Community management employed in new rural building

The project, implemented from February to November, was valued at US$200,000, with US$180,000 sourced from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). 

It aimed to compile community-based national guidelines on building new-style rural areas for 2016-2020, improve personnel capacity, and design mechanisms to distribute rural-building funds. 

After being piloted in four villages in Lam Ha and Don Duong districts in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, the project showed that by using local resources, each rural community could reduce construction costs by up to 40%. 

Speaking at the conference, Steven Geiger, SDC Chief Representative in Vietnam, noted the feasibility of the project, saying it was conducted at the right time. 

Geiger said the project developed a comprehensive approach to community management suitable to Vietnam, mobilising communal resources and sustaining local culture. 

The SDC lauded the outcomes of the project and expected it to contribute to fighting poverty in Vietnam, he said. 

Nguyen Minh Tien, director of the project, said it raised public awareness of community management, boosted residents’ role in building new-style rural areas and strengthened links between authorities and locals.