The story of Mr. May donating land.

(Baonghean) - In Minh Hop commune (Quy Hop district), everyone knows Mr. Nguyen Duc May, because he was a pioneer in donating land to open roads and clear dead-end alleys in Minh Kinh hamlet, and was honored with a Certificate of Commendation from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for his achievements in the New Rural Development movement.

Previously, the nine households in Mr. May's neighborhood considered themselves a "neighborhood without an alley" because there were no roads or alleys, only adjacent orchards of oranges and bananas belonging to many families. Only Mr. May's family, located at the beginning of the orchard, had access to the neighborhood. Families further inside had to take winding paths, which was quite complicated and time-consuming. Therefore, the desire for a convenient road had long been a shared dream of the nine families. Concerned about the "shared alley," and coincidentally receiving a government initiative encouraging people to donate land for road construction, Mr. May volunteered to donate his land.

After discussing with his family, Mr. May rallied everyone in the neighborhood to enthusiastically proceed with dismantling, clearing, and opening the road. “Seeing people come to measure and mark the land where we’ve been growing oranges for so long, my wife and I felt so regretful. We’ve been attached to this land for so many years, planting trees and raising our children, and now we have to cut down the trees so that machinery can come in to excavate, level, and bulldoze. How could we not feel regret? Our children felt sorry for us too, but seeing that their parents had made up their minds, they had to listen and let them do their work,” Mr. May recounted.

Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Duc May.

Despite the hard work and numerous difficulties, when the 3-meter-wide, 130-meter-long concrete road was completed and put into use, Mr. May's family and the residents of the "village without alleys" were overjoyed. Mr. Nguyen Van Thang, one of the nine fortunate households to have a road thanks to Mr. May's meaningful work, said: "Not only did they donate land, but Mr. and Mrs. May, despite their advanced age, still participated in the labor alongside the villagers until the road was completed. Truly, for us, if Mr. May hadn't created the conditions and sacrificed himself, we wouldn't know when we would have had a road. Therefore, we are extremely grateful and call this road 'Mr. May's road'."

Notably, Mr. May's actions not only had significance for the nine households in the "neighborhood without alleyways," but also had a ripple effect, becoming an example for everyone in the neighborhood and commune to follow. The people here voluntarily donated 9,000 square meters of land.²To expand the construction of concrete roads throughout the commune.

Mr. Vo Xuan Hai, Chairman of the Veterans Association in Minh Kinh hamlet, said: "As a soldier who drove a vehicle in the Laotian battlefield, Mr. May returned to his hometown in 1974, started a family, and had seven children. At that time, much of the land was still undeveloped. Mr. and Mrs. May tilled the land, clearing weeds and planting corn and cassava to provide for their family. The more calloused their hands became, the more land they cultivated. The whole family clung to the reclaimed land to make a living. Now, their children have grown up, started their own families, and Mr. and Mrs. May are both nearly 80 years old. Life isn't exactly affluent, but when the government decided to donate land for road construction, Mr. May's family voluntarily donated nearly 200 square meters of land, along with nearly 20 orange trees that were ready for their second harvest, worth hundreds of millions of dong, without any hesitation or claim for any benefits."

Speaking about Mr. May, Ms. Pham Thi Nghi, Secretary of the Party Committee of Minh Hop commune, also said: "Mr. May's voluntary and self-motivated actions have enhanced the spirit of volunteerism, awareness, and solidarity of the people here, contributing to Minh Hop's early achievement of the goal of building a New Rural Area. For Mr. May, he simply thinks, 'Doing things that are useful and beneficial to the people in my village makes me very happy. That's also a way to show patriotism in peacetime.'"

Quang An