Lesson 1: "Gold" has passed through the fire...

(Baonghean)Implementing Project 600, which involves appointing 600 Vice Chairmen of Commune People's Committees, and the policy of attracting young intellectuals to participate in working groups in poor communes according to Resolution 30a, the three mountainous districts of Ky Son, Tuong Duong, and Que Phong have been supplemented with 26 Vice Chairmen of Commune People's Committees and 173 cadres who are young intellectuals with basic training. With the enthusiasm of youth, they have overcome the initial "obstacles" to prove that their talent has been tested...

Self-affirmation...

Traveling through many poor rural areas in the high mountains such as Huoi Tu, Pha Danh (Ky Son), Xieng My, Nga My, Yen Na, Thach Giam, Tam Thai (Tuong Duong) to meet Va Ba Ly, Nguyen Dinh Tai, Chu Van Hung, Nguyen Thi Huong, Luong Thi Hien, Nguyen Thi Giang, Vi Thi Nham, Vi Viet Kieu... we sensed in the eyes of these young people a glimmer of joy because they had, to some extent, affirmed their abilities to the officials and people in their workplaces.

Nguyen Dinh Tai (born in 1987) - a graduate of the Aquaculture Department at Hong Duc University, originally from Nghia Hoi commune, Nghia Dan district, was assigned to work in Pha Danh commune as the Vice Chairman of the commune. Before the election for the Vice Chairman position, the leaders of Ky Son district visited Pha Danh to explain the meaning and purpose of the Project to appoint 600 Vice Chairmen of communes, conducting ideological work, but Tai's vote count did not exceed 50%, and as Mr. Bui Tram - Chairman of the People's Committee of Ky Son district - said: "It was only at the last minute that he made it through..."

Knowing that the officials and people of Pha Danh commune didn't yet trust him, Tai recognized that this was inevitable and that it would be the first "hurdle" he had to overcome with determination. Nguyen Dinh Tai started with the smallest tasks, such as drafting documents and instructing officials on how to use computers proficiently. At the same time, he spent a lot of time going down to the grassroots level to meet with officials and people to understand the actual situation of the locality. Over time, Tai immersed himself in life in the remote highlands, and he managed to change the way the people and officials of Pha Danh commune viewed him.

In late August 2012, a major storm and flood cut off many areas in Pha Danh. The village where the Chairman of the People's Committee resided was partially flooded, making it impossible for him to directly supervise the disaster relief efforts. Nguyen Dinh Tai was appointed as his replacement. Tai quickly mobilized officials, residents, and students in the area to clear roads, assist families whose houses were damaged, and drain water from partially flooded areas. After the flood, Tai's reputation was further enhanced. Several social ills causing insecurity and disorder occurred in Pha Danh, but due to favoritism towards the children of officials, they were not dealt with decisively. Tai requested the Party Committee and People's Committee to take on the task of directing the "For National Security" movement, arguing that: "As someone from another area, I treat all the children of the commune equally, so I can ensure objectivity when handling these matters." He was assigned the task and fulfilled his promise. As a result, security and order in the area were ensured, and at the end of 2012, Pha Danh was commended by the province in the "For National Security" movement. Up to now, Nguyen Dinh Tai can be "temporarily" happy with these initial results. Tai said: "I am currently in charge of building new rural areas"...

In Huoi Tu (Ky Son district), Ha Ba Ly (born in 1989) - Vice Chairman of the commune, and Ly Ba Re (1986) - a member of Task Force 30a, also faced difficulties because they initially lacked the trust of local officials. Huoi Tu is a disadvantaged commune with three ethnic groups: Mong, Thai, and Kho Mu (Mong accounts for 94.8%), and out of 810 households, 502 are poor. Recognizing Huoi Tu's low starting point, backward production methods, low awareness among the people, and their tendency to rely on government authorities at all levels, Ly and Re tried their best to use all their knowledge to get them "into the swing of things" as quickly as possible.

Graduating from the Faculty of Economic Administration at the National Economics University, Ha Ba Ly was assigned to oversee economic affairs and project programs. He advised the Party Committee and the Commune People's Committee on effectively reviewing impoverished households, developing a plan for building new rural areas, and promoting and mobilizing the people to successfully implement projects supporting local cattle breeds, black pigs, black chickens, and the cultivation of bo bo and lac trees. Ly regularly stayed close to the grassroots and directly supervised two farm models supported by Program 30a, achieving quite high results and serving as a role model for the people in the region to learn from.

