New rural development drives urban development in Xuan Loc Commune

Xuan Loc is a leading locality in Dong Nai Province and nationwide in new rural development (NRD). At present, Xuan Loc is the first and only commune in the province to meet NRD criteria for the 2026-2030 period, providing a solid foundation for its transition into an urban ward and contributing to Dong Nai’s goal of becoming a centrally governed city.

Xuan Loc Commune center area. Photo: Xuan Phu

In line with the province's orientation, Xuan Loc Ward will develop into a modern, sustainable urban area, becoming a dynamic growth center and a comprehensive sub-regional center, while helping drive socio-economic development in the Eastern part of Dong Nai province.

A frontrunner in new rural development

In 2014, Xuan Loc became the first district in the country to be recognized as meeting NRD standards. Since then, it has maintained its leading position by advancing to enhanced and model NRD benchmarks. Notably, Xuan Loc is one of four districts nationwide selected to pilot the NRD model program and, by 2025, became the first locality in the country to meet all criteria for a model NRD district.

Following the merger, Xuan Loc Commune was established through the consolidation of four communes, Xuan Truong, Xuan Tho, Suoi Cao, and Xuan Hiep, all of which had achieved model NRD status oriented toward sustainable agricultural commodity development. Meanwhile, Gia Ray town had met civilized urban standards and was developing a grade-IV urban area. This endeavor provides the foundation for Xuan Loc Commune, after the merger, to continue being oriented toward building a modern, comprehensive NRD in all respects.

To date, Xuan Loc's technical and social infrastructure systems have been invested in relatively synchronously, with transport networks, schools, medical facilities, and cultural and sports institutions becoming increasingly complete. In particular, the transport system, schools, and cultural and sports institutions have been invested in quite comprehensively, including expressways, national highways, provincial roads, and urban main roads, as well as schools, squares, convention centers, cultural and sports centers, village cultural houses, and many sports facilities, effectively meeting the people's needs for production, daily life, and physical training.

To date, rural infrastructure in Xuan Loc Commune has received investment in a coordinated manner, with priority given to infrastructure for production development. Specifically, the national power grid system has been expanded to all 31 hamlets, thereby meeting the communal residents' living and production needs. The percentage of households using electricity has reached 100%. The commune's domestic water supply system has been gradually expanded and improved, and the percentage of households using clean, hygienic water has reached 100%. Water is supplied from the centralized water supply system and other hygienic water sources, with the pipeline network gradually being extended to residential areas. The technical infrastructure system in Xuan Loc Commune has received investment and has gradually been improved, meeting the requirements for socio-economic development. In the meantime, it needs to continue to be upgraded and aligned with urban standards to meet the requirements for establishing a ward in the near future.

High-tech application model for growing cantaloupe in a greenhouse in Xuan Loc commune. Photo: B.Nguyen

Suoi Cat Cocoa Agricultural Service Cooperative is a local pioneer in developing specialized cocoa-growing areas associated with eco-tourism and deep processing. The cooperative has achieved many impressive results, including winning the Top 10 Excellent Asian Brands Award organized by the Asian Economic Research Institute in coordination with the Vietnam Union of Science and Enterprise Development, while Xuan Loc Cocoa Experience Tour, a cooperative product, has been recognized as a local 3-star OCOP community tourism product.

Truong Van My, Director of Suoi Cat Cocoa Agricultural Service Cooperative, said that thanks to the new rural construction movement, the locality has seen synchronous investment in rural infrastructure, and the rural area of Xuan Loc has completely "changed its skin," becoming an attractive destination for tourists from near and far. This occasion is a golden opportunity for cooperatives to develop an experiential tourism model linked to investment in the deep processing of cocoa products. As a result, the income of cooperative members has continued to rise, helping form a sustainable cocoa production and processing chain.

Developing a modern urban area

According to the Project on Establishing Xuan Loc Ward, based on the current status of Xuan Loc Commune, all criteria for upgrading Xuan Loc from a commune to a ward have been met and exceeded. Specifically, Xuan Loc Commune currently has a population of nearly 101,500, far above the minimum requirement of 21,000 for a ward-level administrative unit. Xuan Loc has a natural area of 140.5 square km, well above the minimum regulated standard of 5.5 square km. The commune covers a large area, including residential, urban, production, and agricultural land, as well as areas with potential for urban, commercial, service, and tourism development, ensuring the conditions for sustainable urban development in the coming period.

Xuan Loc Commune is oriented toward urban development and a comprehensive sub-regional center, serving to connect with and spread development to neighboring communes. In particular, many large-scale projects are underway and will be implemented in the area, such as: Chua Chan Mountain Eco-tourism, Resort, and Entertainment Project; Nui Le Lake Urban Area; residential areas, services, sports, and resorts around Chua Chan Mountain, with a total planned area of about 1,452ha. These projects contribute to the formation of urban functional areas and to the development of tourism, commercial, and service centers, creating momentum for socio-economic development in the locality and the region.

The inter-regional transport infrastructure system has received investment; expressways, national highways, railways, provincial road 773, and many other roads are continuing to receive investment, helping strengthen regional connectivity and creating favorable conditions for economic, service, and tourism development. With its favorable geographical location, strong development potential, and clear identification in plans approved by competent authorities, Xuan Loc Commune has all the conditions to become a comprehensive center, while also serving as an area with specialized functions in tourism, services, and high-tech agriculture at the sub-regional level, playing an important role in promoting the socio-economic development of Dong Nai province.

Nguyen Thi Cat Tien, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairwoman of the People's Council of Xuan Loc Commune, emphasized: The achievements in building new rural areas and model new rural areas have created a foundation for Xuan Loc to make breakthroughs in comprehensive development in the economy, infrastructure, education, and other fields. In particular, the locality is developing agricultural production in specialized zones linked to consumption and deep processing, thereby contributing to steady improvements in people's incomes. This undertaking is a solid foundation for Xuan Loc to develop in line with an industry - agriculture - services model, linked with urbanization and the development of high-quality human resources.

A notable feature in recent years is that, alongside the economic restructuring process toward increasing the share of industry - construction and trade - services, per capita income in Xuan Loc Commune has continued to improve. In the meantime, people's living standards have gradually risen. In 2025, the per capita income of Xuan Loc Commune exceeded 101.6 million VND per person per year, far higher than the provincial average of 86 million VND per person per year.

By Binh Nguyen – Translated by Mai Nga, Minho