'A breath of fresh air' in Muong Choong

"Wherever the road is built, we will donate land."

Upon visiting Lau village in Chau Ly commune, the first impression is the spacious concrete roads winding alongside vast green rice fields, connecting to the foot of the mountains, creating a peaceful scene.

Acting as our guide, Ms. Mai Huong, the land and agriculture officer of Chau Ly commune, said: "Although it is a purely agricultural area with 74 households and 334 inhabitants, whose labor is mainly engaged in agricultural production, Lau village is one of the leading villages in building new rural areas, especially in the movement to donate land to expand rural roads..."

Meeting the Party Secretary of Lau village, Ms. Tran Thi Ly, who was inspecting agricultural production in the fields, she happily shared: "The village is striving to achieve the new rural development goals this year, and has already met 10 out of 13 criteria. Besides focusing on economic development, with the advantage of having many construction teams, the villagers actively contribute to repairing and beautifying the yards and fences of each family and alleyway. In the first six months of 2023, the village received 150 tons of cement, and the Party branch held meetings to mobilize the people to contribute nearly 160 million VND in cash and 350 man-days of labor to build nearly 1.7 km of concrete roads within the village."

Recently, amidst the vibrant atmosphere of building new rural areas in Chau Ly commune, the story of villagers donating land and trees to open roads has evoked strong emotions in the commune and village leaders, as well as visitors from afar. Most commendable is that the villagers donated their land without any calculation of personal gain or loss.

The Party Secretary of Lau village, while leading us on a tour of the village, recounted: “The intersection leading into this village used to have a narrow bend with obstructed visibility, making it difficult for vehicles, especially cars, to pass. When the village decided to build a road, Mr. Truong Xuan Bao's family voluntarily dismantled their fence and donated 3 meters wide and over 20 meters long of land to widen the bend. The road was also widened by 2 meters, making it easier for vehicles to travel.”

Talking to us by the newly rebuilt, pristine whitewashed fence, Mr. Bao kindly shared, "Every inch of land is precious, but to beautify the road and the neighborhood, my family doesn't regret it."

The movement of "wherever roads are built, people donate land" has also helped to expedite the construction of transportation infrastructure in Xet village, Chau Ly commune. Although the village still faces many difficulties (with up to 25% of households living in poverty), the process of mobilizing support for new rural development has always received the approval and support of the people.

“At the beginning of 2023, the people of Xet village cleared the land and laid the foundations for three roads, with a total length of nearly 2 km. For a village with such difficult economic conditions, this is a great effort by the villagers,” said Mr. Truong Van Kien, Secretary of the Party Branch of Xet village.

Following directives from higher authorities, many households in Xet village voluntarily donated land and trees for the construction of rural roads. Among them, the family of Mr. Nguyen Van Ngoc stands out, having donated 40 meters of sturdy fence, three mature flowering trees, a water reservoir, and over 200 valuable acacia trees worth hundreds of millions of dong. "My family supports the common good of the village, without considering the gains or losses, because we understand and want our homeland to always develop, and for the lives of people like us to become more prosperous," Mr. Ngoc shared simply and sincerely.

Chau Ly is a particularly disadvantaged commune in Quy Hop district, with a total natural area of ​​6,559 hectares, a population of 1,547 households, and 7,264 inhabitants belonging to three ethnic groups: Kinh, Thai, and Tho, living together in 11 villages. Previously, the transportation system was not comprehensively invested in, and the economy was underdeveloped.

The Resolution of the 22nd Party Congress of the commune, term 2020-2025, set the following goals: Maximizing resources, gradually completing a comprehensive infrastructure system; proposing, promoting, and attracting investment to open roads connecting Chau Ly to Tho Son (Anh Son), Thach Ngan (Con Cuong), Chau Ly to Tan Hop (Tan Ky), and building the commune into a central hub connecting socio-economic development in the Southwest Nghe An region.

Visiting Choọng Bùng village, I was delighted to hear stories of villagers donating land and relocating their homes to make way for the road. For example, the family of Mr. Vi Văn Phố voluntarily dismantled their entire house to provide space for the construction of a concrete bridge as part of the Châu Lý (Quỳ Hợp) - Tân Hợp (Tân Kỳ) road project.

According to the Party Secretary of Choọng Bùng village, Mr. Lô Văn Hoàng (the pioneer who donated 700m2 of agricultural land for the road), 36 households in the village donated rice fields and trees to serve the construction of the Châu Lý - Tân Hợp road project; among them, Mr. Phố's family was most affected, as their large three-room stilt house, according to the construction drawings, was located right at the center of the bridge abutment on the route.

During the conversation, Mr. Vi Van Pho said: “I bought this house from someone else in 2016, on an area of ​​452 square meters, for 360 million VND, for my eldest son's family to live in separately. The house has been with our family for so many years, and now it's being demolished, which is very regrettable! But after thinking it over, for the common good, I persuaded my wife and children to dismantle it to hand over the land to the construction unit. Currently, I'm setting up a temporary shelter for my son's family to live in.”

According to the plan, the inter-district road from Choọng Bùng village, Châu Lý commune (Quỳ Hợp district) to Tân Hợp commune (Tân Kỳ district) has a total estimated investment of up to 70 billion VND, with a total length of 11.5 km. It is expected to help Châu Lý commune boost economic development and become the center of the southwestern region of the district.

Mr. Vi Van Quanh, Chairman of the Chau Ly Commune People's Committee, said: After receiving information about the road construction project, especially the lack of compensation funds for land clearance, the commune directed the entire political system from the commune to the hamlets to disseminate information to the people. When the project was implemented, 126 households in the villages of Choong Bung, Tham, Xet, Bon, etc., were affected, impacting their crops, trees, houses, gates, and solid fences. However, the people were all willing to support the project for the common good.

