As one of the country’s most disadvantaged provinces, where over 82% of the population are ethnic minorities, Điện Biên has identified poverty reduction as a strategic priority for social stability and economic development. During the 2021-2025 period, the central government allocated more than VND 2.063 trillion to Điện Biên to implement the national target program (NTP) for sustainable poverty reduction. The program focuses on boosting production, creating livelihoods, providing vocational training, and improving access to basic social services such as healthcare, education, housing, and clean water.

A standout feature of the program’s implementation has been the development of poverty reduction models linked to the restructuring of agriculture towards high-value crops and livestock. So far, over 200 poverty reduction models and projects have been established and expanded across the province, involving crops such as passion fruit, cinnamon, and wax gourd, as well as black-bone chickens. Over the past three years, 125 partnership models have been launched. These initiatives not only offer stable income but, more importantly, help shift mindsets and raise awareness among locals about self-driven production, gradually reducing dependence on state aid.

In Mường Pồn commune (formerly Na Sang commune), many poor households previously relied solely on a single rice crop with unstable income. Since 2022, a wax gourd cultivation model has been introduced, initially involving 10 households and covering 2.6 hectares, with VND 260 million in support from the NTP for sustainable poverty reduction. The model has since expanded to over 20 hectares, with Nam Dương Cooperative providing product purchasing support.

Lò Văn Khơi, a resident of Na Sang village and one of the participants, shared: “Wax gourd is easy to grow, prices are stable, and each 360-square-meter plot can yield 5-6 million dong, much more than rice. Thanks to this model, my family escaped poverty, and my children can now attend school regularly.”

Beyond crop cultivation, many communes have boldly converted low-yield farmland to more profitable crops. More than 1,500 hectares of low-productivity rice fields have been transformed into land for pineapple, potatoes, macadamia, and medicinal herbs, offering higher economic returns. In especially disadvantaged communes such as Mường Nhé, Na Sang, Na Son, and Tủa Chùa, poverty reduction models not only boost income but also contribute to maintaining political stability and social order.

In Mường Ảng commune, where the poverty rate once stood at 30%, integrating livelihood support programs with vocational training and household economic planning has yielded clear results. By the end of 2024, the poverty rate had fallen to just over 18%, with average per capita income reaching VND 34 million per year. Local authorities have made poverty reduction a key political task, mobilizing all available resources and focusing on job training and scaling up effective livelihood models to create sustainable income and help residents escape poverty long-term.

Rather than simply offering capital or seed supplies, communes across the province have set up NTP Steering Committees led by commune-level People’s Committee chairpersons. Clear regulations and responsibilities are assigned to each committee member based on locality. This approach enhances accountability, enables effective oversight, and ensures transparency and accessibility in policy delivery to residents.

Giàng Thị Dua, a near-poor household head in Pu Nhi commune, said: “The government gave me a breeding cow through the poverty reduction program. At first, I didn’t know how to take care of it, but local officials came to my house, guided me, and followed up regularly. Now my cow has reproduced, and I’ve sold one to buy pigs and grow cassava. I no longer have to borrow money to buy rice at the beginning of the lean season like before.”

Alongside livelihood development, vocational training has also received strong attention from the province. Between 2021 and 2024, an average of 8,000 to 8,300 people received vocational training each year, most of them ethnic minorities in remote areas. Additionally, thousands of poor and near-poor households have received housing support meeting the “three-solid” standards, helping stabilize their lives and enabling them to focus on economic development. By the end of 2024, the province’s overall poverty rate had dropped to just over 22%, nearly 13 percentage points lower than at the beginning of the period, achieving over 80% of the 2025 target.