With a large natural forest area and wide forest coverage, Hoa Binh province boasts considerable potential and advantages for developing forest-based economic activities. This is also an appropriate direction for building a sustainable and environmentally-friendly economy.
Lac Thuy district currently accommodates many "keo
lai” (Acacia hybrid) processing workshops which have helped raise the economic
value of planted forests. (Photo taken in An Binh commune).
Forest rangers of Hoa Binh province
and Cao Phong district on patrol in Thach Yen commune.
With the province’s forest coverage of more than
51%, forest not only serves as a "lung” but also plays a significant role in
protecting the environment, guaranteeing water and energy security, preventing
and controlling floods, and ensuring safety for the Red River Delta, including
Hanoi capital. It creates challenges as well as major advantages for the local
economy, culture, and society to develop fast and sustainably.
Over the past years, all-level Party committees
and administrations have identified protecting and sustainably developing
forest as one of the strategic tasks. To do that, Hoa Binh has worked to
fruitfully carry out the Government’s support policies.
The province has properly made payments for
forest environmental services, thus substantially contributing to
socio-economic development. Thanks to the payments, the persons in charge of
forest protection and development gain another source of income while forest
owners and managing units have more funding for forest and infrastructure
development.
At present, 116,037ha of local forest are
entitled to payments for forest environmental services which were valued at
over 21.5 billion VND (845,900 USD) in 2023.
In particular, to help improve the productivity
and quality of production forest, Hoa Binh is implementing a project on forest
protection and development at a total cost of 127.6 billion VND.
Nguyen Huu Tai, head of the province’s forest
protection division, said thanks to the effective implementation of support
mechanisms and policies, Hoa Binh has basically managed to maintain the natural
forest area and expand the cultivated one.
The area zoned for forestry now spans about
294,183ha, 236,919ha of which are under forest (comprising 141,614 ha of
natural forest and 95,305ha of planted forest).
Covering 51.61% of Hoa Binh’s area, forest is
present in 149 communes, wards, and townships of 10 district-level localities.
The protected area has contributed to effective forest-based economic growth.
Tai said there are about 16,000ha of planted
forest granted the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificates.
In Resolution No. 27-NQ/TU, dated July 30, 2020,
of the provincial Party Committee’s Standing Board, Hoa Binh targets 50% and
over 80% of the cultivated production forest area granted the FSC certificates
by 2025 and 2030, respectively.
To that end, it is boosting the dissemination of
the State’s regulations on building and implementing sustainable forest
management plans, making assessment of and maintaining the eligibility for the
FSC certificates, and encouraging businesses holding economic and technical
strengths to coordinate with forest owners to apply for the certificates, he
added.
The Standing Board of the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee met on March 18 to review and guide major investment projects aimed at boosting local socio-economic development.
The air is thick with the hum of drills and the clatter of machinery as the Hoa Binh – Moc Chau expressway takes shape amid the rugged terrain. Welding sparks illuminate the faces of workers, and concrete mixers churn relentlessly, laying fresh pavement on the newly-carved road. The construction site buzzes with a palpable sense of urgency, particularly in Hoa Binh province where the expressway's future is being forged.
The northern province of Hoa Binh, with over 467,000 hectares of natural forest and more than 100,000 hectares of production forest, holds significant potential for carbon credit market development.
Replacing substandard houses with more sturdy ones by June 30 is the direction given by Nguyen Phi Long, alternate member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee, at a meeting held in early March by the provincial Steering Committee for the programme to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses for the needy.
Recognising digital transformation as an inevitable trend, authorities and agencies in Hoa Binh have made great efforts in the work by focusing on three core pillars - digital government, digital society, and digital economy, resulting in enhanced competitiveness, improved investment climate, and ensured economic and social welfare.
In recent years, Da Bac district has improved administrative reform with a one-stop shop mechanism, streamlined inter-agency procedures, and a shift to digital platforms. These efforts have enhanced public service efficiency and contributed to local socio-economic development.
