Enthusiastic morning in Thach Ngan

From here, it helps villages at risk of losing their Party branches to strengthen their grassroots Party organizations, creating a foundation for people to build new lives.

Building the "core" from the village level.

Thach Son village, Thach Ngan commune (Con Cuong district)This is a resettlement area with 55 households of the Dan Lai ethnic minority living there. After 15 years since their arduous journey of settling down and establishing their livelihoods, the lives of the villagers have gradually improved. Dozens of hectares of acacia trees stretch across the Pu Khong mountain range, creating lush greenery. Along with 8 hectares of rice paddies and vegetables cultivated efficiently, this has created a sustainable livelihood for the Dan Lai people, allowing them to live comfortably in their new land.

Le Van Hao, head of Thach Son village, Thach Ngan commune (Con Cuong district), at his family's acacia plantation. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Pointing to the 3 hectares of thriving acacia trees on Pu Khong hill, the Party Secretary of Thach Ngan commune, Nguyen Dam Minh, said that it was a model implemented by Party member and Head of Thach Son village, Le Van Hao (born in 1984) - the first person to boldly implement the model to encourage the Dan Lai people to reclaim barren and infertile land to plant industrial acacia trees in the area; at the same time, they practiced growing wet rice and building livestock pens to develop the economy.

Having gradually overcome poverty, Le Van Hao worked alongside the local Party committee and government to develop Party membership and strengthen the village Party branch.

In 2007, Thach Son village did not have a Party branch. As the village head, Le Van Hao understood that developing a strong grassroots Party organization was the prerequisite for the village's development, and that Party members had to know how to lead the villagers in building a new life. Therefore, he advised and actively worked with the commune and district Party committees to encourage exemplary individuals to cultivate and train themselves to join the ranks of the Party.

The ethnic minority people in Thach Ngan have abandoned the practice of slash-and-burn agriculture and nomadic farming to jointly reclaim barren land, focus on cultivating wet rice, and develop production. Photo: Thanh Quynh

The mobilization efforts were divided into two main groups: capable and educated young people, and the village elders and leaders—those with prestige and trust in the villagers. As a result, in 2007, the Thach Son village Party branch was established with 5 members. To date, the branch has grown to 8 members... More importantly, the villagers' understanding of the Party has undergone many positive changes.

Le Van Hao confided: "If people's thinking is unstable, and they don't understand which policies and programs they are entitled to, how can they strive to improve their lives and create sustainable livelihoods? This concern motivated me to work closely with other party members in the branch to gradually change the mindset and practices of the people. As a result, they trust the local Party committee and government, actively participating in labor and production movements to build a new life..."

"The glue" of solidarity and unity

“Vi Van Hieu has two firsts. First, he was the first person in Ba Ha village to graduate from high school. Second, Hieu is the Party member with the most stable economic model among the young people in the village, with 5 hectares of acacia trees, 20 goats, and more than 10 cows,” village elder Lo Dinh Que (born in 1947) happily shared when we visited him.Ba Ha village, Thach Ngan commune.

Vi Văn Hiếu, head of Bá Hạ village, Thạch Ngàn commune (Con Cuông district), at his integrated livestock farming model. Photo: Thanh Quỳnh

Ba Ha village has 69 households, including 35 Dan Lai ethnic households and 34 Thai ethnic households. Vi Van Hieu (born in 1988) is a young Party member who has been assigned the responsibility of being the village head, so he always strives to be a connecting link between the Dan Lai and Thai ethnic people in the area.

The Thai ethnic people have lived in Ba Ha village for a long time, while the Dan Lai ethnic households only moved here to settle in 2019. Initially, the Dan Lai people faced many differences in their culture, lifestyle, and production practices. They still held a distinction between "inner cluster" and "outer cluster" (considering the inner cluster as belonging to the Thai people and the outer cluster as belonging to the Dan Lai people). Village meetings had to be held separately for each cluster.

The steadily increasing number and quality of livestock have provided people in Thach Ngan commune with additional livelihoods, enabling them to escape poverty sustainably. Photo: Thanh Quynh

To break down those barriers, Village Head Vi Van Hieu, along with commune and district officials, directly guided the villagers in economic development, provided technical training, and distributed seeds for planting corn, rice, vegetables, and raising livestock. With his practical experience, Vi Van Hieu gathered young Dan Lai people to join his model to learn how to do business. Under the guidance of the village head, the people of Ba Ha village have now integrated together, holding meetings, implementing village cultural activities, and developing their economy.

Regarding recruitment efforts, among the 10 Party members of the Ba Ha village Party branch, there is one Dan Lai ethnic minority member, Mr. La Van Bay. This year, village head Vi Van Hieu and the village Party branch have recruited 3 outstanding individuals to attend Party awareness training courses and complete the admission procedures; two of them are Dan Lai ethnic minorities.

A Party cell meeting in Ba Ha village, Thach Ngan commune (Con Cuong district). Photo: Thanh Quynh

Witnessing the comprehensive transformation of Thach Ngan, Con Cuong District Party Secretary Nguyen Dinh Hung shared: “The people in the ethnic minority areas, especially the Dan Lai people, have always received the attention and support of the Party committees at all levels. The local authorities have effectively implemented the program.”Project 01-DA/TU dated August 10, 2016 of the Provincial Party CommitteeThe aim of establishing Party branches and developing Party members in the hamlets and villages throughout the district, and in the villages of Thach Son, Ke Gia, and Ba Ha in general, has created a significant transformation in building and strengthening the local Party's grassroots organization.

Since then, the spirit of national unity has been enhanced, political stability has been maintained, and the policies and guidelines of the Party and State have been implemented synchronously, contributing to the sustainable development of people's lives."