The one who brings peace to the 'gate of heaven'

(Baonghean) - Until now, the village elder Va Phai Tenhstill can not forget the difficult period of transforming the land that was once full of opium poppies in the "heaven's gate" Muong Long.

Mobilizing people to eradicate opium poppy

One day in late July, the sun was blazing hot, we went up the road to Muong Long - a place that people often compare to Sa Pa of Nghe An. During that journey, we met the village elder Va Phai Tenh, who had great contributions in helping the Mong people eradicate opium poppy. Elder Tenh is 68 years old this year but is still healthy.

In his story, old man Tenh did not forget the memories of decades ago, when everywhere in the Muong Long mountains and forests there were only poppies. Knowing that they were poisonous, people bought and sold them for money, so no one wanted to give up that habit. And so the land of Muong Long was filled with poppies.

As for old man Teinh, he was enlightened early, so as soon as he grew up, he participated in local activities. In 1967, he became a teacher of the Northwestern Meo script, a member of the Commune Youth Union, and Secretary of the Muong Thu Cooperative Production Team. In 1968, he was assigned to work at the Ky Son District Police, then returned to participate in local government activities and became Vice Chairman of the People's Committee and Chief of the Muong Thu Commune Police. In 1977, Muong Thu Commune merged with Muong Long Commune, old man Teinh became Chairman of the Muong Long Commune People's Committee, then transferred to become Secretary of the Commune Party Committee until his retirement in 2005.

In 1996, the State had a policy to eliminate opium poppies. At that time, Muong Long had up to 600 hectares of land growing this plant, and almost all the food and clothing of the people depended on it. As the local leader at that time, old man Teinh had many sleepless nights, wondering how to make the villagers listen to the State's policy, how to make them understand the harmful effects of opium poppies. These were questions that kept going around in his head. If forced, the villagers would resist, and they would not know how to live, but if not determined, the land of Muong Long would never escape the gloom of addiction. Old man Teinh believed that the only way to do this was to persistently campaign and persuade the villagers to believe and follow.

Thinking is doing, sunny or rainy, not afraid of dangerous mountain passes, he and the commune officials went to each house to talk to the people, encouraging them to give up growing opium poppies. However, it was not easy, because when it was strictly forbidden, people secretly grew and sold them.

Gia Tếnh still remembers that at that time, there was a family of Mr. Lau Gia Long in Tham Pang village. The cadres tried to persuade them for a long time but they still did not listen. Gia Tếnh had to visit them regularly and analyze them logically and emotionally. Only after a long time did the family agree to stop growing opium poppies. So his efforts finally paid off, after less than a year, the opium poppies gradually withered and then died.

Village Elder Va Phai Tenh - "the big tree" at the gate of heaven in Muong Long. Photo: Phuong Thao

However, the villagers were used to producing opium, and when it was time to give it up, they struggled to find a new production method. Gia Tenh and the cadres went all the way to Bac Ha (Lao Cai) to buy plum seeds for the villagers to grow.

At this point, old man Tếnh pointed to the mountain range hidden behind the sa mu wooden houses, “Over there are plum forests, these plums are tam hoa plums, it must be spring, the plum blossoms are white all over the area, so it has also settled in our Muong Long land for nearly 20 years”. The people knew how to grow plums for fruit, then gradually learned to raise chickens and horses, the economy gradually improved, much better than the period of growing opium.

"The big tree" in the forest

In the story he told us, old man Tehn mentioned his deceased son - the hero of the armed forces, Lieutenant, martyr Va Ba Giai. Born into a family of 9 siblings, Va Ba Giai became independent early. When he grew up, seeing his son volunteer to join the border guard force, old man Tehn was very happy and proud. However, before he could get married and give birth to a grandchild for his parents, on July 26, 2004, Va Ba Giai sacrificed his life while on a reconnaissance mission in the area of ​​Border Guard Station 551 (Tuong Duong district).

What old Tếnh has done and what his beloved son has done has made the Muong Long people trust and respect him even more. Although he has retired, old Tếnh's voice is always respected by the Mong people here. A few years ago, many people from Muong Long illegally crossed the border into Laos, old Tếnh advised them a lot so they listened.

Every time he met the children in the village, old man Tenh encouraged them to study hard, to know how to read and write, so that they would have less trouble in the future. If they did not know how to read and write, they would not know how to do business, would not know how to earn money, and would be taken advantage of by bad people. Old man Tenh only gave these instructions, but the children in Muong Long listened to him, no matter how far they had to go to school.

Old Tếnh is also one of the people who initiated the construction and mobilization of the clan and implemented the model of "A clan that is clean of drugs". He also drafted a separate village rule with the clan elders, and any family with a drug addict would follow that rule and be punished by the clan. But old Tếnh said, at present, it is only a reminder and an advice, fortunately the children in the clan are all obedient and well-behaved.

Up to this point, the whole Muong Long commune has 35 drug addicts. That number still makes old man Tenh think a lot. He said that before, every house had an addict, now that the poppy has been eradicated, it has improved a lot. But how to make this Muong Long land drug-free is what he always wishes for.

Having been invited many times to attend conferences to honor exemplary prestigious people, to exchange experiences and promote the role of prestigious people in the movement of the whole people to protect the security of the Fatherland in many places, old Tenh could not help but feel proud. "I travel a lot, share a lot, just hoping that every village will change and progress like this land of Muong Long". In old Tenh's memory, the poppy seasons - the opium seasons, the magical plant that once filled the fields of the Muong Long people are long gone.

Now, the house of old man Tếnh, the house of the Hero of the Armed Forces and Bá Giải is surrounded by mountains and forests filled with three-flower plums. And our journey becomes more meaningful when we meet and hold the rough, calloused hands of people who go to the fields day and night to destroy opium poppies, bringing peace back to the valley of “heaven’s gate”...

Phuong Thao