Identity goes hand in hand with arrangement.
In reality, along with changes in administrative boundaries and names, the issue of preserving traditional cultural values and the unique identity of each community is also being raised. For the people, cultural identity, village names, and hamlet names are not just geographical locations, but also contain the history of their formation, customs, and the memories of many generations. Therefore, this element requires democratic implementation and understanding to create a high level of consensus.
Yen Son commune currently has 57 villages, of which 18 do not meet the prescribed standards. Mr. Nguyen Mang Thang, Deputy Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of the commune, stated: “When developing the plan for village reorganization, ensuring cultural elements and community cohesion is one of the important criteria. Therefore, along with reviewing population and natural area, the commune pays attention to assessing the history of formation, customs and traditions, ethnic composition, and community relationships of each village. From there, we develop the most suitable merger plan while preserving the traditional culture of the ethnic groups.”
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| The working group from Thang Mo commune visited the residential area to disseminate information about the village reorganization plan. |
Following the merger plan, it is expected that the three villages of Dong Son, Kim Son, and Tan Son in Yen Son commune will be combined into one new village. These villages are located adjacent to each other, have a population of over 300 people, and are mainly Kinh, Cao Lan, and Tay ethnic groups who have lived there for generations, thus sharing many similarities in customs, cultural life, and community activities.
Comrade Lam Van Dai, Secretary of the Dong Son Village Party Branch, said: “Besides agreeing with the reorganization plan, the people also expressed concerns that when merged, unique cultural features such as the Harvest Festival, the Village Temple Festival, Sinh Ca singing, and folk dances may gradually fade away if not properly preserved. Or some community activities, amateur performing arts groups, or traditional forms of life that have been regularly maintained in the village are at risk of becoming less frequent as the area expands and the population grows.”
Taking into account the opinions of the people, Yen Son commune plans to retain the name Dong Son for the new village after the merger, which is also associated with the Cao Lan Ethnic Cultural Village that has been recognized. In addition, to address the concerns of the people, the commune's working group continues to refine the arrangement plan in a way that respects historical and cultural elements, while maintaining community activities and cultural institutions at the grassroots level after the merger.
Not only in Yen Son, but also in many localities throughout the province, the process of developing plans for reorganizing villages and residential areas has focused on historical and cultural factors, as well as the aspirations of the people. Choosing new village names and reorganizing villages with similar ethnic groups and customs is seen as a solution to minimize disruption and preserve community identity after reorganization.
Build engagement from the grassroots level.
As a locality rich in unique cultural and historical values, the process of developing a plan for reorganizing villages in Lung Cu commune was implemented democratically with the participation of the people from the very beginning. Currently, the commune has 37 villages with 2,862 households; after reorganization, it is expected that there will be 16 villages remaining, including 9 border villages. Along with ensuring compliance with regulations, working groups have gone to each village to disseminate information, hold dialogues, and gather broad opinions from the people.
Comrade Duong Ngoc Duc , Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Lung Cu commune, said: "Many place names in Lung Cu have become tourism and cultural brands of the locality, such as Lo Lo Chai, Ha Sung, Ma Le, or the Then Pa rice fields. Therefore, the selection of names after the merger has received great attention from the people and has been carefully studied by the working groups before finalizing the plan. The merger is being implemented by the commune to ensure clarity, easy identification, convenience for management and people's lives."
At the same time, respecting the historical formation and avoiding disruption to culturally significant landmarks that are representative of the locality is crucial. The commune hopes that reorganizing residential units will facilitate planning and connect destinations, thereby more effectively exploiting the tourism and service potential of the northernmost region of the country.”
It is planned that Lung Cu commune will merge four villages, namely Ha Sung, Ca Ha, Po Si, and Sinh Thau, into a new village with 152 households. Comrade Vu Chung Vu, Secretary of the Party Branch of Ha Sung village, said that the consultation process went smoothly, and the people highly agreed with the reorganization plan. Many suggested continuing to use the name Ha Sung because it is a widely known place name associated with the local cultural values, traditional architecture, and community tourism activities.
In areas like Thang Mo, where nearly 100% of the population are ethnic minorities, the reorganization of villages and residential areas requires even greater caution and consensus. According to the proposed plan, the commune will reduce the current 36 villages to 15. One of the options receiving significant attention is the merger of Lang Peng and Chang Lo villages, under the common name Chang Lo.
This is not only a familiar place name to the locals but also home to over 100 households of the Pu Péo ethnic group, one of the smallest ethnic groups. Therefore, preserving the cultural identity of the Pu Péo community is considered a crucial requirement in the relocation process.
Mr. Chang Min Diu, a resident of Chang Lo village, said that the Pu Peo people in the village still preserve many unique customs, beliefs, and traditional cultural features. When he first heard about the village merger, he and many other villagers couldn't help but feel worried about the potential impact on the community's name and cultural identity. However, after the village and commune officials clearly explained the policy and purpose of the reorganization, and listened to the people's opinions to develop a plan, the villagers all agreed.
In reality, reorganizing villages and residential areas while preserving community memories and cultural identity will create high consensus during implementation. This is also an important foundation for the newly reorganized villages to stabilize their organization, promote traditional cultural values, and open up new development opportunities for the locality.
Text and photos: Pham Hoan
Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/xa-hoi/202606/giu-ban-sac-tang-dong-thuan-f253c96/
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