'Every change of Xieng My is accompanied by Nghe An Newspaper'

THE GOOD LAND

Although it was established just over 16 years ago, with a starting point full of difficulties and shortages, Xieng My commune (Tuong Duong) is now "changing its skin" every day. The people of Xieng My commune are standing up, making efforts to develop the economy, and creating a prosperous life. In each milestone of local development, there is the joint contribution of cadres, reporters, and staff of Nghe An Newspaper.

According to many local cultural researchers, the meaning of the name Xieng My in Thai is a good, prosperous land where people have food and property. Xieng or Xieng refers to a densely populated area; and My means to have.

In terms of administrative place names, Xieng My commune was only "born" in April 2007, after being separated from Nga My commune. However, the name Xieng My has existed since the Le So period, belonging to Hoi Ninh district, Tra Lan prefecture - one of the early residential areas of the Thai people in Tuong Duong district.

Many Xieng My people still pass on the legend: “In the past, this was a fertile land, with a large number of Thai people living together. Then, one year, a drought occurred, causing the people to disperse. The Xieng My village had a beautiful girl who fell in love with a poor young man in the area. The village did not agree, so he set a condition that if the young man could dig a stream to bring water to fight the drought, he would let her marry his daughter...

Accepting the challenge of Tao Muong, the young man, with the help of his lover and many young men in the village, was determined to climb the high mountains to find a water source and find a stream to bring water back. As a result, they all died of exhaustion. But in return, a stream of fresh water was brought back, which is today's Chon stream. Xieng My has no longer been dry since then, and people from all over the country have come to live happily again...".

Xieng My has 3 ethnic groups living together: Thai, Kinh and Kho Mu, of which over 90% are Thai. The Thai people here belong to 2 groups: Hang Tong and Man Thanh. The Kinh people follow the river to do business and then immigrate here. The Kho Mu people come here through kinship, family and marriage relationships.

Generation after generation, Xieng My's population has now grown to more than 3,202 people, 749 households living in 7 villages including: Chon, Noong Mo, Pieng O, Dinh Tai, Cha Hia, Phay and Khe Quynh. People in Xieng My commune mainly work in slash-and-burn farming, grow rice, and also raise livestock, exploit forest products, plant forests, and fish...

Recalling 16 years ago, Xieng My Commune Party Secretary Luong Hong Son said that when it was first established, Xieng My had to face numerous difficulties and challenges. There was no physical and technical infrastructure, some infrastructure from the former Nga My villages was also very poor and outdated, the commune government's office had to rely on primary schools, far from the villages, transportation and communication were very difficult. Economic conditions were backward, fields were fragmented, terrain was divided, transportation was difficult. The intellectual level of the people was low, education, health care, cultural and social life of the people were difficult and lacking.

Faced with these difficulties, the cadres and people of Xieng My commune must strive to do their best to build their homeland out of poverty and become more progressive and civilized. Although there were many difficulties in the beginning, with the spirit of solidarity, cohesion, and overcoming challenges, Xieng My commune has focused on building a strong Party Committee, from which, leading and directing the government and people to closely follow the Party's policies and guidelines, making efforts to develop the economy - society, security - defense, and build a strong Party and political system. Notably, in the 16 years of efforts to "change the face" of this poor highland commune, Nghe An Newspaper has been a companion and supporter in both spirit and material for 12 years.

Leading us to visit the village, Chairman of Xieng My Commune People's Committee Lo Ba Lich happily informed that after more than 2.5 years of implementing the Resolution of the 4th Party Congress of the Commune, term 2020-2025, the commune's economy has gradually developed stably, the local budget revenue has reached and exceeded the assigned plan. Currently, 7/7 villages have car roads to the center, creating favorable conditions for socio-economic development. The total annual cultivated area reaches 600 hectares, the total grain output reaches 885.3 tons, and the total livestock herd is 4,245.

