Despite the fact of not being a target locality in the national programme on new rural development, Thuy Van commune in Thai Binh province has become a role model in the campaign, thanks to the consensus reached among the local authorities and people, according to a radio report.

The local administration’s effort in mobilising the local people’s trust and contributions to the programme has made Thuy Van commune’s new rural development a success, radio The Voice of Vietnam (VOV) said.

All of the roads connecting the hamlets and villages in the Van commune have been paved, facilitating the operation of vehicles. Locals say they are happy with the better infrastructure.

As 65-year-old Nguyen Thi Mua put it, "It’s more convenient for us to travel now. In the past, it was extremely difficult for us to walk on dirt roads, especially after a rain. I hope I can live a bit longer to enjoy this more comfortable life. Most of the local people, including old people like me, responded enthusiastically to the local administration’s appeal to contribute money and labour to the new rural development programme."

Another farmer, Nguyen Thi Thu said that after the programme and its benefits were clearly explained, they fully supported it.

"We understand that we are the ultimate beneficiaries of the national programme on new rural development. With the materials provided by the government, we are always ready to contribute our labour to make new roads as this improves our living conditions and business activities as well," Thu said.

Applying new technologies and modern machines, and rezoning fields is considered an important yet difficult part of new rural development because of ingrained farming habits. But after the benefits of such activities were explained, local farmers were willing to change. A total of 340 ha of farm land has been rezoned, making it much easier for the farmers to grow their crops.

According to Dao Viet Bo, chairman of the Thuy Van commune People’s Committee, local staff did their best to explain the new rural development programme and persuade the local people to take part in. In 2011, the commune managed to persuade locals to contribute land, money and labour to field-rezoning activities, worth around 1 million USD. By last December, it had mobilised nearly 5 million USD for the new rural development programme, mostly from the local administration's budget and by local residents.

"Without the people, we would not have gained such achievements," Bo stressed.

Placing the people, their concerns and benefits at the centre of the programme, Thuy Van commune has long acknowledged the importance of boosting productivity while reducing labour by applying new modern technologies and incentives.

The success is attributed to the local authorities’ efforts to ensure democracy, openness, and transparency in management while mobilising local contributions to the programme.-VNA