As part of the series of activities of the Huoi Mot commune Ethnic Culture and Sports Festival 2026, a vibrant glutinous rice cake pounding contest took place on January 17, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

The Son La provincial Red Cross Society, in coordination with the Red Cross family of Ngoc Mai from Hanoi’s Thuong Tin district and other sponsors, organised the “Humanitarian Tet” gift-giving programme in Chieng Lao commune on January 16.

From the centre of Chieng Hoa commune, we travelled over 25 kilometres of rugged, winding dirt roads, passing through dense forests, steep hills, and rocky terrain, crossing numerous streams before finally reaching Tao Van Moi hamlet. The challenging journey deepened our admiration for the teachers who continue to stay and “sow knowledge” in this remote mountainous area despite countless difficulties.

In 2025, the Son La provincial Red Cross Society effectively implemented humanitarian activities with a total value of more than 44.28 billion VND (1.68 million USD), providing assistance to 83,774 beneficiaries across the province.

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.

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.

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.

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.

With the motto “no one left behind,” Long Sap commune has mobilised resources to support poor households in doing away with temporary and dilapidated houses.

Co Ma commune has recently received and distributed 44 tonnes of rice and salt to support local residents.

Chieng Khoong commune now has 424 poor households, accounting for 9.25%, a decrease of 0.57 percentage points compared to 2024. The number of near-poor households stands at 1,083, or over 23%, down 0.92 percentage points, according to a 2025 review.

Two roads in Pu Hao and Na Khi hamlets of Muong Lan commune, with a total length of over 1.3 km, have been paved with concrete.

Chieng Hac commune is managing, caring for, and protecting 23,991 hectares of forest, including 19,138 hectares of protection and special-use forests, 3,732 hectares of production forests, with the remaining area designated for other forest purposes. The forest coverage rate has reached 54.63%.

The Son La provincial Department of Education and Training, in collaboration with The Vietnam Foundation (VNF), on December 24 organised a training session on using the Khan Academy Vietnam (KAV) open school model on the Khan Academy online education platform for general education and continuing education institutions. The programme was connected online to 381 educational institutions throughout the province.

Nong Thon Ngay Nay (Countryside Today) Newspaper, DVL Ventures – Ha Vy and Friends jointly organised the “Muong E Highland Charity Market” programme in Muong E commune on December 23. Attending the event were leaders of Muong E commune, representatives of local schools, and a large number of local residents.

The Standing Committee of the provincial Youth Union, in coordination with Kim Bon commune, on December 18 held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Suoi Pa campus of Anh Sao Kindergarten. This project aims to celebrate the 14th Congress of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Son La province for the 2025-2030 term.

Accounting for nearly 16% of the province’s population, the Mong ethnic people in Son La consist of three main groups Flower Mong (Mong Lenh), White Mong (Mong Do), and Black Mong (Mong Du). Together, they have created a rich and distinctive cultural heritage imbued with strong ethnic identity, reflected in their costumes, language, festivals, and traditional crafts. In highland villages, these traditional cultural values are personally preserved and passed down from generation to generation by cultural torchbearers within the community.

In response to the requirement for fundamental and comprehensive renovation of education and training, the provincial education sector, together with local authorities, has prioritised budget allocations and mobilised various resources to build and upgrade schools. These efforts have gradually created more spacious and modern learning environments that meet the demands of educational reform.

For students in urban areas, learning English is no longer unfamiliar. However, in remote and mountainous regions, particularly among ethnic minority communities, access to foreign languages, especially for preschool children, remains a major challenge. To address this gap, the education sector has rolled out the “Solution to manage and improve the quality of organising English familiarisation activities in preschools.” After more than a year of implementation, the initiative has begun to yield positive changes, offering children in mountainous areas an opportunity to early engage with a foreign language.

After five years of implementing Subproject 3 on supporting sustainable employment, under Project 4 of the National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction for the 2021-2025 period, Son La province has supported 132 workers in finding jobs at domestic companies and enterprises. This has contributed to creating sustainable livelihoods and improving incomes for people in many disadvantaged areas.