Young people 'nurture' their aspirations in the high mountains of Nghe An

24 outstanding ethnic minority youths of the province in 2020 at the commendation ceremony on the evening of August 2. Photo: Nghe An Provincial Youth Union

A motivational speaker for Khmu youth

For many years, Moong Van Bun, a third-year student at Vinh University, has been an example of overcoming difficulties and studying well, admired by the Khmu ethnic people in Xop Phe village, Muong Tip commune (Ky Son). Located 5km away from the center of Muong Tip border commune by dirt road, Xop Phe village has 74 Khmu households living with many difficulties and deprivations.

According to the Secretary of the Party Cell of Nguyen Pho Tim village, although bad customs have been gradually eliminated, the path to literacy, or even further, university, for the boys and girls in Xop Phe is still unfamiliar. To be more precise, because of the poor living conditions, most of the village's youth have to soon stick to a life of making a living on the fields, far from studying.

Born in 1998, Moong Van Bun also faced many difficulties early on, but right from the time he learned his first letters at Muong Tip Primary School, Bun demonstrated his intelligence and passion for learning. Day by day, Bun's path to learning was extended as he continued to strive to overcome difficulties to complete middle school and high school at boarding schools in the district and province.

Mr. Moong Van Bun at the Party admission ceremony at Vinh University. Photo: NVCC

Although he had to live independently away from his family since he was young, Bun always told himself to try his best to study so as not to disappoint the expectations of his family and society. At the end of each school year, Bun affirmed himself with impressive achievements as an excellent all-round student. Bun's dream continued to come true when in 2017 he became a new student of the Academy of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vinh University with convincing scores.

During his 3 years studying at Vinh University, Bun continuously achieved the titles of good student and excellent student of the school. Outside of school hours, Bun also enthusiastically and actively participated in the union work and student movement. With those efforts, in July 2019, Bun was honored to be one of the few students of Vinh University to join the Party. At the same time, Moong Van Bun was 1 of 7 delegates of the school attending the Congress of Delegates of the Youth Union of Nghe An province, term 2019 - 2024.

From the initial achievements in conquering his dream, Bun became a motivational figure for children and his peers in the Khmu community in Muong Tip commune in particular and Ky Son in general. Recently, on August 2, Moong Van Bun was recognized by the Provincial Youth Union as one of the typical ethnic minority youth.

Start a business in your homeland

Not only making efforts on the path of studying, many shining examples of Nghe An mountainous youth are also known for their role as "take-off" people for the movement of self-reliance and career building. Among the typical ethnic minority youths honored by the Provincial Youth Union in 2020, there are 4 individuals who are outstanding in building economic models. Among them, Ha Van Quang (born in 1996) is one of the new factors of the Thai people in the border commune of Hanh Dich, Que Phong district.

Coming from a poor farming family in Pom Om village, Hanh Dich commune, Ha Van Quang is the youngest son in a family of 7 children. In 2018, Om completed his military service and returned with the desire to start a business in his homeland with a comprehensive farm economic development model.

Mr. Ha Van Quang is a new factor in the Thai community in Hanh Dich commune (Que Phong) with a comprehensive farm model in Pom Om village. Photo: Nghe An Provincial Youth Union

At that time, Quang's family had a 5-hectare farm in the hills of Hanh Dich commune, but because his parents were old and weak, the farm did not bring high economic efficiency for many years. Learning from the experience of the seedlings that his parents were growing and failing, Quang experimented with planting more than 20 lychee trees, 1,000 rattan trees, raising free-range chickens, digging a pond to raise fish, and building a stilt house to raise more than 1,000 geese on the pond surface.

This new method will combine the utilization of by-products of goose farming to develop fish farming, ensuring the solution of environmental sanitation problems while increasing income with the motto "taking short-term to nurture long-term". In addition, Ha Van Quang also grows other crops and clean vegetables such as cucumbers, peanuts, corn, etc.

With the additional capital borrowed from the district-level Youth Entrepreneurship Fund, Quang invested heavily in machinery and applied new techniques and technologies to farming and animal husbandry. From here, the model became more and more systematic, the once-barren land gradually revived to bring in a net profit of nearly 100 million VND per year for Quang's family.

Get rich on difficult land

In the Tho ethnic community, Cao Duy Khoi is also a representative of the youth force in the mountainous and ethnic areas of the province. As Secretary of the Minh Kinh Youth Union, Minh Hop commune, Quy Hop district, Cao Duy Khoi (born in 1986) achieved a miracle that few people thought of on Minh Kinh hill. After more than 10 years of effort in learning and applying science and technology, in 2014, from 5 sao of oranges, Cao Duy Khoi borrowed capital to expand the area, increasing the total area of ​​​​the orange garden to more than 2 hectares and combining with semi-free-range poultry farming; on average, each hectare brings in an income of 200 - 250 million VND/year.

Mr. Cao Duy Khoi - Secretary of Minh Kinh Youth Union, Minh Hop commune, Quy Hop district (left) was honored as a typical example of economic development of ethnic minority youth in 2020. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Cao Duy Khoi also enthusiastically guides and accompanies 50 union members of Minh Hop commune to build production models. Up to now, more than 10 individuals have successfully developed a citrus growing model combined with livestock raising with a value of more than 500 million VND and 25-30 union members with an economic model worth 200-300 million VND/year. Starting from a difficult land, now Minh Hop commune Youth Union is affirming its position as the leading flag of the province's youth entrepreneurship movement.

Speaking at the ceremony to commend and reward outstanding ethnic minority youth in the province in 2020, comrade Chu Duc Thai - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union, Chairman of the Provincial Youth Union highly appreciated the force of union members and ethnic minority youth who have made efforts to gradually overcome difficulties and challenges to affirm the position and role of youth as pioneers and volunteers. At the same time, he affirmed that in the 1,700 economic development youth models of the whole province, there are great contributions from the models of mountainous youth forces.