(Baonghean) - Cao Veu village (Phuc Son commune - Anh Son district - Nghe An province) currently has nearly 300 households, mainly Thai ethnic people. Located nearly 20 km from the center of Anh Son district, it is the only ethnic minority village in Anh Son district situated in the border area with Laos. Currently, Cao Veu village has been divided into 4 hamlets according to population and geographical area.

Following the Secretary of the Youth Union of Phuc Son commune and the production team of the 12/9 Anh Son Rubber Plantation, we visited Cao Veu village on a late-year day. The scenery unfolded before us: rolling hills of rubber trees, their green shoots thriving and firmly rooted in the hilly border region. After more than a year of implementing the rubber planting project by Nghe An Rubber Investment and Development Joint Stock Company, the rubber trees planted at the foot of the hills in Cao Veu village are promising good growth and development.

Rubber trees are thriving on the Cao Vều-Phúc Sơn hills.



Many households are renovating their houses and gardens to welcome the new year.



The Cao Vều 1 village cultural center has just been inaugurated.

Crossing the Giang River suspension bridge into the residential area of ​​the four Cao Veu villages, one sees new stilt houses springing up side by side, and numerous general stores and clothing shops. Many households are gathering bamboo, wood, and other materials to prepare and renovate their houses and village roads to make them neat and impressive in preparation for the New Year.

Mr. Luong Van Phong, from Cao Veu 1 village, confided: "As the year ends and Tet approaches, money is indeed scarce, but bamboo tubes and banana leaves for wrapping Tet cakes are always readily available. This year, I'm happy because the whole village now has a spacious community center, and transportation is less difficult, so we'll probably be able to celebrate Tet more." Mr. Nguyen Van Chau, head of Cao Veu 1 village, excitedly said: “Our village currently has 81 households and 305 people. Previously, village meetings and other community activities had to be held in borrowed houses belonging to villagers, the village secretary, and village officials. This year, the village steering committee directly mobilized villagers to contribute 750,000 VND per worker. The remaining amount was supported by Phuc Son commune and partly through the help of philanthropists and businesses. The Cao Veu 1 village cultural center has been completed with a total cost of over 300 million VND, of which two-thirds was contributed by the villagers. This is a significant new construction project, representing a new era in the economic, cultural, and spiritual lives of the villagers.”

In addition, since the middle of this year, the village steering committee has mobilized over 300 man-days of labor and over 6 million VND from the villagers and village contributions to complete the leveling and excavation of over 500 meters of rural road connecting the village to Border Guard Post 557. Mr. Chau added: “To create conditions for the people to celebrate Tet happily, the steering committees of the villages in Cao Veu are compiling a list of disadvantaged families to submit to the Party Committee and the People's Committee of Phuc Son commune for support during Tet. The village steering committee will also give gifts and visit each policy beneficiary family and elderly person before the Lunar New Year. This year, the stadium has been upgraded, making it convenient for sports activities, democratic flower picking, cultural exchanges, ball throwing, and traditional games like banana tree climbing for the villagers during Tet.”

As the unit responsible for managing, inspecting, and controlling the movement of people and vehicles at the Cao Veu border gate, and in the process of establishing the Cao Veu border gate connecting Vietnam with Laos, Mr. Chu Van Thi - Head of the Cao Veu Border Control Station, said: “During the Tet holiday season, the number of people crossing is high, so our unit is continuously strengthening control, especially at this time when the two villages of Muong Cham and Phun Muong (Say Cham Pon district, Laos) are celebrating the Hmong New Year, so they are coming to Vietnam to buy goods in large quantities. We are on duty 24/7 to ensure safety and create favorable conditions for people to trade goods and celebrate Tet peacefully.”

Luong Mai