"Two paths, one will" in the remote village.
Thanks to a change in mindset, a determination to improve transportation infrastructure, and a focus on their children's education, the lives of the Thai people in Lau village – a poor village located in the most remote area of Chau Phong district (Quy Chau province) – are gradually improving. According to the village elders, these are "two paths but one shared goal: eradicating hunger and poverty, and building a prosperous village"...
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The "revolution" in transportation.
Leading us along the well-paved roads, Mr. Lu Van Dien (born in 1986) - Head of Lau village - excitedly said: "These roads may be normal elsewhere, but for the people of Lau village, this is a revolution!"
Previously, the roads within the village were mostly dirt, rough, and rocky; during the rainy season, they were slippery and muddy, making travel difficult for the people. Those living on the slopes had to leave their vehicles on the main road..."
Recognizing that improving the appearance of the village required "opening up" transportation routes, the Party branch and village management board went "door to door" to spread awareness and persuade the people to agree with the plan and contribute their labor and resources to build concrete roads within the village.
With strong public support, from August 24th to 30th, 2024, Lau village completed the construction of a 200m long, 3.5m wide, and 18-22cm thick internal village road, sufficient for convenient vehicle access, at a total cost of 106 million VND. Of this amount, the villagers contributed over 84 million VND (an average contribution of 300,000 - 800,000 VND per household).
Due to the unique topography of Bản Lầu, although it is located along Provincial Road 544, it is mainly a hilly area, so land is limited. Some households do not have vacant land to grow vegetables but are still willing to donate land for road construction, such as Mr. Lữ Văn Phúc and Mr. Lữ Văn Thảo, who donated 5-10 square meters each.2land.
Party members in the village branch each contributed 200 kg of cement. In addition, Lau village received support of over 1 ton of cement from the Commune Farmers' Association, the Ethnic Boarding High School, the Health Station, the Commune Police Party Branch, and 10 million VND from the Quy Chau District Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Department.
Throughout the process of "braving the sun and rain" to build the road, the villagers also received support from youth union members of the police force and the direct participation and contributions of leaders from the Party Committee, People's Committee, and mass organizations of Chau Phong commune.
This created a vibrant atmosphere and a high level of determination. It also motivated the village management board and the people of Lau village to continue constructing the remaining internal village roads, making transportation of goods less difficult during rainy seasons, harvests, and other times.
According to Comrade Sam Van Lan, Secretary of the Chau Phong Commune Party Committee: Ban Lau is the furthest area of Chau Phong commune, bordering Lien Canh village of Chau Hoan commune, with 122 households and 556 inhabitants (including 62 poor households and 20 near-poor households), a natural area of 25 hectares of forest land and 14 hectares of rice paddies. Previously, whenever Ban Lau was mentioned, it was associated with difficulties regarding electricity, roads, poverty, and backwardness…
However, thanks to changes in mindset and practices, this impoverished village has seen positive developments. In particular, the people's spirit of donating land, contributing labor, and helping to build roads has created wide, spacious, clean, and beautiful roads. This not only facilitates convenient travel but also opens up many favorable opportunities for people to develop their economy, improve their material and spiritual lives, and contribute to changing the face of the rural area in Lau village.
Along with improving transportation infrastructure, the people of Bản Lầu village are also actively seeking ways to develop their economy and escape poverty, including labor export and livestock and poultry farming.
The entire village has nearly 400 buffaloes and cows. Typical examples of households with large livestock farms include Mr. Lo Van Ngoan's family with 18 buffaloes and cows and 18 hectares of acacia trees. Or the village head, Lu Van Dieu's family, who has 28 hectares of acacia trees, 13 cows, 5 buffaloes, a flock of over 100 chickens, and 5-6 pigs.
“Due to difficulties in securing arable land, many households have diligently built roads to production areas 20 km from the village, bordering Que Phong district, to establish livestock farms and acacia plantations to stabilize their lives; some households have sought opportunities for overseas employment, accumulating capital to develop their economy, purchase equipment, and build more spacious houses. The people have gradually realized that if they continue to maintain a self-sufficient, dependent lifestyle as before, they cannot escape poverty, so there has been a change in their mindset and practices.”
"Village officials are exemplary leaders, actively propagating and mobilizing people to change production practices, transform the structure of crops and livestock; and apply scientific and technical advancements to production. In the near future, according to the commune's policy, the village will encourage people to introduce Cu Phang sticky rice – a specialty known for its sticky and fragrant quality – into production to increase productivity and economic value," said village head Lu Van Dieu.
The "revolution" in learning.
Through our conversations, officials and elders in Lau village not only expressed joy at the changes in houses, roads, and the economic development mindset of the people, but also excitement at the progress in their children's education.
Previously, partly due to poverty and partly due to difficult transportation (the distance from Lau village to the commune center is about 12 km, and to Quy Chau district center is about 30 km), and because the village only got electricity in 2020, most children in the village only completed secondary school and then dropped out, with only a handful going on to high school; no one in the village worked as a government official or civil servant, so the people still had feelings of inferiority and self-doubt.
However, in recent years, with the involvement of various departments, organizations, and a shift in the mindset and awareness of the people, the education of children in Lau village has yielded positive results. Currently, the entire village has 24 students attending secondary schools, 10 students attending university, and 3 who have graduated and are working.
In particular, during the 2023-2024 school year, Vi Thi Chang (from a poor family) from Lau village was among the top 4 highest scorers in the provincial high school graduation exam with 54.6 points/6 subjects, receiving commendations from the District People's Committee and the Provincial People's Committee. The village also boasts Lo Thi Lam (born in 2002), who has become a source of pride and a shining example of studiousness for the Thai ethnic minority, being the first student from Lau village and Chau Phong commune to pursue postgraduate studies abroad.
