Springtime settlement

In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), as the colors of spring gently spread across the hillsides and villages of the midland region, joy seems to arrive earlier for many families. It's not because of a lavish feast or new clothes, but because for the first time they are celebrating Tet in sturdy, warm homes – the result of a program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses, a program imbued with humanistic and compassionate values.

Provincial leaders inspected the house construction at the home of Mr. Dao Van Muoi in Quan Ngoai village, Tam Duong Bac commune.

In Dau Vai village, Tam Dao commune, Mrs. Hoang Thi Hai's new house, over 40 square meters ⁱⁿ size, stands out among the older, time-worn houses. The simple house, with its newly whitewashed walls not yet fully adorned with pictures, already exudes the festive atmosphere of Tet. On the altar, a pair of green banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) are neatly arranged, and the five-fruit platter is simply but warmly displayed. This marks the first Tet holiday where her family no longer worries about leaks and drafts.

As a single mother raising two young children and her disabled mother, Ms. Hai has spent many years living in a severely dilapidated house. Every rainy season, the fear of the house collapsing is ever-present. Ms. Hai said: “When it rains heavily, the whole family has to stay awake all night, using buckets and pots to catch water everywhere. Sometimes, when the wind blows strongly, all I can do is hug my children and be afraid.”

Now, in her new house, still smelling of fresh plaster, Mrs. Hai's eyes light up with joy mixed with emotion: "With a new house, I don't wish for anything more, I only hope to have good health to work and raise my children to be successful. This Tet, for me, that's more than enough."

Across the villages of Phu Tho province, thousands of families have been, and are celebrating their first Spring in sturdy new homes. This is the result of the province's vigorous and comprehensive program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses, implemented with a high sense of responsibility and strong political determination.

Recognizing the crucial importance of helping people "settle down" to "establish their livelihoods," the provincial leadership has identified the elimination of temporary and dilapidated housing as one of the key tasks in social welfare work. From the provincial level to the grassroots, the entire political system is involved in a coordinated effort. All levels and sectors conduct thorough reviews of each household and each difficult situation, ensuring transparency, accountability, and that the benefits reach the intended recipients.

The family of Ms. Hoang Thi Hai, from Dau Vai village, Tam Dao commune, celebrated Tet in their new home.

According to the review results, the entire province has 12,020 poor and near-poor households and people with meritorious services who are eligible for the elimination of temporary and dilapidated houses in 2025. Of these, 11,152 houses need repair and new construction, while 10,801 temporary and dilapidated houses require support for renovation or new construction.

To realize this goal, the province proactively developed an action plan and flexibly mobilized and utilized resources. Besides central government funding, the province boldly used over 295 billion VND from state budget savings in 2024 to focus on the program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses. The support levels were clearly and publicly defined: 60 million VND for each newly built house and 30 million VND for each house repaired. Notably, for 59 extremely poor households unable to contribute, the province increased the support to 130 million VND per house, giving these families in the most difficult circumstances the opportunity to build a proper home.

Not only relying on state resources, the movement to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in Phu Tho also strongly promotes the spirit of solidarity and sharing within the community. The total resources mobilized for the program reached 474.471 billion VND, including 260.001 billion VND from social contributions and 192.296 billion VND contributed directly by the households themselves.

Tens of thousands of man-days of labor from the military, police, and the people were mobilized, working together to build each house. Building material stores sold their goods at no profit, and teams of workers provided technical support and guidance to help people choose suitable materials, saving costs while still ensuring the quality and durability of the construction.

Thanks to this coordinated and decisive effort, the entire province has completed the support for the construction and repair of 10,801 houses, achieving 100% of the set plan. Of these, 7,479 houses were newly built and 3,322 were repaired. Thousands of houses, meeting safety standards, have become stable homes for 1,475 families of war veterans and thousands of other poor and near-poor households.

Spring is knocking on the doors of every newly built home. In rooms still smelling of fresh plaster, children's laughter rings out, blending with the red of couplets, the green of sticky rice cakes, and the golden hues of spring sunshine. For the people of Phu Tho, this year's Tet is not only a time for reunion and togetherness, but also a milestone in their faith in the sound policies and humane social welfare programs that have truly come to life.

Le Minh

Source: https://baophutho.vn/mua-xuan-an-cu-247901.htm