The movement's founder in Village One.

Resolution on economic development

Along both sides of the straight, wide asphalt road leading from the center of Dien Tan commune to Hamlet One, groups of children happily play, enjoying their summer vacation. Across the road, separated by a fairly wide ditch, lies the vast fields of the hamlets and villages in Dien Tan commune. During the scorching June days, the villagers are busy harvesting peanuts. Each plot of land, corresponding to a family of five or six members, is covered with tarpaulins and equipped with tools to bag the peanuts right in the field before taking them home. The peanut plants are left in the field to be used as fertilizer.

The Party Secretary of Dien Tan commune, Luu Van Thu, inquired about the harvest situation of the people and said that, along with income from growing crops such as peanuts, corn, and potatoes, the people of Dien Tan commune also have significant income from growing hybrid rice, livestock farming, and labor export.

Leaders of Dien Tan commune discuss with residents of Hamlet One about growing crops to develop the local economy. Photo: HT

Like people in other villages, the people of Village One are also busy with the harvest season. Mr. Dau Luong, Secretary of the Party Branch of Village One, said that in the past, before the villagers of Village One started growing hybrid rice and cultivating vegetables, life was very difficult and impoverished. Even his own family was like that; poverty and hardship surrounded them as the family's income depended on a few acres of rice fields, but they only cultivated one crop a year, and the yield was low. However, the difficult period that Mr. Dau Luong referred to was before the year 2000.

Adding further details, the Party Secretary of Dien Tan commune, Luu Van Thu, continued Mr. Dau Luong's statement, saying that at that time, Hamlet One was one of the poorest and most disadvantaged hamlets in Dien Tan commune. Production movements in Dien Tan commune, especially in Hamlet One, were very limited, particularly the cultivation of hybrid rice, which was only grown once a year. People had not yet developed the habit of growing hybrid rice, still cultivating old rice varieties with low yields and poor quality.

With a cheerful and slightly proud expression, the Party Secretary of Dau Luong Village, said: "Looking at the infrastructure of the village community and the houses of the people, many people of our generation back then could not have imagined that our homeland would one day flourish and prosper, and that even the spiritual life would become so much brighter and more joyful as it is today." The changes in people's lives today are the result of a long process of effort by the Party branch as well as each individual; it is the result of the concerted efforts of every official, every Party member, and every citizen in implementing the resolutions of the Party branch.

According to Dau Luong, Secretary of the Party Branch of Village One, recognizing that hybrid rice is a high-yielding variety with many advantages that can change the economic face of the village, the Party Branch of Village One held a meeting and passed a resolution to plant hybrid rice. Since then, they have focused on leading and guiding the people to switch to other crops and livestock to improve their lives and increase their income.

Mr. Dau Luong. Photo: HT

Within a short time, the Party branch passed a resolution, and the family of the Party branch secretary and other Party members implemented it first, creating the earliest hybrid rice cultivation movement in Dien Tan commune at that time. Following the success with hybrid rice, the people of Hamlet One almost completely trusted the directions and guidance of the Party branch, continuing to develop the cultivation of winter crops such as potatoes and corn, and boosting livestock farming. As a result, living standards improved day by day, and the rural landscape also brightened accordingly.

Building movements

As families in Hamlet One gradually achieved stability and security in their income and employment, the Hamlet One Party Branch continued to provide guidance on building cultural, artistic, and sports movements, as well as developing new rural areas and encouraging children to strive for academic excellence. Walking around the neatly planned and clean alleyways, we heard residents proudly share the interesting activities of various clubs and groups. "There are clubs and groups unique to our hamlet, such as the Year of the Rat Club, the Year of the Tiger Club, the Village Football Club…," a resident of Hamlet One happily shared.

Mr. Luu Dang Quang, head of the Elderly Association in Village One, also emphasized that the movements in Village One have developed particularly well in recent years, especially the associations and groups. Curious about the effectiveness and influence of these associations and groups, we were told in detail by officials from the Dien Tan Commune Party Committee and members of the Village One Veterans Association about the interesting and beneficial activities of these movements. “Regardless of the type of association or group, the goal is to create a joyful, united atmosphere and to help and encourage each other to work, labor, and jointly build the village,” Mr. Dau Luong stressed. This is also the goal that the resolutions on the development of movements of the Village One Party Committee have directed and accompanied the people in implementing for decades. When each association or group organizes activities, members voluntarily contribute funds; those with more contribute more, those with less contribute less, and some contribute their labor… according to their ability. The most joyful times are during the Lunar New Year, when children, no matter where they are, try their best to return to their hometowns to have fun and contribute to building their villages through football and volleyball matches, donating to help needy families, contributing to scholarship funds, giving gifts, and encouraging high-achieving students…

