Thanh Yên is a mountainous border commune, established through the merger of three former communes: Thanh Yên, Noong Luống, and Pa Thơm. Its western boundary adjoins the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, with a 33.258km border line. The commune covers over 13,012.5 hectares and has a population of nearly 15,700, more than 60% of whom are ethnic minorities, living in 40 villages (including 15 especially disadvantaged ones). With abundant land, water, and favorable climate, Thanh Yên has major advantages for agriculture, particularly high-quality rice, vegetables, fruit crops, and livestock. The commune also boasts natural landscapes and diverse cultural heritage, with tourism sites such as the U Va hot springs and Pa Thơm caves, providing a foundation for eco-tourism, wellness, and community-based tourism.

During the 2020-2025 term, Thanh Yên’s economy maintained sustainable growth, with proper economic restructuring focused on agricultural transformation linked to new-style rural commune development. By 2025, the commune’s total cultivated area is expected to reach 2,060 hectares, with food output exceeding 12,700 tons. A high-quality rice zone in the Mường Thanh field has been established; vegetable production reached 272 hectares, fruit trees 128 hectares; and many models applying technical advances have yielded high efficiency. The commune now has five OCOP (One Commune One Product) items rated three stars or higher, raising agricultural value and incomes. Livestock, poultry, and aquaculture have grown steadily at 5.8% per year, while forest coverage reached 73.64%, ensuring ecological balance and sustainable livelihoods. Beyond agriculture, small industries, handicrafts, commerce, and services have also developed appropriately, meeting both consumption and production needs.

Alongside economic progress, Thanh Yên has achieved positive changes in culture and society. Its education system has been strengthened, with all nine schools meeting national standards (45% at level 2), and high school enrollment rates. Healthcare and social security have been improved, with 86% of the population covered by health insurance and 100% of policy beneficiaries provided with insurance cards. Cultural, sports, and tourism movements are actively maintained; 78.2% of households have been recognized as “Cultural Families,” 90% of villages as “Cultural Villages,” and all agencies and units as “Cultural Entities.” Ethnic cultural heritage preservation has been closely linked with tourism development, gradually tapping into community and eco-tourism potential. Poverty reduction efforts have delivered results, with the poverty rate declining by an average of 1.65% per year.

Thanks to mobilized resources, Thanh Yên’s socio-economic infrastructure has markedly improved. All households have access to national electricity; over 92% of the population uses hygienic water; 100% of commune roads have been hardened; 68.3% of inter-village roads have been concreted; and irrigation systems have been upgraded to meet cultivation needs.

During 2021-2025, Thanh Yên received over VND 20 billion under the National Target Program on New-Style Rural Area Construction. Residents contributed thousands of working days, hundreds of millions of đồng, and voluntarily donated land for roads and cultural houses. To date, Thanh Yên has achieved 17 out of 19 new-style rural commune criteria, with housing and income criteria still being finalized. Key criteria such as transportation, irrigation, electricity, schools, healthcare, culture, defense, and security have been met or nearly met, providing a solid foundation for Thanh Yên to achieve new-style rural commune standards in the near future.

The commune’s Party Committee has set the goal for the 2025-2030 term to bring Thanh Yên to new-style rural commune standards and toward advanced new-style rural commune. To achieve this, the Party Committee has identified concrete targets, aligned with local potential and advantages. The focus is on raising incomes and quality of life, ensuring balance between economic development, infrastructure, environment, and socio-cultural progress. Economic targets include: average annual state budget revenue growth of 25% or more; average total product value growth of 12% per year; per capita income to rise by at least 50% compared to the present; a 20-30% increase in productivity on specialized rice land; the development of 3-5 new OCOP products rated three stars or higher; and the establishment of 1-2 safe food supply chains. Infrastructure targets prioritize projects serving residents’ daily lives, such as roads, irrigation, cultural-sports facilities, and waste treatment. Social targets include reducing the multidimensional poverty rate to below 2%; ensuring 100% of commune-level administrative procedures are handled online; and 100% of residents having digital identification accounts, contributing to successful digital transformation at the grassroots.

To meet these goals, the Party Committee has set out six key tasks and four groups of solutions for the next term, identifying four strategic breakthroughs: developing green agriculture oriented toward concentrated commodity production and product consumption; developing tourism linked with cultural preservation (community-based tourism, eco-tourism, wellness, and agrotourism); improving human resources quality, especially high-quality labor, to meet socio-economic development needs; and promoting science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, while simplifying and improving administrative procedures, enhancing public service quality, and boosting investment and business activities.

With diverse production potential, increasingly modern infrastructure, abundant human resources, and a strong tradition of unity, Thanh Yên possesses all the conditions to realize its goal of achieving new-style rural commune standards. The first Congress of the Thanh Yên commune’s Party Committee is not only an important political milestone but also a powerful affirmation of the determination of the entire Party Committee and people: to turn potential and advantages into development drivers, striving to make Thanh Yên a bright spot in socio-economic development along the border and contribute to building a prosperous and civilized Điện Biên.

Nguyễn Văn Toản

Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People’s Council of Thanh Yên commune