From early morning, while the village was still shrouded in mist, Moong Van Son left his house to go to the fields to cut a large quantity of grass to transport back to the farm to prepare for feeding the buffaloes and cows.

The livestock pens were built in a sheltered area, quite sturdy, with a hard concrete floor. Thanks to good care, the buffalo and cattle in the pens were fat, with shiny, healthy coats. Looking across the hill not far ahead, the young man's banana plantation stretched out in a vast expanse of lush green.

Thanks to raising livestock and poultry, and growing bananas, Moong Van Son earns a stable income of 120 to 140 million VND per year. When asked, people in the village and commune are all happy and very impressed by the young man's efforts to rise above his circumstances, given his unfortunate and impoverished childhood.

Moong Van Son (in the blue shirt) shares his livestock farming experience with other households.

At the young age of 7, Moong Van Son suffered the pain of losing both his parents, becoming an orphan. From then on, the boy from the Khmu ethnic group grew up under the care of relatives and the protection of his villagers in the highlands, sharing meals that were sometimes plentiful, sometimes scarce.

But thanks to the love and care of those around him, Son grew up, received a full education, and gradually matured. After graduating from high school, understanding his own circumstances, the young man chose a different path from his peers. While most young people in the village chose to leave their hometown to work elsewhere, Son stayed on the farm, growing bananas and raising livestock. He enrolled in a basic veterinary course organized by the district, and then participated in various training courses on livestock farming and crop cultivation to gain more knowledge about agriculture . A real opportunity came to the young man of the Khơ Mú ethnic group in 2016 when he was fortunate enough to access a loan from the bank supporting households to escape poverty. With over 80 million dong, Son built barns, bought a buffalo and three breeding cows.

Local youth union members and young people visited a model for youth development.

From then on, the young man spent most of his time planting grass and caring for the livestock to ensure their growth and reproduction. With an abundant source of animal manure, he dug holes to plant banana trees, transforming the entire barren hillside into a lush green area, providing a stable income.

After nearly 10 years of hard work, Moong Van Son owns a banana plantation spanning nearly 5 hectares, a herd of nearly 40 buffaloes and cows, along with goats and pigs, providing a stable income of 120 to 140 million VND per year. Not only has he escaped poverty, but his family has also become wealthy on land previously known for its arid, rocky soil.

Dissatisfied with the results he had achieved, Son went on to learn mechanics and gathered a group of other young men to form a team that undertook the construction of public works for the people in the commune. This created stable jobs for many people during the agricultural off-season.

When asked, Moong Van Son shared: “Having been born and raised facing many disadvantages, I know that only hard work and applying scientific knowledge to production can bring efficiency and create a stable income. With borrowed capital and through perseverance and dedication to economic development, my family has escaped poverty and gradually accumulated savings. From there, I also want to help many others rise up and build a more prosperous life.”

Thanks to these achievements, Moong Van Son is one of the outstanding ethnic minority youths in Nghe An province who has received numerous awards and commendations from local authorities at all levels.

Text and photos: HIEU AN

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/xa-hoi/dan-toc-ton-giao/dien-hinh-kinh-nghiem/chang-trai-mo-coi-vuon-len-thoat-ngheo-827728