The most encouraging thing is that the socio-economic life of the people of Xieng My commune is increasingly improving. In 2022 alone, the whole commune had 61/268 households escape poverty, the poverty reduction rate was 22.76%, thereby reducing the commune's poverty rate to 28.3%.

EFFORTS TO ESCAPE POVERTY

With a difficult locality, low starting point, poor people's lives, but with the active support of superiors, units, businesses, the efforts of the entire political system, and the consensus of the people, the new rural construction program of Xieng My commune has achieved very positive results.

The commune has now met 11/19 criteria, Phay village has met 13/13 criteria, the remaining villages have met from 8 to 13 criteria. The commune is striving to have 3 more villages: Noong Mo, Cha Hia and Dinh Tai reach the new rural finish line according to the plan by the end of 2023. In particular, the commune has completed the Project of Building a "Drug-free Border Commune", thereby contributing to ensuring national defense and security, creating stability for development.

Returning to Xieng My, we were very happy to see that many people here no longer have the mentality of waiting and relying on others. Many households have made efforts to develop their family economy by building economic models of growing fruit trees, raising buffaloes and cows in captivity, raising pigs for breeding, growing aromatic roots, growing high-yield cassava...

Walking on the village roads, I occasionally saw people pointing to the cattle pens and boasting: These are cows given by Nghe An Newspaper! The selected breeds are big and strong, native cows that adapt well to the special climate in the highlands so they grow well.

Like the family of Mr. Lo Van Son in Phay village, who received a female calf from Nghe An Newspaper in 2012, since then, his family has had a herd of 9 cows. After selling 4 cows, each for 15 to 18 million VND, the family had money to build a solid house and escape poverty.

"There are many models such as breeding cows, growing fruit trees with the help of Nghe An Newspaper and businesses and units that are promoting high economic efficiency. Thanks to that, the average income of people in Xieng My commune has increased to nearly 30 million VND/person/year. It can be said that every change in the commune has the accompaniment of the Newspaper", Chairman of Xieng My Commune People's Committee Lo Ba Lich happily shared.

Since National Highway 48C was invested and upgraded, the road to Xieng My is no longer difficult. With the investment attention of superiors, in the period of 2007 - 2022, the system of offices, schools, clinics and essential traffic roads in Xieng My commune were gradually built.

The commune has restored some traditional trades such as brocade weaving, knitting, carpentry, and blacksmithing, meeting the needs of the people. Trade and services have developed a new step, in the area there are 23 small service businesses, trading essential goods to serve the people's daily life, increasing the local revenue.

Although we did not have much time to visit all 7 villages, the practical experiences in this land were enough for us to believe in the feeling of clear changes in Xieng My. The achievements in the past 16 years have demonstrated the spirit of solidarity and the constant efforts of the Party Committee, government and people of Xieng My commune in the process of building and developing the economy and society.

With the advantage of National Highway 48C running through, the area adjacent to the localities of Nam Son (Quy Hop), Binh Chuan (Con Cuong), along with the help of superiors, units, enterprises, especially the determination and efforts of the entire Party, government and people, we believe that Xieng My commune will continue to develop, becoming a good and prosperous land, where people have food and property, just like its name.

Implementing the policy of each agency helping a poor commune of the Provincial People's Committee, Nghe An Newspaper has been helping Xieng My commune since 2011. With the motto of "giving fishing rods", in the past 12 years, Nghe An Newspaper has helped Xieng My commune in many forms such as: Building a breeding cow bank for poor households; mobilizing businesses inside and outside the province to support the commune in eliminating thatched houses; supporting seedlings to help people eliminate mixed gardens, grow fruit trees to develop household economy; giving thousands of gifts to support poor households on the occasion of Lunar New Year.

Since the commune has had electricity, Nghe An Newspaper has supported Xieng My Commune People's Committee to purchase equipment such as: computers, printers, photocopiers,... and called for and mobilized funds to buy dozens of sets of tables and chairs, blankets, warm clothes for students in the commune... Nghe An Newspaper Youth Union also helped a student in the area with difficult circumstances to excel in his studies.