2023, Phu Cat was the first commune in Quoc Oai to achieve both advanced rural and exemplary rural status, he said.

“Since the start of the program, Phu Cat residents have donated 5,000m2 of residential land and three hectares of farmland for road construction. Today, the commune boasts well-maintained, green, clean, and safe neighborhoods.”

Building sustainable new rural areas

Nguyen Xuan Dai, Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment, noted that although the Hanoi Party Committee's Program No. 04-CTr/TU has not yet reached the end of its five-year cycle, Hanoi has already achieved its goals.

He reported that 21 out of 32 indicators have been met or exceeded, while 11 remain unmet but are considered long-term goals.

"Hanoi is striving to complete all 32 indicators of Program No. 04-CTr/TU by mid-2025," Dai said.

Despite challenges such as COVID-19 in 2021-2022 and two major storms in 2024 (Typhoons Prapiroon and Yagi) that caused severe agricultural losses, the city has made significant efforts to sustain progress, he said.

Looking ahead, Hanoi will focus on restructuring crop production, prioritizing high-value rice varieties, he added.

The city will also expand vegetable farming, increase flower and ornamental plant cultivation, and develop animal husbandry using high technology in line with market demands and value chains, Dai added.

Hanoi also aims to develop tourism experiences linked to traditional craft villages and rural tourism resources to further improve people's livelihoods, he said.

Ngo Van Ngon, Deputy Head of Hanoi's New Rural Development Program Coordination Office, said community support is crucial for rural progress.

"Surveys show that local people highly value the new achievements in rural development, as reflected in high approval rates in public opinion surveys led by the Vietnam Fatherland Front," he said.

"This confirms that the results of the advanced rural development model are becoming more tangible in local communities," he said.

Ngon urged the localities that have achieved advanced standards of rural development to sustain and enhance these standards to become model rural regions, while consistently improving the quality of life of their citizens, as rural development is a continuous process of progress.

On March 12, at a meeting to take stock of Program No. 04, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh, who also heads the Program's Steering Committee, praised the contributions of all political levels, media organizations, social and political groups, and especially the active and responsible participation of Hanoi residents.

He called on city departments, district and town authorities to continue to allocate resources to maintain and improve existing rural development standards in 2025, ensuring that rural development is in line with urbanization criteria.

Local governments and agencies must improve public communication efforts, ensuring that information is diverse, targeted and engaging to mobilize community participation and strengthen unity and shared responsibility, he said.

City departments must proactively develop plans, guide districts and communes to reach the remaining 11 indicators by 2025, and help the Party Committee formulate a rural and agricultural development program for 2026-2030, Thanh added.

The Chairman also instructed the Department of Agriculture and Environment to work with other city departments to finalize the application for the prime minister to recognize Hanoi as having completed the new rural development program. In addition, the city aims to have at least two more districts meet the advanced rural standards by 2025.

Regarding agricultural restructuring and rural economic development, he urged a review and adjustment of crop and livestock production zones in accordance with national and local regulations.

"Emphasis should be placed on efficient land use, promotion of high quality rice varieties, expansion of vegetable cultivation and annual increase in flower and ornamental plant cultivation," he said.

"Moreover, the planning and development of craft villages, rural industrial zones, and service areas should be prioritized to support production, business, and trade promotion. Hanoi should also utilize its heritage, historical sites, and traditional villages to enhance tourism value," he added.

Thanh stressed the importance of improving the incomes of rural residents in 2025, especially to meet the challenging target of raising the average rural income to VND80 million ($3,130) per person per year.