Meet the young commune vice chairman Ha Minh Tuan

(Baonghean.vn) - When registering for the program of 600 young commune vice chairmen, Ha Minh Tuan and the other team members all determined to go to the mountains to share the hardships, stick together with the people to contribute to poverty reduction, and build a prosperous and happy life.

At the end of the year, I had the opportunity to return to the border area of ​​Que Phong, the bustling, joyful spring atmosphere permeated throughout the villages. Somewhere, from inside the stilt houses, there were cheerful laughters celebrating the coming New Year, saying goodbye to the old year. For Ha Minh Tuan, the end of the year came to him in a very busy, fluttering mood. Together with 25 young team members of the province, he took on the position of Vice Chairman of Chau Kim commune since May 2012 - a position that the Party and State had placed high expectations on.

Recalling the first day, Tuan still feels emotional: “So many mixed emotions came flooding back. At first, I felt very nervous, somewhat worried because in my new position there were many things I was still very unfamiliar with, and I also did not know how the local people would react… But that feeling quickly passed, giving way to an excited mood when I directly took the lead in implementing many programs to help and guide the people. Thinking back now, I see that time passed so quickly, work kept me busy, and so many plans were still unfinished.”

Receiving the title of Vice Chairman of the commune, Ha Minh Tuan was assigned to be in charge of agriculture and specialized in building new rural areas. He enthusiastically introduced the initial results. Wherever he went, he received friendly greetings from the villagers. Looking at the way he communicated, one suddenly realized that the young Vice Chairman of the commune was very mature and confident.

I asked old man Hoa - Vi Van Hoa in Khoang village, Chau Kim commune about Tuan, he laughed heartily and said: “Young cadres are very popular with the villagers. At first, seeing Tuan as young but already a vice chairman, the villagers did not trust him. But after observing him slowly, we saw that he did well, wholeheartedly guiding the villagers to change crops, and mobilizing them to build new rural areas. Now we trust him”. That said, it can be seen that the process of young intellectuals establishing prestige in the hearts of the villagers is not simple. “At first, we also had a lot of difficulties. The villagers were sincere, but when they did not trust us, it was very difficult to work. Now everything is clear, the villagers trust and support us, and the work is going more smoothly”, Tuan shared.

The first challenge for Tuan was to mobilize people to build large-scale fields. Despite having one of the most fertile lands in Que Phong district, the economic efficiency of rice in Chau Kim was very low. Tuan realized that the weakness lay in farming practices. “The natural conditions were favorable, but people used many types of seeds on one field, which affected the yield and quality of rice. Therefore, they only worked to eat, not to sell.” After many trips to the villagers, he finally mobilized everyone to participate in building a large-scale field on an area of ​​30 hectares and using the same rice variety.

Ha Minh Tuan and locals take care of the vegetable garden

Tuan contacted Nghe An Agricultural Materials Company to bring NA2 rice seeds for people to sow and plant and asked the company to buy the products at the end of the season. The rice yield was high, the company bought fresh rice for 5.5 million VND per ton, dry rice for 7.2 million VND per ton, 10% higher than the market price. The same rice fields, previously only grown for food, now produce enough to eat and sell for money, the villagers are happy, more confident in the "young commune vice chairman". This year's crop, without needing to be mobilized, households who were still skeptical and hesitant last season all voluntarily participated. "The NA2 planting area has increased three times compared to the first year, reaching 90 hectares, proving that people are trusting the new farming method, gradually getting used to growing commercial rice", Tuan concluded.

The story of commercial farming is getting more and more exciting on the road. Tuan took us to Muong village to see the cabbage growing model. Here, he was guiding 4 Thai ethnic households to grow 1 hectare of cabbage to sell right on the occasion of Tet. As soon as we reached the village entrance, seeing the shadow of officer Tuan, Ms. Lo Thi Hanh quickly asked more about cabbage care techniques due to the unusually cold weather. Ignoring the social formalities, we followed her straight to the field. Ms. Hanh's whole family also went out to listen to Tuan's instructions. "The first time I planted cabbage, I had to ask officer Tuan every little thing to accumulate the techniques. In the following seasons, I will take the initiative to take care of it and not bother the commune anymore," Ms. Hanh honestly said.

This season, her family grows 1.5 sao of cabbage, and it is almost Tet and the vegetable garden is growing well. "Hopefully this year we can celebrate Tet thanks to cabbage", hearing the innocent words filled with hope and trust, in the middle of the vegetable field, there is a ringing laughter. "We are calculating to sell the cabbage in time for Tet. Up to now, the vegetables are growing well. If we calculate according to the current market price, the people will have a decent income", Tuan said. Saying goodbye to the agricultural production models, we visited the new rural road. Looking at the wide road, Chau Kim people are all excited. There are 127 households in Muong village who have contributed 400 thousand VND/person in cash, voluntarily donated land and labor to build the road.

However, the story of mobilizing people to contribute labor and money was not that simple because the villagers were used to thinking that everything they did was supported by the State. “The first day the announcement was made, the people met to set up a plan, and when they heard about paying, most of the people left. Another day, there was a meeting, some people sat in the hall, some sat outside the door listening. I proposed a plan, I myself would go to pay for construction materials to build the road first and the villagers would pay 100,000 VND per month. I sent a letter calling on children in the commune who lived far away to contribute to their homeland. Finally, the villagers agreed,” Tuan recalled.

Saying goodbye to the villagers, we headed back to the commune committee, looking at the blue smoke rising from the houses looming at the foot of the mountain, a feeling of peace and relaxation swept over me. The road ahead for the young team members is still long, and with the baggage of knowledge and enthusiasm, the "young commune vice chairmen" will contribute more to bring prosperity to every stilt house in the remote and poor countryside.

Thanh Duy