These are the "key players" who keep the rhythm of the countryside alive.

These are the

Comrade Le Thi Ngoc Lan, Party branch secretary and head of the Fatherland Front committee of Lang Bao village, Kien Tho commune (far left), is seen chatting with local people.

As the year draws to a close, Lang Bao village in Kien Tho commune becomes more vibrant with the rhythm of labor and production of its people. Along the village road, lush green tea hedges wind and curve, creating a peaceful rural atmosphere. Few know that behind this appearance lies the persistent efforts, persuasion, and exemplary leadership of the village officials, including the role of the Party branch secretary and head of the village's Fatherland Front Committee, Le Thi Ngoc Lan (born in 1978). Having been involved in village and commune affairs for many years, Ms. Lan began her role as Party branch secretary and head of the Fatherland Front Committee in Lang Bao village in 2019. The leading role of Party branch secretary Le Thi Ngoc Lan is clearly demonstrated through every aspect of local life.

The village of Lang Bao currently has 191 households and nearly 850 inhabitants, mainly from the Muong ethnic group. Despite its large area and challenging living conditions, the village has been recognized as achieving New Rural Area standards. One of the most notable achievements of Lang Bao is the movement to plant tea hedges. Over 4km of green hedges cover the village roads, not only creating a beautiful landscape and a highlight of the New Rural Area but also contributing to maintaining environmental hygiene in the countryside. To gain the high level of consensus from the people, the village Party branch, led by the Party branch secretary, persistently propagated and explained the long-term benefits, with Party members leading the way to gain the people's trust and encourage them to follow.

Economic development in the village has seen positive changes, although it still retains the characteristics of a purely agricultural mountainous village. Young people are working as factory workers or going abroad for labor export. Local people are diligently pursuing cooperative models of raising pigs for meat, growing pineapples, and cultivating cassava. The average per capita income of the villagers is estimated to reach 52 million VND by 2025.

Besides economic development, the cultural and spiritual life of the people here is also a highlight. The sports movement is thriving, especially football, which is considered the village's "trademark" and the birthplace of many famous football players. The traditional cultural features of the Muong people are still preserved and promoted, becoming a solid spiritual foundation in building cultural life in the residential area.

Party branch secretary Le Thi Ngoc Lan shared: "Given the large geographical area, to ensure the effectiveness of village activities, the 19-member party branch is divided into 3 groups according to residential areas, with party members assigned to be in charge of each area. This approach helps to promptly grasp the thoughts and aspirations of the people, while increasing the initiative and responsibility of each party member. The party branch has deployed Zalo groups to serve information and propaganda work; applied the electronic party member handbook to party branch activities; and effectively operated a Zalo group with the participation of all households in the village... Currently, the village is mobilizing people to extend green fences, plant shade trees along the roads, and calling for social contributions to build a village sports field to serve the recreational and sports training needs of the people."

In Bao Village, the role of village officials in "keeping the rhythm" is demonstrated through their perseverance and discipline in maintaining and improving the criteria of the New Rural Village program. Similarly, in Phu Vinh Dong village, Hoang Hoa commune, the rhythm of the village's operation bears the distinct mark of a dynamic and responsible female village head. Having dedicated nearly 30 years to grassroots work, holding various positions from head of the women's association, head of the Fatherland Front committee, Party branch secretary, and president of the Women's Union of the commune to her current role as village head, Le Thi Yen, the head of Phu Vinh Dong village, is highly regarded by many.

Phu Vinh Dong has over 210 households and more than 800 inhabitants, whose livelihoods mainly depend on agriculture , services, and small-scale trading. Starting with limited infrastructure, many public welfare projects were stalled due to a lack of resources and consensus. In 2024, when the commune implemented the project to upgrade and expand But Son 29 road passing through the village, the land clearance challenge posed significant difficulties. In this context, the role of village officials became clearly evident. Ms. Yen, along with the Front Committee and various associations, persistently went door-to-door, publicly disclosing the plan, listening to concerns, resolving difficulties, and fostering a sense of community responsibility among the villagers. As a result, more than 30 households voluntarily donated over 1,300 square meters of residential and agricultural land; many households were willing to demolish fences, gates, and trees worth hundreds of millions of dong to hand over the land. Even those households that did not donate land proactively contributed funds and labor to support affected families in rebuilding their structures.

Not stopping at just one project, Ms. Yen and the Party branch continued to promote skillful mass mobilization in village development movements. Taking advantage of the stimulus policy, she, along with other organizations and influential people, mobilized the people to work together to build drainage ditches and install lighting systems. In a short time, more than 2km of street lighting was completed with a cost of nearly 300 million VND; a sports field of over 1,000m2 was concreted; and the "Green Sunday" movement was maintained in an orderly manner, creating a bright, green, clean, and beautiful appearance for the village.

The innovations in rural villages like Lang Bao and Phu Vinh Dong serve as vivid evidence that where village officials are competent, dedicated, and responsible, policies are more easily implemented, and the villages move in a positive direction. Therefore, standardizing, improving the quality, and establishing appropriate mechanisms and policies to ensure this team can confidently contribute is not only an immediate requirement but also a long-term solution for the effective and sustainable operation of the grassroots political system from the root.

Text and photos: Viet Huong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nhung-hat-nhan-giu-nhip-lang-que-276352.htm