Peace in Yen Lac Parish

"Eyes and ears" keep the village peaceful

Recalling the more than 6 years of being elected as the village secretary and head of the Fatherland Front work committee of the Catholic area, Mr. Tran Van Thuong cannot remember the milestones of time. For him, it was not only a difficult and arduous time but also full of unforgettable memories.

Since installing cameras in the residential area, security and order in the neighborhood have improved, with no petty theft or littering. Photo: An Quynh

“Because the villagers trust me, I have to try my best, even though the allowance is not much. But after doing it, I feel my passion and responsibility gradually increase. Above all, seeing the changes in the village, those who “carry the prison and the village” like us feel happy,” Mr. Thuong confided.

Before 2019, there were many petty thefts in the hamlet, especially dog ​​thefts, causing panic in the hamlet. Realizing the anxiety of the people, in his role as Party cell secretary, Mr. Tran Van Thuong advised the local government as well as mobilized people to install public cameras along the inter-commune road.

With the support of local police, he and other organizations and groups "went to every alley and knocked on every door" to explain and encourage people to installsecurity camera

Mr. Thuong said: “Although the support from the local government is not much, from 2019 to now, people in Hamlet 2 have installed 2 main security cameras on the inter-commune road and 40 more camera points at 40 households in the area. Cases of dog theft, petty theft or littering have almost disappeared. Since the hamlet installed security cameras, people's awareness has been greatly improved, security and order have been maintained."

Not only that, Mr. Thuong also regularly consults and coordinates with the village chief and member organizations of the Front, promptly resolving large and small conflicts and grievances in the community, not allowing them to become complicated problems. Therefore, many family conflicts, village conflicts, and neighborhood conflicts have been resolved, creating solidarity in the residential area, without complicated cases or complaints going beyond the level.

With the concept of a peaceful village when each family is happy, Mr. Thuong told us about his first concern when he and the Commune Women's Union established the model "Safe village for women and children".

As the hamlet secretary and head of the hamlet front committee, he understands that in order for villages and hamlets to be peaceful, hamlets and hamlets must push back problems related to domestic violence; abuse of women and children; ensure food hygiene and safety... to create a safe environment for women, children, and vulnerable people in the area.

In April 2022, Mr. Thuong and the Commune Women's Union launched the model "Safe Village for Women and Children" with 50 members, becoming the first hamlet in Nam Dan district to pilot this model. The most obvious mark is not only the suggestion boxes, the signs posted warning of drowning in ponds and lakes, but typically the vulnerable women and families in difficult circumstances are regularly cared for, shared, and protected.

Whatever is difficult, there is Mr. Thuong.

What surprised us when we arrived at Hamlet 2, Nam Linh Commune was the unexpected change. The roads and paths in the hamlet were all invested in to be spacious and well-maintained… In particular, the “flag road of the religious area” project contributed to giving Hamlet 2 a new, spacious appearance.

Mr. Tran Van Thuong (middle) is the hamlet secretary and head of the Front work committee in the Catholic hamlet. Photo: An Quynh

Mr. Thuong shared: "Before 2019, the hamlet had the advantage of having inter-commune roads and internal roads in the village. Although the hamlet was basically concreted and asphalted, the roadbed was small and narrow, making it difficult to travel, which had little impact on the production and business of local people."

At that time, the whole district carried out the campaign "All people unite to build new rural areas and civilized urban areas". With his functions and tasks, Mr. Tran Van Thuong always grasped the actual situation of the village to choose appropriate contents to organize and implement. Among the many difficulties at that time, the most difficult was mobilizing people to donate land to open roads to build new rural areas. "At that time, many households did not understand the necessity of the village and hamlet traffic system, so mobilizing people was extremely difficult. At first, many families also objected because it was originally their ancestral land, so donating it to build roads was unreasonable", Mr. Thuong shared.

To get people to agree with the general policy, Mr. Thuong went to each house to persuade people to open the road. With the motto "cadres must be role models", Mr. Thuong also urged households in the Party cell to donate land first. Seeing that, many families voluntarily contributed and supported. As for those households that did not support, he quietly went to analyze and explain. A typical example is Mrs. Nguyen Thi Huong's family who voluntarily donated nearly 60m²land to open roads

Not only that, the people in the hamlet also contributed 530 million VND to upgrade and expand the concrete roads in the village and hamlet, build 380m of sewage ditches and install 250m of "flag roads in the religious area".

In 2021, Mr. Tran Van Thuong and the hamlet government mobilized people to hold the election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 term. 100% of the people went to vote and completed the election before the scheduled time, the percentage of votes for each delegate reached 97% or more and the correct composition. Looking at the "change of skin, change of flesh" in the village, Mr. Tran Van Thuong could smile at the efforts he had put in.

For many years, he has been awarded Certificates of Merit by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the commune and the People's Committee of the commune. In 2021, the Front Working Committee of Hamlet 2 was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province for its outstanding achievements in organizing the election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and the election of deputies to People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 term.