Not only changing crop varieties and livestock breeds, farmers are also boldly innovating their production mindset toward commodity generation, linking farmlands with the market, and introducing science and technology into every cropping season. Driven by this new way of thinking, lands that once seemed overly familiar are having their potential awakened, creating higher economic value and contributing to building a sustainably developed agricultural sector.

From a 5,000 m² garden plot that was once cultivated in a small-scale, low-efficiency manner, the family of Lý Trọng Triều in Sam Phương village, Thanh An commune, has written a highly convincing story of transformation. With a methodically invested VAC (Garden-Pond-Livestock) model, this seemingly familiar piece of land has now become a “golden garden,” bringing in an annual revenue of hundreds of millions of dongs and opening up a sustainable economic path for the family.

Lý Trọng Triều eagerly shared that his family previously mainly grew traditional crops and raised livestock on a small scale, resulting in low economic returns. To develop their economy, he boldly invested in building a VAC model, combining fruit tree planting, digging ponds for fish rearing, and raising livestock and poultry. Thanks to applying science and technology to production while maximizing land area and available feed sources, the model has become increasingly effective.

Few would have thought that from 4 hectares of wild, arid hill land once filled only with weeds and stones, Nguyễn Vân Du in Co Hắm village, Mường Ảng commune, could establish a lush green area of coffee, macadamia, and green-skinned pomelo like today. Refusing to let the land lie dormant, Nguyễn Vân Du boldly shifted his production mindset, tirelessly reclaiming each plot of land and bringing high-value crop varieties to take root on the harsh hillsides. Now, after years of persistence, the rolling hills have been covered in green, bringing in hundreds of millions of dongs every year. Nguyễn Vân Du shared his belief that as long as one dares to think differently, dares to innovate, and stays persistently attached to fields and gardens, even the most arid lands will eventually revive and bear fruit.

This wave of innovative thinking is not only spreading across hills and fields but also flourishing within livestock and integrated economic models. Shifting away from experience-based production, many farmers have moved toward methodical agriculture, calculating economic efficiency right from the steps of breed selection and care processes to finding consumption markets.

A prime example is the family of Nguyễn Thị Nương in village 24, Thanh An commune. Believing that retirement does not mean stopping but rather serves as an opportunity to continue creating new values, Nguyễn Thị Nương boldly invested in building closed-loop barns to develop a commodity-oriented pig and chicken farming model. She also proactively applied scientific and technical advances to animal care and disease prevention, ensuring environmental sanitation and improving livestock quality. Through diligence, sharpness, and a daring spirit, the once-ordinary garden has now turned into an efficient economic model, yielding an income of over VND 300 million per year.

Nguyễn Thị Nương stated that through this new approach, the economic efficiency brought about is much higher than before. She realized that by boldly shifting one’s mindset and applying technical advances to production, one can still generate a stable income source on familiar land. According to her, the key is to be diligent in learning, exploring, and not being afraid to test new models that fit the family’s practical conditions.

As a mountainous, border province with 45 communes and wards, Điện Biên still has quite a few villages where the lives of residents, especially ethnic minorities in remote and isolated areas, face numerous difficulties and privations. On steep mountainsides and degraded milpas, the aspiration for a prosperous life always exists under every roof. To turn that aspiration into reality, alongside the care and support of the Party and State, the more crucial factor is the shift in the perception and production mindset of the people themselves. By daring to think and act differently, boldly applying science and technology, and effectively exploiting land potential, residents have step-by-step opened up new directions, creating sustainable livelihoods, raising incomes, and writing further chapters of change on the highland soil.

For the 2026-2030 period with a vision to 2035, Điện Biên province aims to form large-scale concentrated commodity production zones, including 40,000 hectares of macadamia, 20,000 hectares of coffee, 3,000 hectares of fruit trees, and 6,500 hectares of vegetables, while step-by-step building a growing area database to enhance management efficiency and production linkages.

Trần Mạnh Minh, Vice Chairman of the Mường Pồn commune People’s Committee, stated that through village meetings and direct exchanges, the local government persistently propagates and mobilizes the public to gradually change their mindset in labor and production. In particular, the commune continues to promote technology transfer, raise added value, and develop collective and farm economies, emphasizing the reinforcement of production linkages and consumption connectivity to create a breakthrough driving force that ensures stable and efficient development for the people.

With the goal of reducing the average poverty rate by over 3% annually and raising the per capita income to around VND 4.5 million per month by 2030, Điện Biên province identifies shifting mindsets as a core task in poverty reduction work. Alongside infrastructure investment, capital support, and technology transfer, the province pays special attention to raising awareness, inspiring the desire to rise up, and fostering a spirit of self-reliance among citizens. This serves as the vital foundation to improve people’s lives, driving Điện Biên toward a green, smart, and sustainable economy, and elevating it to become a well-developed province in the region.