Renovation of Khmer villages in Tinh Bien

After the bustling Chol Chnam Thmay 2025 days, the Buddhists of Ta Ngao Pagoda (An Phu Ward) are still enjoying the joy when the pagoda received support from a benefactor to build 3 classrooms for the Khmer ethnic minority people. Unable to hide his excitement, Venerable Chau Khi (head monk of Ta Ngao Pagoda) said: “In the past few days, the monks and Khmer people at the pagoda have been very happy, looking forward to the day of starting the construction of 3 classrooms. This is a very precious sentiment and heart, helping the Khmer children have new, spacious and comfortable classrooms to learn Pali. Previously, the children studied in the dining room, empty yard, and even temporary huts. Therefore, when the Tuong Nguyen Pagoda Charity Association came to help build classrooms, everyone was very happy, especially the children”.

Venerable Chau Khi also said that the newly built rooms not only provide more space for studying, but also serve as a resting place for people returning to the pagoda on the full moon and the first day of each month. These classrooms contribute to preserving the language, writing, and national identity of the Khmer people; Theravada monks also have a space to study the doctrine. “Seeing everyone happy because they have a place to learn Pali and a place for common activities, I am very excited. On behalf of the pagoda and the Khmer people in Phu Tam hamlet, I sincerely thank the Tuong Nguyen Pagoda Charity Association. I also thank the attention of the Party, the State, and the local government in Tinh Bien town for always supporting the Khmer people to do business and study to escape poverty,” Venerable Chau Khi emphasized.

Tinh Bien Town Party Committee and People's Committee mobilize many resources to improve the lives of Khmer people.

As a young Khmer generation on the path to knowledge, Neang Lien (a student at Xuan To High School) was excited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a classroom at the pagoda. Neang Lien happily said: “The new classroom is for Khmer youth and students to preserve the language and writing of the nation. This is the concern of the Party, the State, and the whole society for the education of the Khmer ethnic minority. We will try to study well, constantly strive to become useful citizens, contributing to building our homeland.”

Not only the classrooms for Khmer people at Ta Ngao Pagoda, in recent years, the Party Committee and People's Committee of Tinh Bien Town, together with other sectors and localities, have always paid attention to mobilizing and utilizing many resources to care for the economic and cultural life of the people. Typical are the positive results in implementing the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the period 2021 - 2030; Phase I: from 2021 - 2025.

Accordingly, in the period of 2021 - 2024, Tinh Bien Town was allocated more than 48 billion VND of public investment capital to implement projects to support residential land, housing, production land, and domestic water for ethnic minorities and mountainous areas, along with infrastructure investment projects. Specifically, 6 water supply pipelines have been deployed, supporting 134 households with housing, 17 households with residential land and housing; 12 rural traffic works, building new schools, and renovating schools with a total disbursed capital of more than 29.3 billion VND. Tinh Bien Town People's Committee also disbursed 7.8 billion VND from public capital for projects under the program.

The economic and cultural life of the Khmer people in Tinh Bien town is increasingly prosperous.

From the above efforts, the life of Khmer people in Tinh Bien town has improved significantly. 100% of communes have car roads to the commune center; 100% of communes and wards have national electricity grid; the number of households using tap water covers 60/60 hamlets and villages; 33.3% of schools meet national standards; 98% of households use clean and hygienic water. The rural traffic system has been invested and upgraded, especially in ethnic minority areas, such as: Ta Ngao Road, Huong Lo 6, Huong Lo 13... ensuring service for travel and transportation of goods.

In addition, the proportion of trained workers in the total number of workers in the national economy has increased to 49.5% by the end of 2024. The annual job creation for workers has always been achieved, exceeding the set plan with 162.4%. In the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction associated with New Rural Development, the People's Committee of Tinh Bien Town has implemented 5 projects and sub-projects with a total cost of nearly 8 billion VND. Thereby, the poverty rate of Khmer ethnic households has decreased by more than 3%/year, achieving the set target.

“We will continue to use the investment funds from the program to support the Khmer people to improve their lives. In particular, close and synchronous coordination between the locality and the provincial level and between departments, agencies, unions and commune and ward levels will help to improve the effectiveness of the program, so that the lives of the Khmer people in Tinh Bien town will improve day by day” - Chairman of the People's Committee of Tinh Bien town Pham Van Phuc confirmed.

MINH QUAN

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/doi-moi-phum-soc-khmer-o-tinh-bien-a419398.html