With official development assistance (ODA) loans, Son La province has focused on implementing programmes and projects aimed at addressing pressing issues regarding socio-economic infrastructure, and poverty reduction.

The provincial Union of Science and Technology Associations on September 29 organised a workshop to assess the impacts of support policies for fruit tree development in Son La province between 2017 and now.

The Vietnam Agricultural Extension Centre under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Son La province, organised a community agricultural extension workshop in developing fruit tree areas and safe crop value chains in the northern mountainous region in Moc Chau district on September 27.

Son La province is home to 31,050 hectares of perennial industrial crops, with 5,863 hectares of tea, 20,137 hectares of coffee, and 5,388 hectares of rubber.

On September 25, the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group’s branch in Son La (Viettel Son La) and the People's Committee of Chieng Den commune, Son La city signed a cooperation agreement on deploying a pilot model of digital transformation - digital payment in the commune.

Currently, Phu Yen district has 46 cooperatives operating in the fields of agriculture, construction, handicrafts, trade and services, and credit with over 4,500 members.

The Son La Rubber Joint Stock Company has produced 1,525 tonnes of latex since the beginning of 2023.

Promoting the dynamism and creativity of youth union members and young people, youth unions in Son La province have proactively and actively supported farmers in promoting the image and brand of local agricultural products to people nationwide.

Song Ma district has so far this year sold a total of 98,475 tonnes of fruits, earning over 1.65 trillion VND (67.7 million USD). Of the total, 65,538 tonnes are sold domestically, 18,614 tonnes processed and 4,325 tonnes exported.

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.