Muong Xen Commune: Raising development level in the face of new position and new challenges

New position, new challenges

The establishment of Muong Xen commune in July 2025 marked an important turning point in the overall development process. The merger of Muong Xen town, Ta Ca commune and Tay Son commune of Ky Son district not only aimed to streamline the administrative apparatus but also opened up a new development space, concentrating resources to build an economic, political and cultural center for the entire western border area of ​​Nghe An.

With a natural area of ​​182.49 km², a population of over 10,444 people and a 6,653 km border with Nong Het district, Xieng Khouang province, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Muong Xen is considered the "heart" of the border region. This is both an administrative center and a trading hub, a place where development converges and spreads throughout the region.

Muong Xen commune has 7 ethnic groups living together, the most populous are Thai, Mong, Kho Mu; in addition, there are Kinh, some Chinese, Tho, Muong (Tay) people. Each ethnic community has its own cultural features, creating a diverse space, both imbued with traditional identity and rich in inspiration for the development of tourism, culture and service economy.

That diversity is a great strength for Muong Xen commune to affirm its central position, and at the same time, it is also a condition to foster solidarity and promote community strength in the cause of construction and development.

However, along with the advantages come significant challenges. This land has long been famous for the harshness of nature. In recent years, climate change has made natural disasters even more unpredictable, from flash floods, landslides to widespread flooding. In particular, in 2022 and July 2025, Muong Xen suffered historic natural disasters, causing heavy losses in human lives and property. This not only directly affects people's lives but also hinders the process of socio-economic development.

The commune's development resources are still limited. The average income per capita in 2025 will only reach over 32 million VND, much lower than the average of the province. The poverty rate is still nearly 30%, showing that the road to poverty reduction is still arduous. Infrastructure, from roads, irrigation systems, schools, medical stations to cultural institutions, is still lacking in synchronization, failing to meet the standardization requirements in the new period. In addition, the security and order situation is potentially complicated, especially the risk of drug abuse and cross-border smuggling is always present, requiring high vigilance and synchronous solutions.

Another challenge is the low quality of human resources, the limited level of education and awareness of law compliance of a part of the population. All these factors create "bottlenecks" in the development process, forcing Muong Xen commune to make more efforts to overcome and rise up.

Exploiting potential from tourism, culture to multi-sector economy

In its development orientation, Muong Xen commune has clearly defined its path: Promoting the advantages of nature, culture and geographical location to promote tourism, services, commodity agriculture and small industry, gradually building a multi-sector, sustainable economy.

The first highlight is tourism. Muong Xen commune possesses valuable natural landscapes and indigenous cultural heritages. The most prominent is the cluster of villages Huoi Giang 1, 2, 3 (former Tay Son commune), where ancient sa mu roofs are still preserved, witnesses of many generations of Mong people living on high mountain tops.

Not only does it have unique architecture, this place is also blessed by nature with rose gardens full of red fruit, and vast pơ mu forests. All of these create a pristine but attractive picture for tourists who love to explore. Along with that, Hoa Son village and Binh Son 2 village are also being oriented to become community tourism destinations, Ban Canh Ban ...

What is special is that Muong Xen commune not only sees tourism as a purely economic sector but also closely links it with preserving ethnic culture. Developing tourism means preserving traditional stilt houses, restoring unique festivals, promoting brocade weaving, ethnic musical instruments and indigenous cuisine. Each village is a destination, each product is a story. This approach will help Muong Xen commune both develop tourism and preserve cultural identity, creating a sustainable source of livelihood for the people.

Along with tourism is the development of a multi-sector economy. In agriculture, the commune aims to form concentrated commodity production areas, expand the area of ​​vegetable and medicinal plant cultivation under the forest canopy, and increase rice and corn productivity. Farm-scale livestock and poultry farming continues to be encouraged, combined with aquaculture to increase production value. Industry and handicrafts have also gradually developed, from exploiting small hydropower plants, mechanical repair, processing of agricultural and forestry products to developing brocade weaving cooperatives, all of which aim to create jobs for local workers.

In the field of trade and services, the central position of the district creates conditions for Muong Xen commune to upgrade the central market, expand the wholesale and retail network, develop accommodation, food, transportation and banking services. The total production value is expected to reach nearly 470 billion VND by 2030, with an average annual growth rate of 6.5 to 7.5%, and per capita income increasing by nearly 20% compared to 2025. These figures not only reflect the aspirations but also demonstrate the determination of the Party Committee and people of the commune in the new term.

A key factor to realize the above goals is administrative reform and digital transformation. The application of information technology and the promotion of administrative procedure reform will create a favorable environment to attract enterprises, cooperatives, and production households to participate in investment and business. Effective and efficient local government will be the fulcrum for the local economy to take off.

Maintain national defense and security, towards sustainable development

In the development strategy of Muong Xen commune, economy and culture can only be sustainable when guaranteed by a solid national defense and security. As a border commune adjacent to Laos, Muong Xen commune always identifies the key task as maintaining political security, order, social safety, building a national defense posture associated with a people's security posture. The motto "maintaining 3 peace: peace for the people, peace for the area, peace for the border" has become the guiding principle in all activities.

Over the years, the commune has implemented many synchronous solutions to ensure border security. The militia and commune police have been built up comprehensively and strongly, regularly trained, and are ready to respond to all situations. The work of preventing and combating drugs and smuggling has been tightened, and the movement "All people protect national security" has been widely launched. In particular, the model of "Drug-free commune" has been put into practice, linked with socio-economic development tasks, creating high consensus among the people.

Another highlight is foreign relations. With more than 6 km of border with Nong Het district (Laos), Muong Xen commune is not only a strategic area for national defense but also a bridge of friendship between Vietnam and Laos. Village-to-village friendship activities, cultural exchanges, and border trade have been contributing to strengthening solidarity, while at the same time, creating a peaceful and stable environment for development. This is an important foundation for Muong Xen commune to both maintain border security and expand international cooperation.

In the long-term vision, the commune aims to become a sustainable development center of Western Nghe An. That not only means increasing income, reducing poverty sustainably, improving infrastructure, but also building a civilized society, rich in identity, a solid "fence" area of ​​the Fatherland. The breakthroughs are clearly identified: Developing the private economy associated with eco-tourism, building a civilized, green, clean, beautiful commune center, and building a team of cadres with sufficient qualities, capacity, and aspirations to contribute. Actively linking with communes in the old Ky Son district to exploit and promote potential advantages in developing culture, tourism, economy and ensuring national security and defense. All are aimed at a common goal: For Muong Xen commune to be both a development center, a symbol of the strength of great solidarity of ethnic groups, and a solid fulcrum in the border area.

The development path ahead of Muong Xen commune is certainly not without difficulties. Natural disasters are still there, poverty is still a concern, and border security challenges have not diminished. However, with the aspiration to rise up, the consensus of the people of all ethnic groups, the determination of the entire political system, and the attention and support of the province and the Central Government, Muong Xen commune has all the foundations to realize the goal of becoming a new development center, a bright spot in the western border of Nghe An. From that foundation, the commune not only develops for itself but also spreads vitality to the entire Ky Son area (old), contributing to the overall development of Nghe An province on the path of integration and development.