The "high mountains and jade cinnamon" region today

Bright, newly built brick houses stand one after another beneath rows of lush, ancient cinnamon trees. Amidst the intoxicating aroma of cinnamon, one can witness the transformation of the once impoverished Bắc Trà My district (Quảng Nam province), once known as the "high mountain and jade cinnamon" region. Local authorities and residents are enthusiastically embarking on a new journey – a journey to escape poverty… Rarely does a force, besides its primary duty, fulfill so many other responsibilities. Perhaps that is why, in remote villages, we encounter dedicated military doctors in green uniforms treating the sick and saving lives, military teachers diligently teaching, and construction workers in green uniforms busily building houses for the villagers… On the morning of March 4th, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính chaired a roundtable discussion with major Korean corporations and businesses. From January to March each year is the season when plum blossoms bloom profusely in the Mộc Châu valley (Sơn La province). The entire landscape seems to be draped in the pristine white of plum blossoms. This is also one of the most beautiful times of the year in Moc Chau. To provide irrigation water for the winter-spring crop to hundreds of households in the Thoh Ga B rice field in Ia Chreh village, hundreds of officers and soldiers of the armed forces marched to the village to dam the river, divert water, and clear the waterways, helping to expand the area for rice cultivation by dozens of hectares. The belief and joy of bountiful harvests guaranteeing a prosperous life for the people are intertwined with the heartfelt melodies of the military-civilian relationship during the 2025 Winter-Spring crop season. With the spirit of "Great effort, high determination," the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, as well as the Steering Committee for the Eradication of Temporary and Dilapidated Houses in Quang Tri province, are determined to strive to complete the goal of eradicating temporary and dilapidated houses before August 30, 2025. Quang Ninh has piloted the construction, preservation, and promotion of the value of ethnic minority cultural villages associated with the development of community tourism in mountainous areas, shortening the gap between regions. Among them, the San Diu Ethnic Culture Village in Binh Dan commune (Van Don district), which has only been in operation for a short time, has gradually become a new tourist destination, attracting many tourists to visit and experience. Anyone who has ever visited the highlands of Lang Son during market days or festivals will surely be impressed by the groups of young men and women singing love songs with sweet and romantic melodies. The clear, melodious sli songs create a unique cultural identity of the ethnic people here. The summary news from the Ethnic and Development Newspaper, morning of March 4th, includes the following noteworthy information: The season of festivals and colorful flowers in the highlands; “Rising up Lang Nu village”; Preserving the precious heritage of the ethnic group with deep affection. Along with other current news from ethnic minority and mountainous regions, it's rare to find a force that, in addition to its main duties, plays such a multifaceted role. Perhaps that's why, in remote villages, we encounter dedicated military doctors treating and saving lives, military teachers diligently teaching, and construction workers busily building houses for the villagers... On the afternoon of March 4th, the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religion, in coordination with the Border Guard Command of Lao Cai, held a conference to summarize the collaborative work in 2024 and discuss directions and tasks for 2025. Bright new brick houses stand one after another under the lush green rows of ancient cinnamon trees. Amidst the fragrant cinnamon scent, one can witness the transformation of the once impoverished "high mountain and jade cinnamon" region of Bac Tra My (Quang Nam). Local authorities and residents are enthusiastically embarking on a new journey – a journey to escape poverty… With advantages in water resources and climate, cold-water fish farming models in Nam Dan commune, Xin Man district, Ha Giang province are becoming a new direction in the economic development of many households. Along with support from national target programs, cold-water fish farming has now formed a linked chain, expected to bring stable income to people in the area. From March 2nd to 4th, at the Bac Ninh Quan Ho Folk Song Theater, Vien Xa area, Hoa Long ward, Bac Ninh city, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh province organized the Bac Ninh Quan Ho Folk Song Competition for the Spring of the Year of the Snake 2025.

The joy of new homes

As previously arranged, Mr. Nguyen Tuan – a policy officer from the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Department of Bac Tra My district – welcomed us to visit several households that had recently built new houses in Tra Giang commune during the recent Tet holiday. Along the straight concrete road connecting the two villages, Mr. Tuan enthusiastically recounted the changes that have taken place among the ethnic minority communities in recent years.

The mountainous region of Bac Tra My, known for its cinnamon trees, is flourishing.

“Bac Tra My is famous for its cinnamon trees, which are highly valued worldwide . In recent years, this tree has also become known as a poverty-alleviating crop, with hundreds of households cultivating and developing it, bringing high economic efficiency. That's why the district is known as 'high mountain jade cinnamon'," Mr. Tuan explained when we asked about the logo displayed on the road leading to the center of the commune.

According to Mr. Tuan, nowadays, not only cinnamon trees but also people receive investment and support from many policies of the Party and the State, thanks to which their lives are increasingly improving. In recent years, hundreds of poor and near-poor households have been supported in building new houses, given livelihoods such as buffaloes, cows, goats… and crops such as pomelo trees, sugarcane, cinnamon, medicinal plants… to rise out of poverty, and their lives are becoming more prosperous and fulfilling.

In her clean, newly built single-story house, constructed at the end of last year, Ms. Ho Thi Be (Hamlet 1, Tra Giang Commune) proudly shared: “My husband and I have dreamed of having such a beautiful house for so many years, never imagining we would have one today. Before, we lived in a temporary house made of plywood, and we were constantly worried whenever it rained or was windy. The children were the hardest hit. Last Tet, the whole family got to move into our new house, we were so happy,” Ms. Be said cheerfully.