Speaking about the determination to open up new roads, Mr. Cao Duy Thai - Secretary of the Party Committee of Chau Ly commune - said: Recognizing the extremely important role of transportation in the socio-economic development of the locality in the current period, as well as in the future development strategy, over the past half-term, the Party Committee and the commune government have given special priority to planning, expanding, and upgrading roads to connect Chau Ly commune to become the center of the southwestern region of the district and the region, with a total investment of over 120 billion VND.

Besides the ongoing road project connecting Choọng Bùng village in Châu Lý commune (Quỳ Hợp district) with Tân Hợp commune (Tân Kỳ district), there is also a road connecting Khúa village (Châu Lý commune) and Cáng village (Châu Đình commune) with a total investment of 35 billion VND, expected to be constructed in 2024. Once completed, this road will boost trade, economic development, and connect Châu Lý commune with Châu Đình, Văn Lợi, and other communes.

Many concrete roads within the communes have been systematically invested in, such as the road between Bon and Tham villages with a total investment of 7.7 billion VND; the road between Bon and Bang villages with a total investment of 10.8 billion VND; the road between Con Xao, Ngon Pan, Choong Bung, and Lau villages, put into use in May 2023, with a total investment of 1.8 billion VND... These have created a new look and are meeting the development requirements of the area.

"One of the strengths of Chau Ly commune is the "unanimous consensus between the Party's will and the people's hearts," where people trust the people-centered decisions of the Party Committee and local government. Over the past half-term, people have voluntarily donated land, trees, dismantled structures, and hired trucks and excavators to open roads, creating a vibrant movement. The newly opened internal village roads are all 7-9 meters wide. The funds mobilized from the "people's strength" for rural development amounted to 1,440 million VND; in addition, people contributed 7,722 man-days of labor, donated 20,048 square meters of land and 1,440 trees of various kinds," said Party Secretary Cao Duy Thai enthusiastically.

Unlocking potential and strengths

The goal of developing community tourism is now receiving attention from the Party Committee, the government, and the people of the villages and hamlets in Chau Ly commune. This land is rich in cultural identity and possesses many potentials, with scenic spots such as Bia Waterfall, Tan Waterfall, Ken Waterfall, along with a system of fascinating caves such as Ban Vuc Cave, Ban Tham Cave, Dong Vinh Rock Cave, and crystal-clear springs in Ban Vuc 1, Ban Vuc 2, Ban Bon… Particularly noteworthy is the famous Choong Temple historical site in the Northwest of Nghe An province, located on Pu Den mountain in the center of the ancient Muong Choong, with its picturesque mountains and rivers, and an incredibly rich cultural and spiritual life.

Currently, with the special attention of the Quy Hop District Party Committee and People's Committee, Chau Ly commune has begun to promote and develop the value of historical relics and scenic spots in the area. This determination is demonstrated through the operation of community tourism in Choong Bung village using the homestay model.

Mr. Lo Van Hoang, Secretary of the Party Branch of Choong Bung village, added: "When we first started, none of us farmers, who have spent our lives cultivating rice and potatoes, understood what community tourism was all about. But with the encouragement of the local government, and through study trips to homestay tourism destinations in the province and neighboring provinces such as Pu Luong (Thanh Hoa), Mai Chau (Hoa Binh)..., we have gained experience to build the first community tourism destinations in the village, reflecting the unique cultural identity of the Choong ethnic group."

As a result, despite being relatively new, the homestay model has become a favorite destination for tourists, opening up a new direction for local development.

Despite numerous efforts, due to a low starting point, the local poverty rate remains high (23.34%), and many households still face housing difficulties. This is also the biggest concern of the local Party committee and government. Therefore, the Executive Committee of the Chau Ly Commune Party Committee for the 2020-2025 term held a meeting to discuss and find directions for economic development based on existing potential and strengths. Specifically, they determined to continue shifting the economic structure towards increasing the proportion of forestry, industries, and services; to promote and encourage people to change their way of thinking and doing things; and to focus on developing the processing and transportation of acacia wood raw materials and supporting services to increase economic efficiency on planted forest areas.

The Chairman of the People's Committee of Vi Van Quanh commune provided further information: With a total planted forest area of ​​over 3,000 hectares of acacia trees, according to the current cycle, the commune harvests and replants approximately 500 hectares of acacia trees annually. Based on 2022 prices, the total revenue per hectare of acacia is estimated at 130 million VND; the total income from acacia trees in the commune in 2022 is estimated at 65 billion VND.

Income from acacia trees has become a strength in the economic development of Chau Ly commune; many groups of workers specializing in planting, weeding, harvesting, and transporting acacia have been formed, creating jobs and increasing income for local people. Along with stabilizing the area of ​​acacia trees, the economic structure is developing towards expanding industries and services.

In addition to the four weighing stations serving four acacia wood processing factories, a large-scale investment project for a raw acacia wood purchasing and processing plant (THT Company) is currently undergoing the application process for an investment license in Khua village. Trade and services are developing rapidly with a diverse system of stalls and shops along National Highway 48C, ranging from electronics, car, and motorbike repair to grocery stores, food and beverage services, and healthcare, meeting the needs of the people, creating jobs, increasing income, and improving the living standards of the villagers in the area.

Chau Ly, once a "disadvantaged area," has truly transformed, living up to the expectations of becoming a central hub for the commune cluster decades ago. The attention and support from the province and district, along with the creative and correct steps taken by the local Party committee and government in exploiting potential and strengths; and the ability to foster unity and solidarity among ethnic groups in poverty reduction and rural development... have created a new impetus, helping the commune to confidently move forward step by step.