The NRD program is expected to promote sustainable and comprehensive development for rural areas, focusing on improving the material and spiritual life of people and improving infrastructure for local residents. With the active and coordinated involvement of the entire political system, especially the role of the people, the NRD process in the province has seen positive changes. Currently, the province has 5 communes achieving advanced NRD standards, 26 communes achieving basic NRD standards, 33 communes achieving 15-18 criteria, and 49 communes achieving 10-14 criteria, with an average of 14.68 criteria per commune. Furthermore, 266 villages and hamlets have been recognized as achieving NRD standards or model NRD standards.

These numbers partly reflect the positive changes in the economic and social life and the appearance of the province’s rural areas. The average income per capita is expected to reach nearly VND 60 million per person per year by 2025, with rural areas estimated at about VND 27 million per person per year; the poverty rate is expected to drop to 21.29% by the end of 2024, with the poverty rate for ethnic minorities dropping to 27.39%. Infrastructure has been increasingly invested in, becoming more modern and synchronous. Cultural and educational sectors continue to receive attention, gradually improving both in quality and accessibility.

However, despite these remarkable results, the overall progress of the program remains slow. No district has yet achieved NRD status, no commune has been recognized as a model NRD commune, and there are still 3 districts without any communes recognized as achieving NRD standards (Tủa Chùa, Điện Biên Đông, and Mường Chà districts). Among the six key tasks outlined in Plan No.1986/KH-UBND for 2025, only one task has been basically completed, which is the absence of communes with fewer than 10 criteria. The other five tasks remain unachieved.

Specifically, the province has not achieved the goal of having 6 communes recognized as advanced NRD communes, as most communes, after meeting basic standards, have not met all the required advanced criteria. The goal of having 2 district-level units completing NRD tasks has also not been realized. For the number of communes that have achieved or are nearing NRD standards, the province has 26 communes meeting NRD standards and 33 communes meeting basic standards, which is much lower than the target. Furthermore, the goal of having 267 villages or hamlets meeting NRD or model NRD standards has not been completed, and no commune has been recognized as a model NRD commune yet (currently, Noong Hẹt commune in Điện Biên district is in the process of submitting its dossier).

The main reason for the unachieved goals is the socio-economic conditions in many localities, which are still limited. The multi-dimensional poverty rate remains high, and per capita income is low, making it difficult for many areas to meet the criteria. Criteria such as transportation, cultural facilities, healthcare, education, and the environment still have not been fully invested in. Moreover, the resources allocated for the program are limited, while the actual needs are large. Many localities have faced difficulties, and some have not paid adequate attention to disbursing funds.

For the NRD program in the 2022 - 2025 period, the province has been allocated VND 744.054 billion. However, most localities have not fully disbursed the funds, causing a slow overall disbursement rate. In 2022, the investment capital disbursement rate was 61%, and the career capital disbursement rate was 28%; in 2023, the rates were 87% and 97%, respectively; in 2024, they were 74% and 87%; by April 2025, the investment capital disbursement rate was only 5.60%, and the career capital disbursement rate was 14.63%.

Tủa Chùa is one of the three districts that has not yet had a commune achieve NRD standards. Phạm Quốc Đạt, Head of the Sub-department of Agriculture and Environment of Tủa Chùa district, shared: “Currently, the district has Mường Đun commune, which is nearly meeting the NRD standards, with 12 out of 19 criteria fully met, 4 criteria partially met, and 3 criteria still not achieved. The slow progress of the NRD implementation is mainly due to the low starting point, lack of infrastructure, poor roads, lack of cultural houses, markets, clean water, and waste management systems. Additionally, the high poverty rate, low income, uneven literacy levels, outdated farming practices, lack of investment, and difficulties in socializing are significant barriers. As a result, the disbursement rate of NRD funds in the last 3 years has not reached the set targets.”

In addition to these objective reasons, some localities have not paid enough attention to the implementation, especially in completing and improving the quality of criteria such as housing, income, multi-dimensional poverty, and environmental sanitation. In some areas, there is a mindset of complacency after achieving NRD standards, causing the movement to slow down, and many communes have “dropped” NRD criteria. Some communes in Zone III and Zone II have shown reluctance to strive for NRD standards because once they achieve them, they lose many benefits, such as tuition fee exemptions for students, access to loans, and poverty reduction support.

Although recognized as meeting basic NRD standards since 2018 (with 17 out of 19 criteria), Mường Luân commune (Điện Biên Đông district) has not demonstrated the necessary determination and effort to complete the remaining criteria to achieve NRD standards. After many years, the NRD progress in this locality has been almost stagnant, lacking innovation in approach, and failing to mobilize the concerted involvement of the political system and the people. Some essential criteria such as income, environment, cultural infrastructure, and production organization have not been adequately prioritized, and the implementation quality remains low. This delay and lack of initiative not only reduce the effectiveness of the program but also affect the overall goal of the district to eliminate “white” communes by 2025.

According to Lò Văn Mai, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Mường Luân commune, compared to when the commune was first recognized as meeting basic NRD standards, the commune still has not met 2 criteria: income and poverty. Specifically, the income criterion stands at just over VND 33 million per person per year, and regarding poverty, the commune still has 18% poor households and 12% near-poor households. The reasons include the low starting point, a vast area, and many hardships for the people, with uneven literacy levels. Moreover, criteria such as income, housing, and clean water are still set too high compared to the standard of living in remote areas. Additionally, some residents still rely on state investment and are not self-motivated to rise above poverty.

According to Nguyễn Thanh Bình, Deputy Director of the NRD Coordinating Office of the province, achieving the set goals and targets is difficult, especially now that the provincial and district-level administrations are being restructured, and some communes are being merged. This significantly affects the mindset of some officials and localities. To achieve the ultimate goal of improving people’s lives, all levels, sectors, and local governments need to review the entire implementation process, identify bottlenecks, and find specific solutions. Efficient use of investment resources is critical, and there needs to be a solution to prevent complacency among officials and localities that are reluctant to meet NRD standards. Additionally, the involvement of the political system and, most importantly, the support of the people, is essential.