The boy who helped revive the deserted hill of Tunnel 7

The five-room house of Nguyen Van Cuong (born in 1990) is nestled in the middle of vast hills, surrounded by the eye-catching green of more than 4 hectares of acacia, 3 hectares of fruit trees, and the family's fish farm in the wild hill area called Ham 7, Hamlet 1, Nghia Binh Commune, Tan Ky District. Cherishing the clusters of green-skinned grapefruits bearing fruit at the beginning of the season, Cuong slowly recounted the time of "founding the land" in this Ham 7 land.

Farm of union member Nguyen Van Cuong atHamlet 1, Nghia Binh Commune (Tan Ky District). Photo: Thanh Quynh

As a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Thai Nguyen Industrial College, when Cuong graduated in 2012, Tunnel 7 was still a barren hill, deep in the wild forests, where people were used to having no electricity or roads. Although he had a desire to revive his family's economy, he had no capital, forcing the young man to choose the path of labor export. After 3 years of wandering abroad, Cuong returned to his hometown and used all his savings to improve the hillside land to dig a pond to raise fish.

The monosex tilapia breed that Cuong chose to raise did not seem to bring the desired results because the market did not welcome it, the selling price was low while the cost of food and labor was too high. Due to lack of experience, Cuong had to accept breaking even in the first year.

After the first failure, Cuong began to research the market, connect with consumers and research techniques to build a grass carp farming model. After 7 months of care, the first crop yielded nearly 2 tons of finished products. The fish sold at a good price, traders came to the pond to import goods while the cost of feed was reduced by nearly 50% due to the use of natural grass, bringing the first victory after 2 years of starting a business.

With the profits earned, Cuong continued to improve the land to expand the area for growing fruit trees. However, the construction of this model gradually came to a standstill when the land of Ham 7 hill always lacked water in the dry season but had plenty of water in the rainy season. In the rainy season, the stream water overflowed, making this land isolated. The road of more than 1km leading from the farm to the center of the hamlet was a bumpy, slippery path. To transport seedlings and fertilizers in and out of the farm, Cuong had to hire workers and carry them himself for many days.

The farm is equipped with a modern irrigation system to prevent drought for fruit trees during the dry season. Photo: Thanh Quynh

After much thought, Cuong decided to mobilize 4 households along the hillside to help him clear the bushes, dig the land, and level the road nearly 1.5m wide and nearly 1km long leading to the cultivation area. Along with the electricity system, pumps, and irrigation system that were invested in a systematic way, the barren land area was gradually revived.

Cuong's boldness and perseverance soon helped 500 grapefruit trees, 150 jackfruit trees and more than 100 mango trees take root and bear fruit, surprising many people in Ham 7. "It turns out that the hills here are not as "silver" as people think. The land is bad, farmers have to suffer poverty because they do not know how to improve the land, "force" the land to get rich. After the success of Cuong's farm, many people and members of the Youth Union and youth in the village no longer dream of changing their lives in a faraway land.

Not hesitating to share his experiences, Nguyen Van Cuong has led many union members and young people in the area to overcome difficulties and become rich. Many farms and ranches were established and began to produce the first "sweet fruits", bringing a prosperous life to the people here" - Mr. Phan Van Hoa - Head of Hamlet 1 happily said.

The success of young man Nguyen Van Cuong has inspired the youth of Nghia Binh in particular and Tan Ky district in general in the process of establishing themselves and their careers. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Now, after nearly 7 years of "eating dew and sleeping in the wind" to bring green to Ham 7, Nguyen Van Cuong's family has also expanded the acacia area to nearly 4 hectares and the chicken farm system with a total herd of up to 2,500 chickens.

With a total area of ​​nearly 9 hectares, Cuong's combined livestock and crop farm has brought in hundreds of millions of dong in income each year. This is a positive signal to encourage the younger generation to exploit the potential of Nghia Binh region, contributing to improving household economy and changing the face of the countryside.

With his experience and prestige, Nguyen Van Cuong was elected by local youth union members as Chairman of the Economic Development Youth Club of Nghia Binh commune, Tan Ky district.

Referring to the movement of establishing a career in the locality, Secretary of Tan Ky District Youth Union Nguyen Manh Phong said: Currently, the whole district has hundreds of economic development models of union members and youth, of which 83 models have income of 100 million VND/year or more.

At the same time, Tan Ky youth has established 1 district-level economic club with a total of 30 members and 5 commune-level clubs with 10 members each. The clubs have contributed to supporting and promoting the local movement of self-reliance and career establishment to become more and more vibrant and effective.