Mr. Dau Luong (far left), Secretary of the Party Branch of Hamlet One, Dien Tan Commune (Dien Chau District), discusses with officials of mass organizations about building mass movements. Photo: Thu Giang

From 2000 to the present, the Party cell of Hamlet One has developed comprehensively. Particularly since 2020, along with practical resolutions that helped improve income and stimulate collective movements, the people of Hamlet One have supported the investment in building internal hamlet infrastructure with a total value of approximately 1.5 billion VND, along with hundreds of square meters of land donated by the people. With the support of over 200 tons of cement from the State, plus the contributions of money, labor, and land from the people, the muddy roads and narrow alleys in Hamlet One have gradually been replaced with wide concrete roads meeting the standards of the new rural development program, especially the internal hamlet roads and the road to the cemetery. In addition, thanks to contributions from children living away from home and the appeals of various associations and groups, Hamlet One has completed the upgrading and construction of the hamlet's sports area and restored the ancient village well; and built a road with flags and streetlights, creating a uniform, clean, and beautiful landscape.

Party members lead the way.

In the 2000s, the Party cell of Hamlet One, Dien Tan Commune, had only 22 members; today, that number has increased to 31. Over the decades, the Hamlet One Party cell, as well as the people here, have experienced many ups and downs, with periods of immense hardship. But then, the strength of unity and the enthusiasm of the hamlet's leadership committee and its Party members have gradually helped the homeland prosper and change. And for all that time, Mr. Dau Luong has been deeply involved with the hamlet, pondering the role of someone who "eats at home but carries the burden of the whole community."

A view of Dien Tan commune (Dien Chau district). Photo: HT

“This year, the Party Secretary of Village One is 75 years old. He has served as deputy secretary and then secretary of the grassroots Party branch for nearly 30 years after spending 9 years fighting in the army,” said Luu Van Thu, Secretary of the Dien Tan Commune Party Committee. Speaking about his years living and working with the people of Dien Tan commune, Mr. Dau Luong said that after being discharged from the army and returning to the locality, he joined the commune's Party Committee. After 10 years as deputy secretary and then 7 years as secretary of the commune's Party Committee, he retired and continued his activities at the Village One Party branch. He thought that retirement would allow him to focus on taking care of his family and supporting his grandchildren's education. However, the realities of the locality, his concerns and desires to help the people, coupled with the awareness and responsibility of a Party member, led him to continue taking on the responsibility of Party branch secretary.

Even now, at an age considered "rare" by President Ho Chi Minh, he remains dedicated and devoted to his village. "I've reached an age where I should be resting, but my greatest wish is to create a source of support for the Party branch, to cultivate individuals who will continue to help the villagers maintain unity. Only through unity and solidarity can our homeland develop. To achieve that, the grassroots Party organization must build trust and attract young people to actively participate. Only then will we have a source of successors to carry on the legacy and preserve the grassroots Party branch," Mr. Dau Luong shared.

He added that since the Provincial Party Standing Committee issued Regulation No. 08-QĐ/TU on evaluating the quality of Party branch meetings, applicable to both regular and thematic meetings of grassroots Party branches, the quality of the Party branch meetings in Hamlet One has clearly improved. This is a positive sign that helps resolve his personal concerns. Implementing scoring in Party branch meetings requires not only the Party committee to prepare content carefully and realistically, but also Party members to pay more attention to their work and roles. And with greater attention, there will be more concerns, more constructive opinions, and naturally, the strength of the Party branch will be enhanced. Along with that, the pioneering role of Party members will create a positive effect, building trust and emulation among the masses. Proof of this is his years of involvement in Party work in the commune and hamlet, and the changes in Hamlet One itself, stemming from the resolutions of the Party branch and the leadership of its members.

A reporter from Nghe An Newspaper interviewed Mr. Dau Luong and officials from Dien Tan commune (Dien Chau district) about Party development work at the grassroots level. Photo: Thu Giang

The Party Secretary of Village One also expressed his deep appreciation and constant reminder to follow President Ho Chi Minh's teachings on strengthening grassroots Party organizations: "A strong Party is due to good Party branches, and good Party branches are due to good Party members." This is President Ho Chi Minh's assessment and affirmation of the nature and source of the Party's strength, and the role and close relationship between Party members and Party branches. Having experienced and proven the effectiveness of his work over several decades, he hopes that not only he, but millions of Party members, comrades, and fellow soldiers will continue to uphold and follow President Ho Chi Minh's teachings.