Villages "change new clothes"

The blooming of skillful mass mobilization models

The communes of Trung Leng Ho and Sang Ma Sao are about 40-50km from Bat Xat district. But about 10 years ago, it took half a day to get there, sometimes by car, sometimes on foot, sometimes through the forest, sometimes across streams. But now, the road to the remote villages has become closer because of the smooth concrete road connecting trade and culture. After 10 years of returning to the highland districts of Bat Xat, I was surprised by the changes in the Mong villages here.

Mr. Vang Seo Say, Head of the Mass Mobilization Committee of Bat Xat District, drove me on a motorbike to Sang Ma Sao Commune, talking animatedly as we drove. Mr. Say was very pleased with the results that mass mobilization work has achieved in recent years, especially in the villages where the Mong people live. The most typical example is mobilizing people to unanimously implement the goal of building a new countryside. Warmth and prosperity open up when people know how to accept and follow good and right things.

The clever propaganda models in Bat Xat have been followed by the people and achieved many good results.

While driving along the road, Mr. Vang Seo Say suddenly turned and stopped in front of a house that still smelled of new paint. That was the house of Mr. Ly Seo Sang, Chu Phin village, Sang Ma Sao commune.

Ly Seo Sang's family used to be the poorest in the village. Because of poverty, Sang simply thought of letting his children drop out of school to earn money to support their lives. Thanks to Say and the commune's Mass Mobilization Committee who encouraged his children to go to school, he realized that only by getting an education could he change his life.

“If there were no cadres to encourage my children to go to school, perhaps now, hunger and poverty would still be haunting my family and my children. Now my children all have university degrees and are working to earn money to build big houses for their parents,” said Mr. Sang.

Head of the Bat Xat District Mass Mobilization Committee, Vang Seo Say, went to the grassroots to encourage people to abandon bad customs and participate in protecting forests and the environment.

Over a hot cup of tea, we talked about the changes in the village. Changes not only in life but also in thinking are the biggest changes, determining the transformation of each family here. "Ly Seo Co's family over there escaped poverty, their children escaped illiteracy, and got married early, all thanks to listening to the civil service cadres," Sang pointed to a house in the next hamlet.

Mr. Sang said that Ly Seo Co's family has two daughters who are now twenty and twenty-one. But 7 or 8 years ago, when they were only 13 or 14 years old, following the ancient Mong way of life, Mr. Co also planned to make his daughters drop out of school and get married because he was afraid that if his daughters studied too much, they would be single. The district and commune mass mobilization committees took turns to persuade Mr. Co and his wife for a whole month before he understood that letting his daughters get married at 13 or 14 years old would be a violation of the law and that they needed to go to school to learn to escape poverty. Now the two daughters are over 20 years old, both have jobs outside of town, and I heard that Mr. Co's eldest daughter is about to marry a cadre in the city.

The story of Mr. Sang or Mr. Co changing their way of thinking is not uncommon in Bat Xat. A series of models of mobilizing to abandon bad customs and develop the socio-economy have been implemented in recent years and have become emulation movements throughout the district, especially in villages with a large population of ethnic minorities.

Mr. Vang Seo Say said that in Trung Leng Ho commune and Sang Ma Sao commune, the district mobilized her to implement a model of reforming bad customs in Mong ethnic funerals, mobilizing people to abandon the bad customs of exposing the dead to the sun and slaughtering buffaloes to perform rituals before burial.

In Choan Then village, Lao Chai village, Y Ty commune, there is a model of cleaning village roads and alleys implemented by the women's association. In Ta Co Thang village, Trinh Tuong commune, there is a model of house renovation and environmental sanitation, contributing to the obvious change in the Mong ethnic village. In Na Rin village, Muong Vi commune, the commune's Youth Union implements a model of union members and youth not engaging in early marriage or incestuous marriage...

In the economic field, there have been many models of ethnic minorities who are good at production and business in recent times. A typical example is Mr. Vang Van Suong, Giay ethnic group, Muong Vi commune, who opened a lemongrass essential oil extraction workshop and established Muong Kim Cooperative with a revenue of 1.2 billion VND/year, and was honored as an outstanding Vietnamese farmer in 2022.

