With 82% of the population being ethnic minorities, Yen Chau district has focused on investing in building urgent works for people in ethnic minority areas, such as roads, irrigation and water supply works, communal and village cultural houses.

Le Huy Phong, Vice Chairman of the district People's Committee, said in the 2021-2023 period, the district was assigned more than 144 billion VND (5.73 million USD) from Programme 1719, of which more than 52 billion VND was invested in essential infrastructure, serving production and life in ethnic minority areas. To date, the district has built 22 works; conducted the maintenance and repairs of 15 works in 10 extremely difficult communes; and built, renovated and upgraded markets in communes.

Previously, poor and near-poor households in Chieng Dong commune of Yen Chau district could not afford to buy water tanks, so they often used jars and pots to store clean water for daily use. Benefiting from the decentralized domestic water support policy of Project 1 under the Programme 1719, many households in the commune have been supported with water tanks.

Hoang Van Dung, Chairman of the communal People's Committee, said 192 poor and near-poor ethnic minority households in the province have been supported with water tanks. As a result, the rate of households using clean and hygienic water in the commune now reaches 90%.

In Phu Yen, from the capital of Programme 1719, out of a total of 58 schools, classrooms, medical stations and resettlement sites have been constructed, of which 32 projects have been handed over and put into use. In addition, sustainable agricultural and forestry development projects have been supported, providing ethnic minorities with livelihoods, thus increasing their income.

For the forest protection and development programme alone, Phu Yen district has supported 5.2 billion VND to plant over 140 hectares of production forest; assigned 312 forest owners and seven hamlet communities in nine communes to manage and protect over 8,280 hectares of forest. In addition, the district has also helped 425 households to buy domestic water storage equipment; built four domestic water works in Da Do, Tan Phong, Muong Lang, and Muong Thai communes. The district has supported 125 households with production land and job conversion; and provided stable settlement for 40 households in Suoi Thinh hamlet, Suoi Bau commune and Khoai Lang hamlet, Muong Thai commune.

Mui Van Nguyen in Van Yen hamlet, Tan Phong commune, Phu Yen district, shared that “In early 2022, with the State's support of 6 million VND per hectare for buying seedlings, my family decided to convert 4 hectares of corns to teak trees, which are currently growing well. Thanks to the support, I and many other families in the commune have the conditions to develop economic forestry, greening barren land and bare hills, and later earn income from forestry.”

Luong Van Toan, deputy head of the provincial Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, said that the total capital for implementing Programme 1719 for the 2021-2025 period in Son La province is more than 8.71 trillion VND (346.6 million USD). The committee has advised the provincial People's Committee to allocate capital and issue guiding documents according to the regulations of the Government; and proactively grasp the situation, inspect, coordinate with units and localities to take solutions to remove difficulties and obstacles arising during the implementation process, and speed up the implementation of component programmes and projects.

After more than three years of implementing Programme 1719, the whole province has gradually addressed the shortage of residential land and production land for 418 ethnic minority households; built 158 ​​centralized domestic water works; solved the problem of scattered domestic water for 6,162 households. It has increased facilities, equipment, and teaching aids for 179 ethnic boarding and semi-boarding schools; provided vocational training and jobs for 7,030 people; stabilized the lives of residents in extremely difficult areas and border areas, and 956 ethnic minority households with nomadic farming at 17 locations in eight districts. The province has also built five inter-commune roads and eight markets; invested in infrastructure to support production development and livelihoods for La Ha ethnic households in Quynh Nhai, Thuan Chau and Muong La districts.

In addition, the national target programme has supported ethnic minorities to preserve and promote traditional cultural identity, associated with tourism development; implement gender equality; and promote the role of prestigious people in the community. Over the past three years, the province's poverty rate has decreased by an average of over 3% per year to 14.17% at present. To date, 97.5% of communes and 78.4% of hamlets have had roads accessible by car to their centers; 100% of schools, classrooms and medical stations have been built. The rate of ethnic minorities using clean water for daily life has reached 97.5% and 99% of households have gained access to the national grid.

Support policies from Programme 1719 have created more motivation for and trust among ethnic minorities in the leadership of the Party and the State, serving as a "lever" for socio-economic development in ethnic minority areas, contributing to fulfilling the goals of reducing poor and near-poor households in extremely disadvantaged communes by 4-5% and having 44% of communes in ethnic minority areas meeting new-style rural standards by 2025.