Happy day on the land of "golden joy"

If you work hard, the land will not fail you.

Previously, when mentioning Cam Muon (Que Phong), the terrifying impression was still the consequences of illegal gold mining. In the 2000s, there was a time when Cam Muon became devastated, the land was dug up, security and order were disrupted. But now, when coming to Cam Muon, many people cannot help but be surprised by the changes and peace of this land. Along the Quang River in early winter, the typical stilt houses of the Thai ethnic group in the "golden land" of Cam Muon lie close together peacefully. On the riverbank, next to the gentle flowing water, are peaceful water wheels that rotate steadily. Women and mothers hold nets in one hand, baskets in the other, catching fish and shrimp, while people take the opportunity to do laundry. Mr. Vi Thanh Luong's spacious stilt house is located not far from the riverbank, on the bamboo wall of the house are hung many fishing nets. In front of the door hangs a small drum. He said, “The sound of the drum has long been familiar to the villagers every time they need to invite them to a meeting, a village meeting, especially a meeting to discuss economic development.” Mr. Vi Thanh Luong has always encouraged and supported people to develop their economy right on their homeland. He and his wife and children also work hard on their 4-hectare acacia farm, combined with raising buffalo, cows, goats, pigs and fish ponds. “It is both to earn extra income for the family and to understand more and share and help the villagers with the professions that most of the people in Mong 2 village participate in,” said the Party cell secretary.

The man with gray hair, tall and slender, with a gentle smile, has 20 years of experience working in the locality. Since 1998, he has been the Chairman of the People's Committee of Cam Muon Commune, and after retiring, he has been the Secretary of the Mong 2 Village Party Cell for more than 10 years. Along with the family of the Secretary of the Vi Thanh Luong Village Party Cell, the entire Mong 2 Village has 10 households with farms and ranches raising livestock, poultry, and fish. With 105 households and more than 500 people, Mong 2 Village has a terrain stretching along the Quang River and is quite complexly divided. Life here still has many difficulties, especially transportation. Along the river flowing through the village, the rice fields in the last days of November were only stubble, and the herd of buffaloes that had just been immersed in the river during the dry season leisurely walked up to the bank to graze. Animal husbandry is the key economic sector of Mong 2 village as well as Cam Muon commune. A few years ago, only a few households set up farms to raise animals, but after seeing that some families were doing well from this economic sector, along with the encouragement of the Party cell and the government, gradually more households followed suit. Since then, the lives of the villagers have been less poor and difficult. Many households have gradually become well-off, such as Mr. Lang Van Toan, Lu Van Son, Vi Van Than, etc.

Going up the main road along Mong village, we visited the comprehensive farm of young man Lang Van Khun, Secretary of Mong 2 village Youth Union. Hardworking, resourceful and bold in investing in business and economic development right on the land where he was born and raised, Lang Van Khun is gradually asserting his role as a youth leader of the golden land. With a medium height, strong body and a gentle smile, Lang Van Khun modestly shared his future plans with the hope of further developing his farm. At one point, Khun's farm raised more than 500 Que Phong ducks, a herd of more than 20 pigs, and a herd of 10 goats. Currently, Lang Van Khun is opening up a direction to both raise meat ducks and sell duck breeds. Taking short-term to sustain long-term, Khun has now purchased a plow, a milling machine, an egg incubator and preservation machine, and a generator. Lang Van Khun also cherishes the idea of ​​investing in a solar power system to serve both family needs and the farm. "Solar power will help reduce production costs, and is also a clean, environmentally friendly production direction," said Lang Van Khun.

Chairman of Cam Muon Commune People's Committee Lu Thanh Binh said that for Cam Muon, hardworking individuals like Mr. Vi Thanh Luong and young man Lang Van Khun are increasingly appearing, creating positive changes in Cam Muon land. Livestock farming continues to be identified as a key economic sector and currently the total herd of cattle and poultry in Cam Muon has reached nearly 36 thousand heads. Economic development models have now been effective, contributing to job creation, income increase and poverty reduction in the commune. Mr. Lu Thanh Binh affirmed that from these models, Cam Muon people have gradually changed their awareness, no longer thinking dependent on nature, the dream of finding gold to get rich now almost no longer exists. Cam Muon people have actively protected and developed forests with more than 730 hectares of high-quality forestry varieties such as lat, acacia, xoan and some other types of trees.

Preserving cultural identity

Coming to Cam Muon, the image that impressed us the most was the scene of mothers and grandmothers diligently and attentively working on each needle and thread, with a spinning wheel and a loom on the porch. Ms. Luong Thi Hoa - President of the Women's Association of the commune said that this is a familiar image of Cam Muon women. Growing mulberry and raising silkworms has been a tradition for generations. Now that tradition is not only preserved, but also passed down from generation to generation. Elementary school-age girls have learned about needle and thread, have become familiar with mulberry fields, silkworms and looms, creating eye-catching brocade shirts and scarves.

Arriving at Bo village, a village with 88 households and 465 people, we met an old lady named Lu Thi Long, over 80 years old, sitting spinning silk in front of her house. Her hair was as white as silk, her bright smile showing off her black teeth, she said, "When I grew up and went to the fields, I knew how to plant mulberry trees, raise silkworms, and weave cloth. I don't remember how long ago."

Currently, Cam Muon commune has a brocade weaving village recognized in 2015. The village was formed from weaving groups of villages. Currently, there are more than 30 households participating in all stages from growing mulberry, raising silkworms to weaving. Every 3 months, the heads of the weaving groups will collect the women's products to link up for consumption. Also during the group meetings, the women take the opportunity to exchange experiences, update new designs with the main products being Pieu scarves, belts, skirts and brocade blankets. In addition to serving the consumption needs of women in the region, brocade products of the craft village in Cam Muon are also exported to Thailand and Laos with high-value orders. Ms. Lang Thi Duc in Mong 2 village said that when women take advantage of the free time, they can earn more than 2 million VND/month from weaving brocade. Professionals can also earn more than 3 million VND/month. "I'm so happy, we women now don't just stay in the fields but can earn extra income for our families from our traditional profession" - Ms. Lang Thi Quan in the weaving group of Mong 2 village shared.

Not only are Thai women in Cam Muon diligent in weaving brocade, they also play an active role in preserving their ethnic folk songs and dances. In 2018, Cam Muon established the "Lullaby and Spring Songs" Club in Ban Mong with 32 members. The women enthusiastically practice together to preserve and promote the cultural identity of the local ethnic group. In addition, the club's activities are also an effective "channel" to propagate the Party and State's policies and guidelines, raising awareness among women members and people in the commune...

Wearing the Piêu scarf of Thai women, in the traditional skirt with delicate embroidery, many customers showed their interest in the natural silk material woven into unique products. Ms. Vi Thi Than, head of the weaving group of Mong 2 village, said that the women of Mong 2 village as well as the women of Cam Muon today have found a way to develop the economy, build family happiness by preserving traditional culture. Peaceful life has returned, unlike in the 2000s. In those years, the gold mining epidemic was like a whirlwind that dragged not only men, but also women and children "into the game", exchanging peace and happiness for luck. Now, local authorities at all levels have eliminated the "gold bandits". "The name Cam Muon is now truly a land of "happy gold" with joyful changes on the faces of each of our people" - Ms. Vi Thi Than happily shared.