Impressions of Bach Thong

From the provincial administrative center, after nearly three hours of traveling back and forth on our rickety motorbike, we arrived at Bach Thong commune. From the very beginning, we were impressed by this area. The landscape was covered in a vibrant green of trees and interwoven fields, with orchards laden with fruit stretching as far as the eye could see; below, the rice paddies yielded bountiful harvests, providing sustenance for the people.

The Dao ethnic people in Phiêng An village produce tea according to VietGAP standards.

Based on the merger of three communes: Dong Thang, Duong Phong, and Quang Thuan, Bach Thong commune currently has 20 villages, over 2,000 households, and nearly 8,300 inhabitants. Building on the achievements of previous years, the Party Committee, government, and people of Bach Thong continue to unite, strive for progress, and confidently enter a new phase of development, accompanying the overall development of the province and the country.

The Chairman of the People's Committee of Bach Thong commune, Mr. Ha Ngoc Viet, enthusiastically stated: "Bach Thong's strength lies in agriculture and forestry. To achieve sustainable development, the locality is focusing on restructuring the agricultural sector, increasing the value per unit area; promoting the transformation of crop structure; and linking agriculture with the development of services and tourism, contributing to job creation and increased income for the people."

Looking at the orchards laden with oranges and tangerines, and the tea plantations waiting to be harvested, I know that generations of officials and people in Bach Thong commune have unanimously worked to transform the face of this land. Difficult villages like Ban Men, Tong Ngay, Na Coong... now have clean, beautiful concrete roads.

Upon arriving at Na Van village, Mr. Nguyen Huy Hoa, the village head, proudly stated: "In building the new rural road, besides voluntarily donating over 2,000 square meters of land, the villagers also proactively demolished fences and removed orchards. With clear roads, farmers' agricultural products can truly become marketable goods. Leaders have reformed their management thinking, and farmers have boldly changed their farming practices, actively switching to new crop and livestock varieties, and applying scientific and technological advancements to production. This has led to the formation of a commodity production area, mainly focusing on high - value crops such as fruit trees, peanuts, and cucumbers…"

Currently, the commune does not have any large-scale production enterprises or cooperatives, but there are 12 small-scale timber processing workshops and 12 agricultural cooperatives in operation. These timber processing facilities and cooperatives play a role in linking production, creating jobs, supporting the consumption of agricultural products, and contributing to raising the income of local people.

In conversations with us, many residents of Bach Thong commune expressed their excitement: In the last five years, Bach Thong has completely transformed, entering a new era. Previously, it was three communes: Dong Thang, Duong Phong, and Quang Thuan. Although they weren't yet united, the officials and people of these three communes actively competed and worked together to change the face of their living environment. Especially in the past five years, the National Target Program for building new rural areas in the three communes (now Bach Thong) has mobilized a total of over 13 billion VND, including over 8 billion VND from the state budget and over 5 billion VND contributed by the people.

Accordingly, more than 40 essential infrastructure projects such as inter-village roads, cultural centers, irrigation canals, sports fields, etc., have been implemented. To date, the commune has 5 villages that meet the standards of new rural villages. With an "open door" mindset welcoming entrepreneurs from within and outside the province to cooperate in development, while valuing and encouraging workers to participate in vocational training, career chuyển đổi, work for companies within and outside the province, or work abroad on fixed-term contracts.

The star anise products of the FOODS High-Tech Agricultural Cooperative in Bach Thong commune are highly appreciated by customers.

Currently, the commune has 650 workers employed in various companies; 32 are working abroad under fixed-term contracts. This not only helps them accumulate savings for future family economic development, but also allows them to learn industrial work ethics, capital management skills, and communication skills to contribute to the development of their homeland.

Returning to the story of crop production in Bach Thong commune: With over 2,800 hectares of agricultural land, including more than 1,200 hectares of rice paddies, yielding 48 quintals/hectare, the average food production reaches 462 kg/person/year. Besides proactively producing food, the people of Bach Thong commune actively develop fruit tree cultivation models such as oranges, tangerines, guavas, pomelos, seedless persimmons, and other crops that bring high economic efficiency. Alongside crop cultivation are small-scale, concentrated livestock farming models, linked to environmental protection.

The forestry sector is given priority, with the entire commune currently having nearly 1,000 hectares of planted forest. Within the forest, people cultivate medicinal plants such as purple velvet leaf and golden flower tea. The material and spiritual lives of the people in Bach Thong commune are constantly improving and being enhanced...

By 2024, the average income is expected to reach over 50 million VND per person per year. The commune still has 99 poor households and 76 near-poor households, who are receiving support from villagers through assistance with plant and animal breeds, and production experience. The goal is to eliminate poverty in the commune by 2030 according to the multidimensional poverty standard for the 2022-2025 period.

When discussing poverty reduction, locals recall the families of Mr. Luu Minh Choong in Booc Khun village; Mr. Luu Tran Thu in Na Thoi village; and Mr. Nguyen Van Hung in Na Chap village, who boldly cleared their mixed orchards and converted their land to citrus fruit cultivation, earning billions of dong each year. Then there's Mr. Ban Huu Thanh in Phieng An II village, who escaped poverty thanks to citrus fruit farming.

Thanks to citrus fruit cultivation, the family of Mr. Luu Dinh Chap in Na Vai village has become well-known to many locals and tourists from within and outside the province. His family's tangerine orchard, spanning over 2 hectares, has been recognized by provincial authorities as the most beautiful in the region and has been selected by the local government as a tourist attraction and experiential destination for a major event focusing on citrus fruits and OCOP (One Commune One Product) products.

Bach Thong has left a beautiful impression on us. It's the open-minded and progressive thinking of today's successors, coupled with the hard work and perseverance of the farmers. All the hard work and dedication of the people have transformed the land of Bach Thong day by day. Not only is it the land of the province's specialty oranges and tangerines, Bach Thong also boasts green tea, yellow flower tea, medicinal plants like purple velvet leaf, star anise, JO2 specialty rice… and several attractive tourist destinations such as Bo Tau Cave, Phieng An village; Tat Tang waterfall, Ban Mun. And the people's hospitality is truly heartwarming.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202509/an-tuong-bach-thong-eac2536/