A place to return to amidst the vast wilderness.

Following the implementation of the two-tiered local government model, hundreds of officials and civil servants were deployed to work in mountainous and border communes. Along with supplementing personnel at the grassroots level, the issue of housing and living conditions for officials working far from home has also been addressed by many localities. The public housing complexes, centralized kitchens, and other facilities currently under investment not only meet immediate needs but also serve as a support system, allowing officials to feel secure and committed to working in the highlands.

The staff housing area in Nhi Son commune was arranged by the local authorities to serve officials and civil servants who work far from their families. Photo: Tang Thuy

When the mountains and forests become a second home.

Around 6 PM, the Mường Lý Commune Public Administrative Service Center was deserted. In the small office, less than 20 square meters, Mr. Nguyễn Công Bằng, a commune judicial officer, still sat in front of his computer screen reviewing the remaining files for the day. Behind his desk was a bunk bed placed against the wall. In one corner of the room were a few sets of clothes, an electric kettle, and personal items necessary for living away from home.

Since leaving Ham Rong ward to take up his duties in the border commune of Muong Ly, that room has served as both his workspace and resting place. Outside the window, the commune's new staff housing complex is gradually taking shape. The walls have been erected, and the sound of the concrete mixer still echoes steadily in the mountains.

It's been almost a year since he took up his post in Muong Ly, but Bang still clearly remembers that bus ride up the mountain pass. After nearly six hours traversing winding mountain roads, he arrived in his new location with a backpack full of clothes and a few personal items. "Although I had imagined life up here would be different from the lowlands, with more difficult living conditions, seeing it firsthand and experiencing life and work there was still truly astonishing," Bang recounted.

The Mường Lý Commune People's Committee headquarters is perched precariously on a mountainside, isolated from the residential area. Surrounded by mountains and forests, there are no shops or familiar amenities like those in the lowlands. In the early days of taking up his duties, Mr. Bằng and some colleagues had to temporarily stay at a nearby kindergarten. Only when the prefabricated building was completed did everyone have a more stable place to live. The nearly 200km of mountain roads meant he could only visit his family once a month on average. On weekends, while his colleagues went down the mountain to visit their families, he remained to complete his unfinished work in the vast mountain forests of the highlands.

Mr. Bang's story is not an isolated case. Following decisions to deploy and reinforce cadres in mountainous areas, many are accepting a life far from home to commit to their new surroundings. Currently, Muong Ly commune has 12 cadres working more than 100km from their residences and 8 cadres working more than 20km from their homes.

While Mr. Nguyen Cong Bang carried the anxieties of a man far from his family, Ms. Le Thu Hang, a cultural and social affairs officer at the Nhi Son Commune People's Committee, had a different journey. The initial list of officials assigned to Nhi Son included both Nguyen Thi Ngoc and Le Thu Hang, colleagues who had previously worked in Tay Do Commune. However, due to family circumstances and having young children, Ms. Ngoc was unable to accept the assignment. Ms. Hang became the only female official present in Nhi Son during that assignment.

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The initial period in the new area was not easy. Food, water, and resting places were all scarce. After work, she and her colleagues prepared dinner, arranged accommodation, and encouraged each other to overcome the initial difficulties. What she found hardest to adapt to wasn't the long slopes or the long trips to remote locations, but the silence of the mountains and forests. After 7 p.m., Nhi Son was almost completely silent. There were no more sounds of traffic, no more city lights. Outside the window, there were only the sounds of insects echoing from the mountainside, the wind rustling through the roofs, and darkness stretching across the valleys. In that quiet space, she missed her family and the simple things of life in the lowlands even more.

Nearly a year after taking up her post, the woman, initially bewildered upon arriving in this border region, decided to buy land and build a house near her workplace to settle down permanently. Her father was a border guard officer, spending almost his entire life in the border mountains and forests. Her childhood was filled with stories about the border, boundary markers, and gifts from the mountains and forests that her father brought back after each mission. From her initial bewilderment, she gradually found a connection to this land. The slopes were no longer unfamiliar, the villages became familiar, and her colleagues became like family. For Ms. Hang and many other officers assigned to the border region, the mountains and forests are now gradually becoming their second home.

Building "places of return" at the foot of the mountain.

In the early days of receiving cadres seconded from the lowlands, the biggest concern for Mr. Vi Van Hung, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Ly commune, was how to stabilize their living conditions. At that time, the commune did not have official housing. Many cadres had to temporarily stay at the kindergarten or utilize functional rooms for living. The local authorities had to proactively arrange accommodation and gradually improve living conditions for the seconded cadres.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Bang, a judicial officer at the People's Committee of Muong Ly commune, in his room which serves as both his workspace and resting place. Photo: Tang Thuy

Having been closely associated with the locality for many years, Mr. Vi Van Hung said that what worries him is not only the living conditions of the seconded staff but also the difficulties in retaining them long-term. Muong Ly is a mountainous commune facing many difficulties, and many staff members have to travel hundreds of kilometers from their families to take on their duties. Meanwhile, the locality is not currently eligible for some policies applied to border communes like many other localities in Muong Lat district in the past. "The staff coming from the lowlands to work here face many hardships. They are far from their families, and living conditions are still lacking. The locality only hopes to create the best possible conditions so that everyone can work with peace of mind and remain committed to the area," Mr. Hung shared.

Behind the Mường Lý Commune People's Committee headquarters, the new staff housing complex is nearing completion. The project, comprising 16 rooms, is currently about 65% complete and is expected to be finished and put into use in August. In addition to investing in infrastructure, the commune has proactively assigned experienced officials familiar with the area, fluent in the local languages, and with extensive work experience to support new colleagues. Shared meals, after-work conversations, and invitations to colleagues' homes have become ways for those from the lowlands to quickly integrate into life in the highlands.

In Nhi Son, upon receiving 13 officials and civil servants who were seconded to work there, the commune leaders recognized that simply providing workplaces was insufficient. Using local resources, the commune built six new prefabricated staff housing units, renovated five old ones, and arranged centralized accommodation for the officials, along with a canteen and other auxiliary facilities to support their daily lives.

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According to Mr. Le Huu Nghi, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Nhi Son commune, stable housing is a condition for officials to feel secure in their work and committed to the locality. Currently, the province is developing a policy to support travel expenses for officials, civil servants, and public employees affected by the reorganization of commune-level administrative units.

Late in the afternoon, the last rays of sunlight gradually faded behind the mountain ranges surrounding Muong Ly commune. The sound of concrete mixers still echoed from the staff housing complex under construction behind the headquarters. In a few months, those rooms would be lit up. In the middle of the vast forest, it was more than just a construction project. For those who had chosen to stay with the mountains and forests, with the people of the highlands, it was a warm place to return to after a day's work, a part of their second homeland.

Tang Thuy

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/noi-tro-ve-giua-dai-ngan-291568.htm