Silently stick to the village

(Baonghean) - The poor and remote areas of the far west of Nghe An are changing day by day. This is not only thanks to the attention of the provincial Party Committees and authorities; the hard-working hands of the people, but also the close attention and direct help of the soldiers who eat and live with the villagers. In addition to the task of protecting the peace of the border, the soldiers in green uniforms also help the villagers do business and eliminate poverty...

Taking me around the villages of the commune, comrade Xong Xai Xo - Vice Chairman of Na Ngoi Commune - Ky Son could not hide his joy: "Journalist, you see, now the villagers no longer practice backward farming methods of shifting cultivation, migration, and slash-and-burn cultivation to grow rice and corn like before. The villagers now know how to grow two rice crops, grow cassava and ginger as commodities, and especially do not destroy forests, burn slash-and-burn cultivation, or migrate to Laos anymore. The villagers' stomachs are full, and they can buy motorbikes and many expensive household appliances."

Soldiers of Nam Can Border Post help people clear the road to the village.

There was a time when children here could not go to school, did not have enough warm clothes, did not have money to buy medicine when sick, and suffered from hunger during the lean season. “Remembering those years makes me shudder, hunger and poverty have never been so terrible. But then when you guys came back, you brought with you so much hope for change. You built roads, taught people how to grow rice and corn to achieve high productivity. Gradually, the villagers' lives became more prosperous, no longer shifting cultivation or illegal migration” – said comrade Xong Nhia Vu - Chairman of the Front of Na Ngoi commune.

Along the main road to Nam Can, Na Ngoi, and Muong Ai communes, there are lush green rice fields and corn fields. Under the hard-working and diligent hands of the Mong and Kho Mu people, and the dedicated guidance of the soldiers, the dry and rocky land turns into rice, helping the villagers to be well-fed. Lieutenant Colonel Tran Van Vien, Chief of Na Ngoi Border Guard Station, said: “To make the people listen to us, it is not just empty talk, but the officers and soldiers must roll up their sleeves and get to work first. Only when we touch and see the results with our own hands, with our own eyes, with full granaries of rice and corn will the people listen and follow. In recent years, the area and output of wet rice, hybrid corn, Shan snow tea, etc. of the Mong and Kho Mu people have continuously increased, their lives have improved, and the situation of shifting cultivation and migration to Laos has significantly decreased.”

As if to prove Lieutenant Colonel Vien's words, Comrade Xong Xai Xo gave us some impressive figures that perhaps five or ten years ago, the people of Na Ngoi commune would never have dreamed of. That is, the current area of ​​wet rice fields is 299 hectares, upland rice fields are 735 hectares, with an estimated yield of 6 tons/hectare; ginger plants are 371 hectares, with an estimated yield of 1,855 tons; LVN 10 corn plants are 57 hectares, with an estimated yield of 3.5 quintals/sao; local corn plants are 435 hectares, with a yield of 2 quintals/sao, with an estimated total harvest of 1,840 tons; cassava, vegetables and beans are about 247 hectares. “Talking goes hand in hand with doing, the soldiers here have made the Mong, Thai, and Kho Mu people believe and follow. With you, people’s lives change every day, no longer hungry, cold, or backward like before. My father and the people are very grateful to the border guards,” Mr. Mua No Xu in Pu Quac 1 village happily said.

Nam Can Border Guard Station is located next to a village of the Mong people, with a force of about 50 people but manages dozens of kilometers of border. The terrain is rugged, full of deep ravines and steep mountains, so patrolling and traveling is extremely difficult. In addition to the task of firmly holding guns to protect the country's border, fighting against dangerous criminals, they also stay with the villages, eat and live with the people, instruct and share experiences in farming and raising animals. The empty lands and bare hills of the past are now covered with a vast green color of rice, corn, and cassava. The remote and isolated villages are now shortened thanks to the joint efforts of the army and people to explore and build. “Backward farming methods have existed in this remote border area for dozens, hundreds of years, so changing people’s awareness overnight is impossible. The officers and soldiers of the station must be very skillful in persuading and persistent in following the motto “slow and steady wins the race,” said Lieutenant Colonel Pham Huu Ha, Chief of Nam Can Border Guard Station.

Not only basically ensuring food, in recent years, under the enthusiastic and close guidance and instruction of the officers and soldiers of Na Ngoi and Nam Can Border Guard Stations, Economic - Defense Group 4 (Group 4), people in the communes at the foot of Phuxailaileng Mountain have also created products and goods, enriching their families and hometowns. After many years of stationing and testing many types of crops in Na Ngoi, Economic - Defense Group 4 found that the cassava plant grows well, suitable for the soil and climate of the mountainous region. Group 4 has established a project, planting dozens of hectares of cassava on many suitable lands. At the same time, the Group has also mobilized, provided technical guidance and provided seeds for people to plant on a large scale in many different areas.

Currently, the area of ​​​​canarium in the communes in the project area is increasing rapidly, the processing facility of Group 4 buys for the people so the price is always stable, the people benefit from the commodity production model. Comrade Lau Va Chong - Chairman of Na Ngoi commune said: "Compared to other food crops, canarium brings two to three times more economic value, some households earn from 30 - 40 million VND/season. Currently, the area of ​​​​canarium in the commune is about 87 hectares, the total output is estimated at 4,350 tons. Thanks to the pioneering and guidance of Economic - Defense Group 4, canarium is becoming the main economic crop of the locality, gradually helping Na Ngoi commune escape poverty".

Along with the task of firmly holding guns to protect every inch of the country's border, soldiers in green uniforms are silently staying in the villages day and night, guiding and helping people to develop the economy to escape poverty and backwardness.

Article and photos:Dynasty