Veterans in Son La contribute to building new rural areas.

Currently, the Provincial Veterans Association has 76 affiliated organizations, including: 75 Veterans Associations at the commune and ward level; 1 Veterans Association of the 487th Provincial Committee; and 2,068 branches with nearly 44,000 members. Depending on the actual conditions in each locality, each organization and member adopts appropriate methods, working together with local Party committees and authorities to build new rural areas.

Veterans in Nam Lau commune join hands to build new rural areas.

Currently, Nam Lau commune has 35 Veterans' Association branches with nearly 580 veteran members. Veterans in the commune always strictly abide by all the policies of the Party and the laws of the State, uphold the qualities and traditions of "Uncle Ho's soldiers," and take the lead in all activities in the locality.

Actively participating in building new rural areas, more than 200 veteran households in the commune have registered with a waste treatment service unit to collect and process waste, separating it into two types: pesticide packaging and other general waste, in order to protect the living environment of their families and the community; annually, 100% of veteran households do not violate the Environmental Protection Law.

Veterans in Nam Lau commune collect and sort waste.

Mr. Lo Van Vui, Vice Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Nam Lau commune and Chairman of the Veterans Association of Nam Lau commune, said: Thanks to the exemplary leadership of the Veterans Association members in protecting the environment and collecting and sorting waste at source, the movement to protect the environment has spread throughout the commune; gradually changing behaviors and habits regarding the use of non-biodegradable products and preventing indiscriminate waste disposal; minimizing pollution and diseases caused by waste, creating a green, clean, and beautiful environment. Currently, the Veterans Association of the commune is coordinating with relevant agencies to support members in the villages of Pong, Co Liu, Pa O, It Man, and Lau Nong in building waste incinerators, further contributing to improving the effectiveness of environmental criteria in building new rural areas.

Veteran from Chiềng La commune (on the left) shares his experience of donating land for rural road construction.

In Chiềng La commune, there are 30 Veterans' Association branches with nearly 470 members. Joining hands in building new rural areas, from 2019 to the present, Veterans' Association members throughout the commune have donated thousands of square meters of land and contributed thousands of man-days to building rural roads, cleaning the environment, etc.

When talking about the pioneering role of veterans in donating land for rural road construction in Chiềng La commune, everyone knows about veteran Lò Văn So from Sen To village. Talking to us while walking on the village's wide, clean concrete road, Mr. So said: "Uncle Ho taught, 'Whatever benefits the people, do it with all your might.' As a soldier of Uncle Ho, as a veteran, following his teachings, I saw the commune promoting and encouraging land donation to expand roads and build infrastructure... contributing to the commune's new rural development standards. I saw it as a beneficial act for the commune and the people, so from 2019 to 2022, I donated nearly 3,300 ^m² of my family's land to expand the commune headquarters, build roads, and construct the commune's health station. With the new, spacious roads, students can get to school more easily, and people can sell their agricultural products much more conveniently."

Veterans in Muoi Noi commune join hands to protect the environment.

From November 2022 to the present, war veterans and their families throughout the province have donated 16,036 ^m² of land and contributed nearly 10,800 man-days of labor to renovate, repair, and upgrade 1,619 km of rural roads and 15 km of irrigation canals; planted over 20.8 hectares of various trees, protected and nurtured 54,025 hectares of forest, and received 129 roads named "Veteran Self-Managed Roads".

Mr. Hoang Manh Long, Member of the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Veterans Association, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the province, and Chairman of the Provincial Veterans Association, said: In addition, the Veterans Associations at all levels have actively participated in activities showing camaraderie and mutual support, contributing over 2 billion VND to various funds; taking advantage of resources from the Central Government, localities, and organizations, individuals, and philanthropists inside and outside the province, from 2022 to the present, the Association has supported the demolition of 422 dilapidated houses for poor veteran members, with a total value of over 25.4 billion VND.

The war is long over, but the qualities and courage of the soldiers of yesteryear continue to shine brightly in everyday life. From donated land and days of hard work to environmental protection initiatives, the veterans of Son La are actively participating in simple yet noble endeavors. Upholding the spirit of not shying away from difficulties and hardships, the provincial veterans' associations at all levels continue to innovate their thinking and methods, fostering self-reliance and self-improvement in each member, creating a tremendous source of strength to build increasingly prosperous and beautiful rural areas in Son La.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/nong-thon-moi/cuu-chien-binh-son-la-gop-suc-xay-dung-nong-thon-moi-PWsKXG1vg.html