The lives of ethnic minority people have changed significantly in Song Hinh.

Originating from a barren wasteland 40 years ago, Song Hinh district (Phu Yen province) is now home to 22 ethnic groups living and working together. Its remarkable development has painted a vibrant picture, with essential infrastructure, lush green mountains and fields, and a noticeable transformation in the lives of the ethnic communities.

This year, the price of acacia plantations has reached its highest level, and people in Song Hinh are enthusiastically expanding their planted area on less productive land.

Transformation step by step

When it was first established, Song Hinh had 6 communes with 16,857 people, of which ethnic minorities accounted for 49.5%. At that time, infrastructure was virtually non-existent, people's lives were extremely difficult and impoverished, and backward customs were quite prevalent; the economy was mainly based on self-sufficient agricultural production, and people often suffered from food shortages; the main transportation routes were all dirt and gravel roads, dusty in the sun and muddy in the rain. Meanwhile, the facilities for health and education were very basic and makeshift, and the staff of officials, teachers, doctors, and nurses were both insufficient and lacking in expertise. The entire district had only one doctor, and only 3 out of 6 communes had health stations.

According to Nay Y Blung, Secretary of the Song Hinh District Party Committee, this once impoverished area now boasts an average annual increase of 13-15% in the value of production across all sectors. Looking ahead to 2025, the goal is to achieve a total production value exceeding 11,200 billion VND, 3.3 times higher than 10 years ago. The economic structure is shifting in the right direction, with an increasing proportion of industry, trade, and services. Specifically, agricultural, forestry, and fisheries production reached 2,006 billion VND, accounting for 17.9%; industrial, handicraft, and construction production reached 6,089 billion VND, accounting for 54.34% of the total, a 41% increase compared to 2000. Even more encouraging is the fact that total state budget revenue reached 130 billion VND, a 55-fold increase compared to 2000.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Song Hinh District, Dinh Ngoc Dan, further shared: “Industrial production is gradually becoming a driving force in economic development, especially with factories proactively purchasing and processing agricultural products on-site for farmers, minimizing the situation of bumper harvests leading to price drops. Against this vibrant economic backdrop, we strive to achieve an average per capita income of 60 million VND/person/year by 2025, a threefold increase compared to 2015.”

Becoming the promised land

Before us stretched vast fields of sugarcane and cassava, over 16,000 hectares in total, ready for harvest, extending to the foothills covered with dense acacia forests. From barren land, each family now owns at least 1 hectare of land dedicated to cultivating these two main agricultural products, with some households having up to ten hectares, earning billions of dong per year. Chairman of the Ea Bar Commune People's Committee, Hoang Duc Kien, happily recounted: “Now, farmers only need to have land and maintain it to make money because all the investment is made by sugar factories, especially the KCP sugar factory. In the last two years, agricultural products have yielded good harvests and high prices, especially sugarcane, making the people very happy. Meanwhile, the price of planted acacia has also reached its highest level ever – nothing could be better.”

About 10 km from Hai Rieng town, the administrative and commercial center of Song Hinh district, in Buon Quen hamlet, Ea Bar commune, more than 10 people are busy cutting and loading sugarcane onto trucks to transport it to the factory for sale. This season, the sugarcane yield reached 100 tons, priced at 1.35 million VND/ton, an increase of 20,000 VND compared to the previous season. After deducting expenses, Mr. Trung is sure to earn at least 60 million VND, a considerable sum for people in mountainous areas. "Before, to invest in sugarcane, we had to sell our cows or borrow from the bank. Now, with the factory investing without interest, the people are no longer suffering. We just need to put in the effort to take care of the crop and we'll make a profit," Mr. Trung said excitedly.

Although established later than the two mountainous districts of Son Hoa and Dong Xuan, the promising land of Song Hinh stands out as a bright spot with its system of paved roads covering the sugarcane, cassava, and durian fields, built jointly by the State and the people. “Our village has 70% of its main roads leading directly to our fields, and this number will reach 100% soon. In recent years, agricultural products, including planted forests, have yielded good harvests, high and relatively stable prices, and many households have even invested their own money to build concrete roads right to their fields. Many sugarcane fields are now covered with a beautiful carpet, like a city street – truly encouraging,” shared Ksor Y Veo, Secretary and Head of Trinh village, Ea Bar commune.

“Transportation infrastructure throughout the district has been largely concreted and asphalted, especially inter-commune and inter-village routes, which have been expanded to meet the needs of people for travel, agricultural product transportation, and goods circulation, especially during the rainy season. Meanwhile, the irrigation system has also been invested in and expanded annually with a total of 35 projects and 167 km of canals, with a reinforcement rate reaching approximately 85%, ensuring stable irrigation for 3,600 hectares of cultivated land,” added Nay Y Blung, Secretary of the Song Hinh District Party Committee.

Over the past 10 years, Song Hinh has been recognized by people in other mountainous districts as having a rapid rate of urbanization, with its urban space expanding and becoming one of the most bustling districts in terms of commerce and services compared to other mountainous districts in the province, gradually bringing Hai Rieng town to the level of a type IV urban area. In the construction of new rural areas, the district also has 6 out of 10 communes meeting the standards, 1 commune recognized as an advanced new rural area, 3 model residential areas and 6 model gardens. Notably, the poverty rate has decreased to 4.58%, the material and spiritual lives of the people are constantly improving, and children from ethnic minority areas are receiving investment in education, no longer dropping out of school prematurely as before.

The Party Committee, government, and people of all ethnic groups in Song Hinh district have been awarded the First, Second, and Third Class Labor Orders; the Third Class Independence Order; and the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the Party and the State.

Text and photos: PHUONG NAM

Source: https://nhandan.vn/doi-song-dong-bao-cac-dan-toc-doi-thay-ro-ret-o-song-hinh-post868721.html