Kunming - Season after season

As winter approaches, in the chilly weather, the people of Con Minh commune become busier with their farming work. Seeing us gazing at the scenery in wonder, Mrs. Hoang Thi Tong from Ban Lai village cheerfully explained: "At the end of the year, there's a lot of work. After harvesting the rice crop, we're busy harvesting ginger. We spend the day in the fields, and in the evenings we're engrossed in making vermicelli. It's very busy, but it provides us with extra income..."

The vermicelli-making industry brings in more than 50 billion VND per year for the ethnic minority people in Con Minh commune.

Taking advantage of state support funds and leveraging the people's internal resources, Con Minh commune is flourishing day by day. New houses are replacing temporary shelters; many poor households have motorbikes as a means of transportation; 100% of villages have concrete roads. The number of poor households has decreased rapidly, from 602 households in 2021 to 398 households in 2024. Notably, 96 poor households will have their dilapidated houses replaced in 2025.

By mastering science and technology in agricultural production, the fields of Con Minh commune are rotated, with one crop following another, bringing prosperity to the landowners. Mr. Trinh Duc Minh, Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune, proudly stated: "The merger of the three communes: Quang Phong, Duong Son, and Con Minh has opened up many new development opportunities for Con Minh commune today. Currently, the entire commune has 18 villages, with more than 1,500 households and over 6,600 inhabitants."

The commune's officials and people have a tradition of unity and democracy; officials and Party members have innovative thinking; outdated farming practices among the people have been replaced by the application of science and technology to intensive farming and increased crop yields, creating concentrated commodity areas, thereby increasing the value of the people's agricultural products.

The market economy has changed the farming mindset of ethnic minority communities. Instead of the previous concept of "farming just enough to eat and spend," they now focus on concentrated production, increasing crop cycles, and introducing new crop varieties to most areas. Currently, new rice varieties such as: Nep 97, J2, Khau Nua Lech, Thien Uu 8, Dai Thom... and new corn varieties such as: CP511, NK 4300, AG 59, HN88… are being cultivated on most areas. Rice yield averages 51 quintals/hectare; corn yield averages 49 quintals/hectare. Food production reaches over 4,700 tons/year.

Food security is ensured, averaging 713 kg/person/year. However, to improve their material living standards, the villagers have actively converted their mixed orchards to crops that yield high economic value.

Over the past five years, the commune has planted more than 56 hectares of various fruit trees, mainly oranges and tangerines. In particular, ginger cultivation has been prioritized, maintaining an area of ​​nearly 73 hectares annually. When asked about developing their family's economy, many residents jokingly said: "Before, we had to sell rice and corn to have money for family events. Now, we sell ginger roots dug from the ground and ripe ginger from the trees to have money for funerals, weddings, and our children's school fees."

Sharing with us, Mr. Loc Van Thang from Ban Cao village said: "The ginger plant thrives in the soil of Kunming. Just planting the tubers in the ground causes them to grow in clumps, yielding high productivity, but it was only for casual consumption. However, that was decades ago, because now the ginger plant has become a 'symbol' in Kunming, just like tea in Xinjiang."

Ms. Hoang Thi Dong from Ban Cuon village shared: "Thanks to people from the lowlands who came to develop the new economy, they brought with them the art of making vermicelli, and then passed it on to the local people to do the same. For about 30 years now, the arrowroot plant has become a hot topic of conversation from house to house. Everyone is happy because the arrowroot tubers, after processing, have been elevated to the status of a specialty."

The hillsides, overgrown with weeds, and fields lacking sufficient water have given way to cassava cultivation. This is most prevalent in the villages of Tan Lap, Ban Cuon, and Ban Cao. Currently, the commune has two cooperatives and 49 households specializing in cassava vermicelli production.

During the conversation, Ms. Loc Thi Do from Ban Cuon village said: "Thanks to the machinery that assists in stages such as washing the tubers, grinding the flour, stirring the batter, and making the vermicelli sheets, the work is less strenuous for us villagers. However, the traditional manual vermicelli making process over a wood fire still produces the best-tasting vermicelli."

Cassava vermicelli is a flagship product of Kunming. Currently, there are dozens of cassava starch processing and vermicelli production facilities in the area. In recent years, Kunming commune has produced over 1,000 tons of vermicelli annually for both domestic and international markets, and it has been highly praised by consumers for its quality. A prime example is the vermicelli produced by the Tai Hoan Cooperative, which has been recognized as a national 5-star OCOP product.

People of various ethnic groups in Con Minh commune help each other harvest ginger roots.

Along with the two main crops, rice and ginger, the commune also has 6 timber processing facilities; 2 construction material businesses; 5 small-scale mechanical workshops; and 15 food processing facilities. Notably, there is one farm model with a scale of 1,500 sows and pigs. The production facilities, cooperatives, and farms operate effectively, providing employment for hundreds of local workers with stable incomes ranging from 4 to over 10 million VND per person per month.

Traveling along the Ka Đoóng - Hin Toọc; Nà Vả - Tham Không; Nà Lay - Khuổi Căng roads and the internal village roads of Nà Đán, Nà Cà, Nà Buốc… Besides hearing about exemplary models of local production and business, we also heard stories about shining examples of participation in the new rural development program, such as the families of Mr. Hoàng Văn Phya; Mr. Dương Văn Đại, Mr. Lường Văn Sơn… in Quang Vinh village; Mr. Hạc Văn Nhai, Nà Buốc village, along with many other families who received Certificates of Commendation from the provincial leadership.

My time in Kunming was short, but the stories we heard about today's young cadres and party members, and the new generation of farmers, were deeply moving. All the way back, I thought to myself: The land of Kunming commune has just gone through a period of "gestation" to confidently enter a new phase of development.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202511/con-minh-mua-noi-mua-4da3089/