Springtime colors of Cang village

(Baonghean)After traversing 20km through the forest, we arrived at Cang village – a cultural highlight of Mon Son border commune (Con Cuong district, Nghe An province) – in the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year). Along the way, apricot blossoms bloomed white along the forest edge. At the foot of the mountain, the villagers were busily planting rice for the spring crop. In the fields, heavy ears of corn were being carried home on people's backs... The lives of the people in Cang village this spring were prosperous and comfortable...

Cang village has 139 households with 581 inhabitants, 96% of whom are Thai ethnic people. Previously, the lives of the people in Cang village mainly depended on slash-and-burn agriculture, using outdated production methods resulting in low productivity and poor economic efficiency, thus leading to poverty. Now, thanks to the attention of the local Party committee and government, and especially the quick adaptation of each villager in changing the structure of crops and livestock and applying science and technology to production, the lives of the Thai people in Cang village are becoming increasingly prosperous.

In areas with stable irrigation water sources, people have expanded the area of ​​wet rice cultivation and introduced hybrid rice varieties, resulting in increasingly abundant harvests. In high-lying areas lacking water, they have switched to growing three crops per year, and the hillside land has been fully utilized for planting corn, soybeans, mung beans, etc., with crop yields increasing from 30 quintals/hectare (2005) to 57 quintals/hectare (2010). In addition, the Thai people in Cang village have also developed livestock farming towards a commercial scale.

Springtime in Cang Village

With a stable economy, the people voluntarily contribute to infrastructure development. The village cultural center is solidly built with complete sound systems and speakers; the internal village roads are paved with gravel and have a complete drainage system. The education of the children in the village is well taken care of: 100% of children of school age attend school; many are studying at universities, colleges, and vocational schools. The Party branch of Cang village has been classified as exemplary and strong for five consecutive years; mass organizations such as the Women's Association, the Youth Union, and the Veterans' Association have received numerous commendations from higher authorities.

The movement "All people unite to build a cultured life in residential areas" has been actively embraced by the Thai ethnic group in Cang village. To date, 110 out of 141 families in the village have achieved the title of "Cultured Family" (78%); 100% of households have access to the national power grid and 80% use clean water wells; 90% of households have audio-visual equipment...

To preserve the folk songs and music of their ethnic group, the village established the "Cang Village Thai Folk Song and Traditional Musical Instrument Club" with 14 members. The club teaches the children in the village ancient Thai folk songs, how to play the zither and other percussion instruments, how to play gongs and drums, and how to blow the flute... During the harvest festival, housewarming celebrations, and especially during Tet (Lunar New Year), Cang village resounds with the lively sounds of gongs and drums, the rhythmic pounding of furrows, and the heartfelt melodies of Thai folk songs...

We bid farewell to Cang village amidst the bustling atmosphere of welcoming the new year. Here and there, peach blossoms are shyly budding, their delicate pink hues mingling with the rhythmic clacking of looms weaving brocade. A look of excitement and happiness is evident on the faces of every villager in Cang. The spirit of spring is present in this remote border village...

Thanh Phuc