The road to explore the deep mountains

(Baonghean)- Not long ago, the place name Nhon Mai (Tuong Duong) always evoked in everyone's mind the idea of ​​precariousness, remoteness, a place of mountains and rivers, deep mountains and valleys. Now, this remote border commune is no longer so distant.

When the road is open

Nearly 10 years ago, the first time I came to Nhon Mai, I had to take a boat upstream for 5 hours, overcome many dangerous rapids, then walk for another 2 hours to reach the commune center. If you count the distance from Vinh to Thuong Luu wharf (Yen Na), it would take nearly 2 days. This time, the bus departed from Vinh, went up Highway 48, went to the center of Tri Le commune (Que Phong) and then turned onto the Tay Nghe An route. The estimated distance was about 250km, the travel time was about 7 hours, meaning I had lunch in Vinh and could go to Nhon Mai for dinner.

Nhon Mai village (center of Nhon Mai commune - Tuong Duong) has seen many improvements. Photo: Cong Kien

When I first came to Nhon Mai, I thought it would be a long time before there was an asphalt road passing through this place. Because the mountains are rugged and dangerous, the rivers and streams are crisscrossed and winding, where would we find the strength to build the road? An old Khmu man in Xoi Voi village said: "I heard that there are iron carts that can carry dozens of people but I have never seen them, maybe it will take a few more generations to see them with my own eyes."

And, even when the Chairman of Kha Duong Tien commune talked about the Tay Nghe An route through the area, I still thought it was a dream road. Currently, Mr. Tien is the Secretary of the Nhon Mai Commune Party Committee. When I met him again, I could not hide my joy: "Now there is a road, the electricity grid has reached many villages, the waves of network operators have reached, students have boarding houses. The wishes have come true, only the market is missing but there is no shortage of goods, grocery stores are springing up one after another."

The joy of people in Nhon Mai commune (Tuong Duong) when the Tay Nghe An road was opened. Photo: Cong Kien.

Following the Commune Chairman Luong Xuan Hiep along Tay Nghe An road, I witnessed many changes, the public welfare works have been solidified. Children happily go to school on bicycles, a far cry from the scene of crossing forests and wading streams in the past. Mr. Hiep went to Nhon Mai at the time the Tay Nghe An road was completed, making travel easy and convenient, creating a lever for the socio-economic development process.

The way is open

“With roads and electricity, people’s way of thinking and doing things will automatically change. Many households have shown dynamism and agility in their business practices, earning hundreds of millions of dong each year,” the young Chairman said enthusiastically. To prove what he had just said, he took me to Tham Tham village - the border between Tuong Duong and Que Phong districts.

Pilot model of passion fruit planting of Va Ba Ka, Tham Tham village, Nhon Mai commune (Tuong Duong). Photo: Cong Kien

Nearly 20km from the commune center, since the road was opened, the lives of nearly 20 Khmu and Mong households have changed. People have begun to move beyond self-sufficiency to commercial production. In particular, 7 households in Tham Tham are piloting a passion fruit planting project, promising a "life-changing" outcome. This place is only more than 10km from the center of Tri Le commune (Que Phong) - the "capital" of passion fruit, with almost similar climate and soil conditions.

Among the 7 families growing passion fruit, Va Ba Ka's household is considered the most effective. With more than 269 trees, since the beginning of the season, his family has earned nearly 50 million VND, and the garden has not yet been fully harvested. And Ba Ka (born in 1986) is the village Party Secretary, enthusiastically participating in social work, diligent and knowledgeable in business. We visited him just as he returned from a conference to honor good farmers organized by the district and was given a report on his experience in getting rich.

Va Ba Ka's joy when the first batch of passion fruit brought in 50 million VND, the garden has not yet been harvested. Photo: Cong Kien.

Exactly 9 years ago, with 10 million VND borrowed from the Social Policy Bank, Va Ba Ka bought 2 cows and continued to invest for profit. Up to now, his family has 37 cows, 7 buffaloes, 10 pigs and hundreds of black chickens; in addition, there is 0.5 ha of rice fields, 30 plum trees and 200 peach trees to sell during Tet. In 2015, he participated in a pilot project to grow passion fruit. On average, from 2012 to 2015, Va Ba Ka earned nearly 100 million VND/year; in 2016 alone, it reached 150 million VND.

But Va Ba Ka is still not the “champion”, in Nhon Mai, we have to mention Mr. Va Ba Chay (Tham Tham village) with more than 1.5 hectares of rice fields, several sao of fish ponds, more than 50 buffaloes and cows, 30 pigs, countless chickens, peaches and plums in the forest. In Huoi Co village, Mr. Va Xay Po has more than 70 buffaloes and cows, each worth an average of 20 million VND, which is 1.4 billion VND. If we count the fields and other crops and livestock, Mr. Po has approximately 2 billion VND in hand.

Developing commercial livestock farming is a promising direction for people in Nhon Mai commune (Tuong Duong). Photo: Cong Kien.

Mr. Luong Xuan Hiep shared: "From these examples, a new business direction has been opened for Nhon Mai people, which is to develop livestock and poultry towards commodity production, while promoting crops with many advantages such as passion fruit, peach, plum and local products".

Cong Kien