Pioneers following Uncle Ho in a mountainous commune

Quynh Thang is a midland mountainous commune of the district.Quynh Luu, people's lives are still difficult, but this place is always one of the top localities in the district in implementingDirective 05/CT-TWof the Politburo on promoting the study and following of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and lifestyle, especially building a youth movement to start a business, ensuring security and order to keep peace in the countryside.

Youth at the forefront of economic development

Phan Van Trung operates the machinery himself; works to build the agricultural farm. Photo: Hoai Thu

Standing in the Xa Doai orange garden with more than 700 trees that have just produced the first crop of fruit, the owner of the farm of more than 10 hectares, Phan Van Trung - Secretary of the Youth Union of Village 2, Quynh Thang Commune, modestly said that oranges are a new type of tree that has been planted on his farm. This young man born in 1993 has a medium height but is agile, active and especially passionate about farming when he himself takes care of and cultivates 6 hectares of pineapple, sugarcane, and vetiver trees, 3 hectares of pine trees for resin extraction, and the remaining 1 hectare digs a pond to raise fish combined with raising livestock and poultry including buffalo, cows, chickens, ducks, and geese.

As a mountainous commune, located more than 20km from the center of Quynh Luu district, every year in Quynh Thang there is still a prolonged drought, causing serious impacts on the lives of the people here. And for generations, the peopleQuynh Thangstill diligently produce agriculture mainly by manual methods. In hot summer, people have to carry buckets of water to water the plants. Later, more modern methods were installed, and pumps and hoses were pulled to water, but the results were sometimes not as expected if the water source of the pond or lake dried up.

Officials of Quynh Luu District Party Committee and Quynh Thang Commune visited the orange growing model of Mr. Phan Van Trung. Photo: Hoai Thu

When asked why he did not go to another locality to find work, or go abroad to work like many other young people, Trung said that being born and raised in his hometown, he had a deep understanding of the land, soil, and climate of his hometown since he was young. From there, he saw the hard work and hardship of his fellow villagers and his own family members every harvest season.

“The potential for land and agricultural production in Quynh Thang’s hometown is huge, I don’t want to waste that potential,” Trung shared. And then, from the thought and determination to start a business in his hometown, knowing that there would be many difficulties and hardships, the active young man Phan Van Trung persevered every day to stick to the hills and fields to produce, studying and working with a “startup capital” of about 100 million VND, of which 50 million VND was supported by the Youth Union with a low interest rate loan, the rest was borrowed from brothers and friends. Taking short-term to support long-term, Trung worked diligently every day with the hills and fish ponds, sometimes harvesting pineapples, sometimes planting aromatic roots, sometimes discussing with workers about how to fertilize each type of plant.

Visiting the large farm of his union members, Secretary of the Union Vo Van Phong said that in dry, rocky areas, Trung grows agarwood - a plant that requires little care and prefers dry land; the more rocks and gravel, the more roots the plant produces. Therefore, harvesting agarwood roots each year also brings a decent income. To increase crop yields, Trung also collects cow and buffalo manure and household waste to raise earthworms. This type of worm produces beneficial organisms, destroys harmful bacteria in manure and eliminates odors, and is very effective in fertilizing plants. Then, the worms are harvested to feed chickens, ducks, and fish.

The farm of the Secretary of the Youth Union of Village 2, Quynh Thang Commune, creates regular jobs for about 30 local workers. Photo: Hoai Thu

Thanks to scientific farming and cultivation methods, pineapple yields always reach 47 tons/ha, sugarcane 150 tons/ha and vetiver 5 tons/ha. In addition, Trung also raises 20 beehives to supply the market with 100 - 150 liters of honey each year. With his dynamism, diligence and hard work in production, he earns an average of more than 600 million VND per year.

Trung also overcame the drought during the hot season for crops by investing in building a water tank on the top of the hill, then installing a drip irrigation system, helping the garden to be fully watered even in the hottest weather, giving fragrant flowers and sweet fruits. In addition, Trung also invested in machinery such as plows, harrows, tractors, water pumps... and personally mastered the operation of the machinery. "Trung's method is being learned and applied by other members, especially members of the Youth Economic Development Club of the commune. Trung is also an active and enthusiastic person who shares and helps other members to grow together," said Mr. Vo Van Phong.

Not only developing the family economy, as the "leader" of the Youth Union in the hamlet, Phan Van Trung also coordinated with the Commune Youth Union to build and maintain the Quynh Thang Economic Model Youth Club for more than 3 years with 17 members.

