Three breakthroughs for Thanh Binh Tho to reach the finish line

Ladvantages and challenges

On the new administrative map of the district, Thanh Binh Tho stretches 88.18 km², embracing many forests, valleys and cool streams. This is a "common home" that was just born after the merger of three communes Thanh Son, Binh Son and Tho Son, according to Resolution 1678/NQ-UBTVQH of the National Assembly Standing Committee. With more than 12,000 people, of which 30% are Thai ethnic people, this is a countryside rich in cultural identity.

The commune's location borders many localities, the East borders Tien Dong, Nghia Hanh; the South connects with Nhan Hoa; the West leans on Mau Thach; the North borders Muong Choong, Tien Dong... The location borders many communes in the district and neighboring areas, creating conditions for connecting agricultural products to neighboring processing factories, while opening a corridor for eco-tourism and community development if there is synchronous infrastructure. The advantage of the region is not only in land but also in identity. The Truong Han Temple relic; Ban Bong with stilt houses and homestays are becoming cultural highlights, the nucleus to change from "sightseeing" to "experience" if tourism products are invested properly. The source of raw materials such as sugarcane, tea, cassava, and acacia are the inputs for processing chains in neighboring areas, this is an advantage that not every mountainous commune has. But the picture is not only bright. Thanh Binh Tho has just emerged from the list of particularly difficult localities in recent years, so its infrastructure, services and businesses are still weak.

Before the merger, only one commune met 19 new rural criteria; after the merger, the commune had to start the journey to the "finish line" from the beginning. The locality lacked factories, industrial parks or commercial centers, which sometimes made the output market for key products unstable; investment capital and budget revenue were limited, slowing down investment in transportation, irrigation and essential services. In addition, climate change, plant and animal diseases and market price risks are constant factors that people have to cope with. The commune's approach in the coming time therefore cannot only revolve around "increasing output" but must also go hand in hand with increasing value, reducing risks and diversifying livelihoods.

The past term's resilience

Looking at the journey 2020-2025, Thanh Son, Binh Son and Tho Son, now Thanh Binh Tho, have left specific marks. The agricultural production area is still the mainstay but has become less fragmented: some hilly areas have been converted to organic tea cultivation, with a bright spot of 10 hectares in Tan Hop village, while concentrated livestock and effective buffalo farming models have begun to appear. Food production in the area increased from about 5,152 tons in 2020 to an estimated 5,800 tons in 2025; per capita income also jumped from 24.4 million to about 42 million VND/year in the same period. Those numbers are not just statistics but a movement in life: houses are renovated, students have more books, workers have a more stable source of income.

Another highlight that cannot be ignored is the investment infrastructure: during the term, the locality attracted and mobilized nearly 484 billion VND to carry out 50 basic construction projects, from inter-village roads to canals, schools, medical stations and cultural works, items that changed the face of the countryside and created conditions for production and trade development. Small-scale industry maintained its operations, carpentry and mechanical workshops helped keep jobs for local workers; the value of small-scale industry production grew steadily, contributing to stabilizing the regional economy.

The socio-cultural field has received appropriate attention. The grassroots health system has been upgraded, 100% of commune health stations have met national standards, and medical staff are regularly present to serve the people; epidemic prevention work has been drastically implemented when necessary. Education has many innovative activities; vocational training classes for rural workers have been focused on with 75 classes and 2,250 students, contributing to significantly increasing the rate of trained workers. Social security results are reflected in the rapid reduction in the poverty rate, from 5.6% in 2021 to 4.58% in 2025, a testament to sustainable poverty reduction programs and managed labor export.

Along with that, Thanh Binh Tho has focused on applying science and technology and initially implemented digital transformation in management, public services and life. Initiatives such as the production of organic microbial fertilizers, OCOP certification for molasses products, and telecommunications coverage help access information and markets more effectively. These changes are not miracles, but are practical factors that create momentum in conditions of limited resources.

Including: 100% of the commune's staff and specialists are fully equipped with computers, equipment and network infrastructure to work, ensuring stable operation. The Public Administration Service Center under the new government model ensures continuous and uninterrupted service to people and businesses, always ranking at the top of the province in terms of transactions and returning results to people. Currently, the commune is using the administrative document management software deployed by the Provincial People's Committee to serve the reception, processing and storage of incoming documents, contributing to improving the efficiency of administrative management. Staff and specialists have been fully provided with vnptioffice accounts. The rate of staff who have been granted accounts and have accessed and used them: 100%. The implementation of Project 06 of the Government, being a pioneer locality in paying non-cash subsidies to meritorious people and social protection has reached 100%.

