Local people

(Baonghean)Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Na Nga village in Muong Ngoc commune, Que Phong district. Located near Kim Son town, this Thai village has a landscape that reflects the lowlands. Young people these days are quickly influenced by urban trends... However, the pure and simple Thai customs are still very strong in Na Nga; something that wasn't the case just over ten years ago! This is thanks to Na Nga being fortunate to have a capable woman – the village head, Luong Thi Hai.

In 1986, at the age of 27, Ms. Hai was elected head of the women's association, beginning her journey as a "person of the village." She was hesitant, but having completed high school and with her husband's encouragement, she enthusiastically set to work, driven by a desire to use her knowledge to help her fellow villagers alleviate poverty. Then came the multitude of household and association duties. First, she campaigned for members to practice family planning. It wasn't until 1991 that Na Nga basically implemented the policy of registering for fewer children among young couples. Having overcome the concern for family planning, Ms. Hai then focused on implementing the women's association's initiatives, prioritizing economic development and poverty reduction.

At this point, she realized that as a leader, she had to put her words into action and get things done, only then would mobilizing the women in any endeavor be successful. Therefore, she and her husband worked hard to develop their family's economy, ensure their children received a good education, and elevate their family to a relatively prosperous household in Na Ngá. Despite managing many household responsibilities, she never neglected her community work! She spent countless nights and days tirelessly campaigning, disseminating information, sharing experiences, establishing women's associations to pool capital and help each other with business ventures, and securing loans from the Policy Bank... She enthusiastically pursued various approaches and strategies. Gradually, the men of Na Ngá were convinced by the active participation of "Ms. Hai's team," leading to unity and competition in business, adopting new technologies in rice cultivation and livestock farming... the village's economy visibly improved. With the economy improved, the village brightened its appearance, and the women continued to play a leading role in building a new cultural life in the community. In 2003, Na Nga achieved the title of a district-level cultural unit, and it was at this time that Ms. Hai was trusted and elected to the position of deputy village head.

Terraced rice fields in Que Phong. Photo: Nhat Lan

Officially joining forces to "carry the burden..." in Na Nga, besides worrying about the high poverty rate in the village, Ms. Hai was also deeply concerned about the rampant drug problem destroying the young people in the village. At that time, this small village had 6 drug addicts, 1 drug dealing and use hotspot, and 2 thieves. Ms. Hai had to go to the homes of addicts and suspected addicts to educate and explain to the people to stay away from drugs. Once, on a bitterly cold winter night in the highlands, Ms. Hai walked a long distance to share her story and persuade an addict, only to be chased out of the house by one of them.

Ms. Hai can't remember how many times she's been chased out of her house by drug addicts. But if she's chased away today, she'll come back tomorrow. Sometimes, if she doesn't find them at their house, she'll wait for hours to talk to them and persuade them... Through perseverance, dedication, and the sense of responsibility of a village head and deputy secretary of the Party branch, she has successfully reformed and persuaded addicts to voluntarily go to rehabilitation. Along with that, she instructed the village committee and other organizations to conduct awareness campaigns through neighborhood meetings and community activities; she also directed strict inspections and controls of drug dealing and use hotspots, as well as theft. To date, Na Nga village has no more drug addicts, drug hotspots have been eliminated, and security and social order in the village are maintained.

Besides that unexpected achievement, during her three years as village head, Ms. Luong Thi Hai appealed to higher authorities for investment to build a village cultural center worth 450 million VND in Na Nga. Currently, it is one of only three village cultural centers in the entire Muong Ngoc commune; a spacious volleyball court was also built thanks to contributions from villagers who work and earn a salary. Following the principle of "the State and the people working together," Na Nga has also concreted 750 meters of internal village roads, with the remaining 650 meters to be completed by the end of 2013.

Also since 2010, village headwoman Luong Thi Hai boldly undertook the first model of deep-placement fertilization for rice and the first method of transplanting seedlings using wire in Que Phong district. Rice yields in Na Nga have nearly doubled since then, and the villagers enthusiastically embraced these new farming methods. She also mobilized the men in the village to form six construction teams to work during their free time, and the women continued to effectively support each other with loans for production and livestock development, significantly improving their living standards. In 2010, Na Nga had 51 poor households; now, only 34 out of 128 households remain poor, mainly those with single-parent families or a shortage of labor; only three dilapidated houses remain, and they are currently in the process of receiving support for upgrading.

Sharing personal stories, Ms. Hai said that her family owns 8 sao (approximately 0.8 hectares) of rice paddies, cultivating two crops a year, yielding 7 tons of rice. Each year, they regularly raise three batches of pigs, each batch consisting of 4-5 pigs. Her husband, due to poor health, has to support her, and when he's not working in the fields, he also makes rattan and bamboo products. Their eldest son has completed his military service and is now helping his father and is involved in the village security team; their second daughter is a Party member and works at the Hanh Dich commune office; their youngest daughter graduated from university and is married and living in Son La; and their daughter-in-law is also a Party member in the same branch... "With three Party members in the family, we can't help but strive to be exemplary," Ms. Hai said jokingly, but I could sense her pride and gratitude for her warm and loving family.

...After the farewell handshake, the image of the female village chief, carrying with her the joy and honor from this conference of exemplary and reputable people from the five northwestern provinces, remained in my mind. She joined hands and worked tirelessly with the movement, determined to ensure that Na Ngá successfully implemented the land consolidation and exchange policy and built a successful model rice field, as she had shared her concerns...

Text and photos: Dinh Sam