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Dam Thi Tam’s family in Vĩnh Ninh hamlet, Luc Nam district, northern Bac Giang province previously had to climb up hills to plant acacia, gum trees, and rice just to make ends meet, until she attended a training class in 2015. There she learned modern farming techniques and received a longan cultivar that suits local soil and weather conditions. Having transformed her ineffective acacia and gum tree planting areas into 200 longan trees, her family now earns more every year and lives a better life.
With more than half of its population being ethnic minority people, Luc Son commune is among the most disadvantaged localities in Bac Giang province’s Luc Nam district. Local residents face an array of difficulties in cultivation and trade due to its difficult terrain. To address the challenges they face, local authorities have implemented social policies from the central government, in particular those on upgrading infrastructure.
 In order for deadlines and standards in infrastructure projects to be met and for people in need to access other social policies, the communal Party committee and People’s Committee have taken assistance programmes seriously and conducted frequent meetings on project implementation.
Luc Son commune has granted loans to hundreds of local households over the last decade, with which they can invest in appropriate economic models to sustainably escape from poverty. The poverty rate in Luc Son commune is indeed falling, by 5-7% each year. In 2019 the rate stood at just 28%./.
