Implementing the Government's project on non-cash payment, Son La province now has over 1,000 POS (point of sale) machines at supermarkets, shops and restaurants, nearly 200 automated teller machines (ATMs), and one automatic digital banking transaction point of Agribank Digital Bank.

The Son La coffee processing factory of the Son La Coffee Processing Joint Stock Company will be inaugurated next month as part of a series of activities of the first Son La Coffee Festival 2023.

Son La province will showcase their products at the 20th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO 2023) in Nanning city, Guangxi province, China from September 15-19.

With over 7,500 hectares of longan, this year, farmers in Song Ma district harvested and sold 75,000 tonnes of the fruit, earning over 1 trillion VND (41.48 million USD).

Implementing the Prime Minister's One Commune One Product (OCOP) Programme, Son La province has adjusted and supplemented requirements in accordance with the goal of developing the OCOP Programme for the 2021-2025 period.

After the five-year implementation of the Government's policy encouraging cooperation and linkages in production and sale of agricultural products, Son La province has seen significant transformation in the farming sector, contributing to sustainable business development.

The organising committee of the programme honouring outstanding agricultural products of Son La in 2023 has met recently to review nominated products and decided on the finalists.

In recent years, people in highland communes of Bac Yen district have used the land area under the forest canopy to grow black cardamom, contributing to increasing income and protecting the forests.

Vietnam lured over 18.1 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) as of August 20, an increase of 8.2% year-on-year, reported the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

While traditional festivals are the convergence of the cultural quintessence of each ethnic group and a unique highlight to attract tourists, agricultural festivals bear their own characteristics to meet modern development trends. In the northern mountainous province of Son La, fruit and flower festivals are becoming an indispensable part, and opportunities to strongly promote the strengths of the locality’s agricultural products and tourism.

Over the past years, the forest environmental service payment policy rolled out in Muong La district, Son La province has contributed to protecting over 66,680 hectares of forests, including 64,108 hectares of natural forests and more than 2,576 hectares of planted forests.

Song Ma district, Son La province is home to over 7,500 hectares of longan, with an estimated yield of more than 70,000 tonnes this year.

Phu Yen district in Son La province has 1,600-hectare Muong Tac field - one of the four largest fields in the Northwest region.

Native to South American countries, yellow passion fruit has made its presence on Son La province’s Moc Chau plateau, contributing to diversifying local crops and bringing high economic value to local farmers.

Over the past time, the northern mountainous province of Son La has taken measures to expand the macadamia growing area and improve the quality of the nut. It has also directed the building of the “Son La Macadamia” certification mark to create motivation for growers, businesses and cooperatives to boost production, and continue to bring this nut to the market.

The development of science and technology creates more and more products with good quality, contributing to improving people’s lives. However, its downside is the serious consequences of resource depletion and environmental pollution. In the context that the economy requires a recovery, in combination with the implementation of sustainable development goals, the importance of the "circular economy" has been appreciated, especially with sustainable business and start-up models.

Son La province posted over 270 billion VND (11.3 million USD) in revenue from passenger and cargo transport and support services in July, up 23% over the same period last year.

In recent years, Son La city has done a good job of attracting and developing commercial housing and urban area projects, in accordance with the planning and orientation for a first-tier city.

The Prime Minister has called for efforts to remove the difficulties facing business and production activities as one the key tasks for the rest of the year to promote economic growth, create jobs and keep inflation in check.

The total export turnover of textiles and garments in the past 7 months amounted to 22.7 billion USD, down 14% compared to the same period in 2022. Although exports decline, the situation is improving as the downward momentum has narrowed to 14% compared to more than 20% in the first months of the year. To grow quickly, enterprises need to deploy solutions optimising production, actively apply technologies and switch to “green production” to increase market share in major markets.