Phu Thinh, which was previously a poor commune of Yen Son district, Tuyen Quang province, is now rising strongly to realize the goal of new countryside development.

Previously, when poverty was a stubborn issue, the life of villagers was very hard and they struggled to make ends meet. To increase incomes for local people, Phu Thinh commune encouraged them to restructure cultivated plants and animals. Particularly, the commune gradually established key commercial crop and livestock farming areas. Up to now, Phu Thinh has 14 ha of pomelo, 6.5 ha of dragon fruit, 2,100 ha of forest, including 424 ha of FSC certified forest. Annually, 120 ha of forestland is for commercial logging, earning more than VND1 billion.

Specially, the commune recently effectively adopted organic cucumber farming on a trial basis. Cucumber farmers are provided with seeds, instructions on tending procedures and guaranteed to have all products sold for at least VND2,000 per kilogram and for an average price of VND5,000 per kilogram. As a result, after just one crop of cucumber, many households earned a profit of VND7 million per sao (360 square meters), 2-3 times higher than rice and maize growing.

Nget village of Phu Thinh commune has 113 households, 99% of which are Dao people. It is the poorest village in Phu Thinh commune, with 16 poor households and 19 near-poor households. The rice and vegetable growing area is just 26 ha, equally divided to less than a half of sao per person. Thus, it is impossible to guarantee enough food from locals. But, Nget has the largest forestland in the commune, covering 400 ha. In addition to afforestation, villagers actively work as hired laborers in their leisure days or work as industrial workers in industrial parks to earn more. This year, four households in the village are financed VND20-50 million each to build houses.

By the end of 2021, Phu Thinh commune will strive to reach the goal of new rural development. The commune has achieved 16 criteria, three more to the full: schools, residential housing and income. Currently, the commune's per capita income is VND33 million a year. It has 30 poor households and 46 near-poor households. Six out of seven villages have cultural houses with sports fields, meeting new countryside standards. It has 17 km of concrete roads, 10.8 km of electric transmission lines for traffic lighting, and over 70% of strong houses.