In the first 06 months of the year, monthly allowances were paid to 13,025 people with meritorious services, with a support budget of 44.1 billion VND; 259 records were processed, with a total allowance settlement of 5.7 billion VND; implemented the work of visiting and giving gifts to policy families and people with meritorious services on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2025, ensuring the correct policies and subjects; maximizing social resources with diverse and rich forms to bring practical results, ensuring that all policy families and meritorious people have Tet; as a result, Tet support has been provided to 8,902 gifts for people with meritorious services to the revolution with a total amount of over 3.4 billion VND; promoting non-cash social security policy payments for meritorious people with 2,648 subjects (of which the number of subsidies paid through accounts is 2,421/2,550 people who have opened accounts, reaching 94.9% and 91.4% of the number of beneficiaries in districts, towns, and cities).

Poverty reduction has always been of interest and achieved positive results; the poverty rate in the whole province has now decreased to 10.89%, down 10.77% compared to 2021 (21.66%), an average decrease of 3.59%/year, reaching and exceeding the target set by the Resolution of the 15th Provincial Party Congress (down 3%/year); the poverty rate of ethnic minorities decreased by 10.55% compared to 2021 (from 21.34% to 10.79%), an average decrease of 3.51%/year, reaching the set target; socio-economic development has gradually improved; poverty reduction measures are increasingly focused on the goal of helping poor households improve their production capacity, have sustainable jobs and stable incomes, support access to basic social services (employment, health care, education, housing, clean water, sanitation, information), ensuring gender equality (projects and support contents have priority targets for female household heads); many types of livestock and crops with economic value are put into production, job creation is of interest, thereby creating income and gradually improving the material and spiritual life of the people; mobilizing social resources has positive results, helping poor households have many sources of support to develop production and business, have jobs and stable incomes, gradually improving quality of life, and contributing to rapid and sustainable poverty reduction.

Employment counseling and labor market information activities have been strengthened, in the first 6 months of 2025, the province had 169 workers working abroad under fixed-term contracts (including: Japan 99, Taiwan 41, Korea 22, Romania 7), reaching 84.5% of the planned target; the employment program has converted careers and created jobs to increase income for 7,040 workers, reaching 35.2% of the plan assigned in 2025; strengthening the implementation of guidelines on regulations on social insurance, unemployment insurance, and health insurance policies for people and businesses in the province. By June 2025, 47 units expanded with 108 workers participating; the total number of units participating in compulsory social insurance in the province is 3,521 units; The total number of people participating in Social Insurance is 179,155 people, reaching 24.3% of the working-age workforce; the number of people participating in Unemployment Insurance is 121,069 people, reaching 16.4% of the working-age workforce; the number of people after retirement age receiving monthly pensions and Social Insurance benefits is over 33,045 people, getting to 28.03%.

Resolutely implement the program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses according to Official Dispatch No. 102/CD-TTg dated October 6, 2024, and Official Dispatch No. 117/CD-TTg dated November 18, 2024, of the Prime Minister. On May 15, 2025, Son La Provincial Party Committee held a conference to summarize the work of eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses in the area accordingly, the construction of 3,058 houses completed, exceeding the original plan by 221 lodging places, 169 days ahead of the deadline set by the Government (October 31, 2025).

The school and classroom system has been gradually solidified, invested in modern teaching and learning equipment, especially the system of boarding schools and general schools with semi-boarding students has been consolidated and developed, contributing to escalating the rate of children who go to school, in the 2024-2025 school year, the whole province has 609 kindergartens, general schools, and continuing education centers with 379,856 students; facilities, libraries, laboratories, subject classrooms, offices, official houses for teachers, cafeterias, semi-boarding houses, toilets, clean water, teaching equipment, etc. of the schools have been put money on in a synchronous and modern direction; meeting the need for 01 room/classroom, ensuring 02 sessions/day of teaching; the rate of solid classrooms reached 73.3%. The team of managers and teachers at all levels is increasing in quantity and quality, with consistent structure, qualifications, and professional expertise to meet the requirements and implement the 2018 general education program.

Nhu Thuy

Translated by Tuan Minh Dang