A new look in the homeland of General Secretary Le Hong Phong.

(Baonghean) - Walking along the scenic road still fragrant with the scent of fresh straw, the people of Hung Thong (Hung Nguyen) cannot help but feel proud as they witness the daily changes in their homeland. Each person here is aware that they must strive even harder to live up to the revolutionary traditions of their heroic homeland.

Concrete paving of village roads in Hung Thong commune (Hung Nguyen district). Photo: Sy Minh

For over 15 years, Mr. Le Van Ngu has been the caretaker of the Le Hong Phong Memorial Site. As a descendant of the family, he always feels proud to be able to introduce the historical days of the place where General Secretary Le Hong Phong was born, and where the steadfast revolutionary's love for the nation was nurtured. Therefore, in addition to his own knowledge, he also researches and reads many documents to hone his presentation skills. Mr. Ngu said: "I have to demonstrate my understanding of the life, background, and career, while also connecting visitors with the artifacts in the late General Secretary's house, so that viewers understand the integrity of a communist in his Soviet homeland." In his daily life, Mr. Ngu is a role model, always willing to help his neighbors and actively campaigning for the Party and State's policies and guidelines. For Mr. Ngu, keeping the revolutionary spirit alive in peacetime means setting an example for his neighbors and for the younger generation to follow. "It's impossible to just give empty speeches; words without action are unacceptable. What I cherish most is the saying: 'Each example is worth more than a thousand speeches'," Mr. Ngu shared.

For the family of retired Colonel Tran Van Xuan, to maintain a well-ordered and traditional family life and ensure their children's academic success, parents must set an example in even the smallest things, upholding the qualities of a soldier of Uncle Ho's army in both work and life. Therefore, now that their children and grandchildren are grown, they still diligently cultivate their two plots of rice land, hoping to "mill a few kilograms of rice from the countryside to send to Hanoi," and raise a few batches of pigs and a few dozen chickens to provide both work and clean food for their descendants. As a soldier, he always prioritizes the spirit of exemplary sacrifice for the common good. Whenever he meets with the younger generation, he always reminds them: "We must keep the flame of the homeland of General Secretary Le Hong Phong alive. Therefore, we must strive to set an example, even as ordinary farmers, because a farmer who does many good deeds will inspire admiration and instill in our children and grandchildren the spirit of a son of this revolutionary land."

In the spirit of renewal in a land once fraught with difficulties but rich in revolutionary spirit, the people of Dong village (hamlet 10) have today maximized external resources and leveraged internal strengths to work together with 10 other hamlets in the commune to urgently achieve the 19 criteria of the new rural development program. To date, the people of hamlet 10 have contributed over 100 man-days of labor, with each household contributing 600,000 VND, totaling 204.3 million VND, to complete 2.9 km of internal village roads. The people of hamlet 10 have now learned to "take shortcuts and seize opportunities," not only developing agricultural farms and family farms but also engaging in service industries to increase their income. Currently, the average per capita income in hamlet 10 has reached 21.3 million VND per year. Mr. Le Van Toan, head of Hamlet 10, said: "Since the policy of all citizens joining hands to build new rural areas was implemented, we have determined that new rural areas must change the lives of each individual citizen. Therefore, in addition to utilizing external resources from those who work far from home and the support of the State, we always emphasize the efforts of the people themselves."

Not only the residents of Hamlet 10 but almost all 11 hamlets of Hung Thong commune are striving to compete in labor and production, and develop commercial services in the area. Many households have participated in developing farm and aquaculture models, and developing the third fish crop. This spring, the average yield for the entire commune reached 60 quintals/hectare, with a food production of 1,755 tons, and aquaculture achieved a yield of 22 quintals/hectare with a production of 59.4 tons. To date, Hung Thong has achieved 16 new rural criteria, striving to complete 19 criteria by 2015. In the first 7 months of 2014, the Party Committee and the commune government focused on directing the implementation of socio-economic development and local defense and security tasks. To date, the entire commune has completed 5.4 km of rural roads, 2.5 km of internal field roads, and the commune has 3 combine harvesters to serve agricultural production. The quality of teaching and learning in Hung Thong over the past year has also achieved remarkable results, with 41 students excelling at the district level, 207 students excelling at the school level, and currently more than 50 students have been admitted to universities and colleges.

Comrade Vo Thanh Hai - Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Thong commune, said: "Hung Thong is one of the first four communes in Hung Nguyen district to meet the new rural criteria regarding transportation, lighting, schools, and health stations. The commune has implemented the construction of the memorial monument for heroic martyrs with an initial capital of 2.1 billion VND, of which the people contributed 500 million VND. Currently, the commune is striving to complete the remaining three criteria this year so that in 2015 it can proudly receive the new rural standard commune certification."

Thanh Nga