The skillful emulation movement has contributed to changing the face of ethnic minority areas in remote areas of Bat Xat district (Lao Cai).

Or the cricket bee farming model of Mr. Vu A Cac in Trinh Tuong commune; the native black pig farm of Mr. Lo Lao Ta, A Mu Sung commune; the collective horse breeding models for commercial purposes of the Giay people in Muong Vi commune; the Tai nung pear growing model of Dao households in Kin Chu Phin village, Nam Pung commune; the Ha Nhi women's model of community tourism in Choan Then village, Y Ty commune...

In order for the mass mobilization models to be truly effective, the Party Committees of the communes have developed specific plans, assigned tasks to each member of the Executive Committee, closely followed each Party cell, participated in Party cell activities, village meetings to select appropriate content, and together sought ways to resolve difficulties and obstacles right at the grassroots level, thereby improving the quality and effectiveness of mass mobilization work. Thereby creating consensus among the people, contributing to firmly consolidating the great national unity bloc, and the people wholeheartedly trusting the leadership of the Party".

Spread the mass movement skillfully

"Changing people's thinking, guiding them to a healthy lifestyle, and finding a way to develop the economy is not something that can be done overnight. Building a movement is difficult, but maintaining it is even more difficult." Head of the Bat Xat District Mass Mobilization Committee Vang Seo Say worried and said that the movement can only be maintained when it is in accordance with the people's wishes.

Mr. Say said that Ban Vuoc commune can be considered a typical example of spreading the mass mobilization movement. In order for the "Skilled Mass Mobilization" movement to reach the people, Ban Vuoc commune has promoted propaganda and mobilized union members, association members and people to well implement the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws and policies, and participate in implementing socio-economic development policies and policies according to the resolution of the commune's Party Congress. In particular, the Fatherland Front and mass organizations have constantly innovated the content and methods of operation, and cadres doing mass mobilization work have been close to the people, close to the grassroots, promptly grasping the aspirations of the people to have appropriate measures to help.

Thanks to the mass mobilization work, security and order in Bat Xat district have basically come into order, and people are confident in developing the economy.

In particular, the emulation movement "Skillful Mass Mobilization" in Ban Vuoc commune, associated with the implementation of the national target program on new rural construction, has created a vibrant competitive atmosphere among all cadres, party members and people. The Party Committee and the commune government have done a good job of "Skillful Mass Mobilization" in organizing conferences, soliciting people's opinions to contribute ideas, experiences, and practical and appropriate solutions to resolutions, programs, and plans for socio-economic development, and new rural construction programs in the locality, thereby creating a high consensus among cadres, party members and people.

Mr. Say added that although it is a mountainous and border district with many difficulties, in recent years, more and more "Skilled Mass Mobilization" models have appeared in Bat Xat district. In the period of 2022 - 2025, Bat Xat will effectively maintain hundreds of "Skilled Mass Mobilization" models and implement 17 new models in communes and towns, notably models to improve backward customs in mountainous areas.

In the coming time, the Party Committee of Bat Xat district will continue to strengthen leadership and direction to promote the "Skillful Mass Mobilization" movement, linking the "Skillful Mass Mobilization" emulation movement with other emulation movements such as: "Promoting the study and following of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and lifestyle", the Campaign "All people unite, build new rural areas, civilized urban areas"; "All people participate in protecting national security"; promote the spirit of hard work and creativity of the people, contributing to promoting the local economy and society to develop more and more, strengthening and consolidating the close relationship between the Party, government and people.

Saying goodbye to Bat Xat, saying goodbye to Trung Leng Ho, Sang Ma Sao and Ban Vuoc, walking on the wide road with flowers and leaves on both sides, my heart was filled with joy. The joy comes from witnessing positive changes in the small villages nestled on the mountainside. Those changes will be the motivation for Bat Xat to fully exploit its advantages and make a successful breakthrough.

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