The story of using the power of the 'virtual world' to create real effects

Nghe An Newspaper had a dialogue with comrade Cao Duy Thai about related issues.

PV:FromFor a long time, the Facebook account Sac Nui and the website "Den Choong - A sacred mountain realm" have become familiar to the social community. Thanks to the appeal and posting of information on these addresses, they have encouraged and actively contributed to mobilizing a large amount of social resources to restore the Choong Temple in Chau Ly. Can you share the story of using the power of the "virtual world" to achieve real effects, good effects in mobilizing community strength?

Comrade Cao Duy Thai:I always think that the internet and social networks have added a way of communication between people. Whether it is "virtual" or not is up to each person to determine. After all, communication between people can only be done from the heart. I was surprised and honestly very happy when through the page "Den Choong - A sacred mountain realm" (http: muongchoong.blogspot.com), the Facebook account Sac Nui has connected with many people and many people have contributed something to the community with me in these years...

My fate with information technology started from Nghe An Newspaper. Having collaborated with Nghe An Newspaper since 1996, diligently writing words has urged my family and I to save money to buy cameras and desktop computers when the family's economy was very difficult... to send information to the newspaper; then I learned Photoshop on my own, set up an email box, set up a website... All of this was learned by myself little by little every day, and today I can design graphics and edit photos myself...

The memorial stele for martyrs in Chau Ly commune (Quy Hop) was mainly built with socialized funding.

As for the birth of the page "Choong Temple - a sacred land (http: muongchoong.blogspot.com), after many years of collecting documents related to Choong Temple, the desire to restore Choong Temple is always present in me, and this is also the common desire of the people in the area and many people interested in the history of Western Nghe An.

That day, on the first day of the ninth lunar month in 2010, on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, I went with Mr. Nguyen Tinh Phu - Chairman of Chau Ly Commune People's Committee at that time to Pu Den to offer incense. In the sacred space, I suddenly thought why not use the Internet to promote the Choong Temple Relic, so that more people would know about it and from there mobilize more resources for the restoration process.

I had never created a website and approached programming languages, but at that time I kept telling myself that I had to do it. So I fiddled around, using blogspot to create the Muong Choong page. By 2am, the product was officially completed and basically kept the same interface, modules... from then until now.

I am glad that through this page, many people have known about Choong Temple - known about a sacred and hospitable land in the Western region of Nghe An, contributing to the results of social mobilization in the process of successfully renovating and restoring Choong Temple with the amount of money and material support up to nearly 10 billion VND.

PV:It is known that, from the restoration of Choong Temple, the preservation of cultural identity and the creation of cultural institutions and cultural activities, Chau Ly commune is also one of the leading communes in economic development in Quy Hop district, especially in the new rural area. These successes are not easy to achieve, and do not come naturally. According to you, from what resources and reasons has Chau Ly commune achieved such results?

Comrade Cao Duy Thai:I often think of the areas in local social life as the components of a body. To have a "body" without disabilities, a "body" that is healthy, no area should be overlooked. Economy, culture, social security, security and order... at the grassroots level are intertwined. Developing culture contributes to the motivation for people to be excited and confident in competing in production; developing the economy to have more conditions and resources to invest in culture, social security... Reality in Chau Ly has proven this.

I know this by heart: "The Party is devoted to the people. The people believe in the Party. The revolutionary cause will definitely succeed." In Chau Ly, it can be affirmed that the care for social security, care for cultural life, devotion to the people... has helped the locality gain consensus in the entire political system, among the entire people, creating a breakthrough in economic development. Among the 23 units and hamlets in the entire Quy Hop district that registered to reach the new rural finish line in 2016, after the process of striving, only 6 hamlets and hamlets met the standards; Chau Ly commune had 2 hamlets that met the standards: Pan and Na Lan.

Road construction in Tham village.

In 2017, 99 households escaped poverty, the poverty rate decreased by 5%. Dozens of families in the commune have bought cars, passenger vans, trucks for transportation, business... this was something that many people could not even dream of a few years ago.

Chau Ly is a land of deep affection and love. Along with the dedication and joint efforts to restore Choong Temple, the people voluntarily contributed nearly 750 million VND to build the Martyrs' Memorial House, inaugurated on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day, July 27, 2017...

PV:What do you think about the current use of Facebook by cadres, party members, especially managers? Can you share some experiences in using Facebook and social networks to serve management and leadership work?

Comrade Cao Duy Thai:I think everything has two sides, and so does social media. For example, a knife in the hands of the villagers is a useful tool, but in the hands of criminals it becomes a murder weapon. What matters is the intention of the user and the way of using it. Cadres, party members, especially leaders and managers using social media, must pay more attention to that.

At Chau Ly commune agency, in recent years, management and operation work... has been basically done through the application of information technology. Work schedules, monthly reports, document approval... are all done via email. A mandatory requirement for staff, civil servants, especially young staff, is to be proficient in using email, using information technology in document processing and work. When using social networks, one must be responsible and accountable for the information posted, comply with the law and good customs; not harm the agency, family, society...

In fact, through the Internet and social networks, many people know about remote areas, such as Chau Ly and what happens every day here. From connecting through social networks, in 2017 alone, over 250 million VND went to the poor and families in difficult circumstances in Chau Ly commune through the programs: "Overcoming yourself - HTV", "Sacred New Moon", "Winter is not cold", "Great Unity Day"... There are many people I have never met, and they have never been to Chau Ly, but they are willing to transfer money to support the poor in Chau Ly commune through information on social networks.

PV:Thanks comrade!