Markets, where goods are exchanged, are one of the criteria in the National Target Program on New Rural Development, but in mountainous communes, markets are very rare.
Binh Thuan's terrain consists of mountainous and coastal plains. The mountainous areas, also known as the highlands, are mainly inhabited by ethnic minorities, while the coastal plains have all ethnic groups residing in many wards and communes. In the plains, transportation is convenient and the population is dense. In the highlands, there are rugged hills, difficult roads, and sparsely populated areas, so there are not many markets or commercial centers for exchanging goods.
Typical are the highlands of Bac Binh, Tuy Phong, Ham Thuan Nam, Ham Thuan Bac districts with the communes of Phan Son, Phan Lam, Phan Dung, My Thanh, Dong Tien, La Da, Dong Giang... The life of people here is mainly going to the forest, farming, raising livestock. The products are sold to traders and mountain service centers that come to buy or receive directly from the people who bring them to sell. In addition, people buy and sell through mobile carts or grocery stores.
In recent years, the National Target Program on New Rural Development has established two markets in Da Mi and Dong Tien, while most of the remaining communes do not have markets. Mr. Xi Mien - Chairman of the People's Committee of La Da commune, one of the communes without a market, said: According to the National Target Program, to meet the standards of a new rural commune, it is necessary to meet all the criteria including electricity, roads, schools, stations, modern and spacious markets, and people having a comfortable life... But La Da still lacks many criteria, including criterion number 7 which is a market. "Currently, in the plan to implement the national target program of the district, a market will be established on the land of the commune police headquarters. The commune People's Committee headquarters will be moved to another location, making room for the commune police to operate... Up to now, there are still many problems related to land, so the district has not yet implemented the market construction", Mr. Xi Mien added.
Dong Giang commune near La Da is also looking for a way to reach the new rural finish line. Currently, the commune has land to build a market, but is waiting for the policy of the superiors. Because Dong Giang is no longer strange to people from all over the country in general, Binh Thuan in particular since the Binh Thuan Provincial Party Committee Base Relic Site was formed. This is also one of the factors to consider when building a market in this area. Mr. Nguyen Van Tan - Head of the Ethnic Affairs Department of Ham Thuan Bac district said: "In the district's plan, markets will be built in Dong Giang and La Da, but currently the district is considering... It is possible to build a Trade Center in Dong Giang commune instead of a market so that communes can gather here to introduce their products... This is suitable for the context of the Binh Thuan Provincial Party Committee Base Relic Site attracting many tourists. Do not build a widespread market, but focus on investing in road infrastructure to conveniently transport agricultural products, especially La Da where traffic infrastructure is still very difficult".
Similarly, in other communes with small populations and scattered living conditions, self-sufficiency is a major concern. Each household produces to meet their own consumption needs. They do everything, raise livestock and grow crops themselves, so the demand and ability to trade goods is not large (apart from the need to buy some essential goods such as gasoline, clothes, salt, etc.). Therefore, people do not have the need to go to the market regularly, and the construction of markets must also be calculated accordingly. Therefore, markets are rare in the highlands, making it difficult to meet the criteria for reaching the new rural destination. In the coming time, all levels and sectors need to continue to study the characteristics of the highlands to develop a market network suitable to the needs. However, it is also necessary to avoid the situation where markets are built but there are no people attending like some markets in the plains; or if there are markets built but not fully utilized, it will cause waste.
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