New colors of Muong Qua

(Baonghean) - Lush fields, prosperous villages, friendly people, rich in historical and cultural traditions. That is the feeling of every person when setting foot on the land of Muong Qua (Mon Son and Luc Da communes, Con Cuong). Honestly, I like to come at this time, when the Muong Qua fields are in the period of bearing seeds and flowers, when the fragrant scent of rice is spreading. Hope is present on every face of the farmers...

Mon Son people view the painting exhibition with the theme "Revolutionary Struggle Movement".

HEROIC PAST

Artisan Luong Van Nghiep, Head of the Folk Song - Folk Dance Club of Cang village (Mon Son) is adjusting traditional musical instruments (panpipes, flutes, flutes, and tap tinh zither) to prepare for the exchange on the occasion of Independence Day. Seeing the guests, the host immediately nodded and picked up the panpipe to play a lively melody as a greeting. Mr. Nghiep is quite knowledgeable about Thai culture as well as the historical and cultural roots of his homeland. We asked about the history of the land, and artist Luong Van Nghiep said: About 200 - 300 years ago, the Thai people of the Northwest began their migration to the western mountainous areas of Thanh and Nghe. On their journey to find new land, a group of Thai people of the Vi, Luong and Lo families stopped in Muong Qua.

Realizing that this place had an ideal terrain, surrounded by mountains, in the middle was a flat and fertile valley, with abundant water resources and a large number of animals, they decided to stop and open up villages and establish villages. The first thing the Muong Qua residents did was to build dams, block streams and reclaim rice fields. With perseverance and determination, not long after, villages were formed, and the Muong Qua fields were constantly expanding. The rice fields were lush, the streams were full of fish and shrimp, and life here was always abundant. Knowing that Muong Qua was a good land, Thai people from everywhere came to live here. Villages became more and more crowded, and this countryside became more and more prosperous.

Later, Hau Bong, a prestigious chieftain in the area, mobilized the people to continue reclaiming land and expanding the fields to make life more prosperous. This chieftain directed the people in the area to dig a canal to bring water from Moi stream to supplement the water source for Muong Qua field. Since this canal was completed, the field was irrigated with more rice plants, so the people named it Khe Lo (rice). Today, Khe Lo still exists and is still effective.

During the years 1930 - 1931, together with the people of the whole province and the whole country, the people of Muong Qua enthusiastically participated in the demonstrations against the French colonialists. On that basis, in April 1931, the Mon Son Party Cell was established. This was the first cell in the highland districts, affirming the spread of the revolutionary movement under the leadership of the Party. In the historic August General Uprising, Muong Qua was one of the regions that gained power quite early!

FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF OUR FATHERS

We went up to Pha Lai dam to see the Giang River and enjoy the specialties of Muong Qua. Then we went up to see Khe Kem waterfall, a majestic natural landscape. Pu Mat National Park has bestowed on Muong Qua the poetic and fascinating landscape of mountains, rivers, streams and caves. This is an advantage and opportunity for local people to develop their socio-economics. Currently, the two communes of Mon Son and Luc Da are promoting the preservation of cultural identity (restoring traditional occupations, establishing folk song and musical instrument clubs and reviving some unique customs...) to attract tourists and develop community tourism. Up to now, some villages in Muong Qua have been given community tourism signs. Many visitors coming here are not only fascinated by the beautiful landscape, the rich villages but also captivated by the cau lam, dieu xuoi, dieu xoe and the sound of gongs, the sound of panpipes, and the sound of pi resounding in the majestic night of the great forest. Along with that are the traditional dishes of the Thai people and the products of Muong Qua, enjoying them once will surely not be easy to forget. Since ancient times, the song "Muong Qua rice, Giang river fish" has been passed down and spread...

Promoting the campaign "Studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh", cadres and people with specific and practical actions, each organization, party cell and party member have shown their determination to continue the tradition of their homeland by building a model of "following". Arriving at Thai Son 2 village on Monday morning, we witnessed the solemnity of the flag-raising ceremony at the cultural house of cadres and party members in the village. The "National Anthem" resounded throughout the village, everyone looked towards the national flag fluttering in the wind. Mr. Lo Xuan Dieu - Party cell secretary said: "For many months now, on Monday morning, all party members and village management boards go to the community cultural house to perform the flag-raising ceremony. After that, they review and evaluate the situation of the village in the past week, and deploy tasks to be carried out in the new week. This work has become routine and is really effective, ensuring that the direction is always timely". According to Mr. Lo Xuan Dieu, the weekly flag salute is meaningful in deepening the love for the Fatherland and raising the sense of responsibility of each cadre and party member.

Tan Son village is currently implementing a savings group model, helping each other develop livestock farming of the Women's Association. The savings group was established with 18-20 members participating, organizing regular monthly activities and contributing money to the savings fund. This money is used to support members in difficult circumstances, buy breeding animals to develop livestock farming, gradually escape poverty. On that basis, some members have strived to rise up, actively work in production, so the family economy is increasingly improving, typically Ms. Ha Thi Chinh. Previously, Ms. Chinh's family was in a difficult situation in the village. Thanks to borrowing capital from the savings group, she decided to develop pig farming. From 1 pig initially, there are now dozens of pigs in the barn, bringing in a large source of income to help her family renovate, repair the house and buy amenities. Ms. Chinh shared: “Before the savings group, I really didn’t know how to have enough food and enough money for daily expenses. Since joining the savings group, I have been able to participate in activities, exchange, learn business experiences, and borrow capital for production, so I have found my own direction...”.

Arriving at Bac Son village, we visited the family of Ms. Vi Thi Anh (born 1981). The old house is roofed with cement, surrounded by bamboo walls, and has simple furniture. Unfortunately, her husband fell ill and passed away 5 years ago, leaving behind a poor family and 3 young children. The Bac Son village Party cell has encouraged each party member to save 10,000 - 20,000/month to support families in difficult circumstances. On that basis, Ms. Anh has an extra amount of money every month to cover her living expenses and her children's education. The Party cell also helps Ms. Lo Thi Hanh, who is over 80 years old this year, living alone and without support. Ms. Lo Thi Lien - Party cell secretary said: "Implementing the direction of the Commune Party Committee on the movement to study and follow Uncle Ho's example, our Party cell unanimously agreed to build a model to help poor and single-parent families. This is practical, in line with the nation's tradition of humanity...".

Talking to us, Mr. Vi Van Nam - Secretary of the Party Committee of Mon Son commune affirmed: "Mon Son - Muong Qua is a land rich in revolutionary tradition, we are always wondering how to continue the tradition of our ancestors. After exchanging, discussing and reaching a consensus, at the beginning of this year, the Party Committee decided to launch each Party cell and mass organization to build an operational model based on the specific situation, associated with the campaign "Studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh". Up to now, the Party cells have registered and deployed their own models, hoping to contribute to changing the face of the village, worthy of being a revolutionary homeland.

Article and photos:Cong Kien