Fulfilling the Party's duties and fulfilling the people's duties.
“As long as the Party still trusts me and the people still have faith in me,” I will continue to dedicate myself wholeheartedly to the Party and the people's affairs – this is the motto of Mr. Nguyen Sy Giai, who has served as the Party Secretary of Lam Truong village, Tien Phong commune, Que Phong district for over 20 years. People admire him not only for his enthusiasm and responsibility in his work, but also for his skillful approach to mobilizing the people and his pioneering spirit in economic development.
Party members lead the way.
The small house of the "leader" in Lam Truong village is nestled within a vast garden of over 5 hectares. When we visited, the Party Branch Secretary Nguyen Sy Giai (born in 1962) and his wife were diligently harvesting fresh fruit from their garden to meet demand from traders.
Selecting large, fragrant guavas of the Nghia Dan variety to offer to guests, the Party Branch Secretary chuckled: “We do as much as we can; for us old folks, labor is a joy. Besides, as our ancestors said, ‘diligently gathering makes a big haul,’ the income from just 100 guava trees alone brings in over 20 million dong per year on average. Moreover, as a Party member and the head of the village, I must set an example; I can't lag behind, even in economic development…!”
Having said that, he quickly led the visitors on a tour of the well-planned VACR model, which included areas for growing year-round vegetables, sugarcane for juice production intercropped with corn; fruit trees with various types of pineapple, guava, rambutan, durian, pomelo, banana, mangosteen, lychee, longan, persimmon, and black olive; 0.5 hectares of cinnamon, 3 hectares of acacia, and nearly 100 guava trees bearing fruit.
In addition, the couple also invested in raising an average of 300 chickens, ducks, etc., bringing in an average annual income of about 200 million VND.
Because the products are produced according to clean standards, there are no worries about sales; mainly wholesalers come to buy them directly from the farm. When there is a lot of work and more manpower is needed, Mr. Giai and his wife create jobs for people in the neighborhood, paying them 200,000 VND per person per day.
Originally from Thanh Hoa province, but due to difficult circumstances, in 1980 Mr. Nguyen Sy Giai moved with his aunt and uncle's family – workers at Phu Phuong Forestry Farm – to live in Que Phong. In 1985, Mr. Giai became a worker at Phu Phuong Forestry Farm and was determined to establish himself and live in this western part of Nghe An province.
With a certain understanding of agriculture and forestry, he was determined not to let the land lie fallow, but to utilize the potential and advantages of the locality, developing a combined VACR (Vegetable, Animal, and Crop) model to develop his family's economy.
In particular, in 2018, when Lam Truong village achieved the new rural standard, the village Party branch issued a resolution to build a model new rural area, starting with transforming neglected gardens into models with high economic value. As the village leader, Mr. Nguyen Sy Giai was determined to "make it happen properly" so that Party members and the people could look up to him. As a result, his family now has a combined VACR (Vegetable, Animal, and Crop) model that generates high income.
He even went to neighboring areas like Nghia Dan district to learn gardening techniques and techniques, successfully bringing back clean guava and pomelo varieties to grow in his own garden.
Even though he is now getting older and his children are grown up (his eldest daughter is married and lives in Vinh City, his son has established a career in Que Phong, and his youngest daughter is married and lives in Japan), many people advise Party Branch Secretary Nguyen Sy Giai to rest, but he still works diligently because "if I don't roll up my sleeves and prove it with results, how can I promote and encourage people to develop the economy and reduce poverty sustainably?"
He also spread the spirit of Party members leading the way and received the support of the Lam Truong village Party branch. Currently, there are no Party members in the village who are poor households, and some elderly Party members are still doing well in business, such as Mr. Le Nam Dong, with his electronics and refrigeration business model, and Mr. Pham Dinh Tao, who both runs a business and develops a forest and garden farm economy…
Thanks to the pioneering efforts of Party members, the people of Lam Truong village have actively developed a multi-sector economy, including overseas labor export, bringing in stable income. The village has 181 households and 847 inhabitants, but only 7 households remain poor due to unavoidable circumstances (elderly, single-parent, disabled, etc.), making it one of the more economically prosperous units in Tien Phong commune; the average income reaches 39 million VND per person per year.
"Better to have less but better quality."
Despite being busy with economic activities, for decades, Mr. Nguyen Sy Giai has always fulfilled his duties to the Party and the people. Since 2003, when Lam Truong village was separated and a new village was established, Mr. Giai has been trusted and elected as the Party Secretary of the village until now.
Along with striving to issue resolutions on economic development and new rural construction that are appropriate to the reality, Secretary Nguyen Sy Giai and the Party Committee of Lam Truong village always pay attention to improving the quality of meetings, ensuring they are serious, adhere strictly to regulations, but are concise, flexible, and relevant to the local situation; at the same time, they promote the exemplary role of each Party member, because as President Ho Chi Minh taught, "A strong Party is due to good Party branches, and good Party branches are due to all Party members being good."
