The village head is loved and trusted by the people.

Báo Khánh Hòa•29/03/2023

For over 25 years as the head of Phong Ấp village ( Ninh Bình commune, Ninh Hòa town), Mr. Phùng Thanh Trúc has always been well-liked by the people. Thanks to his reputation, village affairs are always supported by the people, and the village remains peaceful and harmonious.

Lighting up the country roads

Phong Ấp village established many clubs very early on, such as: "Women who do not have a third child"; "Exemplary grandparents, filial children and grandchildren"; "Veterans"; "Sustainable family development"... Mr. Truc said: "Phong Ấp is the first village in the commune to eliminate the practice of scattering paper offerings during funerals, completely abandoning outdated customs in funeral ceremonies. Since 2013, the village has implemented the "Lighting up rural roads" program, contributing to the protection of security and order in the village." At that time, the villagers themselves contributed funds to build power lines and light bulbs to illuminate all the roads in the village. Initially, when the village was still struggling, Mr. Truc used telephone wires to power the public roads in the village.

To recruit more collaborators for the "Lighting Up Rural Roads" program, Mr. Truc selected two enthusiastic young men from the village, Ba Huu Duy and Nguyen Binh. "Uncle Nam said our village is poor, so we should try to do something to make it brighter for people to travel at night. I measured all the village roads, determined the number of additional electric poles needed, drew up the design, and estimated the costs to send to Uncle Nam for review. From there, Uncle Nam held a meeting with the villagers to present the idea, and the people enthusiastically supported and contributed," Mr. Binh recalled.

Choosing a first street as a model, they installed 10 streetlights, illuminating the area brightly at night. Everyone was excited and proud that their village now had streetlights. To date, the village has a total of 120 streetlights (excluding those already installed by the power company), and nearly 5,000 meters of standard power lines. Mr. Truc shared: "The members of the electrical team do this as an additional task; their main jobs are working as security guards for the school and farming. Thanks to this force, the village's electricity system has been running smoothly since 2013. Just think, if a light bulb burns out or a wire breaks, hiring an outside repairman would cost hundreds of thousands of dong – no fund could afford that. Here, during the rainy season, bulbs burn out and wires break constantly, but the electrical team members voluntarily repair them."

Mr. Nguyen Binh is repairing the streetlights in the countryside.

Many places in Ninh Hoa town have tried to implement "rural street lighting" like Phong Ap village, but these initiatives only lasted for a short time. Phong Ap village, however, has maintained it for a long time. To fund electricity bills from the power company and major repairs or replacements of the entire power line, each household contributes 70,000 VND per year. Over the past 10 years, Phong Ap village has always publicly disclosed its income and expenditure, ensuring transparency for all residents. "When people trust us, they voluntarily contribute for the benefit of each family. The most important thing is to not compromise the people's democratic rights. Everything must be explained and discussed sincerely and openly, through community meetings, through people's security teams, and even by going to each household to explain so that people understand and support the initiative," Mr. Truc shared his experience.

Preserving neighborly affection

Mr. Truc has been the head of Phong Ap village since 1996. Currently, the poverty rate in the village is only 0.75%; 100% of houses have tiled roofs; 100% of households are recognized as "Culturally Advanced Families," making the village the first "Culturally Advanced Village" in Ninh Hoa town. Over 25 years as village head, he has received the support of 531 households and is well-loved by everyone.

Under Mr. Truc's leadership, Phong Ap village established 19 neighborhood group leaders. Many village activities were divided among these 19 group leaders to ensure the smooth running of village affairs. Throughout his time as village head, Mr. Truc dedicated significant time to maintaining security and order. He believed that good security must begin with building culturally-minded families, as family harmony is the root of all problems. Mr. Truc vividly remembers a mediation session: "I knew Mr. H. would beat his wife after drinking, so I met with him privately to advise him, saying, 'A husband beating his wife is wrong.' I showed him examples of harmonious couples in the village who focused on their work, prompting him to reflect on his own behavior. Since that meeting, Mr. H. has never beaten his wife again."

Phong Ấp village has established groups to prevent and combat domestic violence, which are part of the village's mediation team. They have publicized the phone numbers of the village head, deputy village head, and mediation team members for the residents to see. “Whenever we receive a call to the village, we have to go to the house immediately, even in the middle of the night or in the rain and wind; we are never late. In the past, sometimes they would argue with the village and mediation team. In recent years, the whole village has gotten used to it. When they see the village coming, they know what's going on, put away their loudspeakers and loud singing, and don't argue… All incidents in the village are handled smoothly; people don't need to call the commune, except in cases of land disputes,” said Mr. Ba Hữu Duy, Deputy Head of Phong Ấp village.

At the age of 72, Mr. Truc reflects on his time as village head: Always foster unity, discuss issues thoroughly and reasonably, and use responsibility to the people as the measure of all work. Explain any questions people may have in detail; always be open and transparent about all income and expenditure, and avoid giving people reason to doubt the financial dealings.

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