The Party Secretary is skilled at mobilizing the people.

(Baonghean)- For 20 years as Party branch secretary, he dedicated himself wholeheartedly to village affairs. For him, anything that benefited the people and the Party was something he would do his utmost to accomplish. Therefore, when the Party and State decided to expand National Highway 1A, which required the people's consensus, he and the Party committee mobilized the villagers to agree to hand over the land for the upgrading and expansion of this vital road connecting the North and South.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Thanh in the house that his family is dismantling.

We visited Mr. Nguyen Viet Thanh, Secretary of the Tan Huong Party Branch (Quynh Thien Ward, Hoang Mai Town), while he was clearing away materials that his family had dismantled from their house along the road. He said: "Even though we haven't received any financial assistance, my family is still dismantling it to set an example for other families."

Since the plan to upgrade and expand National Highway 1A was announced, there has been much discussion in Tan Huong about the compensation policy. Some argue that the State should provide compensation for the land within the PMU1 corridor that was previously cleared, while others believe the State needs to adjust the compensation price framework to "reduce losses for the people." Individuals among the more than 297 households even submitted petitions to various levels of government requesting to see documents related to the previous land acquisition, with the aim of demanding compensation. A few individuals compiled a list of signatures on that petition and then tried to persuade the man to sign it.

Understanding the motives of some of these individuals, he clearly explained to them: “The State has reclaimed and lent the land to the people for business purposes for the past 17 years. Now, the State is reclaiming it to widen the road, facilitating trade and commerce for the people, reducing traffic accidents, and alleviating environmental pollution from dust and smoke. Furthermore, we have long understood that within the PMU1 land clearance corridor, no houses, shacks, or perennial trees are allowed to be built. The government has clearly publicized this every year, so why are we now deliberately demanding compensation and making things difficult for the State?”

Then he reported the matter to the Town's Land Compensation Council so that the authorities could devise a plan for dialogue and communication with the people. Before the authorities held a meeting to dialogue with the people, Mr. Thanh, along with the neighborhood committee, discussed and came up with a plan to go door-to-door, taking advantage of party branch meetings, neighborhood meetings, and even village festivals at the beginning of spring, to explain to the people the necessity of working together and not listening to a few individuals who would demand compensation from the State in violation of regulations.

He recounted: “On the village festival day, the neighborhood committee, in collaboration with the Fatherland Front Subcommittee, organized cultural performances, sweets, and tea for the villagers to celebrate the spring festival. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I campaigned and urged the villagers not to listen to a few individuals with ulterior motives. The government has a plan to build the road, so everyone must agree. Then, the villagers listened, and many stood up and stated that they had not signed the compensation request form. After such campaigns, many households voluntarily dismantled parts of their properties on their land before receiving compensation.”

Furthermore, thanks to the exemplary conduct and tireless efforts of the Party Secretary of Tan Huong Block (Quynh Thien Ward, Hoang Mai Town), the 24 Party members in the Tan Huong Block have always been active in mobilizing and persuading the people to agree to hand over the land. Mr. Nguyen Ba Su - Chairman of Quynh Thien Ward said: "Thanks to the decisive involvement of the Tan Huong Block Party Committee and Comrade Nguyen Viet Thanh, who set an example for Party members and the people in Quynh Thien Ward, although a few people still expressed dissatisfaction with the compensation policy, they have now signed the land handover documents."

With 2 km of National Highway 1A running through the area, Tan Huong ward has 101 households affected by the expansion and upgrading of National Highway 1A. To date, all households in the ward located along National Highway 1A have received compensation for the affected area. This achievement is thanks to the strong involvement of working groups from the town level to the grassroots, and largely due to the resolute and persistent efforts in mobilization and propaganda by "the trumpet player" Nguyen Viet Thanh.

Thanh Nga