The Youth Union Secretary is a successful entrepreneur.

(Baonghean) - The persistent drizzle that lasted for the past week made the winding red dirt road amidst vast orange orchards and rubber forests in Minh Hop commune (Quy Hop district) slippery and muddy. Amidst this scene, the new house of Nguyen Quoc Khanh, Secretary of the Youth Union of the commune, stood out, drawing much praise from the villagers.

Welcoming us into his newly built, spacious, and sturdy house, Mr. Khanh greeted us with a friendly smile. The accompanying official from the District Youth Union quickly introduced the outstanding achievements of the commune's Youth Union Secretary. While pouring green tea for his guests, Mr. Khanh modestly said, "That's just what the District Youth Union officials say; I'm not really that outstanding." However, in that lively conversation on that rainy day, we realized that Khanh's perseverance, optimism, and achievements today are truly worthy of recognition. Nguyen Quoc Khanh has held the position of Deputy Secretary of the commune's Youth Union since he was 23 years old, and now, at 35, he remains dedicated to his passion for contributing his youthful energy and has become a beloved Youth Union Secretary.

Besides his busy schedule with community work, Khanh and his young wife also cultivate 16 acres of oranges, 10 acres of apples, and 15 acres of rubber trees, bringing in hundreds of millions of dong in income for the family each year. Compared to neighboring households, their agricultural land is not large, but the perseverance and hard work of the couple have brought in a relatively large income. To build their new, spacious house, the family saved up through hard work and diligently intercropping on their farmland. He recounted: “Our family is small, so the work is quite hard. After work, I go to the orchard to tend to the oranges and apples, and then work on the rubber trees at night. Rubber trees yield the most latex in the middle of the night and into the early morning, so my wife and I usually have to tap latex for three hours each night, from midnight to 3 a.m. Each night we tap about 1,000 trees. After tapping all the latex at our own farm, we go and tap for other farms. It's tough, but my wife and I always encourage each other to work hard.”

Mr. Khánh takes care of the orange orchard.

Along with actively developing his family's economy, Mr. Khanh also helps other young people in the commune improve their household economic situation. Not long ago, when rubber trees were first introduced for trial planting in Nghe An, people were still worried about many risks related to weather and climate. He boldly took on the task of cultivating rubber trees and changing the crop structure. From the initial success of Mr. Khanh's family, many young people and households in the commune have learned from him. According to him, the climate and soil characteristics of Minh Hop are suitable for developing industrial crops, including oranges and rubber. However, local youth currently lack knowledge of planting and caring for these crops, as well as capital for investment. Regarding knowledge, he has coordinated with the Farmers' Association and agricultural investment companies in the area to provide training and introduce different plant varieties so that young people can plant and care for them in a way that suits the characteristics of their family's land. At the same time, he guided young people in disadvantaged areas to access preferential interest rate loans from the Policy Bank. As a result, to date, most families of youth union members in the commune have gradually escaped poverty.

Despite his hard work and dedication, the family life of the Minh Hop commune's Youth Union leader is fraught with difficulties. His five-year-old child unfortunately suffers from a mediastinal tumor, requiring frequent trips to Hanoi for treatment, further compounding their hardships. Nevertheless, he consistently performs his assigned duties well, demonstrating creativity and bringing new dimensions to the Youth Union and Association movements in the commune and district. Every year, he organizes dance classes for children during summer activities. Using dance skills learned from the Youth Academy and his enthusiasm, he has ignited a passion for art in the children of this mountainous region. In mobilizing young people to participate in rural road construction and other community volunteer activities, "Secretary" Khanh always employs persuasive methods that gain the support of both youth and the people. Despite being busy with work and struggling to care for his sick children, he still harbors plans to expand the scale of his orchards, planting more fruit trees on his hillside land, and actively learning from experience to achieve higher economic efficiency.

Through his actions, "leader" Nguyen Quoc Khanh has become an example and a driving force contributing to changing the age-old farming practices of the local people. Today, Minh Hop is not only home to rice paddies and cassava fields, but also lush orchards and valuable industrial crops. The potential of Minh Hop is being awakened by the younger generation like Khanh, contributing to improving household economies and transforming the face of the countryside.

Phuong Thao