BẠC LIÊU -- Bạc Liêu Province is taking measures to develop advanced new-style rural communes under the national programme of building new-style rural areas. After 10 years of implementing the programme, the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province now has all its 49 communes recognised as new-style rural communes. Up to 15 of the 49 new-style rural communes have been recognised as advanced new-style rural communes, and three of them as exemplary new-style rural communes. A new-style rural commune must meet the programme's 19 criteria related to infrastructure, irrigation, electricity, the environment, income, education, healthcare, social security, culture and others, while advanced new-style rural communes require higher standards across all criteria. An exemplary new-style rural commune requires higher standards than an advanced one. The province has determined to have more advanced and exemplary new-style rural communes to develop rural areas into villages worth living in for rural people. It aims to have 42 advanced new-style rural communes and 15 exemplary new-style rural communes in 2025. To enhance the awareness of the public about the building of advanced new-style rural communes and their benefits and responsibilities, local authorities have effectively implemented advocacy activities to encourage people to participate in the programme. The province has encouraged farmers to proactively restructure agricultural production to improve incomes, along with implementing the 19 criteria of the programme. It has taken many models to implement the 19 criteria, including 265 models of securing social security. It has also developed smart hamlet models because an exemplary new-style rural commune must have at least one smart hamlet model. Phước Long District's Vĩnh Thanh Commune was recognised as an exemplary new-style rural commune in August last year. Vĩnh Thanh has chosen Vĩnh Đông Hamlet to develop into a smart hamlet model because most households in the hamlet are wealthy and up to 291 of the hamlet's 308 households use smart phones and have computers with internet access, and these are favourable conditions for households to access information technology and social security. The hamlet has a 3G/4G internet system covering its whole area and many wifi sites. Watching television on the internet has become popular in the hamlet. Farmers in the hamlet regularly get information about weather, irrigation water resources, diseases of crops and animals, farming techniques and prices of agricultural produce through a Zalo group which was created by the province's Sub-department of Cultivation and Plant Protection. The province's socio-political organisations have taken many models, campaigns and projects in building new-style rural areas. The province's Women's Union, for instance, has implemented many campaigns and projects to build new-style rural areas to improve the appearance of rural areas. Its "Five No's and Three Cleans" campaign in combination with building new-style rural areas have been implemented effectively. The five no's are no poverty, no legal violations and social evils, no domestic violence, no third child, and no malnourished children or school drop-outs. The three cleans are clean house, clean kitchen and clean streets. Women's Unions at all levels in the province have encouraged their members to participate in these campaigns to develop the economy, reduce poverty and become wealthy. They have helped their members to access soft loans to do business, services or agricultural production. It has co-operated with the province Department of Natural Resources and Environment to implement three models: making compost fertiliser, taking a plastic basket to the market, and classifying rubbish at households. The province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has co-operated with mass media to advocate rural tourism development in combination with building new-style rural areas. It has developed tourism services in fruit orchards, including in ancient longan orchards stretching 7 km along the Provincial Road No. 38 in Bạc Liêu City's Hiệp Thành and Vĩnh Trạch Đông communes. Trần Minh Đức, owner of an ancient longan orchard named "Love Garden" in Hiệp Thành Commune's Giồng Nhãn Hamlet, said his 4 ha orchard had nearly 100 ancient longan trees. He used advanced techniques to stimulate longan to bear fruit year-round to serve tourists, he said. Lý Vỹ Triều Dương, deputy director of the province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that to exploit the tourism potential of longan orchards, the province was developing rural tourism in combination with building new-style rural areas in 2023-25. The province has identified developing tourism in longan orchards as one of its prioritised community tourism services. Bạc Liêu City plans to organise an annual longan festival with many activities to promote its tourism. The province is organising a festival for agricultural and rural tourism and products under the country's "One Commune-One Product" (OCOP) programme between December 22-24. The festival includes various activities such as art performances, showcasing OCOP products and specialty products, a seminar on developing agriculture tourism in building new-style rural areas, a contest about mobile advocacy activities for developing agriculture tourism in combination with building new-style rural areas and a cuisine contest about the province's specialty agriculture produce. -- VNS