Feedback on the draft National Target Program on New Rural Development, Sustainable Poverty Reduction, and Socio-Economic Development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for 2026–2030 period, and Guidance on implementing the new rural criteria set

On January 7, 2026, Oxfam in Vietnam, in coordination with the Central Coordination Office for New Rural Development and the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dong Thap Province, organized a workshop to gather feedback on the draft National Target Program on New Rural Development, Sustainable Poverty Reduction, and Socio-Economic Development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the 2026–2035 period (hereinafter referred to as the Program). Participants included representatives of ministries and sectors; leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Central Coordination Office for New Rural Development, the Rural Development Sub-Department; and representatives of several communes from eight provinces and cities in the Southern region.

According to assessments, the National Target Programs for the 2021–2025 period have largely achieved all objectives assigned by the National Assembly and the Government, with 5 out of 8 key indicators exceeding the planned targets. To continue the Program, the National Assembly adopted Resolution No. 257/2025/QH15 approving the investment policy for the Program for the 2026–2035 period, and the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 51/2025/QD-TTg promulgating the National Criteria Set for new rural development for the 2026–2030 period. Therefore, developing the Programs and providing feedback on guidance for implementing the new National rural criteria set are essential to further enhance the quality and sustainability of the Program, in line with the development context in the country’s new era.

In the opening remarks at the workshop, Pham Quang Tu, Deputy National Director, Oxfam in Vietnam, proposed the following:

1. Continue to place people—especially the low-income people, women, and ethnic minority communities—at the center of the National Target Programs;
2. Pay greater attention to the quality and sustainability of activities in new rural development during the 2026–2030 period;
3. Give stronger priority to long-term livelihoods and the self-reliance and empowerment of people in the sustainable poverty reduction program and the socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

In addition to the points raised in the opening remarks, based on research, practical experience, and technical support provided to the Program, Le Thuy Hanh, Programme Manager - Gender Justice at Oxfam in Vietnam, also contributed professional recommendations, including:

1. Considering the expansion and clarification of beneficiary groups to ensure inclusive access for vulnerable groups in rural areas, including persons with disabilities, single women, ethnic minority women, and informal workers;
2. Strengthening reward, incentive, and recognition mechanisms for local initiatives, particularly innovative, community-based models led by women, to create motivation for effective implementation of new rural criteria;
3. Mainstreaming gender equality and social inclusion as cross-cutting elements throughout the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the Program, thereby ensuring that no one is left behind and improving the quality of sustainable rural development outcomes.

Previously, on January 6, the delegation visited exemplary new rural development models in Binh Ninh Commune, Dong Thap Province, including the “Cocoa Processing Linkage Combined with Ecotourism” model of Xuan Ron Cocoa Co. Ltd., and the “Production–Processing–Consumption Linkage of Agricultural Products Along the Value Chain Through Economic Contracts” model between farmers, cooperatives, and Thabico Tien Giang Food Industry Joint Stock Company. These field visits enabled delegates to provide practical input on production organization, agricultural economic development, and the promotion of workers’ roles (including women and ethnic minority people) in implementing the Program’s criteria and indicators.