Mr. Ly Van Chem and Ms. La Thi Thau share one thing in common: a pioneering and exemplary spirit, using actions to convince the people.
"If we persevere and see results, people will come to us for advice."
Tang Nga village, Muong Mo commune, Lai Chau province, is home to 100% of the Cong ethnic minority, one of the smallest ethnic groups in Vietnam. In the past, poverty clung to every household. The road to the village was a dirt road, becoming muddy and slippery after just a rain. The economy relied mainly on rice farming and small-scale livestock raising; life was difficult, many outdated customs persisted, and cultural identity faced the risk of disappearing.
After joining the Party, Ly Van Chem, Secretary of the Party Branch in Tang Nga village, set a strict requirement for himself: to change his own family first. He boldly transformed his production, pioneering the planting of 5 hectares of cinnamon, 0.7 hectares of macadamia nuts, maintaining 5 sao (approximately 0.5 hectares) of rice paddies, and applying scientific and technical methods to farming. As a result, his family earns over 250 million VND per year. Chem recalled, "At first, the people didn't believe me. When they saw me planting cinnamon, they said it was a long-term crop and they wondered when I would make money. But I persevered, and when it proved effective, the villagers came to ask me about it."
Instead of keeping his experience to himself, he directly guided and mentored each household. Gradually, from a few small-scale models, the entire village developed a concentrated cinnamon growing area of 150 hectares, along with dozens of hectares of cypress, teak, and other trees, and hundreds of hectares of food crops. Livestock and poultry farming also developed in a commercial direction linked to environmental protection. Notably, forest protection and development brought each household over 30 million VND per year from forest environmental services.
Mr. Ly Van Chem, Secretary of the Party Branch of Tang Nga village: "At first, the people didn't believe it. When they saw us planting cinnamon, they said it was a long-term crop and wondered when we would make money. But we persevered, and when it proved effective, the villagers came to ask us about it themselves." - Photo: VGP
In the new rural development program based on the principle of "the State and the People working together," Mr. Chem also set a leading example by voluntarily donating over 2,000 m² of land to open a road. Seeing the officials take the lead, the villagers followed suit. As a result, the entire village donated over 10,000 m² of land and contributed over 500 man-days of labor to build roads and a cultural center. Infrastructure has improved significantly, inter-village roads have been concreted, 100% of households have access to electricity, average income is over 30 million VND/person/year, and the poverty rate has decreased to below 10%.
However, the biggest change in the village is not just economic, but in awareness. Since 2020, child marriage and consanguineous marriage have been eliminated, and funerals are now conducted according to civilized customs.
As the Party Branch Secretary, Mr. Ly Van Chem, along with village elders and respected community leaders, actively encouraged villagers to abandon outdated customs and preserve and promote cultural identity. Major festivals such as Min Loong Phat and Hang Si Phat are held after the harvest, both to give thanks to the gods and to strengthen community bonds. The Cong language is taught orally to the younger generation; the brocade weaving craft has been restored; and activities such as circle dances, love songs, and traditional games take place regularly. "As long as the culture remains, the village remains. Losing the culture means losing our roots," Mr. Chem lamented.
The village of Bản Táng Ngá in Mường Mô commune, Lai Châu province, has formed a concentrated cinnamon growing area of 150 hectares, along with dozens of hectares of cypress, teak, and other trees, and hundreds of hectares of food crops - Photo: VGP
The woman who "walks the talk" in Khe Mó
If Mr. Chem is the image of a Party Secretary deeply connected to the cinnamon forest, then Ms. La Thi Thau, a San Chi ethnic minority woman, is remembered as the "torchbearer" of Khe Mo village, Binh Lieu commune, Quang Ninh province. Born in 1990, she was trusted and elected as the Party Branch Secretary and Village Head since 2020, and has been a respected figure in the village since 2018.
When she took on the role, Khe Mó village lacked many things, especially roads, electricity, and irrigation canals. She proactively listened to the people's opinions and boldly proposed that the higher authorities invest in infrastructure. In 2020, the village received investment for 4 internal village roads and 5 irrigation canals. During the new rural development program, Ms. Thâu actively campaigned and mobilized the people to donate land, assets on the land, and labor to build roads and irrigation canals. As a result, the village donated nearly 9,800 m² of land, over 2,000 cinnamon trees, 200 days of labor, and contributed over 150 million VND.
Ms. La Thi Thau, Party Secretary and Head of Khe Mo village, Binh Lieu commune, Quang Ninh province, promotes the "All people unite to build a cultured life" movement - Photo: My Dung
Furthermore, Ms. Thau is particularly concerned with preserving the cultural identity of the San Chi ethnic group. Over the past five years, she has organized 90 awareness campaigns with more than 5,400 participants, advocating for the elimination of child marriage, exorbitant dowry demands, and superstitions; and promoting civilized practices in weddings, funerals, and festivals. "I have collaborated to introduce the Soóng Cọ folk songs of the San Chi people into school curricula; and established Soóng Cọ clubs in villages and communes. If children don't know how to sing Soóng Cọ, who will preserve it in the future?" she asked, a simple yet poignant question.
From a village with many poor households and a backward cultural life, by the end of 2025, Khe Mó will have only 1 poor household; 100% of households will have decent housing and means of transportation; the people's lives will be stable, and security and order will be maintained. The movement "All people unite to build a cultured life" has truly become a part of daily life.
Two journeys – one common destination
One is the Party Secretary of a remote village in Lai Chau, the other is the Party Secretary and Head of a border village in Quang Ninh; one is of the Cong ethnic group, the other of the San Chi ethnic group. But Ly Van Chem and La Thi Thau share one thing in common: a pioneering and exemplary spirit, using actions to persuade the people.
As Mr. Ly Van Chem shared: "As long as I can do something for the village and its people, I will continue to do it. Preserving the culture and improving the lives of the villagers is enough." And Ms. La Thi Thau also smiled, saying that she only hopes that in the future, when people mention Khe Mo, they will see it as a united, civilized village with a rich cultural identity.
Son Hao
Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/nhung-bi-thu-chi-bo-di-truoc-lam-truoc-102251230164223256.htm
Comment (0)