For the Mong people in the border areas, changing their production habits and mindset is very difficult. Although the Mong people's nomadic lifestyle has been basically eliminated, changing their production and farming habits is still a big challenge.
In Huoi Son village, Tam Hop commune, Tuong Duong district, the Mong couple Vu Ba Phia (born in 1990) and Xong Y Lo (born in 1993) are a bright spot in economic development when they pioneered the cultivation of more than 1.2 hectares of red turmeric and improved agricultural production efficiency from high-yield rice varieties. From a poor household in the village, relying on a small area of upland rice all year round, their family has been accompanied by the 9th Youth Volunteer Corps in implementing new economic models.
Along with Mr. Phia, in the two villages of Huoi Son and Pha Lom (Tam Hop commune), there are more than 100 households cultivating red turmeric with a total area of nearly 16.5 hectares. Red turmeric is suitable for the climate and soil and is properly cared for, so it has high productivity. In 2022, the Team purchased 230 tons of red turmeric for the people, worth more than 1.1 billion VND. Joy also came to many villagers here when in 2023, the Mong people in Huoi Son and Pha Lom villages were able to test-plant the new rice variety VT - NA2 on an area of nearly 2 hectares with outstanding productivity.
Behind the bumper crops, the people here always have special affection for the 11 cadres and team members of the 9th Youth Volunteer Team. For many years, they have accompanied the Mong people in testing many new crops, gradually reclaiming wasteland to implement effective economic models to escape poverty sustainably. Therefore, in the midst of the vast mountains and forests, the Border Youth Village, belonging to the 9th Youth Volunteer Team in Huoi Son village, Tam Hop commune, Tuong Duong district, is a trusted address for the villagers to come to whenever they need help. In recognition of those efforts, the 9th Youth Volunteer Team has received many Certificates of Merit and Certificates of Merit at all levels, notably the Certificate of Merit from the Central Committee for Mass Mobilization for its outstanding achievements in the skillful mass mobilization movement in the period 2015 - 2020; Certificate of Merit from the Central Executive Committee of the Youth Union for its outstanding achievements in building the Laos - Vietnam Border Youth Friendship Village...
Leaving the remote land of Tuong Duong to the area of Thanh Thuy and Thanh Ha communes (Thanh Chuong) where the Youth Volunteer Team 5 is located, the atmosphere of labor and production competition is also extremely exciting. The Team has accompanied the people to overcome difficulties and successfully build the Song Ro Youth Village model. According to the sharing of Team Leader Hoang Van Dong: 21 years ago when the Youth Volunteer Team 5 was established by the decision of the Provincial People's Committee, this place was a wild mountainous area with no roads, no electricity, no people living there, and no Ro bridge across the Lam River like today.
In 2001, with the special attention of the Central Youth Union, the Standing Committee of Nghe An Provincial Youth Union assigned the task to the 5th Youth Volunteer Team to implement the project "Song Ro Youth Entrepreneurship Village" - one of the first 4 pilot youth entrepreneurial villages of the Central Youth Union. After more than 20 years of construction and development, up to now, the Team has brought 157 households of team members to start a business, at the same time, developed 230 hectares of industrial tea, 50 hectares of oranges and grapefruits, 30 hectares of bamboo for bamboo shoots, 500 hectares of raw material forest; the total herd of buffaloes and cows is stable at 500 heads per year. Thanks to that, the lives of the households have improved day by day, the once difficult land has completely changed.
In the village of Buoc Mu, Na Ngoi commune, Ky Son district - an altitude of nearly 1,600m above sea level, in 2012, when the Youth Volunteer Team 10 was established with more than 30 members who are Mong ethnic people in the locality, the production life here has changed a lot. People were instructed to cultivate many new varieties of crops and gradually abandoned the habit of burning forests to make fields and focused on clearing land for cultivation.
Up to now, from the number of 30 Mong households that have been members of the Team since its inception, it has increased to over 300 households. The area of hilly land reclaimed by people to build a model of growing vegetables for sale has reached over 10 hectares. In particular, the area of Shan Tuyet tea grown in association with the Team has reached over 250 hectares. In addition, people have also boldly linked up with the Team to develop economically efficient plant varieties such as Japanese white garlic, ginseng, and Yacon (yam ginseng). Thanks to the stable output of the Team, people are assured of production and their lives are getting better and better.
Sharing about the role of the youth force in the province, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thang - Commander of the Youth Volunteer Force of Nghe An province affirmed that, following the tradition of previous generations of Youth Volunteers, the Youth Volunteer Force - economic development of the province has become economic - social models in the key areas of Western Nghe An.