Ly Ba Re graduated from a vocational school in land administration and was assigned to manage land, resolve land disputes, survey and advise the commune government on suitable locations for building community centers, self-flowing water supply systems, etc. Re learned from the experience of those who came before him, consulted documents, books and newspapers, and successfully completed the assigned tasks. Recalling the past, both Ly and Re were very happy to have received recognition from the officials and people of Huoi Tu. Ly proudly said: “I am happy that the officials and people trust me so much. Even during holidays, anniversaries, or weddings, the people make me sit at the head table…”

In Thach Giam commune (Tuong Duong district), Vi Thi Nham and Nguyen Thi Giang are young intellectuals in Task Force 30a, specializing in implementing economic projects and participating in several agricultural sectors. In their cramped office, Nham and Giang are busy reviewing the list of households receiving cows under the program. Both said that selecting the correct households for allocation is quite complex. To do this, they have to go with village management boards to each household to verify the criteria, then hold meetings with the villagers for approval before compiling the list. "It goes through many stages, but we have to make sure that the people find it reasonable and that the households assigned the cows have the capacity to implement the program..." - Vi Thi Nham confided. Many economic models under Program 30a have been implemented in Thach Giam commune, such as raising cows, calves, local black pigs, Mong Cai pigs, and growing safe grass and vegetables. Among these, some models have achieved outstanding success, such as raising Mong Cai sows and growing safe vegetables in Phong village...



Vice Chairman of Yen Na commune, Chu Duc Hung, and agricultural extension officer Pay Van Ut went down to the fields with the people of Bon village, Yen Na commune (Tuong Duong district).

Young intellectuals like Vi Viet Kieu - Vice Chairman of Tam Thai commune, Chu Van Hung - Vice Chairman of Yen Na commune, Luong Thi Hien - Vice Chairman of Thach Giam commune, Nguyen Thi Huong - a young intellectual from Xieng My commune (under program 30a)... also faced considerable difficulties in the beginning. Many local officials and residents had misconceptions, believing that young people had "taken" important positions that should have been reserved for their children; or thinking that even experienced people couldn't compete, let alone recent graduates. However, in a relatively short time, these young intellectuals have proven that the enthusiasm and dedication of young people can overcome all difficulties and hardships...

...to multiply the love and trust

We traveled through many villages, witnessed the work that young intellectuals had done at the grassroots level, and listened to the people and officials' comments about them. It was gratifying to see that almost everywhere, these young intellectuals received very high praise. For Nguyen Dinh Tai, he is now like a son of the Thai and Khmu people in Pha Danh commune, Ky Son district. Taking us to visit beekeeping and duck farming models in Pieng Pho village, village head Lo Van Xuan confided: "Initially, when Tai came to work here, the officials and people had some doubts. But over time, we saw that Tai had done a lot for the commune and the village. Now, Tai and I are like uncle and nephew in the family, and the villagers also consider Tai as one of their own..."

Vi Thi Nham and Nguyen Thi Giang are both raising young children, but they are wholeheartedly dedicated to their work and closely connected to the grassroots, earning the respect of the officials and people of Thach Giam commune. In the 2-hectare safe vegetable farming area in Phong village, Ms. Tran Thi Ha said: "To grow safe vegetables on this land, the 30a officials had to persuade the people for a long time, even resorting to harsh words and refusing to hand over the land. Now the vegetables have grown green and have been harvested for several seasons. The people have vegetables to eat and also supply the market, earning a much higher income than before..." While harvesting sticky rice in Bon village, Yen Na commune, Ms. Oc Thi An (Khmu ethnic group) and Ms. Pay Thi Huyen (Thai ethnic group) stopped picking and said that with guidance on seedling preparation, transplanting, and fertilization, the sticky rice yield, which was previously only 1.7 quintals/sao, has now reached 3 quintals/sao, and the non-sticky rice fields have reached 4.5 quintals.

Ms. Huyen said: "Young officials are usually close to the people, so they are trusted by the people." According to Mr. Lo Xuan Hoai, Secretary of the Party branch in Bon village: "Yen Na commune has two 30a officials and a Vice Chairman who are young intellectuals. They are enthusiastic in their work, often go down to the grassroots to understand the situation, and when there are projects, they directly meet with households to distribute livestock and seedlings and closely monitor and guide them technically, so generally the villagers appreciate them very much..." In Xieng My, the models of raising black pigs, Mong Cai pigs, calves, and foals have brought high efficiency, which speaks to the efforts of these young intellectuals. Commenting on Vice Chairman Lo Ba Lich, or 30a officials Lo Van Choi and Nguyen Thi Huong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Xieng My commune, Lo Xuan Tinh, said: "The young officials have received basic training and are enthusiastic in their work, so they help the commune a lot."

In Huoi Tu, Ha Ba Ly and Ly Ba Re are also highly regarded. On behalf of the commune's officials, Party Secretary Ly Chia Chu affirmed: When they first started working, everyone thought Ly and Re would not be able to handle the job. However, time has proven otherwise; these young people are qualified and dedicated, so they have done their assigned tasks very well...

(To be continued)

Nhat Lan