Que Phong: Paying attention to ethnic minority and mountainous region affairs.

(Baonghean)- Que Phong is a particularly difficult mountainous border district, home to a community of six ethnic groups, with ethnic minorities accounting for over 95% of the population. In recent years, thanks to effective leadership in ethnic affairs, especially the implementation of Central Resolution 7 (9th Congress) on ethnic affairs, the economic, cultural, and social lives of ethnic minority communities in the district have seen many positive changes…

In 2009, dozens of Hmong households in the border commune of Tri Le abandoned their fields and migrated en masse to Laos, complicating the political security and social order situation. In response, Que Phong district mobilized the entire political system. District leaders and officials from various departments and organizations walked dozens of kilometers through the forest to Laos to persuade 111 households (913 people) to return. They also encouraged the Thai and Khmu ethnic groups to give up their rice fields and provide building materials to help the Hmong people build houses. The Minh Chau resettlement area for the Hmong people was established, and their lives have now stabilized. The State has invested in electricity, roads, schools, and health stations through Programs 135 and 30a, facilitating education, transportation, and the flow of goods for the people in the district.

I still remember the scene from my work trip to Tri Le commune, Que Phong district, in mid-2011. At that time, Major Dam Thien Thuong, an officer from the Tri Le Border Guard Post who was seconded to serve as Deputy Secretary of the commune's Party Committee, was coordinating with officials from the Rural and Mountainous Area Development Board of Que Phong district to guide the Mong people returning from Laos to settle stably in the Minh Chau Resettlement Area, reclaiming land for rice cultivation.

Mr. Ly Tong Sua – Head of Huoi Moi 1 village – a highly respected elder of the Mong people living at the foot of Pha Ca Tun peak, enthusiastically shared his experience of venturing down to Minh Chau to reclaim rice fields with the villagers: “I came down to encourage the people to settle down and build a life in their new homeland, no longer practicing nomadic farming and constantly moving from place to place.”



Supplying fish fry to farmers in Hanh Dich commune (Que Phong). Photo: Huu Nghia.

Thanks to this, by the end of 2011, the Mong ethnic minority people in Minh Chau had harvested their first rice crop and were increasingly confident in building their lives in their new homeland. The District Party Committee continued to direct the development of new economic models such as passion fruit cultivation and sugarcane farming. With the exemplary actions of Party members like Ly Ba Chong – Secretary of the Party branch in D1 village (Minh Chau) – who "dared" to borrow money from the bank to plant sugarcane, many households in the village did not hesitate to follow suit. In the first season, 4 hectares of sugarcane were planted, bringing hope to the hardworking people of the highlands. The development of diverse models, along with the involvement of cadres and Party members, has now made Minh Chau a fertile land for these "tireless forest birds" to settle down and build stable lives.

Following the district's policy of strengthening support for ethnic minorities, the Party committees and local authorities of the communes have helped the people develop models for raising bamboo rats, growing passion fruit, cultivating red bananas, and reclaiming and expanding dozens of hectares of cultivated land. As a result, from a situation where the people previously relied solely on forest farming, harvesting bamboo shoots, and hunting wild animals, they have now learned to diversify their crops and livestock, planting new rice varieties, hybrid corn, and applying intensive farming methods to increase productivity and crop yields, combined with growing vegetables and other crops, achieving high economic efficiency. A prime example is the passion fruit cultivation model in Yen Son, San, and Minh Chau villages, Tri Le commune, covering a total area of ​​approximately 11 hectares. Stable income from passion fruit has helped many farmers in Tri Le escape poverty and provide their children with a full education.

Mr. Vi Thanh Xuan from Yen Son village shared: “Previously, my family had to borrow money for our children's education, but since planting passion fruit three years ago, our family income has been stable. We no longer need to borrow money.” To date, Que Phong district has hundreds of households developing integrated garden-forestry and integrated farm economies according to the VACR model, with areas ranging from 10 to 30 hectares, including various industrial crops, fruit trees, and medicinal plants, generating an income of 30-50 million VND per year, contributing to reducing the district's poverty rate to 44% (according to the new standard).

The work of recruiting cadres from ethnic minority communities has been quite successful. Recently, the Que Phong District Party Committee has admitted 200 new party members, including 157 from ethnic minority groups. Party members from ethnic minority groups have been given many opportunities to be included in the planning for key leadership positions in departments, agencies, and mass organizations at the commune and district levels.

Comrade Kha Van Tam, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Que Phong District Party Committee, said: “In implementing Resolution No. 7 of the Central Committee (9th Congress), the Que Phong District Party Committee has always identified ethnic affairs as a top priority for the locality in order to develop socio-economic conditions, stabilize political security, and strengthen national unity. Based on the achievements already made, through specific programs, the District Party Committee continues to direct departments and localities to effectively carry out ethnic affairs work, contributing to improving the material and spiritual lives of the people.”

Lao Thanh Chuong