**2.1 The process of forming the national target program on building rural areas in Vietnam**

The process of forming the National Target Program on building new rural areas in Vietnam through the periods was shown in **Figure 1** [11, 12].

In which, in 1988, the Vietnamese government implemented the renovation policy, which created significant developments for Vietnam's agriculture in the renovation period. Orientations for building a new rural areas have been set out in terms of rural planning, infrastructure development, production organization, building a prosperous rural life, solidarity, democratization and publicization, and promoting the mastery of the working people.

In the period of 2001–2009, there were two pilot programs of building new rural areas such as: the program on building a model of rural development in the direction of industrialization, modernization, cooperation, and democratization in the period of 2001–2005 and the pilot program on building new rural areas at village levels in the period of 2006–2009. The practical experience from the pilot programs showed that in order to achieve the goals of building a new rural area, it was necessary to


#### **Figure 1.**

*The formation of the National Target Program on building new rural areas in Vietnam.*

develop in a harmonious manner in different fields, not just to focus on building infrastructure.

In the period of 2009–2011, the Vietnamese government directed the implementation of the pilot program on building a new rural area in the period of accelerating industrialization and modernization in the period of 2009–2011. In particular, the new rural area criterion was promulgated that has created a comprehensive rural development approach and become a prominent feature of rural development in Vietnam.

The lessons learned from the pilot programs were the basis for officially implementing the National Target Program on building new rural areas for the period of 2010–2020. Thus, after more than 20 years of innovation, basing on lessons learned and practical needs as well as the suitability of the general context, the National Target Program on building new rural areas was born to implement the building new rural areas through all rural areas of the Vietnam and to contribute the foundations for sustainable rural development.
