Even in old age, they remain enthusiastic about working.

Although she is 65 years old this year, Mrs. Dam Thi Choong (from Hamlet 2, Ea Pil Commune) still works directly in the fields and gardens every day.

Mrs. Choong's family moved from Quang Hoa ( Cao Bang province) to Ea Pil commune in 1993 to start a new life with nothing but their bare hands. Initially, the couple worked as laborers, growing rice, corn, and beans on the hillsides. During the moonlit nights, they would take advantage of the opportunity to clear land for cultivation. Their hard work paid off; after years of toiling in the fields, Mrs. Choong and her husband transformed nearly 2 hectares of barren land into cultivated land, with sugarcane being their main crop at the time.

Ms. Dam Thi Choong (far left) introduces her family's fruit tree model to visitors.

Following the policy of restructuring crop and livestock production, in 2015, Mrs. Choong's family decided to convert 1.5 hectares of sugarcane land to planting red lychee trees. The red lychee trees thrived in the Ea Pil area. After 3 years, the trees bore fruit consistently and yielded high productivity; the fruit had a rich, sweet, and refreshing taste, making it very popular, with traders coming directly to the orchard to place orders. From 2020 to the present, Mrs. Choong's family has harvested an average of 6 tons of fruit per season, selling it at the orchard for 20,000 - 30,000 VND/kg. After deducting expenses, she earned a profit of over 100 million VND. In addition to fruit trees, her family still maintains over 1 hectare of sugarcane and rice paddies and raises buffaloes for plowing.

Ms. Choong said that compared to growing sugarcane and other crops before, the process of caring for lychee trees for commercial purposes is much less strenuous. She mainly focuses on tasks such as weeding, tilling, fertilizing, pest and disease control; and watering, which is done automatically by the system. Her children assist with shaping, pruning, and harvesting, and she hires local laborers.

Similarly, the people of Hamlet 2 (Krong A Commune) all admire the enthusiastic work ethic of Mrs. Tran Thi Tuyet (69 years old).

Mrs. Tuyet's family moved to M'Drắk district after 1990 to start a new life, facing many difficulties due to a lack of arable land and production capital. After many years of reclaiming and restoring the land, and using short-term gains to support long-term growth, in 2000 Mrs. Tuyet's family had 1 hectare of rice paddies and 3.5 hectares of sugarcane, and their economic situation improved significantly.

Ms. Tran Thi Tuyet takes care of the garden.

Thanks to her diligent research and learning of plant and animal care, Mrs. Tuyet's family has switched from growing vegetables and sugarcane to cultivating fruit trees such as lychee, longan, and pepper on an area of over 3 hectares, achieving high efficiency and earning over 400 million VND per year. Not only has this increased her family's income, but Mrs. Tuyet's economic development model has also created jobs for many local workers.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202504/tuoi-cao-van-hang-say-lao-dong-a5b1b57/