Green countryside on the plateau

In village 5, Dam Rong 2 commune, Lam Dong province, the H'Mong people live together in a unique village with a "four no" lifestyle: no alcohol, beer; no smoking; no social evils and no bad customs and superstitions.

For over 20 years, village 5 has not only been a place to live, but also a testament to solidarity and the building of a healthy cultural life in the southern Central Highlands.

More than 20 years ago, dozens of Hmong households from the Northwestern highlands migrated to Dam Rong District, the former Lam Dong Province. In 2005, the local government built a village in Hamlet 5, Ro Men Commune, Dam Rong District to stabilize the lives of the people. Hamlet 5 was therefore called “Hmong Village”, now Hamlet 5, Dam Rong 2 Commune.

Village elder Giang Seo Pao, one of the migrants to Dam Rong, shared about his journey more than 20 years ago: “In the early days of economic development, people encountered many difficulties, hardships, and lived a nomadic life… Now, life has changed a lot. When leaving their homeland to find a new, more prosperous life, everyone must know how to overcome difficulties and challenges; must know how to rise up to stabilize their lives. Especially, they must abandon backward customs, work hard to develop the family economy .”

To build a new lifestyle, village elder Giang Seo Pao and other seniors and prestigious people in the Hmong community representing 70 families established a village covenant, setting out the "four no's" to eliminate bad customs, unite in business, develop the economy and build a civilized life. In this village covenant, villagers must follow the "four no's": No alcohol, beer; no smoking; no social evils and no bad customs and superstitions.

The women here are very sympathetic and encourage their husbands and children not to use stimulants or addictive substances. Ms. Ma Thi Mau said that no one forced them, but the whole village voluntarily followed the village covenant, because those are good things, good for themselves, their families and the community. The H'Mong people now work hard, no one is interested in alcohol, beer or cigarettes. Ms. Van Thi Chu said: "Here there is no more drunkenness or domestic violence. On holidays, Tet or weddings and funerals, villagers often use tea instead of alcohol, so life is very peaceful."

Party cell secretary and village 5 chief Hoang Xuan Thay said that, in order to implement the village covenant, villagers have completely abandoned all bad customs. They hold solemn funerals, do not leave the deceased in the house for more than 24 hours, and do not slaughter expensive buffaloes, cows, or pigs. Couples register their marriages according to the law, hold simple weddings, do not hold long parties, do not drink alcohol, or smoke. Patients are taken to medical centers for treatment, instead of inviting shamans or superstitions. On holidays and Tet, villagers maintain traditional cultural activities, such as throwing pao, playing top, jumping on bamboo poles, pushing sticks, etc., creating a joyful and united atmosphere.

Currently, Hamlet 5 has 184 households, a population of about 1,000 people, all of whom are H'Mong ethnic people. With the attention and support of authorities at all levels and the spirit of solidarity and efforts to overcome difficulties in production, people's lives have gradually stabilized and improved. According to Mr. Le Cong Trong, an official of Dam Rong 2 commune: When they first migrated to live in the area, most of the people in Hamlet 5 were poor households, with backward farming practices, mainly growing cassava. People converted their crops to coffee and fruit trees with local support.

The agricultural product market is stable, and there are many good production households in village 5, with an annual income of several hundred million VND to more than 1 billion VND. Of which, 30% of households have an income of more than 1 billion VND/year, dozens of households have an income of 500-800 million VND. From 2024 to present, 50 H'Mong households have invested in building new, spacious houses. "The people of village 5 are always united, comply with the Party's policies and the State's laws, and have a stable economic life that is increasingly developing...", Mr. Trong added.

Deputy Head of Dam Rong 2 Commune Police, Captain Nguyen Xuan Huy said that the security and order situation in Village 5 is always stable, with no serious disputes or incidents. People obey the law well and the "four no's" model helps maintain a healthy culture and strengthen solidarity in the community ■

Article and photos by LE GIANG NAM

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/vung-que-xanh-tren-cao-nguyen-383583.html