The dynamic female Party branch secretary
(Baonghean)Ms. Ngo Thi Hong, residing in Hamlet 6 (Nghi Lam - Nghi Loc), is an exemplary female Party branch secretary who "walks the talk" and always takes the lead in local movements and activities.
Visiting the home of the Party branch secretary of Hamlet 6, Nghi Lam Commune, on a scorching hot day, it was well past noon when I saw her returning from the market. Behind her motorbike was a cart loaded with various kinds of melons (mangoes, cucumbers, etc.) that had all been sold. Sweat dripped from her, but the female Party branch secretary still smiled brightly. Over a bowl of steaming green tea, she began the conversation in the natural, down-to-earth manner of a rural woman.
Having grown up in the village youth movement, and possessing a dynamic and proactive nature, she was elected head of the village women's association for 10 years after getting married, served as a member of the Executive Committee of the commune's Women's Association for 5 years, and currently holds the position of Secretary of the Party Branch of Hamlet 6 for two terms. The unique characteristic of the Party Branch of Hamlet 6 is its large number of members (27 comrades), with an average age of 62, of which 2/3 are retired cadres and war invalids, highly educated individuals trained in the military, thus possessing high fighting spirit. The branch only has 5 grassroots party members.
More specifically, 20 out of 27 members of the Party branch had previously held the position of Party branch secretary, so the pressure on Ms. Ngo Thi Hong, a female Party branch secretary born in 1968, was even greater. Knowing this, she learned from the experience of her predecessors while performing her duties, diligently reading and studying Party books and newspapers, as well as internal information websites of the district and province, to glean useful information for Party branch activities. She confided: “As the head of the Party branch, I always consider myself a role model for self-criticism and criticism for my subordinates to follow. I am truly open-minded and self-aware; when I have shortcomings, I am ready to admit my mistakes and have a plan to correct them; I am active and proactive in developing specific resolutions for Party branch meetings. In leadership and in daily life, I am always close to the people, listening to their thoughts and aspirations, resolving difficulties and obstacles, and protecting the legitimate rights of the people.”
To take the lead in building new rural areas in the locality, Comrade Ngo Thi Hong organized meetings of the Party branch and the village's Fatherland Front working committee to discuss plans for road construction, land consolidation, and upgrading and completing the cultural house, then solicited opinions from the people. She, along with Party committee members, members of the Fatherland Front working committee, and self-governing groups, also went to each house to mobilize support and urged cadres, Party members, and leaders of mass organizations to set a good example.
As a result, Hamlet 6 was the first hamlet in Nghi Lam commune to implement land consolidation and exchange, achieving good results. From an average of 4-8 plots per household, the average is now 1.7 plots per household, creating conditions for large-scale agricultural production and bringing high economic value. In donating land for internal field roads, each household donated an average of 33 square meters. She also mobilized residents in the hamlet to contribute 200,000 VND per household to build a 120 square meter community center, volleyball court, and football field for children. In 2012, she continued to mobilize an additional 200,000 VND per household to build an embankment around the 4,000 square meter community center (the largest in the commune) and encouraged each group and self-governing team to plant a tree, with residents voluntarily contributing to beautify the community center grounds.
To date, 50 trees have been planted around the area. The number of volunteer labor days contributed by the people to build infrastructure, irrigation canals, etc., has reached 2,500 days, equivalent to 425 million VND. When asked about the secret to mobilizing the masses, the female Party branch secretary just smiled and said, "There's nothing special about it. I just explained to the people the benefits of the movement to jointly build new rural areas; the people do the work, and the people benefit."
Not only is she exemplary in various movements and activities, Ms. Ngo Thi Hong is also dynamic and a pioneer in economic development, applying science and technology, using new varieties and production methods. Besides raising ducks and laying hens, cultivating 1.2 acres of rice, and nearly 2 acres of vegetables, she and her husband were the first in the village to grow high-income melons such as cantaloupe, cucumber, and honeydew melon, on an area of 7 acres. Their average income is tens of millions of dong per year. To date, nearly a dozen households in the village have adopted the melon farming model of Ms. Hong's family. With a stable economy, they have the means to care for and raise their two children, who are academically successful and well-behaved, building a cultured family. Their eldest daughter studied at Hue University of Economics and now works in the Binh Duong Tax Department, while their youngest son studied at Hanoi University of Water Resources and has a stable job after graduation.
As the Party branch secretary, Ms. Ngo Thi Hong, along with the Party branch committee, the village's Front Committee, and other members, dedicated significant time to guiding households on how to develop their family economies and access loan sources. The village has been recognized as a provincial-level cultural village, with 85% of families achieving the "Cultural Family" status. It also leads the entire commune in the "Learning by Sounding the Bell" model, with 85% of students achieving excellent academic results. Most children who complete high school go on to attend university, vocational school, or college; none stay home or drop out to work elsewhere. In 2011, 25 students from the village attended university or college; in 2012, 13 students were admitted to university or college, and 2 students attended vocational school…
Mr. Nguyen Van Ty, Secretary and Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghi Lam commune, said: "Ms. Ngo Thi Hong is a female Party branch secretary who speaks and acts, a typical example in studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh in the commune."
Khanh Ly