“Not only local party members but also party members residing in the area are required to set an example, from maintaining contact with the party organization and the people in accordance with Regulation No. 213-QĐ/TW of the Central Committee of the Party to participating in local movements and activities, thereby providing a basis for seriously evaluating and classifying party members,” said Party Branch Secretary Nguyen Sy Giai.
Party development work is also given special attention by Party Branch Secretary Nguyen Sy Giai and the Party Branch Committee of Lam Truong village, but they do not chase after quantity, adhering to the motto "better fewer but better".
Despite the increasing scarcity of human resources due to a large number of young people going to school, working, or working abroad, the Lam Truong village Party branch has maintained a fairly good practice of screening and selecting "seeds" for training and recruitment.
On average, the Lam Truong village Party branch admits 1-2 new Party members each year (in 2022, 2 members were admitted from the Youth Union and the Village Team Leader; in 2023, 1 new Party member was admitted from the Women's Association; in 2024, 2 Party members were admitted from the Youth Union and the Farmers' Association, with 2 more applications being considered for the following year).
Thanks to effective training and recruitment efforts, the Lam Truong village Party branch, which initially had only 5 members after the separation and establishment of the new hamlet, now boasts a large membership of 47 comrades. "After being admitted, all members are assigned specific tasks to enhance their roles and responsibilities, and to motivate them to develop their abilities and strengths, contributing to community and village affairs," shared Mr. Nguyen Sy Giai.
"Effective mass mobilization" leads to success in everything!
According to Mr. Sam Viet Hung, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Tien Phong commune, Que Phong district: Lam Truong village is not only one of the leading units in sustainable poverty reduction, but also a pioneer in building new rural areas. This achievement is largely due to the skillful grassroots mobilization experience of Party Branch Secretary Nguyen Sy Giai, who "walks the talk."
To give just one example, in the last two years, Mr. Nguyen Sy Giai, along with the Party branch and the village management board, has mobilized businesses and agencies located in the area, as well as the people, to contribute funds to upgrade and renovate the cultural center; and donated 154 million VND to install a solar-powered lighting system, consisting of 100 bulbs along the village's main roads, aiming for the criteria of "bright, green, clean, and beautiful".
Lam Truong village was also the first unit in the commune to complete 100% concrete paving of rural roads and is currently launching a new phase of repair, upgrading, and expansion…
In addition, thanks to close monitoring and effective mediation, the security and order situation in the village is stable, with no major conflicts or disputes occurring.
According to Party Branch Secretary Nguyen Sy Giai: To gain the trust and obedience of the people, first and foremost, the cadres themselves must set a good example by "matching words with actions," taking the lead in all activities to foster unity within the Party Branch and create consensus among the people.
For example, in the past, when there was a plan to build an inter-communal road through the area, many people agreed to donate land for the road construction. However, some people were reluctant to give up their land, causing difficulties in the land clearance process.
Besides working closely with the Party Committee, government, and local departments and organizations to conduct ideological work door-to-door, Mr. Nguyen Sy Giai and his family also set an example by donating 2,000 square meters of garden land for road construction. This spread the movement of donating land and trees for road construction among the people.
As a representative of the People's Council of the commune for many consecutive terms, Mr. Nguyen Sy Giai always focused on mobilizing the masses, listening to the thoughts, aspirations, and legitimate opinions of the people, and from there finding reasonable and fair solutions to the problems arising in the area. For issues outside his authority, he, together with the Party Committee and the village's leadership board, made recommendations and proposals to higher authorities for timely resolution and response to the people.
In his daily life, the "leader" of Lam Truong village always maintains a cheerful and approachable demeanor, readily helping others to the best of his ability. Having previously studied electrical engineering and served as the head of the commune's electricity service cooperative, Mr. Nguyen Sy Giai now also works as a collaborator for the Electricity sector, in charge of rural electricity services in Tien Phong commune, including collecting electricity bills and repairing minor malfunctions.
Whenever someone called for repairs, whether it was noon or night, he would grab his tools and go without hesitation, regardless of distance, with an enthusiastic and cheerful attitude. He provided free assistance to those in need, which earned him the affection of many.
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With unwavering dedication to both Party and people's affairs, Nguyen Sy Giai, Secretary of the Party Branch of Lam Truong village, has been repeatedly commended and rewarded by the Party Committee and government of Tien Phong commune, Que Phong district, for his outstanding performance as a Party member and exemplary model of "skillful mass mobilization," and has received a Certificate of Merit from the Provincial People's Committee for his grassroots mediation work. However, this Party Branch Secretary, who "fulfills both Party and people's duties," sincerely stated, "The greatest reward for me is the trust of the Party Committee and government, and the confidence of the people."
