Dramatic transformation in Xop Kha

Escape poverty

Xop Kha village is quite far from the center of Yen Hoa commune, the road winding halfway up the mountains. Leading us to Xop Kha village, village head Lu Van Quang drove his motorbike smoothly, as he was very familiar with this route.

Mr. Lu Van Quang serves as both the village head and the land administration official of the commune, so he travels at least 15 km back and forth from his home to the commune's People's Committee office every day. When asked about the livelihoods of the people in Xop Kha village, Mr. Lu Van Quang said that the small village has 85 households, all of whom are Khmu ethnic people. About three years ago, nearly 80% of the households were poor, but now the number of poor households has decreased by almost half.

Surprised by the remarkable change in the village's poverty rate, and wondering how the villagers had escaped poverty so quickly, Mr. Lu Van Quang personally led us to visit the family of Mr. Kham Van Xai. Mr. Xai is a long-time Party member of the Xop Kha village Party branch and also a member of the village's elderly association. He is also a respected figure, always setting an example of diligence, hard work, and enthusiastic contribution to the village's movements and activities.

As soon as I entered the alley, I saw Mr. Kham Van Xai busily tilling the soil and planting vegetables. Although the vegetable garden around Mr. Xai's stilt house wasn't large, every corner was clean, tidy, and lush with greenery...

Expressing his joy at the village's improved living standards, Mr. Kham Van Xai confided that not only his family, but many other households in the village, despite having grown-up children and only elderly spouses remaining, still maintain the habit of hard work. He emphasized that only diligent labor can quickly lift people out of poverty. Moreover, diligent parents set an example for their children to follow, teaching them to take care of their families, escape poverty, and strive for prosperity.

Village head Lu Van Quang is also an example of diligence and creativity in mobilizing villagers to develop the economy and build public works, as he was the first to have a thriving Thai jackfruit orchard and independently built two bridges for local residents.

Mr. Quang said: "The orchard was established on community-protected land with 450 jackfruit trees belonging to 53 households. This is a completely new variety, planted for the first time in Xop Kha village. The jackfruit trees have been planted for over two years and are now bearing their first fruits. The care, organic fertilization, tree protection, and fruit sales are all carried out by the community of households. It is expected that this jackfruit season, each household will not only enjoy the sweet fruit they cultivated themselves but also have surplus to sell at 30,000 VND/kg."

Besides the communal land near the village cultural center that villagers rent for jackfruit cultivation, other communal land areas are also lent to people for growing cassava and rice. This both increases the villagers' income and boosts the village's operating funds. The entire village has over 10 hectares of rice, 12 hectares of cassava, and raises about 160 buffaloes and cows and over 100 pigs. Now, with the addition of Thai jackfruit and regular visits to the forest to harvest forest products such as bamboo shoots and mắc khén (a type of spice), and growing melons alongside upland rice, many families who were once poor have become well-off and have savings.

As a result, in 2020, Xop Kha village had 60 out of 85 poor households; by 2023, this number had decreased to only 49 poor households, and by the end of 2024, it will be down to only 39 poor households.

Leaving the jackfruit orchard, we met Mr. Tham Van Son carrying rice from his fields. Upon inquiry, Mr. Son shared that this year's rice and cassava harvests were bountiful, providing his family with extra income to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) more joyfully.

“More than half a hectare of rice paddies provides enough food for the whole year. This year, the cassava crop is also thriving and fetching good prices. After harvesting the rice, my wife and I go to harvest the cassava. This season we got about 500 kg of rice, and a few tons of cassava, which sold for about ten million dong. We're very happy,” Mr. Tham Van Son shared.

Leveraging resources

According to Mr. Lo Van Thanh, Deputy Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Tuong Duong District, Xop Kha village has undergone a spectacular transformation in both economic life and infrastructure, largely thanks to the self-motivation, mindset change, and diligent work of the village's officials and residents, as well as the attention of Yen Hoa commune officials.

Mr. Thanh cited a typical example: in Xop Kha, there are two locations that were cut off by the Khe Lip stream. For many years, due to the lack of bridges, they were often isolated during the rainy season. For the past two years, that situation has changed, thanks to 85 households who unanimously contributed money and labor to build two iron bridges across the stream, making travel easier for the people. Going to the fields, farms, or to the commune and district centers is no longer a constant worry about rising water levels.

Mr. Lo Van Thanh, formerly the Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Hoa commune, was a Party member assigned to oversee a cluster of villages, including Xop Kha village. During his more than three years working in Yen Hoa commune, he and local officials connected with and appealed to benefactors to sponsor public works and community projects in Xop Kha village, such as: repairing and upgrading the village's cultural center, constructing a street lighting system, and building a sturdy bridge across the Khe Lip stream, worth 1.2 billion VND... Thanks to these efforts, the villagers now have a place for meetings, cultural activities, and artistic performances during holidays and festivals.

Along with the efforts of commune officials, state investment and support have also contributed significantly to improving the lives of people in Xop Kha village, making labor and production more convenient. Mr. Mong Van Vien, Vice Chairman of the Yen Hoa Commune People's Committee, said that in 2024, the commune implemented public investment sources from the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction.

Specifically, Project 1 supports investment in socio-economic infrastructure development in poor communes, implementing two projects: the Xieng Lip – Xop Kha road and the Yen Tan – Yen Huong road. These two projects are invested in by the District People's Committee with a budget of 6.8 billion VND. Construction is currently underway and nearing completion. The improved road will facilitate travel, transportation of materials, trade, and exchange of agricultural products for the people of Xop Kha village, thus promoting economic development.

In 2024, Xop Kha village was one of the villages that experienced remarkable changes in poverty reduction rates and effective agricultural economic development, largely due to the self-awareness and diligence of the people and the involvement of officials at all levels.