For many years, Phan Van Trung has been recognized by the Commune Youth Union for his "Outstanding achievements in the Youth Union and youth movement". Trung was also awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union for his entrepreneurial youth. In 2017, he was awarded the "Excellent Youth in Production and Business" award by the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union. In 2020, he was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Chairman of the Quynh Luu District People's Committee for the emulation movement of skillful mass mobilization in the period of 2016-2020, and was awarded by the Quynh Luu District Party Committee for his typical example of studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style in 2020.

Keep the peace

In April 2021, the center of Quynh Thang commune seemed to be less bustling than usual. In crowded places, there were tables with hand sanitizer bottles and slogans reminding people to raise awareness of Covid-19 prevention.

Chairman of the Veterans Association Quynh Thang said that in 2021, the commune had no cases of medical quarantine, but before that, in 2020, there were 17 cases. These people returned to their hometowns from working far away and were required to be quarantined in the commune. The Veterans Association has sent people to participate regularly, both to promote people to comply with the "5K" of the Ministry of Health and to mobilize members to donate to help more individuals in quarantine areas. In addition, with the spirit of Uncle Ho's soldiers, more than 700 members always strive to become the core of local movements, especially in maintaining security and order.

Quynh Thang Commune Veterans Association participates in the prevention and control of Covid-19; visits and gives gifts to people in difficult circumstances in the commune. Photo: Hoai Thu

Mr. Ho Dien Canh recalled that from 2016 to present, the Veterans Association has contributed to successfully reconciling more than 15 conflicts and disputes among the people. In 2020 alone, members of the Veterans Association participated in successfully reconciling 3 disputes and conflicts at the grassroots level, helping the village maintain peace and strengthen the solidarity of the people.

Among them, there were two cases of land disputes in Hamlet 1 between Mr. PVT and his brother over the division of land left by their parents; and a dispute over the boundary of the fence between Mr. NXP and Mr. NST. The households disputed each other over land, leading to disagreements between husband, wife, and children, threatening to sue each other in court. The families in conflict also caused concern among neighbors, and the government had to send officials to gather information and mediate the conflicts.

Faced with that situation, the Veterans Association proactively sent prestigious people with knowledge of land and coordinated with village and commune officials to each family to explain and help the two families resolve the problems. As a result, the families in Hamlet 1 agreed that the land belonged to the elder brother; and the dispute over the fence between the two sides helped Mr. NST understand and return the encroached land. In the rather noisy dispute over loan money between Mr. HTT and Ms. HTP in Hamlet 9, the representative of the Veterans Association stood up to connect with the commune and commune officials to review the transactions and invoices to help both sides prove the origin of the tens of millions of dong that were still unclear and misunderstood and return the money to the correct address.

Quynh Thang residents feel secure in their work and production. Photo courtesy of Le Thang

Mr. Bui Van Tien said that the Veterans Association of Quynh Thang commune has been classified as Excellent in its tasks for 5 consecutive years and has been awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Provincial Association. This is one of the "strong" organizations of Quynh Thang with many members who are good at business and production such as Mr. Ho Trong Tri, Ho Khac Hiep, Bui Van Vinh... They are also active veterans, leading the movements to support new rural construction, humanitarian charity, and education promotion in the commune. Having undergone training in the military environment, returning to their localities, every year the members of the Veterans Association are active factors in spreading the study of topics on following Uncle Ho.

In addition, the Veterans Association also cooperates with political and social organizations to propagate and raise vigilance, proactively detect and promptly report to the Party Committee and authorities on issues related to local security and order. Every year, 14/14 Veterans Associations register for "Associations following Uncle Ho's teachings". Thanks to that, the ""Studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and lifestyle"has become a regular activity of the branches.

A corner of Quynh Thang commune. Photo: Hoai Thu

“We learn from Uncle Ho in simple, practical actions such as helping our comrades in difficult circumstances, helping each other to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty. For example, helping to build houses for members Tran Van Son - Branch 3; Lu Van Hoa - Trung Tien Branch; donating money to give gifts to disadvantaged students who strive to study well...", Mr. Canh said.

Quynh Thang is a locality that has maintained its "peaceful lifestyle" for decades thanks to its ability to promote the spirit of solidarity and the role and responsibility of each individual and collective. Therefore, Quynh Thang has been one of the localities in the "top" of the district for many years in building a youth movement to start a business and ensuring security and order at the grassroots level. In 2021 alone, Quynh Thang was awarded by the Quynh Luu District Party Committee 2 individuals and 1 collective for exemplary performance in implementing Directive 05/CT-TW of the Politburo on studying and following the ideology, morality and style of Ho Chi Minh in the period 2016 - 2021, including Secretary of the Youth Union of Village 2 Phan Van Trung, Secretary of the Commune Party Committee Bui Van Tien and the collective of the Commune Veterans Association.

Comrade Vo Minh Ky - Propaganda Department of Quynh Luu District Party Committee