Overcoming floods, cutting forests to return to the people...

In the midst of the blinding flood at the end of October, when the Tra My mountain forests were covered in mud, without electricity or signal, there were still cadres who did not fear danger, cutting through the forest and crossing streams to return to the people. They did not go because of orders, but because of the responsibility of party members in the midst of danger. The story of Truong Van Thai and his comrades in Tra Giap commune is a beautiful, true example of the spirit of "going for the people" of cadres in the highlands.

Mr. Thai's group helped push carts to help people overcome a muddy landslide on Highway 40B in Nuoc Vin area, Tra Tan commune. Photo: BINH MINH

Go for the people

Truong Van Thai, born in 1984, is a party member who used to work in the old Bac Tra My district. After reorganizing the apparatus and abolishing the district level, he was assigned to the highlands of Tra Giap - the most remote and difficult commune in the Bac Tra My region. From his home in the center of Tra My to his new office is about 45km, of which more than 40km is steep, winding, and dangerous passes. In the rainy season, that road is not only long but also full of uncertainties, landslides, traffic jams, isolation, power outages, and signal loss.

On October 24, the tropical depression after storm No. 12 caused heavy rain to pour down on Tra My. By the morning of October 27, the rain had lasted for three days and two nights, mountains collapsed, streams rose, traffic was paralyzed, electricity and internet were completely lost. The highlands of Tra Giap were isolated. At night, darkness fell, only the sound of pattering rain and worries piled up.

Mr. Thai (left row, middle) pays gifts to people on September 2, 2025. Photo: BINH MINH

After a worrying weekend due to the heavy rain and floods, early in the morning of October 27, Mr. Thai decided to leave and return to work at his office despite everyone's advice to stay. "If I go back, my heart will not be at peace," he said. Because in Tra Giap, he is in charge of social policy, the field of caring for people in times of trouble. In the midst of natural disasters, evacuation, relief, and arranging accommodation for people, the lack of people is a disadvantage for the people. "It's not worth it to suffer for myself, but it's very painful to see people suffer," he confided.

At 5am, he and four other colleagues set off by car. When they reached Nuoc Vin (formerly Tra Giac), the road was landslide, the car had to stop. Looking at the two towering rocks and soil blocking the way, they understood that if they wanted to continue, the only way was to walk or cut through the forest. Five people, including Thai, decided to continue their journey. The rain was still heavy, the ground was muddy, the wind howled in gusts. They waded through streams, followed the mountain slopes, and clung to tree roots to overcome more than ten large and small landslides.

During that time, he was completely out of contact. At home, his wife and children were waiting for news of their husband... By evening, after more than 12 hours of walking, the 5 cadres and party members, covered in mud and exhausted, but still smiling, arrived at the headquarters of the People's Committee of Tra Giap commune. On his personal Facebook, Mr. Thai posted more than 10 photos, along with a short status line: "Started at 6am, passed through more than 10 large and small landslides, arrived at 6pm".

Status posted on Mr. Thai's personal Facebook on the evening of October 27. Photo: BINH MINH (screenshot)

Stick to the village, stick to the people

That simple line on Mr. Thai’s personal Facebook page made many relatives, colleagues, and friends shed tears, worried, happy, and proud. In the countryside, his wife held her phone trembling, crying when she saw the status line appear on the blurry screen. The whole family burst into tears, relieved.

Comments poured in under his post, some were happy, some were blaming, but everyone understood: only those who have lived and worked in the highlands know that it is not recklessness, but responsibility, a deep sentiment in the hearts of party members.

A rare stop with a hasty photo taken by Mr. Thai's group at a large landslide site in the old Tra Giac area to pass through Tra Giap. Photo: THAI TRUONG.

On the night of October 27, Tra Giap still had no electricity and no signal. The officers here had to save every last battery charge, climb up the high hill to search for signals, and report to the downstream. The rare power source from the generator was only enough to maintain the walkie-talkie and a few light bulbs to serve the evacuation of people. Mr. Thai's group, upon arriving, immediately joined the police, military , and militia forces to help arrange temporary accommodation, distribute instant noodles, drinking water, and blankets to 55 households with more than 230 people evacuated from the dangerous area.

The rain had not stopped. The mountains were still flowing, the streams were still roaring. But in the midst of hardship, that officer and many of his comrades stood firm in the flood zone, keeping the people calm and the government from being paralyzed. They did not talk much about sacrifice, because for them, “going out for the people” was the natural course of action for a party member.

People like Mr. Thai may not appear on television or stand on the podium. But they, the ordinary people, who stick to their villages and people, are the “lifeline” connecting the Party and the people in the middle of the rain forest. They silently endure, resilient like milestones in the middle of the forest, steadfast in the face of storms so that people still have faith, so that life in the highlands is not swept away by floods.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/vuot-lu-cat-rung-ve-voi-dan-3308584.html