Khmer people account for 83% of the population of Long Hiep, which used to be a simple farming commune with the highest poverty rate in Tra Vinh province. Local people were unaware of appropriate ways to improve their economic and living conditions. Acknowledging this, the local government has spent much effort improving people’s understanding of poverty reduction and helping them to improve their household economies. Thach Len and his family in Tra Sat A hamlet are among those who have escaped poverty. After attending several cultivation training courses, Thach Len made use of the land surrounding his house to grow cucumber, bitter watermelon, and gourd, earning hundreds of USD every harvest: "Vegetables and subsidiary crops are not difficult to grow and earn us good profits of up to 600 USD for each harvest. It’s now even more convenient for us, as traders come directly to our house to buy our products."

Poor households are supported with preferential loans to raise dairy cows to get out of poverty

With the motto “giving a fishing rod rather than a fish”, the local government has organized training classes and workshops to give farmers valuable information on husbandry and cultivation and advice on breeds and plants suitable for local soil conditions. Starting with a preferential loan of 200 USD, Kim Thanh earned enough money growing subsidiary crops to buy his own farm land. He told VOV:  "I was determined to use the loans effectively. I decided to use the money to grow watermelon and cucumber, which has improved our family’s living conditions."

Over the past 3 years, Long Hiep commune has spent 1.7 million USD from a national new rural development program to upgrade its infrastructure: build new schools, roads, healthcare centers, and irrigation system; and boost local production.  The local government has also spent 200,000 USD to build houses for 470 poor families under the Prime Minister’s Decision 67. As a result, Long Hiep’s poverty rate has fallen 7% in the last 2 years. Many local households have escaped poverty sustainably and have been able to pay back their bank loan. Le Phuc Ve, Chairman of Long Hiep’s communal People’s Committee, said: "Tra Cu district has set a target of reducing 4% poor households a year but our commune is determined to reduce the number 8% every year. We send officials to every household to understand their circumstances and needs and then provide them with proper solutions to boost their production. Each hamlet managed to get a dozen households out of poverty by the end of last year."