Nam Vi overcomes difficulties.

Tran Ngoc Kien *(left)* , Secretary of the Party Committee of Nam Vi commune, visits and encourages people in the commune to develop cinnamon cultivation.

We arrived in Nam Vi in mid-August – the peak of the rainy season in Northwest Vietnam. Along the concrete road connecting National Highway 4H to the commune center, there were numerous landslides, some involving large volumes of material, but they were quickly cleared to ensure traffic flow for the people. On both sides of the road were lush green fields of cassava, corn, and elephant grass for livestock. Speaking about the socio-economic development of the commune, the Chairman of the People's Committee, Vu Hoai Nam, shared: The commune has 7 villages with 720 households and 4,336 inhabitants, comprising three ethnic groups: Thai, Kinh, and Mong. People's lives are still difficult, with the poverty rate remaining above 61%. The commune has only achieved 5 out of 19 criteria for building new rural areas… Despite many difficulties, most people in Nam Vi are hardworking and diligent in production. They utilize vacant land, not used for corn or cassava cultivation, to grow fodder crops for livestock. After harvesting, the crops are processed using machines and fed to livestock at home, instead of relying entirely on natural grazing as before. As a result, the commune's livestock population is growing steadily. Currently, the total livestock population is over 2,300 animals; including 1,115 buffaloes and 263 cows… In addition, local residents continue to cultivate over 102 hectares of wet rice, 300 hectares of upland rice, corn, cassava, and other crops… Aquaculture is also a positive sign for a highland area like Nam Vi, with a total pond area of 20.88 hectares. Meanwhile, local residents are continuing to expand their pond area to ensure sufficient food supply for their families and the community…

The people of Nam Vi are also increasingly changing their mindset and practices, actively converting their hillside crops to industrial crops and long-term timber trees with higher economic value, such as cinnamon and mahogany. Many households have invested their own capital and labor into planting many hectares of new crops.

Party Secretary Tran Ngoc Kien of the commune enthusiastically led us to visit the newly planted cinnamon trees in Huoi Lum village. While guiding us, Party Secretary Tran Ngoc Kien shared: “The commune is implementing a cinnamon tree planting project in villages under the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas in 2023. Nineteen households in the commune are participating, planting approximately 32 hectares. In addition to this program, many households have purchased additional seedlings to expand their planting area, hoping to escape poverty and become wealthy. For example, Mr. Sung Vang Say from Huoi Cha 2 village received support to plant 1.7 hectares, but his family independently purchased an additional 2,000 seedlings. And Mr. Sung A Ha's family, whom we will visit soon, despite lacking manpower for cinnamon planting, has also independently invested in planting 3 hectares of cinnamon trees…”

Mr. Sung A Ha, the owner of 3 hectares of thriving teak trees, is currently the Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Nam Vi commune. True to his role as a "leader" of the commune's farmers, Mr. Ha has always been a pioneer in agricultural production. In the conversion of crops and livestock, he doesn't rely on government support; instead, he invests his own capital and labor in developing crops according to the district and commune's guidelines. Mr. Sung A Ha shared: "My family boldly planted 3 hectares of teak trees for timber. The commune is currently facing a timber shortage, and teak wood is currently priced at around 15 million VND/m³..."

During this return visit, we felt that the impoverished Nam Vi commune was gradually transforming. Infrastructure was being invested in, along with a change in the mindset and approach of the people in developing the economy to escape poverty. However, according to the commune's Party and government leaders, Nam Vi's natural conditions and terrain are characterized by steep and rugged hills, fragmented by many streams; the level of education is uneven, and the material and spiritual lives of the people are still lacking. The political security and social order situation still harbors many unpredictable complexities. Meanwhile, the State's investment resources for the people here are still limited, and infrastructure faces many difficulties… Therefore, in the coming time, Nam Vi commune still needs the attention and investment of all levels and sectors to support the people here and give them the motivation to strive for progress.

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