The new spring colors in Co Phat village

(Baonghean) - Located in the core area of ​​Pu Mat National Park, bordering Vietnam and Laos, Co Phat village, Mon Son commune, Con Cuong district, where the Dan Lai ethnic group lives, is filled with the colors of spring. Thanks to the attention of all levels and sectors, the Dan Lai people are welcoming the New Year of the Goat 2015 with more abundant food supplies than in previous years.

Some households in Dan Lai village now own rice milling machines to serve the community.

In the early days of the new spring, the villagers are busy tending to their spring crops for 2015, hoping for a successful harvest like last year. The entire Co Phat village has 107 households cultivating 8.5 hectares of wet rice. Although not a large area, the Dan Lai people now know how to intensively cultivate wet rice, using proper planting techniques and investing more in care and maintenance than before, resulting in higher yields. For example, in 2014, the average yield of two rice crops reached nearly 30 quintals/hectare, the highest ever. The villagers have also developed livestock farming to utilize draft animals and raise livestock commercially to meet their needs. The village currently has 103 buffaloes and cows, 135 pigs, and other livestock and poultry. In 2014, the "For the Poor" Fund of Con Cuong district supported five Dan Lai households in Co Phat village, providing each with two piglets for breeding. Besides growing rice, the villagers also actively cultivate various kinds of vegetables and beans to serve their family meals.

Thanks to their efforts in production and livestock farming, the Dan Lai people were delighted during the Lunar New Year of the Goat (2015) because every household had rice, vegetables, chickens, pigs, etc., and after the New Year, they no longer worried about hunger during the lean season as before. Mrs. La Thi Ky happily shared: “Last year, the people did better than in previous years, and we had a good harvest, so we are very happy. This Tet, many families made cakes with the glutinous rice they had grown to offer to their ancestors, praying for another good harvest and more prosperity than last year…”

In recent years, thanks to the socialization of charitable and humanitarian activities, the attention of the Party and State, and various organizations and associations, many activities aimed at helping the poor have enabled the Dan Lai people in the core area of ​​Pu Mat National Park to receive more support. During the recent Tet holiday, hundreds of gifts were given to poor families to celebrate the New Year. Mr. La Van Linh, Secretary of the Party Branch of Co Phat village, shared: “Our people received many gifts and support, so we are very happy and can celebrate Tet more fully. This help from the Party, State, and all levels of government is a huge encouragement for us Dan Lai people to confidently build a new life…”

In the core area of ​​Pu Mat National Park, the two villages of Co Phat and Khe Bung are home to 211 households with 914 Dan Lai ethnic minority people. Thanks to government investment, the school here has been built solidly with relatively complete facilities, the roads within the villages have been concreted, and the road from the village to the commune center was completed and put into use before the Lunar New Year of 2015, further bringing joy to the people. Especially during Tet, the people here benefited from the national target program to bring information to the grassroots, allowing them to access more information channels, gradually developing and integrating into the community. At the same time, to ensure that the people could celebrate Tet fully, the Mon Son commune government and units stationed in the area actively coordinated to ensure border security; supported production progress and took care of the people's welfare policies.

The Mon Son Border Guard Post sent officers and soldiers down to the village to help the local people celebrate Tet and welcome the New Year. Lieutenant Tran Duy Thanh, from the Co Phat Border Control Station (Mon Son Border Guard Post), added: “Before, during, and after the Lunar New Year, in addition to strengthening border patrol and control to ensure that the people can celebrate Tet safely, we also regularly spend time with the Dan Lai people, actively propagating and encouraging them to abandon outdated customs and build a new way of life. After Tet, the working teams continue to help the people develop their economy and improve their material and spiritual lives…”

As spring arrives, in the core area of ​​Pu Mat National Park, trees sprout new leaves and blossoms, displaying their vibrant colors. The rice paddies and cornfields cultivated by the Dan Lai people also sprout, a fresh green, a symbol of hope. In this border region, amidst the joy, the Dan Lai people sing a song welcoming spring: “In the old days, we Dan Lai people suffered greatly, following the footprints of deer to plant rice, following the footprints of tigers to plant corn; Wandering on mountaintops, lingering on mountain passes, like a small stream, like the evening breeze; Since the Party came, we Dan Lai people have a peaceful life; No one forces us to surrender a hundred golden bamboo stalks, No one forces us to surrender a boat with oars; We Dan Lai people welcome spring, We Dan Lai people welcome spring…”

Thu Trang