Preserve to develop - Lesson 2: Isolated commune

A corner of Binh Son commune. Photo: GIA KHANH

Land of love in the city

In the past, My Hoa Hung was built up by alluvium, rising in the middle of the Hau River. This peaceful land was the hometown of President Ton Duc Thang. For decades, from a worker protesting against the colonial regime to a prisoner in Con Dao and later as President , Uncle Ton left his homeland a living symbol of patriotism, sacrifice and revolutionary spirit.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tri is a commune official, a veteran resident of the island, attached to the Uncle Ton Memorial Site, witnessing the daily changes of his hometown. “During the difficult times, people lived on the rice plant. In 2000, the commune promoted the restructuring of the agricultural economy towards specialized areas and the application of high technology, producing high-quality rice, increasing the area of aquaculture and crops, taking the lead in the restructuring of agriculture”, Mr. Tri recalled.

Although isolated from the mainland, the island has changed a lot. The bridges, roads deep in the mountains, temporary and degraded canals have been replaced with new solid bridges and roads. In the 2020 - 2025 term, the whole commune completed 20 projects, bridges, roads, commune offices, hamlets, schools, with a total cost of 78.6 billion VND; mobilized people to contribute to build 18 projects, bridges, roads, lighting systems, with a cost of nearly 4.3 billion VND. People's lives have improved, with average income increasing to 80.04 million VND/person in 2024.

My Hoa Hung is also an attractive eco- tourism and cultural destination, with more than 120,000 visitors each year coming to visit the President Ton Duc Thang Memorial Site, visit craft villages, and stay at riverside homestays. In 2024, the commune achieved the standard of "model new rural area in the field of production organization" one year earlier than planned, demonstrating the spirit of overcoming difficulties and self-reliance of this land of love. These are favorable conditions for the island to confidently develop with other communes and wards in the province.

About the "rice granary" Binh Giang

If My Hoa Hung is the image of a green island in the middle of the city, Binh Giang is a vast sea of rice. Rice fields stretch out as far as the eye can see, and cars passing by seem to have no end in sight. In particular, Binh Giang is known for its rice production area that reduces greenhouse gas emissions according to the Project on sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030 of Trung An Kien Giang High-Tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company.

Mr. Pham Thai Binh - Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company said that the raw material area that the company has implemented in the commune is up to 763 hectares. In the first 6 months of 2025, the company will expand to 12,479 hectares to achieve the certification of "Low-emission Vietnamese Green Rice", with an output of 80,990 tons. An Giang's agricultural sector highly appreciates the company's spirit of expanding the export market for safe, organic rice, creating conditions for the Vietnamese rice industry to improve value and quality, ensuring profits for both farmers and businesses.

In July 2025, when surveying the growing area and meeting with farmers in Binh Giang commune, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan expressed his agreement and support for businesses and farmers to realize their dreams on rice fields. "When focusing on connecting the thinking of generations of farmers in Binh Giang commune, along with the responsible leadership of businesses, it will inspire the belief that the rice fields will truly bloom into a golden season for growers," Comrade Le Minh Hoan believed.

Change of alum area

In Thuan Tien hamlet, Binh Son commune, people call their land "yellow alum land". This is the most heavily alum-contaminated area in the whole commune, especially the area from canal 7 to canal 12. The agricultural production area of the whole hamlet is up to 4,500 hectares. Previously, the alum was acidic, the canals and ditches were weak, the roads were muddy, and the rice yield was low. But from that difficult land, the first cooperative in the commune was born - the agricultural service cooperative producing rice exclusively for farmers in Thuan Tien hamlet, with a 3-crop rice area of nearly 320 hectares.

“When it was first established, the cooperative had 53 members, with an average income of 45 million VND/ha/year. Now it has 58 members, and its income has increased to 58 million VND/ha/year. The average rice yield has increased 1-1.5 times compared to small-scale production; production costs have decreased significantly, and profits have increased. If this model is replicated in many other hamlets, it will certainly help Binh Son develop based on the stable rice position,” Mr. Diep Trung Thao - Secretary of Thuan Tien Hamlet Party Cell proudly said.

In addition to the agricultural pillar, the entire Binh Son commune has 5 oil and gas businesses, 6 ship repair and building establishments; 346 registered fishing vessels; aquaculture output is estimated at more than 2,100 tons. Nearly 1,000 individual production and business establishments are increasingly making important contributions to socio-economic development. Now, Binh Son and Binh Giang are not only production areas but also a coastal ecological belt where agriculture - aquaculture - services develop together.

Secretary of the Binh Son Commune Party Committee Do Hoai Thanh said that after 3 months of operating the new model, the local government has been operating smoothly and effectively, without any interruptions in work. The Party Committee and the commune government always listen, dialogue, and promptly resolve people's suggestions and feedback, thereby strengthening trust and consensus in society.

Late afternoon, I said goodbye to the isolated lands. A day in the commune ended peacefully, where each person was still working hard in the fields and gardens, but with a new mindset: more confident, better understanding the value of their homeland. Keeping the commune intact, keeping the simple lifestyle intact, also keeping the opportunity to develop in accordance with local characteristics.

(To be continued)

GIA KHANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/giu-nguyen-de-phat-trien-bai-2-xa-biet-lap-a463846.html