(HBO) – Visitors to Co Nghia commune, Lac Thuy district, the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh, will be surprised at changes in the locality since it was recognised as a new-style rural area three years ago. Roads connecting hamlets and public facilities have been built. Besides, production models have brought about high economic values, helping local residents have stable jobs and improve their living standards.

Cow farm of Nguyen Van Xuan’s
family in hamlet 2A, Co Lac commune, Lac Thuy district, generates 700 million
VND per year.
Co Nghia is the model commune in new-style rural area building in
Lac Thuy district. In 2011 when the programme was launched, the locality
fulfilled only four criteria. However, with joint efforts of the entire
political system and consensus of local residents, the commune met all the 19
criteria in 2015. The programme has helped complete the infrastructure system
in the commune, better meet socio-economic requirements and improve people’s
living standards.
The commune has paid special attention to production in order to
raise locals’ income. Therefore, over the past years, Co Nghia has instructed
local residents to shift the structure of plants and livestock, and apply
science-technology in production. As a result, there are many effective
production models such as a cultivation model with nearly 80 hectares of citrus
and other kinds of fruit trees. Co Nghia now accommodates eight animal breeding
and aquaculture farms that have created jobs for tens of local labourers. Many
households earn from 1-2 billion VND each year.
With transport advantages, Co Nghia has paid heed to services and
craft production with more than 15 wood processing, construction material
production and mechanic facilities, along with over 120 households that provide
services and run small business. The local economic structure has been shifted
towards higher rate of services and trade, craft and high-quality agricultural
production. The commune’s annual average per capita income exceeds 38 million
VND, with poverty rate dropping to 6.37 percent. Up to 88 percent of households
and over 90 percent of residential areas in the commune have been recognised as
cultural families and residential areas. Nearly all households have access to
electricity. Besides, political and social stability, security and social order
and safety have been maintained in the commune./.
Once a mountainous province facing many challenges, Hoa Binh has, after more than a decade of implementing the national target programme on new-style rural area development, emerged as a bright spot in Vietnam’s northern midland and mountainous region. In the first quarter of 2025, the province recorded positive results, paving the way for Hoa Binh to enter a phase of accelerated growth with a proactive and confident mindset.
Hoa Binh province is steadily advancing its agricultural sector through the adoption of high-tech solutions, seen as a sustainable path for long-term development.
The steering committee for key projects of Hoa Binh province convened on May 14 to assess the progress of major ongoing developments
A delegation of Hoa Binh province has attended the "Meet Korea 2025" event, recently held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Vietnam, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, and the People's Committee of Hung Yen province.
Hoa Binh province joined Vietnam’s national "One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) programme in 2019, not simply as a mountainous region following central policy, but with a clear vision to revive the cultural and agricultural values in its villages and crops.
From just 16 certified products in its inaugural year to 158 by early 2025, the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme in Hoa Binh province has followed a steady and strategic path. But beyond the numbers, it has reawakened local heritage, turning oranges, bamboo shoots, brocade, and herbal remedies into branded, market-ready goods - and, more profoundly, transformed how local communities value and present their own cultural identity.