Standing firm on the economic front.

QTO - Returning to their hometowns after dedicating their youth to the cause of building and defending the Fatherland, many veterans face difficult circumstances, some with poor health, and many who lost parts of their bodies on the battlefield. However, with the spirit of "Uncle Ho's soldiers," they refuse to retreat and are determined to assert themselves on the economic front, aspiring to escape poverty and enrich their families and homeland.

Determined to rise above

In their small house in Ward 11, Dong Ha commune, veteran couple Nguyen Van Minh and Nguyen Thi Thuong now seem to have shed some of the hardships of life. Mr. Minh, 65 years old, was a Vietnamese volunteer soldier who fought on the Central Laos front from 1980 until his discharge at the end of 1983. He later got married.

Due to the effects of chemical toxins on the battlefield, Mr. Minh's eldest son (born in 1995) was severely disabled. It wasn't until 8 years later that they dared to have another child, and fortunately, both of their daughters are healthy and normal. Even so, the couple's life is quite difficult, and for many years their family has been classified as a poor household in the locality.

Veteran Nguyen Van Minh, from Dong Ha ward, strives to overcome poverty through a model of casting concrete blocks - Photo: D.V.

Around 2015, with a small amount of savings and preferential loan support from various channels, including the Vietnam War Veterans Association (CCB), Mr. Minh and his wife opened a concrete block casting business to develop their economy . Initially, the business was quite difficult due to a lack of customers, but from around 2017-2019, the business developed more smoothly, allowing Mr. Minh to provide for his children's education. His youngest daughter is in her third year of university studying Law, and his second daughter recently graduated with a degree in Foreign Languages.

"Every year, after deducting expenses, my wife and I earn about 120 million VND from our concrete block casting business. Although modest, it has truly helped us overcome the most difficult times. My family also escaped poverty two years ago," Mr. Minh shared. Mr. and Mrs. Minh are among the veteran families classified as poor households in the province who have realized their aspiration to escape poverty, improve their lives, and provide their children with a proper education.

Over the years, the movement of war veterans helping each other reduce poverty and excel in economic activities has been implemented and promoted from the provincial level to the grassroots level and individual members. Economic models run by war veterans have rapidly increased in number and scale, diversifying in type; operating effectively, stably, and sustainably, such as: farm and livestock models; production and processing facilities; cooperative models; and commercial and service business models… To date, the entire provincial association has 3,649 types of production and business activities run by war veterans, employing 20,925 local workers; and 1,265 members have achieved the title of excellent producers and businesspeople at various levels.

Reduce poverty and increase the number of well-off and wealthy households.

The movement of war veterans helping each other reduce poverty and excel in economic activities has shifted the focus from poverty reduction to rapid, sustainable poverty reduction, with wealth creation as the main goal. In the first 10 months of 2025, the number of poor war veteran households according to the new criteria in the Provincial War Veterans Association was 1,146 (1.35%), a decrease of 110 households, or 0.13%, compared to the end of 2024; the number of well-off and wealthy households was 52,235 (61.8%). Eight out of 77 communes and wards no longer have poor war veteran households. In 2025, the Provincial War Veterans Association and its branches at all levels mobilized funds to eliminate 179 temporary houses with a total amount exceeding 14.3 billion VND.

Following the principle of "giving a fishing rod, not a fish," many farms, cooperatives, craft villages, and businesses owned by war veterans have developed production models and methods of skill transfer and knowledge dissemination, creating more jobs for poor war veterans and families of war veterans, helping them to improve their lives. Thanks to this, war veteran associations at all levels have actively coordinated with organizations, associations, individuals, and businesses to introduce new jobs for 38,607 war veterans and their children.

Construction begins on a house of gratitude for a veteran member in Nam Dong Ha ward - Photo: D.V.

The various levels of the association have done a good job of receiving entrusted loans from the Social Policy Bank (NHCSXH), helping poor war veterans access preferential loan capital. To date, the National Employment Fund (Fund 120) has a total outstanding loan balance of 395,398 million VND, ensuring loans for 1,031 production and livestock farming models.

Regarding preferential credit capital at the Social Policy Bank, the total outstanding loan balance managed by the Veterans Association is 1,949,897.5 million VND, with a total of 26,825 veteran households receiving loans. The investment quality is effective, the capital is used for the right purposes, and has created jobs and improved the lives of many members. The results of the veterans' movement to help each other reduce poverty and excel in economic activities have rekindled the pride of those who dedicated their youth to the cause of building and defending the Fatherland, and now once again affirm their capabilities on a new front.

Mr. Le Hong Van, Vice Chairman of the Provincial Veterans Association, said that in the coming time, the Provincial Veterans Association will focus on directing and continuing to promote and improve the quality and effectiveness of the movement of veterans helping each other reduce poverty and excel in economic activities, associated with charitable activities. He also directed all levels of the association to continue to closely coordinate with departments, agencies, mass organizations, and localities to actively participate in implementing the national target program for building new rural areas and the national target program for sustainable poverty reduction.

Strengthening linkages between businesses, cooperatives, production groups, farms, and family farms owned by war veterans, promoting production and business, and creating jobs for war veterans and workers; increasingly, more war veterans are excelling in production and business, effectively implementing projects to support livestock development for members in difficult circumstances.

Simultaneously, focus on building economic models oriented towards green economy, circular economy, applying technology, and digital transformation in production, business, and services. Promote the dissemination of the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws and regulations on social policy credit to war veteran association members, especially poor households and policy beneficiaries.

Duc Viet

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/202511/vung-vang-tren-mat-tran-kinh-te-0c53db3/