Love of Cham villagers in Thuan Loi commune

From the sincere invitation of Mr. Cham Sa and Mr. Cham Sahot, Cham people living alone in many places gathered in group 6, Tan Phu hamlet (Thuan Loi commune, Dong Nai province) to establish a village. Mr. Cham Sahot divided the reclaimed land into small pieces so that the next people could build thatched huts as a place to live. Meanwhile, Mr. Cham Sa quickly connected with the government so that the people could settle down.

Mr. Cham Sahot visits young people in the village. Photo: Diem Quynh

Cham village in group 6, Tan Phu hamlet, Thuan Loi commune currently has 56 households, with 172 people. Coming to this land to live from 1986-1990, Mr. Cham Sa and Mr. Cham Sahot then invited 12 Cham households from Cham hamlets and villages in and outside the province to come and establish hamlets and villages together.

Community Connection

The faded asphalt road from the center of Thuan Loi commune leads to the Cham village, shaded by green trees. The Masjid Nurul Islam mosque is quiet under the canopy of a smallholder's rubber plantation. Mr. Cham Sa and Mr. Cham Sahot are prestigious people among ethnic minorities and are also dignitaries of the Masjid Nurul Islam mosque.

Being the first to arrive, although not well-off, Mr. Cham Sa and Mr. Cham Sahot still opened their arms to welcome all the wandering Cham households who longed for community life to gather. The 5-acre land that they reclaimed was divided into small plots for households to build temporary thatched huts as shelters. Once they had settled down, the Cham people were guided by Mr. Cham Sa and Mr. Cham Sahot on how to find land to reclaim and grow beans, corn, cassava, and upland rice, and work for Kinh households and rubber plantations.

Mr. Cham Saro (residing in Group 6, Tan Phu Hamlet, Thuan Loi Commune) confided: “Like other households in the village, I had no valuable assets other than my labor when the Cham Sa and Cham Sahot called us to settle down together. After the community joined hands to cut grass and find forest trees to build a small hut for my wife and I, they did not ask my wife and I to provide them with a white meal as payment.”

Mr. Cham Saloa (residing in Group 6, Tan Phu Hamlet, Thuan Loi Commune) confided: Life was difficult for everyone in the beginning. Encouraging and supporting each other to facilitate religious activities to preserve traditions and identity... All 11 Cham households were excited and determined to overcome difficulties.

The Cham people in Group 6, Tan Phu Hamlet, Thuan Loi Commune always live in solidarity. The young Cham people are now very inquisitive, eager to learn new things, progressive and love to work. Thanks to that, the Cham village is changing with each step of their children going to school and working in industrial zones.

Head of Tan Phu Hamlet, Thuan Loi Commune, Dong Nai Province LE MINH TU

Changes through the seasons of rubber tree leaf shedding

Looking back at nearly 40 seasons of rubber trees changing leaves, Mr. Cham Sa said: In the village now there are no poor households, all have stable lives, decent housing. That is thanks to the efforts of each compatriot and the support and investment of the commune and province in roads, electricity, housing, clean water, crops, livestock, necessities... The highlight of the village in the past 10 years is that all children of school age are mobilized to attend classes, and their health is taken care of through the health insurance support policy. In particular, young people have found suitable jobs in companies and industrial parks to help their families. Middle-aged workers can still easily find jobs in small rubber plantations, farms or do other suitable jobs.

Pointing to the houses built facing the street and the Masjid Nurul Islam, Mr. Cham Sahot said: Those houses still have intact foundations and brick walls from the 134 and 135 programs built by the State as gifts to the people 10-15 years ago. They are now more beautiful and bigger thanks to the people's good business, young people working in companies send money back to their parents to renovate and rebuild. In the past, the people accepted thatched huts and temporary houses to live together. Thanks to that, the Cham village in group 6, Tan Phu hamlet has become more crowded, united and happy.

The roads to Cham village, group 6, Tan Phu hamlet are all paved with asphalt and cement concrete, so there are many vehicles and people passing by. This contributes to creating favorable conditions for children to go to school, young people to go to work, people to exchange and transport goods. In particular, asphalt and cement concrete roads add a touch of civilization and modernity. The life of the Cham people always aspires to rise up and unite, the children know how to love the elderly and the Cham people are always grateful and respect the officials and the government.

In the last days of November 2025, the Cham village waited for the rubber trees to shed new leaves so that each house could continue to be painted with a new layer of lime and paint. Since the days of inviting the Cham people to come and establish the village, Mr. Cham Sa, Cham Sahot and the Cham people in the village still had a burning desire: that the Cham children in the village would have someone to go to university, not just stop at the level that they and the government had achieved, which was to universalize primary education, creating conditions for their children to continue studying in junior high school and high school.

"I remember, in the past, I often went to the commune People's Committee to register household registration, birth certificates, and policies for people to the point that the commune officials asked why they didn't let people do it themselves. At that time, I just smiled and explained to the commune officials that people were busy working for money, didn't know the roads, and weren't good at Vietnamese, so the commune officials helped me solve the problem."

Mr. CHAM SA, Group 6, Tan Phu Hamlet, Thuan Loi Commune, Dong Nai Province

Diem Quynh

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202511/tinh-nguoi-lang-cham-o-xa-thuan-loi-ff92e2e/