Story at the foot of Tam Dinh mountain

At the foot of Tam Dinh mountain - an area with large mineral reserves (apatite, iron ore) are 3 villages: Tam Dinh, Thac Day, Khe Lech of the old Son Thuy commune, now Van Ban commune, mainly Mong ethnic people who migrated from other places, chose this land as a permanent settlement.

Although living in an area rich in resources, people's lives still face many difficulties. This is a problem that the new local government after the merger is concerned about and is trying to solve with solutions for planning residential land and production land, creating sustainable livelihoods.

From the bustling National Highway 279, turning onto a small concrete road, we seemed to be lost in another world with the traditional 4-roofed houses of the Mong ethnic group that are often seen in the highlands of Bac Ha and Si Ma Cai.

Among the residential areas clustered around Tam Dinh Mountain, Thac Day Village, Tam Dinh is located closest to the foot of the mountain. The later migrants followed the winding road halfway up the mountain and found a place where they could dig and level the ground to build temporary tents. Gradually, solid houses were built. The pace of life here flows slowly, in contrast to the hustle and bustle on the national highway just a mountainside away from the village.

Mr. Vu A Sung - Head of Thac Day village said: Most of the people in Thac Day come from Bac Ha, migrating here since the 1990s. At that time, I was still young but I still clearly remember the whole family walking from Bac Ha, after many days following the river and stream, arriving here, seeing the gently sloping hilly land leaning against the majestic mountain range and having a stream in front, very suitable for farming, so the whole group decided to stop.

The villagers sowed the rice and corn seeds they had brought from Bac Ha and then divided up to build huts, planning to stay here for one or two corn seasons before migrating again. That year, on the hillside, the rice was heavy with ears of rice and the corn was big and plump, making everyone happy. So, without anyone telling anyone, everyone agreed to settle here permanently.

Many of Mr. Sung's brothers and relatives in Bac Ha, who lacked arable land, gradually moved here to live. At that time, there was a lot of arable land, and each household cultivated as much as they could. But life became increasingly difficult as more and more people came to live, and there was not enough arable land. People also wanted to expand their production land, but most of this area had been planned for iron ore and apatite mining units.

Village chief Vu A Sung shared: Previously, mineral exploitation units still created conditions for people to cultivate short-term crops, but recently they have been managing more strictly, so people are no longer allowed to enter this area. Many households in the village find ways to work for hire to earn more income. Lacking a sustainable livelihood, the rate of poor and near-poor households in the village is quite high, accounting for nearly 40%.

People in Tam Dinh and Khe Lech villages are not much better off as the problem of lack of arable land is really difficult. Due to increasingly scarce water resources, the whole village has almost no land suitable for rice cultivation. Although the natural land area is large, it is mainly protected forests and mineral exploitation planning areas, so it is not suitable for cultivation.

Mr. Lu Seo Tinh, who migrated here from the old Thai Giang Pho commune (now Bac Ha commune) many years ago, although the couple is hard-working and diligent, they only make enough to take care of their two children. Mr. Tinh shared: “There are 4 people in our family, the land for production is only 3 sao, and the land is not fertile, growing corn or cassava is not enough to eat. We want to do some extra work to earn income, but there are no opportunities here, only mountains and minerals.”

Tam Dinh is one of the most mineral-rich areas in the province, with abundant reserves of apatite and iron ore. However, in contrast to the richness of the underground, the lives of the people here are not easy.

The Mong people living in the three villages of Tam Dinh, Thac Day and Khe Lech migrated from many highland communes of the province, choosing this land as their permanent settlement. However, due to harsh natural conditions, barren land, most of the cultivated land area is limited by steep mountainous terrain, and scarce water resources, so agricultural production is difficult.

In addition, mineral exploitation in the area also greatly affects the lives of the people. Although it brings income to the locality, this activity has not really created sustainable livelihood opportunities for the people. Most of the land area in the area is located in the planning area for the mining area, causing the agricultural land to narrow, making the lives of the already poor people even more difficult.

After Son Thuy commune was merged into Van Ban commune, the new local government clearly recognized the difficulties in the lives of people at the foot of Tam Dinh mountain.

Mr. Vu Xuan Thuy - Chairman of Van Ban Commune People's Committee said: Economic development and stabilizing the lives of people in 3 villages are among the key tasks that the commune is focusing on solving.

We cannot let people living on a land rich in resources suffer from poverty forever. Therefore, the commune is coordinating with relevant agencies to develop reasonable plans for residential and production land, and at the same time find ways to create sustainable livelihoods for people.

Currently, Van Ban commune has implemented a number of practical solutions such as re-planning residential and production land areas, ensuring that each household has enough land for cultivation. Supporting people to access preferential capital sources to develop production. Along with that, investing in transport infrastructure and schools to improve the quality of life.

We arrived at Tam Dinh on the day that Mr. Hau Seo Chu and Ms. Giang Thi Chu's family in Thac Day village were harvesting peanuts, a new crop that the family had converted to replace the ineffective cassava land that had caused soil degradation. Mr. Hau Seo Chu said: It is truly peanut season, a joyful season as the name of this crop suggests. His family now has a stable income, enough to build a decent house and send their children to school.

“Every difficulty has a solution. Not everything went smoothly when we first came here. We hope that the new commune government will always pay attention and listen to the wishes of the people to promptly resolve difficulties and problems,” said Mr. Chu.

The Mong people are hard-working and diligent everywhere. Their belief in a bright future has helped them overcome many difficulties and challenges, and rise up in the harshest places. At the foot of Tam Dinh Mountain, difficulties still exist, but the consensus of the government and people is lighting up new hopes.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/chuyen-duoi-chan-nui-tam-dinh-post888171.html