In 2024, Thuan Chau district was allocated over 288 billion VND (11.33 million USD) to implement projects under Program 1719. The district People's Committee has developed plans and allocated funds for the construction of 18 infrastructure projects from the previous year and 19 new projects in particularly difficult communes and villages. These include upgrading of Muong Khieng commune’s market, building a new classroom building for the Muong Bam Secondary School, providing equipment for 68 communal cultural houses, and constructing 13 works in areas inhabited by the La Ha ethnic minority.

In August, a new facility of Vanh Khuyen Son La Kindergarten in Song hamlet, Chieng La commune, Thuan Chau district, was completed. It includes a one-storey classroom, one teaching room, an office, and auxiliary items, with a total investment of over 1.4 billion VND sourced from Program 1719. This project has greatly improved the quality of education and childcare for the ethnic Thai and La Ha children in the hamlet.

Le Thi Minh Hue, Deputy Principal of Vanh Khuyen Chieng La Kindergarten, shared, “The Song hamlet facility previously had 26 children aged 3-5 years old. It was in poor condition, with a temporary structure made of corrugated iron which had deteriorated over the years. With the new facility, we can now provide better teaching and childcare services, helping the school move towards meeting national standards.”

Lo Van Quy, head of the Ethnic Affairs Division of the district, said, “Through the implementation of ethnic policies, the material and spiritual lives of ethnic minorities in the district have greatly improved. The rural landscape of the ethnic minority areas is continuously changing. Now, all communes have roads accessible by car, 71.5% of roads from the communal center to the hamlet have been concreted, while 63.3% of schools and 55% of health stations have been built. About 99.6% of households gain access to electricity, 98.8% have hygienic water, and 259 out of 336 villages have cultural houses.”

In Muong La district, from 2021-2024, over 410 billion VND from Program 1719 has been allocated for the construction of seven centralized water supply projects and 62 transportation, irrigation, market, school, healthcare, and cultural facilities in particularly difficult communes and hamlets, including those serving the La Ha ethnic minorities. By November 2024, the district had disbursed over 213 billion VND, achieving nearly 52% of the plan.

Doan Quang Manh, head of the district Ethnic Affairs Division, commented that programmes, projects and policies for ethnic minorities have been implemented synchronously, promptly, and in line with objectives and regulations, targeting the right groups. These efforts have helped reduce poverty and improve the lives of ethnic minorities. Infrastructure investment has helped reduce the gaps between regions, with a particular focus on social welfare and health care for residents.

From 2021-2024, Son La province has been allocated nearly 4.2 trillion VND for various component projects of Programme 1719, including over 4 trillion VND from the central budget, more than 161 billion VND from the local budget, and nearly 25 billion VND from credit sources. The programme has supported housing for 455 households, provided water storage equipment for 3,781 households, and funded hundreds of centralized water supply projects. Additionally, 15 projects for resettlement of 960 households have been completed, alongside 93 rural transportation projects with a total length of 51.8 km, 14 electricity projects, 150 community houses, 80 classroom buildings. Meanwhile, 26 irrigation works have been upgraded and built.

The implementation of Programme 1719 in Son La province has helped increase trust among ethnic minority communities in the leadership of the Party and the State. It has also served as a “lever” for socio-economic development in ethnic minority regions, contributing to the goal of reducing the rate of poor and near-poor households in particularly difficult communes by 4-5% by 2025 and ensuring that 44% of communes in ethnic minority areas meet new-style rural standards.