As of April 2024, the Youth Volunteer Force has done a good job in protecting and developing forests. The total forest area managed, protected and produced by the Nghe An Youth Volunteer Force teams is over 22,638 hectares of protective forest and production forest. At the same time, from the wild lands, this force has pioneered in reclaiming and building concentrated industrial crop areas such as: 1,438 hectares of tea, 480 hectares of sugarcane, 123 hectares of pineapple; participating well in the forest development program, protecting and planting forests reaching 40,939 hectares.
Before 2014, the Nghe An Youth Volunteer Force had 12 units. However, recently, this force has implemented the policy of the Provincial Party Committee and the People's Committee of Nghe An province on merging and dissolving a number of Youth Volunteer Force units that have completed their historic mission. The Nghe An Youth Volunteer Force has been reduced to 5 Youth Volunteer Force units. Along with that, the synchronous implementation of the Project "Perfecting the organization and operation of the Youth Volunteer Force - Economic Development of Nghe An Province" (called Project 3051) in the period 2015 - 2021 has contributed to overcoming practical shortcomings in the organization and operation of the Youth Volunteer Force - Economic Development model. At the same time, creating a legal basis and concentrating efforts to continue building and developing the Youth Volunteer Force to meet the requirements and tasks in the new situation.
The movement and transformation of the operating model of the Youth Volunteer Team model has created more motivation to compete in labor and production, boldly pioneering in applying new things, bringing many results. The investment in Youth Volunteer Teams by Party committees, authorities and related sectors has created a "push" to help the teams improve the quality of their activities. For example, at Youth Volunteer Team 9, in 2023, the State invested in a cold-heat turmeric starch drying system worth nearly 1 billion VND, to ensure the highest quality of turmeric starch. The production of turmeric starch is implemented according to a modern chain from pre-processing, grinding, drying, making pellets... saving time and effort of team members. At the same time, improving product quality to compete with the market.
At the 5th Youth Volunteer Corps, the movement of innovation, emulation in labor and production is also extremely vibrant. In recent years, the Corps has boldly attracted investment to build a tea processing factory with a capacity of 15 tons/day, purchasing and processing 1,000 tons of fresh tea buds each year, creating regular and stable jobs for 15 workers, with an income of 8-9 million VND/person/month. In addition, a wood peeling factory with a capacity of 60 tons/day was also built, creating stable jobs for 20 workers, with an income of 9-10 million VND/person/month. The Corps also created regular jobs for 300 workers in household gardens and hundreds of seasonal workers for local people. From here, people's lives have improved day by day, and the once difficult land has completely changed.
In the difficult areas of the province, the teams are always trying to reclaim, open up land, establish businesses, and develop concentrated raw material areas such as tea, pineapple, and sugarcane to serve the province's processing industry. It is estimated that the main raw material area of the Nghe An Youth Volunteer Force currently accounts for 15-20% of the total raw material area of the whole province, creating a sustainable source of income.
At the 2023 National Youth Volunteer Units Conference organized by the Central Youth Union Secretariat, comrade Ngo Van Cuong - Secretary of the Central Youth Union, Chairman of the Central Youth Union Inspection Committee, gave many special recognitions and assessments to the youth volunteer force of Nghe An province. It can be said that through the visit and work at the general teams in the past time, the Secretary of the Central Youth Union affirmed that Nghe An has the right to be proud of a youth volunteer force full of enthusiasm and courage in implementing the assigned goals and tasks, contributing to the comprehensive development of the province in the past time.
In the general development trend of the youth force nationwide, it is necessary to carry out many long-term goals well. Notably, he pointed out that it is necessary to closely follow national and international standards such as OCOP, VietGAP, GlobalGAP... in researching and building production development models at the unit headquarters. At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to researching and expanding product distribution channels in many forms to expand the consumer market. In addition to the task of developing production, the units need to perform well their political tasks, grasp the locality, mobilize the people, pay attention to supporting the local government and people in socio-economic development, ensuring security, order, protecting the national border on land and at sea, eliminating hunger, reducing poverty, and transferring scientific and technological advances.
For some Youth Village projects that still face difficulties in terms of land, planning, receiving and arranging youth to start a business, implementing recommendations from the State Audit, etc., it is recommended that relevant Provincial Youth Unions proactively advise the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committees to coordinate and direct the solutions. These are important premises to continue to improve and enhance the quality of activities of the youth volunteer force in the new era.