The path to exploring the remote mountains.

(Baonghean) - Not so long ago, the name Nhon Mai (Tuong Duong) always evoked in everyone's mind images of steep, remote places, the furthest reaches of the mountains and valleys. Now, things are different; this high-altitude border commune is no longer so far away.

When the road is open

Nearly 10 years ago, the first time I visited Nhon Mai, I had to travel upstream by boat for 5 hours, navigating numerous treacherous rapids and waterfalls, and then hike for another 2 hours to reach the commune center. Including the journey from Vinh to Thuong Luu wharf (Yen Na), it took almost two days. This time, the bus departed from Vinh, traveled along National Highway 48 to the center of Tri Le commune (Que Phong), and then turned onto the Western Nghe An route. The estimated distance is about 250km, taking approximately 7 hours, meaning I could have lunch in Vinh and possibly dinner in Nhon Mai.

Nhon Mai village (the center of Nhon Mai commune, Tuong Duong district) has seen many positive changes. Photo: Cong Kien

When I first arrived in Nhon Mai, I thought it would be a long time before there was a paved road. With its rugged mountains and winding rivers and streams, where would the resources come from to build a road? An elderly Khmu man in Xoi Voi village said: "I've heard of iron carts that can carry dozens of people, but I haven't seen one. Perhaps it will take several more generations before we get to see one with our own eyes."

And even when the Chairman of Kha Duong Tien commune spoke about the West Nghe An road passing through the area, I still thought it was a... dream road. Now Mr. Tien is the Party Secretary of Nhon Mai commune, and meeting him again, he couldn't hide his joy: "Now the road is there, the electricity grid has reached many villages, the coverage of mobile network providers has extended, and students have boarding facilities. All the things we've longed for have come true. Only the market is missing, but there's no shortage of goods; grocery stores are springing up everywhere."

The joy of the people of Nhon Mai commune (Tuong Duong district) as the West Nghe An road is now open. Photo: Cong Kien.

Following Chairman Luong Xuan Hiep along the Western Nghe An road, I witnessed many changes and the solid construction of public welfare facilities. Children happily rode to school on bicycles, a far cry from the days of trekking through forests and wading through streams. Mr. Hiep arrived in Nhon Mai at the time the Western Nghe An road was completed, making travel easy and convenient, creating a boost for socio-economic development.

The path forward is now clear.

“With roads and electricity, the mindset and way of doing things of the people will automatically change. Many households have shown dynamism and quick thinking in their business practices, earning hundreds of millions of dong each year,” the young chairman said enthusiastically. To prove what he had just said, he took me to Tham Tham village – the border point between Tuong Duong and Que Phong districts.

Pilot model for passion fruit cultivation by Va Ba Ka, Tham Tham village, Nhon Mai commune (Tuong Duong district). Photo: Cong Kien

Located nearly 20km from the commune center, since the road was opened, the lives of nearly 20 Khmu and Mong ethnic minority households have changed. They have begun to move away from subsistence farming and shift to commodity production. In particular, 7 households in Tham Tham are participating in a pilot project to grow passion fruit, promising a "life-changing" experience. This area is only about 10km from the center of Tri Le commune (Que Phong district) – the "capital" of passion fruit cultivation – and has almost identical climate and soil conditions.

Among the seven families growing passion fruit, Va Ba Ka's household is considered the most efficient. With over 269 plants, his family has earned nearly 50 million VND since the beginning of the season, and there is still some left to harvest. Va Ba Ka (born in 1986) is the Party Secretary of the village, enthusiastically participating in social work, and is diligent and skilled in business. We visited him just as he returned from a conference honoring outstanding farmers organized by the district, where he presented his experience in wealth creation.

Va Ba Ka is overjoyed that his first passion fruit crop has brought in 50 million VND, and he still has some left to harvest. Photo: Cong Kien.

Exactly nine years ago, with a 10 million VND loan from the Social Policy Bank, Va Ba Ka bought two breeding cows and continued to invest for profit. Today, his family owns 37 cows, 7 buffaloes, 10 pigs, and hundreds of black chickens; in addition, they have 0.5 hectares of rice paddies, 30 plum trees, and 200 peach trees for sale during Tet (Lunar New Year). In 2015, he participated in a pilot project to grow passion fruit. On average from 2012 to 2015, Va Ba Ka earned nearly 100 million VND per year; in 2016 alone, it reached 150 million VND.

But Va Ba Ka is not yet the "champion." In Nhon Mai, we must mention Mr. Va Ba Chay (Tham Tham village) with over 1.5 hectares of rice paddies, several acres of fish ponds, more than 50 buffaloes and cows, 30 pigs, countless chickens, and a forest full of peach and plum trees. In Huoi Co village, Mr. Va Xay Po has over 70 buffaloes and cows, averaging 20 million dong per animal, totaling 1.4 billion dong. If you include the rice paddies and other crops and livestock, Mr. Po has approximately 2 billion dong in his possession.

Developing commercial livestock farming is a promising direction for the people of Nhon Mai commune (Tuong Duong district). Photo: Cong Kien.

Mr. Luong Xuan Hiep shared: "These exemplary cases have opened up new business opportunities for the people of Nhon Mai, which is to develop livestock and poultry farming towards commodity production, while promoting crops with many advantages such as passion fruit, peaches, plums and other local products."

Cong Kien