Changes in Muong Pon

Muong Pon commune bears the indelible mark of the tenacious fighting spirit of our army during the historic Dien Bien Phu campaign.

A glorious past

Going back in history, on November 20, 1953, French paratroopers captured Dien Bien Phu. At the same time, they deployed the 2nd Mobile Brigade to reinforce Upper Laos and withdrew units from Lai Chau to reinforce Dien Bien Phu.

At this time, our 174th Regiment (316th Division) was marching to the Northwest to participate in the Dien Bien Phu campaign. The Forward Command of the General Staff (then located at Tham Pua cave, Tuan Giao district) ordered the 174th Regiment to destroy the enemy forces coming from Lai Chau to reinforce Dien Bien Phu. On the morning of December 12, 1953, Company 674, Battalion 251 of the 174th Regiment, while marching to Muong Pon, discovered a large number of enemy troops retreating from Lai Chau concentrated there.

Determined to hold Muong Pon at all costs, our troops immediately surrounded the enemy and opened fire to annihilate them. The battle was intense and fierce; the French troops charged forward recklessly, while our troops resolutely held their ground.

The French counterattacked relentlessly, inflicting heavy casualties on our troops, leaving only 17 men. Be Van Dan himself was wounded, but he continued fighting. Squad leader Chu Van Pu's machine gun was unusable due to a lack of support. In this critical situation, Be Van Dan, without hesitation, ran and grabbed the machine gun's legs, placing them on his shoulder and shouting to his comrades, "The enemy is ahead! If you care about me, shoot them all dead!" Squad leader Pu pulled the trigger and unleashed a barrage of bullets on the enemy. The enemy's counterattack was broken, and Be Van Dan bravely sacrificed himself, his hands still gripping the machine gun's legs on his shoulder.

The Muong Pon historical site, where hero Be Van Dan used his body as a gun mount, has become a "red address" for educating about revolutionary traditions.

The courageous example of Be Van Dan inspired cadres and soldiers throughout the front to enthusiastically compete in killing the enemy and achieving meritorious deeds, leading to the glorious Dien Bien Phu Victory of 1954, which "shook the world and resonated across five continents."

Seventy years later, in Muong Pon commune today, no one fails to mention Hero Be Van Dan. For a long time, the people of Muong Pon have regarded Hero Be Van Dan as a guardian deity for their village, bringing them peace. The elders in the village still pass down stories about Hero Be Van Dan to their descendants as a reminder to future generations not to forget the sacrifices of those who fell for the peace we enjoy today.

Mr. Quang Van Tien, Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Pon Commune, said: "The people of Muong Pon have always remembered the contributions of Hero Be Van Dan and other fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives so that today's generation can live in peace. Therefore, educational activities on the tradition of heroic struggle, inspired by the sacrifice of Hero Be Van Dan, are regularly organized by units in the commune, especially in schools. The memorial plaque commemorating the name and achievements of Hero Be Van Dan in the commune has become a significant landmark for the people, youth, and visitors from within and outside the province to visit, pay respects, express gratitude, and educate about patriotic traditions."

The project linking the cultivation and consumption of purple cardamom in Linh village has helped many households escape poverty.

Improving day by day

After 70 years, Muong Pon is now different. The entire commune has 11 villages with more than 1,158 households, mainly located along National Highway 12, thus having favorable conditions for economic development. These days, along National Highway 12, the landscape is a lush green of rice fields and rubber plantations, interspersed with houses with bright red tiled roofs. Many villages no longer have poor households or only very few. A prime example is Muong Pon village, with 100% Thai ethnic minority population, 110 households with over 500 people, and now has no poor households.

A clear example of the transformation in the Muong Pon countryside is the shift in the economic development mindset of the local people. They participate in many projects applying science and technology to production, such as: using new varieties and advanced scientific and technical methods in rice production during the winter-spring season on 10 hectares, with 105 households from Muong Pon 1, Muong Pon 2, Co Chay 1, and Co Chay 2 villages participating; a project to improve the quality of land specifically for rice cultivation on 10.115 hectares with 86 households participating in the villages of Muong Pon 1, Muong Pon 2, Co Chay 1, Co Chay 2, Ban Linh, and Tin Toc; a project linking the cultivation and consumption of purple cardamom in Ban Linh and Ban Tin Toc; and projects to develop livestock and poultry farming.

Mr. Luong Van Binh is one of the exemplary figures in economic development in Muong Pon commune.

Mr. Luong Van Binh, a farmer in Linh village, is one of the exemplary figures in economic development. In 2018, Muong Pon commune conducted a trial planting of 3.33 hectares of purple cardamom. Initially, no one participated, but Mr. Binh volunteered to be the first to plant purple cardamom. After seeing high economic returns, Mr. Binh propagated and encouraged other villagers to participate. To date, 52 households in the village have planted 13.8 hectares of purple cardamom. In addition, Mr. Binh has taken the lead in participating in pig and chicken farming models and supporting poor households in the village to develop their businesses. Thanks to this, he was honored to be recognized as an exemplary farmer of the province, receiving the title "Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer of 2021".

According to Quàng Văn Tiến, Chairman of the People's Committee of Mường Pồn commune: Building on revolutionary traditions, the commune's Party Committee has upheld the spirit of unity, promoted the role of cadres and Party members, and fostered the consensus of the people. They have utilized favorable conditions, overcome difficulties, and implemented measures appropriate to the local situation. In the past two years, the commune's Party Committee has played a pioneering role in assisting the demolition of 73 temporary and dilapidated houses; providing direct capital support for livestock farming to 3 households; and guiding 954 poor and near-poor households in accessing loans for production and business development.

Rubber cultivation is one of the sources of income that helps people in Muong Pon commune alleviate poverty.

In 2021, the total number of poor households in the commune was 243, but this has now decreased to 162 households (14.39%); the number of near-poor households has decreased from 151 to 122 households (10.83%); 476 out of 1,158 households engaged in agriculture and forestry have an average standard of living. The average per capita income has reached 30.41 million VND/person/year.

With economic development, attention is paid to caring for the material and spiritual lives of the people. The Party Committee and the commune government have paid special attention to training and improving the production skills of ethnic minorities by coordinating with relevant agencies to open training courses on transferring scientific and technical knowledge in production and livestock farming. Upholding the tradition of patriotism, the government and people of all ethnic groups in Muong Pon commune are determined to unite and effectively exploit the potential and strengths in agricultural production.

Source