Gyeongbuk Provincial Council Delegation Visits Vietnam
Inspects Saemaul Pilot Village Implementation
Bae Han-chul, the Chairman of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council, and members of the International Friendship Exchange Delegation visited the Hau Giang Provincial Office on the 19th to discuss cooperation in the agricultural sector and the Saemaul Undong, and toured a local Saemaul pilot village.
Hau Giang Province, located in the Mekong Delta region at the lower reaches of the Mekong River, the largest river in Southeast Asia, is Vietnam's largest granary. In 2017, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Gyeongbuk Province on cooperation for agricultural development.
Members of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council and members and staff of the People's Council of Hau Giang Province, Vietnam, are taking a commemorative photo.
Tran Van Huyen, Vice Chairman of the Hau Giang Provincial People's Council, and Truong Can Tuyen, Vice Governor, along with other officials present, explained that agriculture is the core of Hau Giang's regional economic growth, and as of 2023, the economic growth rate reached 12.7%, ranking second nationwide.
They also explained that the province is promoting the National Target Program for New Rural Development and the One Commune One Product Program, and that in December 2015, Hau Giang Province and the Saemaul Foundation signed a business agreement to implement the Hau Giang Saemaul pilot village project.
Thanks to the support from the Saemaul Foundation and Hau Giang Province, as well as the efforts of the residents, per capita income in two villages increased from 32 million dong in 2016 to 80 million dong in 2023, attributing this achievement to the effective activities of the Saemaul cooperative.
Truong Can Tuyen, Vice Governor of Hau Giang Province, stated, "Looking at the achievements and success cases so far, I am confident that the Saemaul Undong will greatly contribute to the development and transformation of rural areas in Vietnam," and added, "I hope the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council will show great interest and support so that we can learn more about the successful cases of the Saemaul Undong."
Afterwards, the delegation moved to Tan Quy Lo Village in Phung Hiep District, Hau Giang Province, the site of the Saemaul pilot village project, where they listened to the achievements of the Saemaul project from the local Saemaul leader and visited the pilot village to check the status of the project.
Tan Quy Lo Village is home to 1,520 residents in 358 households. Since 2017, Gyeongsangbuk-do and Seongju County have provided budget support for income-increasing projects such as forming cooperatives and operating Saemaul farms through resident education.
Bae Han-chul, who is leading the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council International Friendship Exchange Delegation, said, "Gyeongsangbuk-do takes pride in having led rural development based on the spirit of the Saemaul Undong and spearheaded national progress as the hub of the electronics and steel industries," and added, "As the Saemaul Undong has been recognized by international organizations such as the United Nations as the most effective development model for developing countries, the council will do its utmost to cooperate in sharing the experiences and know-how of the Saemaul Undong."
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