Hà Nội’s Gia Lâm District builds new-style rural area in alignment with urban development

In recent years Gia Lâm has made significant efforts to build advanced and exemplary new-style rural areas with the aim of becoming an urban district. — Photos courtesy of Hà Nội Coordination Office of the New-Style Rural Development Programme

HÀ NỘI — A highlight in building advanced rural areas in Hà Nội, Gia Lâm District, puts constructing new-style rural area development in alignment with urban development as its key political mission.

In recent years, Gia Lâm District has seen an increasingly lively, bustling atmosphere, similar to that of an urban district. 

Its Dương Xá Commune completed the tasks of building a new-style rural area across all three aspects of healthcare, culture and tourism in 2022, said the communal People’s Committee chairman Tô Hữu Vịnh.

Statistics show that art, cultural and sports activities attract 60 per cent of the local population, while local club activities are effectively maintained.

The locality has also upgraded its healthcare facilities, to allow residents better access to medical examination and treatment. 

Locals on a street of Dương Xá Commune, which completed building a new-style rural area across all three aspects of healthcare, culture and tourism in 2022.

Meanwhile, in Cổ Bi, another commune in Gia Lâm that has completed its process to build new-style rural areas, multiple traditional cultural activities have been revived in the past two decades.

These include chèo singing, tuồng singing and quan họ singing, in addition to preserving and restoring temples, pagodas and other ancient structures. 

Notably, as part of its exemplary new-style rural area development, the commune’s Hội Village has successfully established a smart village model.

Gold laminating and gilding in Kiêu Kỵ Village are among the local crafts that serve as the cultural foundation for Gia Lâm’s growth.

Keeping up the momentum following its recognition as an advanced new-style rural area in 2022, Ninh Hiệp Commune has continued its direction and implementation to maintain good results in all standards. 

As of today, Ninh Hiệp is effectively mobilising resources to realise 19 criteria in building an advanced new-style rural area. 

Particularly, the commune focuses on improving local incomes, having one smart village’ as well as ensuring order, safety and cultural development. 

Education and training are one of the top priorities for Gia Lâm District in its process of building new-style rural areas.

Gia Lâm District People’s Committee chairwoman Đặng Thị Huyền said that the goal of building a new-style rural area and beyond is the foundation for Gia Lâm to transform into an urban district. 

Notably, Gia Lâm has been realising plans to build an advanced and exemplary new-style rural area for this transition. 

Huyền highlighted that agriculture, farmers and rural areas are key factors in the locality’s industrialisation and modernisation processes. 

They also serve as a crucial foundation and driving force for local socio-economic development, security and political stability, as well as the Gia Lâm’s accomplishment in meeting advanced new-style rural standards and becoming a prosperous, cultured, modern and sustainable district.

Gia Lâm has been focusing on developing its rural economy with a vision of an urban one, while restructuring the agricultural sector, enhancing the added values and increasing incomes for locals. 

The district also promotes rural economic development in rural production zones according to planning, as well as technology application in farming for quality produce with high economic values. 

Gia Lâm has established several specialised cultivation areas with a scale of 20 hectares or more, such as the fruit growing zones in Kim Sơn, Phú Thị, Lệ Chi, Dương Quang, Cổ Bi and Dương Xá communes, high-quality flower growing zones in Phù Đổng, Kim Lan and Lệ Chi communes and vegetable production zones in Văn Đức, Đặng Xá, Yên Thường and Yên Viên communes.

Many of these production models have proven to be economically effective, with the VietGAP-standard vegetable and fruit production model generating VNĐ500-600 million (US$20,000-24,000) per hectare.

The high-tech flower growing model yields between VNĐ800 million ($32,000) and VNĐ1 billion ($40,000) per hectare and the livestock farming model brings in VNĐ150-200 million ($6,000-8,000) per household per year. 

Secretary of Gia Lâm Party Committee Nguyễn Việt Hà said that by the end of 2023, all of its 20 communes achieved the standards of advanced new-style rural areas and five among them meet the criteria for exemplary new-style rural areas. 

The district as a whole also met all nine criteria and 38 indicators of an advanced new-style rural district and submitted a dossier for official recognition from the Central Appraisal Council.

A traditional performance programme celebrating the local Gióng Festival and recognition of Phù Đồng Commune as an exemplary new-style rural area in 2023.

Evaluating Gia Lâm’s efforts in building new-style rural areas, Nguyễn Văn Chí, deputy chief of the Hà Nội Coordination Office of the New-Style Rural Development Programme said that the district goal’s is to align its progress with urban growth. 

The recognition of Gia Lâm as an advanced new-style rural district will encourage this suburban area on its path to become an urban district of the capital city, he said. — VNS

*This article is published under the coordination of the Coordination Office of the New-Style Rural Development Programme in Hà Nội.