Son La’s school-based boarding meal programme has drawn sustained attention and investment from local authorities and parents. With upgraded facilities, tightly supervised food-preparation processes and balanced, nutritious menus, the kitchens have become an important factor in boosting school attendance and have delivered measurable improvements in students’ health indicators across the province.

Permanent Vice Chairman of the Son La provincial People’s Committee Ha Trung Chien on January 9 chaired a meeting of the provincial Steering Committee for Building a Learning Society to review activities in 2025 and roll out tasks for this year.

Son La province’s total retail sales of goods hit nearly 41.13 trillion VND (1.56 billion USD) in 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 14.15%.

With decisive policies to remove bottlenecks in land clearance and to improve the legal framework, Son La province has attracted numerous investors with projects ranging from hundreds to thousands of billions of VND in the fields of commercial housing and urban development. These projects have contributed to transforming the urban landscape and have become a key driving force for local economic growth.

Son La’s services sector outperformed its 2025 plan, generating 16.77 trillion VND (638.04 million USD), up 9.5% from 2024, reinforcing its role as a key pillar of the provincial economy. Double-digit growth in retail sales and exports underscored the effectiveness of market-stabilisation efforts and tighter controls on trade fraud.

The provincial Youth Union, in coordination with Son La Newspaper and Radio-Television and the provincial Music, Song and Dance Theater, on December 31 staged a programme titled “The Enduring Spirit of Youth Volunteers,” to pay tribute to fallen heroes and youth volunteers who died at the Co Noi crossroads.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dang Ngoc Hau on December 31 chaired a conference to review and develop plans for the National Target Programme (NTP) for the 2026-2030 period, as well as to assess administrative reform efforts and the programme to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in Yen Chau area’s communes.

Ha Trung Chien, member of the provincial Party Committee’s Standing Board and Standing Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, on December 31 chaired a meeting on the investment and construction of primary-secondary boarding schools in border communes. The meeting was held in person at the provincial People’s Committee headquarters and connected online to the People’s Committees of border communes.

Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyen Dinh Viet, who is head of the Steering Committee for the construction of the Hoa Binh - Moc Chau expressway section through Son La province, chaired a meeting of the Steering Committee on December 31 to assess the project's progress in 2025 and put forward key tasks for 2026.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Minh Tien on December 31 chaired a conference to review traffic safety and order in 2025 and outline key tasks and directions for 2026.

The provincial Youth Union, in coordination with Chieng Lao commune, held a ceremony to inaugurate the Khang ethnic community cultural house at Pa Mong Pa Pu hamlet on December 30.

Military Region 2’s Party Committee and Command, authorised by the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence, on December 29 presented busts of President Ho Chi Minh to 75 communes and wards across Son La province.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dang Ngoc Hau on December 29 chaired a meeting of the appraisal council and its assisting team to review results on the classification of villages and communes in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, including the designation of particularly disadvantaged hamlet and the categorisation of communes into Areas I, II and III across the province.

Nong thon Ngay nay (Countryside Today) Newspaper, in coordination with the People’s Committee of Ngoc Chien commune, on December 28 organised a “Zero-VND Market” to deliver Lunar New Year (Tet) gifts to local residents in 2025, aiming to support households facing difficult circumstances.

The Organising Committee of the Son La Tourism Contests 2025 held a ceremony on December 26 to announce and present awards. The event was attended by representatives of provincial departments and agencies, as well as authors and groups whose works won prizes.

Located in Thao Nguyen ward, Ta Loong residential area is blessed with striking natural scenery and a rich cultural legacy of the Dao ethnic community. Amid the pressures of urbanisation and deeper integration, local residents have remained committed to safeguarding traditional values, treating cultural heritage as a treasured asset that enriches spiritual life while laying the foundation for sustainable tourism growth.

Identifying the spring crop as the most important production season of the year, the agricultural sector and localities across Son La province are stepping up preparations to secure seed structure, agricultural supplies and irrigation water, aiming to complete planting within the recommended timeline and achieve high yield and quality.