Crossing forests and braving the rain to build 73 houses for the Dan Lai people before August 15

Dream of settling down in the middle of the jungle

In the two villages of Co Phat and Bung in the border commune of Mon Son, the dream of a solid house has been burning in the hearts of the people of Dan Lai for decades. They are too familiar with living in makeshift shacks, with holes in the front and back, where the cold and dilapidation are constant haunts.

Like the temporary house of Mr. Le Van Nam in Co Phat village, it is actually a shack with a few thatched roofs to protect from the sun and rain, and does not have any valuable items. Mr. Nam is 64 years old, and has lived alone since 1997, so the good news these days has come to him like a miracle. "Without a wife or children, constantly sick, and lacking food, when the commune chose me to support the construction of a new house, to be honest, I was so happy that I forgot to sleep. So my dream of having a solid house to live in when I retire has come true," said Mr. Nam.

As for mothers like Ms. Le Thi Hoa (born in 1994, currently living in Bung village with her 4 children), that happiness cannot be expressed in words. When the border guards informed her, she could only choke up: "My family is very poor. Now that the State is taking care of our housing, my children and I are very happy."

A nearby neighbor, Mr. La Van Kim - 31 years old, with 3 small children also expressed: "The whole family has always lived in a thatched house with wooden walls, so the sun and rain are always leaking. We have to endure the cold, we are so poor. In a few days, we will have a new house, so the children will not suffer and be cold."

However, to turn that simple dream into reality, the forces are facing a much more arduous journey.

The biggest obstacle is the only road more than ten kilometers long into the village, which is already difficult to access and now becomes even more difficult because of sudden rains in the forest. Mr. Kha Van Thai, who directly drove the excavator to clear the road, said: "In the afternoon, whenever I see dark clouds in the distance, it rains. The rain is not long but very heavy, the soil and rocks from the slopes flow down and cover the entire road surface. The road is always in a state of being full of puddles and mud."

Lieutenant Colonel Ho Dang Thao, Deputy Political Commissar of Mon Son Border Guard Station, affirmed: "If it rains heavily for several dozen minutes, the road will be cut off. To speed up the progress, the first thing to do is to fix the traffic so that construction materials can be gathered."

The difficulties do not only come from nature. Because it is located in the core area of ​​Pu Mat National Park, the project is stuck in many legal procedures. Besides, mobilizing the people is not easy. Major Phan Van Tham (Mon Son Border Guard Station) said that many people are still hesitant when having to demolish the familiar thatched house. "To make people understand, the soldiers have to stay in the village and the people to propagate for many days, make people see, from there there will be consensus," he said.

Race not alone

Faced with mounting challenges, a common will was formed. Nghe An province quickly approved a special mechanism, providing financial support of 90 million VND for each newly built house and 45 million VND for each repaired house, removing the biggest procedural bottleneck.

In the field, a comprehensive campaign was deployed. Mr. Luu Trung Kien - Deputy Director of Pu Mat National Park, affirmed: "Helping people remove temporary houses is the political task of the unit, contributing to reducing pressure on the forest".

To ensure progress, the construction plan is divided into 4 phases in a rolling manner. Mr. Luong Van Minh, representative of the construction unit, committed: "If the weather is favorable and there are enough materials, we will complete a house in exactly 2 days for handover."

The border guards played a key role, both mobilizing the people and directly helping to dismantle temporary houses and hand over the land. Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Luong Dung, Chief of Mon Son Border Guard Station, said: "Despite the erratic rain and wind, with the determination to stay in the village and work, many new solid houses have been gradually built to the joy and anticipation of the people."

Immediately after operating the 2-level government model, the People's Committee of Mon Son commune immediately implemented the second phase of the plan to dismantle 20 thatched houses for poor households in Dan Lai in Co Phat and Bung villages. And according to the schedule requirements, the construction will be carried out quickly, but the quality of the project must be put first.

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Due to the remote location, difficult traffic, and heavy rain in the afternoon, we have asked the contractor and construction unit to increase their vehicles and focus on transporting materials as soon as possible. Along with transporting materials, a part is also required to stay close to the road to reinforce muddy areas and landslides. The goal of Mon Son commune is to complete all 73 houses for Dan Lai people in Co Phat and Bung villages on schedule before August 15.

Mr. Pham Manh Hung, Chairman of People's Committee of Mon Son commune

With the determination of the entire political system and the aspirations of the people, the houses of love are gradually taking shape, continuing the dream of settling down in the border area of ​​Nghe An.