Lung Ca - A land of hazy white clouds

“Mùa vàng” bội thu của người dân Lũng Cà — The people of Lung Ca are experiencing a bountiful harvest season.

Lung Ca village is nestled in a valley, surrounded by Bo Bun and Co Dong mountains, shrouded in white clouds year-round. This place was once one of the "underdeveloped" areas in the locality in terms of socio -economic development.

I remember back in early 2015, we had a volunteer trip to Lung Ca Village. At that time, the village had 33 households, including 21 Mong ethnic minority households, facing countless difficulties due to a lack of electricity and water. Up to 50% of the households in the village were classified as poor. In particular, transportation for the villagers was very difficult due to the high mountain pass, slippery during the rainy season, and dusty during the sunny season. Those unfamiliar with the terrain found it hard to navigate the roads. The winter nights in the mountains descended in the blink of an eye. By around 6 PM, darkness had already enveloped everything, with only the faint yellow light of oil lamps illuminating each house.

Returning to Lung Ca today, we followed the same route, passing through the Lung Luong mountain pass, but Lung Ca felt much more beautiful. What we saw were sturdy stilt houses, concrete and gravel roads that were easy to navigate, and vegetable and corn fields ready for harvest with golden kernels...

On the way to the village, we met a woman in the cornfield and asked for directions to the village head's house in Lung Ca Ma Hanh Du. She kindly showed us the way. Through conversation, she introduced herself as Nong Thi Thong. She was clearing her field today, preparing for the new planting season. She also boasted that she had harvested over 100 bags of corn from the last crop. Because it was a new variety, each kernel was plump, firm, and shiny yellow. She used some of the corn to feed her four cows and sold the rest to traders. Now that the price of corn is 7-8 thousand dong/kg, she earned a decent amount.

We walked along, breathing in the crisp valley air, and soon arrived at the village chief's house. Having made an appointment beforehand, Chief Ma Hanh Du already knew of our visit, so he got straight to the point. He said, "You'll know when you've been here before. Because it's nestled between high mountains, transportation is very difficult. On rainy days, water rushes down from the top of the slopes, making it impossible for anyone to travel; the whole village is almost completely isolated from the outside world. Back then, almost all the households in the village were poor or near-poor."

(PRINT NEWSPAPER) Lung Ca - A Land of Lingering White Clouds 1

The real change came when the government invested in a concrete road from the main road of Thuong Nung commune, passing through Lung Luong hamlet and then to Lung Ca. After that, the village received further investment in electricity and a centralized clean water system. With solid roads, production and trade became much easier. Most importantly, the villagers' agricultural products were easily purchased by traders, eliminating the previous situation of being forced to accept low prices.

In particular, to help people earn a living and escape poverty sustainably, many households have received support from the State in the form of cattle for fattening or breeding, as well as support in providing grass seeds. Some other households have received support in the form of fertilizers, corn seeds, and rice seeds for higher yields and better quality crops… At the same time, with the guidance of local officials on livestock farming, veterinary medicine, and the application of science and technology to production, the number of poor households in the village who have risen to achieve effective economic models and accumulated wealth is also increasing.

Returning to Lung Ca, we followed the same route, passing through the Lung Luong Sky Gate, but Lung Ca felt much more beautiful now. What we saw were well-maintained stilt houses, and concrete and gravel roads that made travel much easier...

Mr. Truong Van Pao, a household that recently escaped poverty, said: “Before, with the old rice variety, each sao (a unit of land measurement) only yielded 3 bags of rice, but with the new variety, it yields 4.5-5 bags per sao. The new NK4300 hybrid corn variety also doubles the yield, producing 15 bags of corn per kilogram of seed, instead of 6-7 bags as before. Thanks to the guidance of the officials, my family has learned to rotate crops and fertilize the soil instead of relying solely on natural farming methods as before, and as a result, our economic situation has gradually improved…”

According to village head Ma Hanh Du, although the villagers' lives are still difficult, the most encouraging thing is that they have changed their mindset and way of doing things. Instead of just working within the village as before, many people have now boldly registered to work in factories and have a decent income. As a result, the number of poor households decreases every year. Lung Ca village, with 270 inhabitants, which was previously entirely poor, now has only 22 poor households. The few poor and near-poor households are also living better lives than before, and there are no longer any starving households. The whole village has 115 cows, 45 buffaloes, over 100 pigs, and each household has 10-30 chickens. Many households have also been able to buy televisions, refrigerators, and other essential household appliances.

Previously, many households were reluctant to escape poverty, but in recent years, people have become more aware, and many households have even registered to strive to escape poverty… This is an important prerequisite for the development and progress of Lung Ca village.

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