ThreemBreakthrough 2025–2030

The new Congress has clearly identified that there must be a breakthrough if potential is to be turned into results. Three prominent breakthroughs have been mentioned - and that is also the red thread for all policies: building a team of officials, strong digital transformation and elevating agricultural products and community tourism into spearhead economic sectors.

First of all, people, the cadre team is the foundation for all changes. The Party Committee has set the task of building a team of professional cadres who dare to think and dare to do, considering it the key step. In the previous term, the work of planning, training and fostering cadres has achieved certain results, with the rate of qualified cadres and civil servants increasing; in the next term, it is necessary to spread the image of exemplary cadres, close to the people and effective in handling work, while strengthening inspection and supervision to prevent violations. Specifically, organizing in-depth training courses on project management, investment promotion, community tourism development and commercial skills will help cadres not only know how to "manage" but also know how to "open" the market.

The second spearhead is comprehensive digital transformation, which is not a formal goal but a tool to improve management efficiency and save costs for the people. Thanh Binh Tho has taken initial steps: 100% of civil servants are equipped with devices and trained in digital transformation; the basic network infrastructure is stable, mobile coverage; more than 60% of people have access to electronic health services and many social security policies have been paid through bank accounts. The next term needs to be concretized with an agricultural data management platform, an online OCOP product trading floor, homestay promotion support services, and tourist management; at the same time, promote online public services to reduce time and costs for people and businesses. When digital administration operates smoothly, both the issuance of land certificates, capital support procedures, and sustainable resource exploitation are faster and more transparent, leading to trust and capital flow into the commune.
The third key is to shift the economic structure towards creating “spearheads” with high added value: clean agricultural products, agricultural processing and community tourism with identity. The report has oriented the development of key crops and animals such as sugarcane, cassava, organic tea and promoted agricultural processing, OCOP; at the same time, exploiting Bong village tourism as a typical product.

To implement, the locality needs to harmonize three factors: improving infrastructure (hardening roads to villages, upgrading water and electricity sources), technical support (seeds, disease prevention, processing techniques) and connecting markets (consumption outlets, linking processing enterprises, trade promotion). The model of "agriculture + processing + community tourism" will turn each traditional farming family into a link in the value chain, increasing sustainable income for farmers.

These breakthroughs are not separate from each other. A visionary official uses digital transformation to organize the OCOP product chain; a processing enterprise joins hands with homestay to create experience tours for tourists, creating more jobs; traffic works built by the previous term will be effective when there is a clear investment orientation. The target by 2030 - average income of 55-57 million, 92% hardened commune roads, 60% forest coverage rate can all be achieved if these three spearheads are synchronized and have supporting resources.
Finally, the necessary steps are practical: publicizing the list of projects calling for investment to attract private capital; organizing a series of training courses for officials on local governance; replicating the organic tea model and supporting manual processing to increase selling prices; developing the OCOP molasses brand; piloting a Bong village tourism route - experiencing stilt houses, cuisine, traditional crafts to create sample products for the whole commune. All of these solutions have been mentioned in the new term orientations and now need to be implemented vigorously, with a deadline and clear monitoring indicators so that people can see the benefits.

Thanh Binh Tho is no longer three small, separated regions, but is now a new space with a connection of culture, resources and people. The journey from assembling pieces to building aspirations will not be without challenges, but with three breakthroughs focusing on cadres, digital transformation and increasing the value of agricultural products/tourism, this land can write a new chapter: from "waiting for investment" to "creating opportunities", from stilt houses welcoming overnight guests to a branded destination.

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“In the 2025-2030 term, the commune will focus on three strategic breakthroughs: building a team of brave and people-friendly cadres; promoting digital transformation to reform administration, serving the people and businesses; developing clean agricultural products, deep processing associated with community tourism. With the high determination of the Party Committee and the consensus of the people, I believe Thanh Binh Tho will complete the set goals.”

Ms. Ngo Thi Huyen - Chairwoman of Thanh Binh Tho Commune People's Committee