"The core" in the highland villages

In the highland villages of Thanh Hoa province, the "nucleus" of unity and development is often the Party members, branch secretaries, village heads, elders, and influential people. They play a pioneering role in eradicating hunger and poverty, building a new life, mobilizing villagers to change the structure of crops and livestock, and participating in preserving cultural identity.

Báo Thanh Hóa•12/05/2026

Officials in Suoi Ton village, Phu Le commune, are closely monitoring the situation at the grassroots level and disseminating legal information to the people.

Mr. Vi Van Tuoi, Secretary of the Party Branch of Thuy Thanh village, Son Thuy commune, is not only trusted and respected by the people but is also known as a pioneer in the movement to develop family-based economic activities , serving as an example for the villagers to learn from and follow. Currently, Mr. Tuoi's economic model consistently maintains 8 to 10 breeding cows and about 400 poultry. His family also owns more than 5 hectares of bamboo and 5 hectares of rattan, combined with forestry business. The average income from livestock and forestry is over 100 million VND per year, with bamboo and rattan alone contributing 70 to 80 million VND/year. This model provides a basis for the Party branch to encourage villagers to learn from it, develop production, and achieve sustainable poverty reduction.

Not content with just developing his family's economy, from 2015 to the present, Mr. Tươi has also directly guided and provided technical assistance, livestock, and labor to disadvantaged households to build production and livestock farming models. As a result, four households in the village have escaped poverty and stabilized their lives. This achievement demonstrates the crucial role of Party members as "key figures" in mountainous areas where production conditions are difficult and income depends heavily on weather and market conditions.

Comrade Le Dinh Xuan, Secretary of the Party Committee of Son Thuy commune, believes that Party members like Mr. Vi Van Tuoi are important bridges between the Party and the people. When Party members lead by example, the people are more likely to trust and follow, thus making the economic development movement more substantive. This is a condition for stabilizing livelihoods and maintaining security in the area.

In Pù Nhi commune, the "nucleus" is clearly demonstrated in the movement to change lifestyles. Mr. Lâu Minh Pó, 65 years old, of the Mong ethnic group, former Deputy Secretary of the Mường Lát District Party Committee, settled in Pù Toong village after retirement. Mr. Pó was a pioneer in implementing the project to promote cultural lifestyles in funeral ceremonies among the Mong ethnic group in the province. Pù Toong village has 100% Mong population. Previous funeral customs were lengthy, costly, and directly affected people's lives. Therefore, Mr. Pó, along with the Party branch and the village management board, persistently promoted and incorporated the implementation of new lifestyles into village regulations and customs for collective action.

The most noticeable results were the campaign to place the deceased in coffins during burial and to shorten the duration of funeral ceremonies. The villagers maintained appropriate cultural practices, but gradually reduced wasteful, outdated customs. Mr. Pó also encouraged the villagers to avoid uncontrolled migration and to focus on local businesses. These efforts required perseverance and personal credibility, as they directly impacted long-standing customs and community sentiment.

In Trung Ha commune, Mr. Lu Van Tiu, from Lang village, a respected figure of the Thai ethnic group, is trusted by the villagers. He mobilized the people to donate thousands of square meters of land, contribute money and labor to build internal village roads. He also encouraged households to move livestock and poultry pens away from their homes to ensure environmental hygiene. Thanks to the unity within the village, Lang village achieved the New Rural Area standard in 2020. This approach shows that when a respected person takes the lead and sets an example, matters related to the interests of each household, such as donating land, contributing money, and labor, become easier to resolve.

In Suoi Ton village, Phu Le commune, Mr. Mua A Lo is a respected figure. He participates with the village management board, coordinating with the Party committee and local government to organize direct meetings and dialogues with the people. He closely follows and offers frank and focused feedback on policies related to investment for ethnic minorities. He also encourages villagers to develop the economy, alleviate poverty, and educate them not to believe or listen to distorted narratives, not to migrate freely, to maintain security and order, and to gradually eliminate outdated customs.

Comrade Nguyen Thi Phuong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, stated: Thanh Hoa currently has approximately 1,280 influential individuals among ethnic minority communities. This is a crucial force in mass mobilization work in mountainous areas. They act as an "extended arm" of the Party committees and local authorities, contributing to delivering policies to the right target groups, reducing information gaps, and minimizing conflicts. When villages have such "key figures," difficult issues will have someone to help resolve them, movements will have leaders, and consensus will be strengthened. This is an important foundation for the sustainable development of Thanh Hoa's mountainous regions, linking economic development with maintaining stability in the area.

Text and photos: Xuan Minh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/hat-nhan-o-ban-lang-vung-cao-287376.htm