In a small house nestled along Provincial Road 544, Mr. Lo Van Thach (the grandfather of Lo Thi Lam) said: “Having a granddaughter who excels in school makes our whole family very happy and proud! My wife and I have four sons and ten grandchildren. Although life is still difficult, we always encourage our children to work hard to develop the economy and invest in their children's education; because to do any job, you need a foundation of knowledge and skills. For example, our second son, Lo Van Ngoan, is very good at livestock farming. If we hadn't invested in his children's education, he could have built a big, beautiful house by now, but the future of the younger generation is more important…”
It is known that Lo Thi Lam, the daughter of Mr. Lo Van Ngoan (son of Mr. Thach), has shown a strong desire to learn and strive for success since childhood. After graduating from Hanoi Law University, this young woman from a poor Thai ethnic minority village received a scholarship to pursue a master's degree abroad and is currently studying in Russia to realize her dream of becoming a skilled lawyer.
Tam's younger sister, Lo Thi Tuong (born in 2004), is following in her sister's footsteps, currently a third-year student in the Elementary Education Department at Vinh University. The young student expressed her dream of becoming an excellent teacher, "bringing literacy to the children in the village"; while her youngest brother, Lo Van Vien (born in 2006), is studying at a university preparatory program in Sam Son (Thanh Hoa). The Lo Van Ngoan family is not only a family with a strong tradition of learning but also a model of successful economic development in Lau village.
Speaking about the positive developments in the education of children in Lau village, Village Head Lu Van Dien happily shared: Currently, several young people in the village have graduated from teacher training programs and are pursuing teaching careers. The village has also established a scholarship fund to encourage children to study and to maintain and preserve the cultural identity of the Thai ethnic group.
This has been and continues to motivate the younger generation in the village to pursue knowledge-based wealth creation, contributing to changing their lives and building their community.
Accompanying the difficult
New roads, well-built houses, lush green fields... have embellished the picture of a new life in Lau village; they also demonstrate the policies, attention, and support of the local Party committee and government for this disadvantaged area.
With the motto "when each village prospers, the commune prospers; when each village moves forward, the commune changes," in addition to promoting propaganda and mobilizing people to overcome the mentality of waiting and relying on others and striving to escape poverty, the Party Committee and government of Chau Phong commune have implemented many solutions to focus their efforts on supporting disadvantaged villages.
For example, to strengthen the political system and enhance the leadership capacity and fighting strength of grassroots Party branches, the Chau Phong Commune Party Committee assigned comrades Luong Van Huan - Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee; Luong Van Chung - Member of the Commune Party Committee Executive Board, Chairman of the Commune Farmers' Association to participate in Party activities at the Lau village Party branch; and assigned comrade Lu Thanh Duc - Member of the Commune Party Committee Executive Board, Secretary of the Commune Youth Union to be in charge of the Lau village branch.
Thanks to this, the quality and discipline of the Party branch's activities have continuously improved, and the work of training and developing new Party members has been strengthened. According to the Secretary of the Party branch of Lau Lo village, Lo Van Chanh: At the beginning of 2025, the Party branch admitted one more outstanding individual into the Party, namely Lu Manh Cuong - Deputy Secretary of the Youth Union of the village, bringing the total number of Party members in the branch to 21. Currently, the Party branch committee has just recommended two outstanding individuals to attend a training course on Party knowledge.
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On the part of the Party members assigned by the Commune Party Committee to work in the village, such as the Secretary of the Commune Youth Union, Lu Van Duc, they have demonstrated the spirit of "Where there is a need, the youth are there; where there is difficulty, the youth are there," actively coordinating with organizations and individuals to implement many activities to support Lau village.
Typical examples include assisting the Youth Union branch in Lau village to improve the quality of its activities, thereby identifying and nurturing outstanding individuals for the Party; and bringing programs such as "Warm Winter" and "Tet for the Poor" to the village.
In 2024, young Party member Lu Thanh Duc and the Chau Phong Commune Youth Union, in coordination with the Nghi Loc District Youth Union, donated a cultural facility worth 50 million VND to the people of Lau village; presented 60 gift packages to poor households, each worth 500,000 VND; and supported the installation of a solar-powered lighting system to illuminate the grounds of the village's community cultural center.
Other organizations and associations within the political system of Chau Phong commune also prioritize programs and activities for Lau village. For example, the Women's Union of the commune launched the model "Gathering and attracting members and women to participate in association activities" in Lau village, creating many beneficial playgrounds and opening opportunities for learning and exchange; attracting over 85% of women to participate in activities. From there, new exemplary models in implementing emulation movements have been discovered, contributing to the fulfillment of political tasks in the locality.
The Farmers' Association of the commune prioritizes loan sources, training programs, and propaganda to encourage people in Lau village to change their production practices, diversify crops and livestock, and apply scientific and technical advancements to production to increase income.
Speaking about the progress made in the villages in recent years, the head of the Party branch and the Management Board of Lau village expressed optimism, despite the many difficulties and challenges ahead (the poverty rate remains high, some households still face difficulties with housing, land, and lack of long-term livelihoods...).
However, we believe that as people's awareness changes, the spirit of solidarity is strengthened, coupled with the close attention and support of the Party committee, government, and mass organizations within the commune's political system, in the not too distant future, Lau village will soon rise to become a prosperous village in Chau Phong commune.
