With 1,899 hectares of rice, Thanh An is one of the province’s key rice-growing regions. Promoting its existing potential and advantages, in recent years, the commune has introduced high-yield, high-quality rice varieties into production, promoted mechanization, and guided farmers to produce according to safe procedures linked to consumer markets. At the same time, it has focused on attracting businesses and cooperatives to invest, forming a value chain for processing high-quality rice, which has contributed to increasing the value of agricultural products and the income of the people.

The Tâm Thiện Cooperative is currently leading a production, processing, and consumption linkage for high-quality Séng cù rice, with a 150-hectare raw material area in Thanh An commune. For each rice crop, the cooperative closely accompanies and coordinates with households throughout the entire safe production process, from seed selection and cultivation to harvesting. Ms. Trần Thị Hương Quế, Chairwoman of the Board of the Tâm Thiện Cooperative, said: “At harvest time, we purchase the rice directly from the fields at a price that is at least one point higher than the market rate. The product is then processed using modern procedures, packaged, and clearly labeled before being distributed to markets in other provinces.”

Along with developing rice cultivation, in the 2021 - 2025 period, Thanh An commune effectively utilized resources from national target programs to support the provision of seedlings and breeding animals, opening up livelihood opportunities for the poor to rise. Thanks to this, hundreds of poor and near-poor households in the area have received support to develop production and escape poverty. In early March 2025, using funds from the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction and the National Target Program for Socio-economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, 42 households in the two villages of Na Lao and Ban received 84 breeding buffaloes.

Mr. Quàng Văn Hoa from Na Lao village said joyfully: “My family received support in the form of two breeding buffaloes. The buffaloes are of a standard, healthy breed that adapts and grows well. This is truly a great motivation for my family to strive to escape poverty.”

In parallel with providing livelihood support, Thanh An commune has effectively implemented a program to support the construction of “great unity houses,” eliminating temporary and dilapidated homes. In the 2021 - 2025 period, a total of 424 poor, near-poor, and policy-beneficiary families in the commune were supported in building stable, permanent housing. These new homes help people settle down, providing them with more motivation to improve their lives. With these practical and appropriate solutions, the poverty reduction efforts in Thanh An commune have achieved many positive results. Currently, the entire commune has 187 poor households (accounting for 3.67%) and 441 near-poor households (accounting for 8.66%). During the 2021 - 2025 period, the rate of poor and near-poor households in the commune decreased by an average of 2 - 5% per year.

Building on these achievements, in the coming period, Thanh An commune continues to define sustainable poverty reduction as a key political task. The Resolution of the 1st commune Party Congress for the 2025 - 2030 term has outlined many specific solutions aimed at the goal of sustainable poverty reduction, contributing to the ever-growing development of Thanh An.

Ms. Phạm Ngọc Hảo, Head of the commune Economic Office, said: “In the 2025 - 2030 period, Thanh An commune will continue to restructure its agriculture towards increasing value, using key products as the foundation. The commune prioritizes the development of high-quality rice, promotes large livestock farming, expands the cultivation area for sweet potatoes, and at the same time, enhances the application of science and technology in production. We encourage the development of agricultural models combined with community-based tourism, which both creates sustainable livelihoods and taps into local potential.”

Besides agriculture, Thanh An has many favorable conditions for developing community-based tourism. This is also an important direction in economic development that the commune has identified and is focusing on implementing, as it both opens up more livelihoods for the people and contributes to preserving cultural identity. The commune People’s Committee is conducting reviews and field surveys to select villages that meet the criteria and are eligible to implement the community-based tourism model. Thanh An commune has determined that the effective use of capital from programs and projects is a key factor for development and improving people’s lives. Therefore, the management and allocation of capital are ensured to be targeted, prioritizing investment in essential infrastructure and projects that create jobs and increase income for the people.

Reality has shown that the solutions Thanh An commune has implemented in its poverty reduction efforts, linked with the building of new rural areas, are on the right track. The synergy between agricultural development, livelihood support, infrastructure improvement, and the exploitation of community-based tourism potential has created a driving force for sustainable development. It is expected that by 2030, Thanh An commune will achieve its goal of reducing the poverty rate to below 1% and the near-poverty rate to below 5%, as set out in the resolution.