A commitment to making information truly "close" to the people.

(Baonghean) - For 10 years, Nguyen Thuong Mai (Khanh Son commune, Nam Dan district) has been dedicated to cultural affairs in his commune, constantly striving to find ways to bring information, Party policies, and State laws closer to the people, helping them understand and comply well, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of his commune...

I arrived at the Khánh Sơn commune radio station just as Mr. Mại and his colleagues were doing a final review of information before broadcasting it to the village radio systems. It was almost noon, and no one seemed in a hurry to go home. Mr. Mại explained, “This morning, the commune simultaneously launched a campaign to improve irrigation; the Women's Association, in coordination with the Population/Family Planning Center, conducted reproductive health checkups for women, so there was a lot of information that needed to be promptly communicated to the people… The people here are eagerly awaiting the news.” Then, he began reading aloud, “On the morning of October 16th, despite the heavy rain, officials and people actively participated in the irrigation and road construction movement. The commune especially commends the units of Hamlet 10 and Hamlet 17 of Khánh Sơn 2 Cooperative for their excellent organization, with over 90% of households participating, creating a vibrant atmosphere and achieving high results…”

Disseminating information through the commune's public address system is an effective method that Khanh Son commune has implemented for many years. From this system, policies from the central, provincial, and district levels are promptly conveyed to the people. To provide engaging and interesting information, the commune's public address system staff have sought out many exemplary business models, stories of good deeds, and meaningful articles published in newspapers and magazines to read through the loudspeakers, helping people gain more experience in production and raising children. Recognizing this as an effective communication method, Khanh Son commune recently invested over 400 million VND to upgrade the entire public address system to all hamlets. The communication session about the irrigation project was the first "opening act" of this new system. Mr. Mai shared: "To ensure the program was ready, even though it rained heavily the night before, the team was determined to work. By 9 pm, the public address system in all hamlets was operational. We were so happy we forgot all the fatigue..."

Mr. Nguyen Thuong Mai reads the news at the commune's radio station.

Having served as the village's cultural officer for 10 years, Mr. Mai's wife and children have become accustomed to his work. He himself admits to being a "workaholic" and always tries his best to complete any assigned task. Perhaps that's why, in our candid conversation, he didn't hide the fact that he only studied up to the 8th grade, having dropped out early due to peer pressure, and later had to attend remedial classes. He rose from a village youth union officer to a member of the commune's youth union executive committee, and was then appointed as the cultural officer. Despite only having a vocational diploma in cultural management, he boldly organized many movements, established a folk singing club specializing in Nghe An province, confidently traveled to many places to showcase his work, and won numerous awards. For example, at the district's Lang Sen Village Festival, for the past five years, the commune has consistently won first or second place, then participated in the cluster, provincial, and even joint Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh province festivals, winning third prize. Most recently, the commune's amateur performing arts team won first prize in the entire district at the "Skilled Mass Mobilization" competition and the "Farmers' Talent Competition." Speaking about cultural and artistic activities at the grassroots level, he shared: "In rural areas, people really enjoy watching amateur performing arts. Therefore, we have tried to create many scripts and programs, incorporating various contents to disseminate information and help people learn more about the Party and State's policies and guidelines. For instance, in the short play 'I Understand Now,' which I recently created, the content is about the policy of donating land for road construction and building new rural areas. After watching it, everyone agreed, and the people gained a deeper understanding."

In Khanh Son commune, the largest commune in the district in terms of area and population, with 29 hamlets; many hamlets only started receiving electricity at the beginning of 2014. Therefore, the only way to bring policies and guidelines to the people was to "diversify the forms of communication." Clearly understanding his responsibilities, he has never neglected his duties since being entrusted with this important task by the commune and its people. Knowing the specific characteristics of the poor people in the South, he always thinks of ways to save costs and limit contributions from the villagers. For example, upgrading the commune's radio broadcasting system. While the bidding price from Hanoi was over 1 billion VND, thanks to careful planning, rational spending, and utilizing the strength and intelligence of the villagers, he and his colleagues saved more than half the cost while still ensuring quality. Similarly, to develop propaganda programs, he advised and coordinated with various organizations to provide some financial support. Mr. Mai confided: "Before, when I was a youth union official, I received 60 kg of rice a year and worked diligently without a care in the world. Now that I'm a civil servant with a full salary, there's no reason to neglect my work; I must always fulfill my responsibilities."

Thanks to his active contributions, cultural officer Nguyen Thuong Mai has been repeatedly commended and rewarded for his work in disseminating information and promoting culture at the grassroots level. He believes that the awards are only a part of it; what he finds most meaningful is that his efforts in disseminating information and mobilizing support have reached the people at the grassroots level and have received their approval and support…

My Ha