Nhon Mai Prosperity

A time in "lockdown"

I really have a connection with Nhon Mai - one of the most remote communes of the province.Xiangyang District, located in the upper reaches of the Nam Non River, also known as the "border area". In early 2008, I had the opportunity to follow a teacher friend to Nhon Mai. At that time, the Ban Ve Hydropower Plant had not yet blocked the flow, so I was able to take a motorboat to cross hundreds of large and small waterfalls on the Nam Non River.

It took me nearly a day by boat, then another hour on foot to get to Nhon Mai Secondary School, where my friend was teaching. The weather was changing seasons, and as soon as I arrived, clouds rolled in, whirlwinds and hail poured down, causing the roofing sheets to fly everywhere... In the morning, I took the opportunity to walk around Nhon Mai village (the central village of the commune), the steep road running along the edge of the stream, and the simple stilt houses faintly visible in the early morning mist.

National Highway 16 passes through Nhon Mai commune (Tuong Duong) seen from Huoi Co village. Photo courtesy

Further away were seemingly endless mountain ranges, and it was thought that those rugged mountains would forever confine the people here in poverty, backwardness, and a life of self-sufficiency. Because Nhon Mai at that time was in a state of “4 no’s” (including: noroad, no electricity, no market and no phone signal).

Returning to the secondary school, I was surprised to see the dilapidated huts in the campus, from which the voices and laughter of children could be heard. Guessing the guests’ concerns, a teacher explained: “Here, except for a few villages near the school, the rest are at least half a day’s walk from the school. The school does not have a dormitory for students, so at the beginning of the school year, parents have to set up tents for their children to stay and study. Each tent has about 5-7 children living together, usually siblings or relatives. The children take care of their own meals and living expenses.”

Thanks to the road and electricity grid, life in the border commune of Nhon Mai (Tuong Duong) has changed a lot. Photo: Dinh Tuan

Then, looking at the dirty children, hastily eating a bowl of rice with white salt before going to class, I could not help but feel sad and sympathetic. After that time, I wrote a reportage “The hardship of writing in the highlands”.

Also on that occasion, I met Mr. Kha Duong Tien - Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, who has been a key official of the commune for more than 30 years, rotating from Chairman to Party Secretary and vice versa, because at that time it was very difficult to find a replacement for this "veteran". Mr. Tien said that the poverty rate inNhon MaiAt that time, nearly 90% of the population was civil servants, officials and teachers, many of whom were still in difficult circumstances but still applied to escape poverty.

A corner of Huoi Co village, Nhon Mai commune (Tuong Duong). Photo: Dinh Tuan

Life is still almost self-sufficient, farming is just enough to eat; raising buffaloes and cows for pulling power; raising pigs and chickens just to eat on Tet or for funerals and offerings. About 150 km from the district center, there is no road for cars, so even if they produce a lot of rice and raise a lot of livestock and poultry, they don't know who to sell it to. The rugged terrain, mountainous border forests and all kinds of shortages have made life in Nhon Mai always "confined".

“The government is preparing to invest in opening a major road through the border communes, including Nhon Mai. With the road, people’s lives will change, I believe so,” Mr. Kha Duong Tien confided. After saying that, he went into his office, opened a cabinet, took out a map of the road construction and showed it to me. Honestly, at that time, I thought that even if there was a road, I would have to wait a long time, maybe even decades.

When the highway is open

Later, I had several more trips to Nhon Mai but because of the rush of work, I did not have much time to feel the changes in this remote border area. Recently, I had the opportunity to return to Nhon Mai, visit many places and clearly see the improvements and changes.Highway 16The road connecting Ky Son - Tuong Duong - Que Phong districts through Nhon Mai was completed 6-7 years ago, making travel easier and more convenient, with a bus route to Vinh City.

The joy of Mong children in Huoi Co village, Nhon Mai commune (Tuong Duong). Photo: Dinh Tuan

The power grid has also been brought to the villages along Highway 16, bringing light to the vast forest. With roads and electricity, people compete to build houses along both sides of the road, open shops, making life more vibrant. In particular, the boarding secondary school has now been built spaciously, with separate houses for students, clean and tidy places to eat and live. Surely many people have forgotten the makeshift huts of the students in the past.

On this occasion, we followed the working group of the district and commune to Huoi Co village, a village located near the road.Vietnam - Laos border, home to more than 50 Mong households. Previously, I also went to Huoi Co, following a thread-like road running along the mountainside, from Xoi Voi village, walking and breathing for 4 hours. Now that road has just been concreted, not only motorbikes, but cars can also go up to the village in about 20 minutes.

The samu-shingled roofs still retain their mossy appearance, the ancient peach trees are bearing ripe fruit, the joy is evident on the faces and smiles of every Huoi Co resident. Village chief Va Khua Do is excited: “Now that there is a road, from buffaloes, cows, pigs, chickens to peaches and plums, they are all commodities, people come to the village to buy. There are households raising dozens of buffaloes and cows, their assets can be worth billions. We also advise people to preserve their identity so that they can do community tourism in the future.”

Along with socio-economic development, ethnic people in Nhon Mai always raise awareness of preserving cultural identity. Photo: Cong Kien

On the way back to the commune center, Mr. Lu Ngoc Tinh - Chairman of the Commune People's Committee said that not only Huoi Co, but also the remote villages such as Huoi Man, Pha Mut, Phia Oi and Pieng Luong have all received investment from the State to build roads. In the past, people mainly traveled on foot, but now motorbikes can travel easily, facilitating the circulation of goods, so life has begun to change.

The poverty rate has decreased to 42.54%, many households have risen to a fairly good level, even earning hundreds of millions of dong thanks to livestock development such as Va Tong Su, Va Ba Ka in Tham Tham village. The total livestock herd of the commune is currently about 6,500, bringing a significant source of income to the people.Mong, Khmu and Thai in Nhon Mai.

“Currently, the area of ​​rice and swidden fields is still maintained to ensure food demand. Transportation is more convenient, the policy is to promote the development of livestock and poultry farming as a staple product to gradually escape poverty. The area of ​​indigenous products such as plums and peaches will also be expanded to diversify products according to market demand, helping people improve their living standards.”

Mr. Lu Ngoc Tinh - Chairman of Nhon Mai Commune People's Committee

Returning to Nhon Mai this time, I took the time to visit the house of Mr. Kha Duong Tien, who has been retired for several years. Mr. Tien is still healthy and still recognizes old acquaintances. After shaking hands, the former commune chairman immediately asked: "How do you see life in Nhon Mai today?". Of course, the answer was "It has really changed". That night, by the Huoi Hy River, we finished the bottle of fermented rice wine and listened to funny stories about Nhon Mai.

Leaders of the Provincial Ethnic Committee and Tuong Duong district visited people in Huoi Co village, Nhon Mai commune. Photo: Cong Kien

Job done, togetherworking groupof Tuong Duong district leaving Nhon Mai, I was really excited when I heard and saw the changes and prosperity of this remote border commune. Perhaps, compared to other places, today's results in Nhon Mai are still modest, but compared to about 10 years ago, it is truly a miracle in the middle of the vast borderland.