Ms. Bé is a Co ethnic woman, orphaned from a young age, and adopted by Mr. Hồ Trường Sinh – a respected figure in Trà Giang commune. Whenever she speaks of "Father Sinh," Ms. Bé expresses her deepest gratitude. From childhood, Mr. Sinh protected and cared for her, providing food and shelter. When she got married, her adoptive father gave her land to build a house. Mr. Sinh also cared for and supported her two children.

Ms. Ho Thi Be happily shared about receiving support for building a house and raising livestock.

“Thanks to Mr. Sinh giving us land to live on, my husband and I worked hard, but working on the farm year-round still presented many difficulties. Understanding this, last year the government provided us with 46 million VND in support to build a house. Along with our savings and a 40 million VND policy loan, we were able to build a clean and beautiful house with a total cost of about 300 million VND,” Ms. Bé shared.

According to Ms. Bé, when they started building the house, their neighbors helped a lot, allowing them to finish early and celebrate the Lunar New Year in time. Furthermore, during this period, her family received two breeding cows from national target programs. After caring for them, the pair of cows have now given birth to a healthy calf. With a new house and cows to raise, Ms. Bé and her husband are very grateful to the authorities for their help.

Ms. Dinh Thi Long shared her joy of moving into her new home with the reporter.

On the other side of the slope leading to Hamlet 3, Ms. Dinh Thi Long (of the Co ethnic group) took advantage of the new sunshine to dry some old corn. The golden color of the corn shone brightly in the sunlight, illuminating a corner of the yard. Her children also took advantage of the opportunity to hang out their freshly washed clothes to dry, their cheerful laughter echoing in their new house.

Her family is classified as a poor household in Tra Giang commune. The couple mainly works in agriculture and grows acacia trees to make ends meet. At the beginning of last year, they didn't even dare to think they would have enough money to build a house to protect against rain, let alone a beautiful and large house like the one they have now. With 46 million VND in government support, they boldly borrowed an additional 40 million VND from the policy loan program to build a new house of about 70 square meters, costing nearly 200 million VND in total.

“During the rainy days, we couldn’t go to the fields. My husband took advantage of the sunny days to go to the farm while I tidied up a few things. This year we’re happy because even with the rain, we don’t have to worry about the roof leaking like in previous years. We are very grateful to the authorities for having a sturdy house. Now we’ll try our best to work hard to escape poverty and provide better for our children,” Ms. Long happily shared.

Complete transformation

Mr. Mai Duc, Head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Department of Bac Tra My District, said: From the resources of national target programs, Bac Tra My district has allocated more than 72 billion VND to support over 1,400 households in the area with housing. Of these, 963 households received support for new construction and 380 households received support for repairs. Specifically for the national target program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, the district has supported 150 households in the area to build new houses.

In addition to supporting people with housing, over the years, Bac Tra My district has actively deployed resources to invest in infrastructure and provide livelihoods for its people. It is evident that infrastructure investments such as transportation projects, schools, cultural centers, and clean water facilities have been implemented promptly and effectively by the local authorities.

In addition, resources from national and local target programs have supported hundreds of disadvantaged households in terms of livelihoods, mainly in terms of seedlings and livestock such as cattle, goats, cinnamon trees, medicinal herbs, etc.

The road leading to Hamlet 3 has been newly constructed, facilitating travel for the people of Tra Giang commune.

Previously, the road leading to Hamlet 3 in Tra Giang Commune was a small, narrow dirt road. During the dry season, dust filled the air, and during the rainy season, it became muddy and flooded, making transportation extremely difficult for the residents. In response to this situation, the People's Committee of Bac Tra My District decided to invest in the construction of Rural Road 3, with a length of 1,234 square meters, to meet the transportation needs of the people, especially students, before the rainy season.

This project, overseen by the District Ethnic Affairs Department, addresses a practical need for the local people. Therefore, immediately after assessing the situation, the Department allocated funds for investment and construction. The project cost approximately 5 billion VND, sourced from the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas (National Target Program 1719). The road was completed ahead of schedule, much to the delight of the residents. Along the route, the district also installed solar-powered streetlights, facilitating easier travel.

Resources from national target programs have helped Bac Tra My invest in many infrastructure projects, meeting the practical needs of the people.

Not far from there is the Suoi Nua bridge, also invested in and completed last year, with a length of over 50m, funded by the National Target Program 1719. The construction of the Suoi Nua overpass bridge helps dozens of households in hamlets 2 and 3 of Tra Giang commune to travel easily, reducing risks to property and lives during each flood. This is one of many bridge, culvert, and road construction projects that the district has implemented in recent years.

“Essential infrastructure projects are prioritized for investment by the local authorities, especially roads, irrigation works, schools, and health stations. When assigned to implement these projects, the Department actively coordinates with relevant units. Among these, centralized clean water projects are currently very necessary, and the district is striving to complete them this year,” added Mr. Mai Duc, Head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Department of Bac Tra My district.

The Xơ Đăng people are keeping the forests of Bắc Trà My green.

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/mien-cao-son-ngoc-que-hom-nay-1741006397213.htm