Before Spring, listen to the story of Dan Lai people's innovation

Historic migration

I returned to Mon Son at the end of the year, when the Spring atmosphere was everywhere. This was indeed the right time to record the changes in Muong Qua land, and most of all to “see with my own eyes and hear with my own ears” the stories of innovation of theDan Lai peoplethat many people, including my colleagues, have often mentioned. Few people know that, just a few decades ago, the Dan Lai people were considered “natives” in the deep forest…

However, the harsh weather with temperatures below 12 degrees Celsius was a real challenge as we had 20 kilometers of river ahead of us to reach two pure Dan Lai villages upstream of the Giang River, Bung and Co Phat.

Welcoming me right at the gate of the People's Committee of Mon Son commune was Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the commune Hoang Nhat Son, a border guard officer assigned to the commune 3 years ago. Knowing that I was determined to go to Co Phat, this deputy secretary wearing a green uniform rubbed his hands together to stop shaking and said "it's cold", then we set off.

From the ferry dock at the foot of Pha Lai dam, we boarded an aluminum boat and headed up the Giang River deep into the core of Pu Mat. This season, the Giang River water was still high, and waves lapped against the shore. The propeller attached to the stern of the boat, sometimes raised, sometimes lowered, churned up white foam, stirring up the entire river for a moment before disappearing into the deep, silent green of the mountain shadows.

Mr. Son said that currently, Mon Son commune has nearly 2,400 households, with 9,600 people, in 14 villages. Of which, there are 2 villages of pure Dan Lai people, Co Phat and Bung. These two villages have nearly 250 households, with over 1,000 people. Previously, when the road from Xieng village in the center of the commune to these two villages was not damaged, traveling became more convenient. However, in recent years, after many floods, the road has been broken and eroded, so only going by boat is the most optimal.

Although he has just been promoted to Deputy Secretary of the Commune Party Committee, Mr. Son has been attached to Mon Son and the Dan Lai people for many years, so he understands their eating habits and ways of thinking. He said that more than 20 years ago, the Dan Lai people lived crowded together in the core area of ​​Pu Mat forest, mainly living by hunting, gathering, living in groups and marrying incestuously. Faced with the risk of racial degeneration and affecting the conservation of Pu Mat forest, our Party and State have developed a project to move the Dan Lai people out of the core area of ​​Pu Mat forest.

In the early 2000s, after a period of survey and assessment, the first 36 households out of more than 200 Dan Lai households living in Khe Khang and Khe Bung were relocated to Tan Son and Cua Rao resettlement sites right in the center of Mon Son commune. By 2006, the Project for Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Dan Lai ethnic group in the core zone of Pu Mat National Park was approved by the Government. After that, in addition to the households that had moved out earlier, dozens of households were relocated to Thach Son and Ba Ha resettlement sites in Thach Ngan commune.

Applications to leave poverty

The story of the historic migration of the Dan Lai people kept us going, the journey of more than 20 kilometers felt shortened. After nearly 2 hours, we arrived at Khe Khang area, where the Dan Lai people of Co Phat village live close together.

Co Phat village currently has 126 households, with 516 people. After the households on the resettlement list were relocated to new places, the remaining households basically lived stably. Talking to us, Mr. La Van Linh - Secretary of the Co Phat village Party Cell, who has been a "cadre" in this "remote mountain" village for 30 years. Born in 1963, Mr. Linh is one of the elders in the village, and also one of the most "progressive" people in Co Phat. Since the age of 20, he has been mobilized by border guards and local authorities to participate in social activities in the village. After many years of serving as village captain and village chief, he has now been elected to hold the position of secretary of the village Party Cell with 14 party members.

Talking about the changes of the Dan Lai people, Mr. Linh shared that since the State had a policy of moving the Dan Lai people in this core area to resettlement areas, up to now, the people's lives have had very clear developments. The Dan Lai people know how to grow rice, raise buffaloes and cows, and now some households have even bought tractors to mechanize agriculture. This is something that no Dan Lai household thought they would have before.

According to Mr. Linh, in the past, people in the village only wandered around the Khang stream, fishing in the stream and finding roots and fruits in the forest to eat for a living. Now, many people have gone to school, worked far away, some even became teachers and officials in the commune. Notably, all children in the village have gone to school, of which more than 60 are studying in secondary school outside the commune center, and 3 are studying in high school.

Even Mr. Linh's family is a model in economic development. In addition to growing rice and being self-sufficient in food, his family also raises 5 cows, 6 buffaloes and many chickens and ducks. Notably, at the end of 2023, the family of this Party cell secretary voluntarily submitted a petition to the People's Committee of Mon Son commune to be removed from the list of poor households. He said, "It is shameful to be poor forever. Although my family is still in difficulty compared to the general level of the whole commune, we have a house and our life has improved. But in the village there are many households with especially difficult circumstances. I am leaving the poor household to share with other households, and at the same time, I am also an example for other households to rise out of poverty."

Mr. Linh boasted that he was one of two people in Con Cuong district who had just returned from Hanoi. He was happy to visit Uncle Ho's Mausoleum and many places in the capital that he had never known since he was a child. But he believes that in the future, Dan Lai's children will be able to go out of their village more often. Currently, in the village, there are more than 10 young people participating in labor export and dozens of young people working as workers in industrial parks.

In addition to Mr. Linh’s family, at the end of last year, Mr. Le Xuan Duong’s family in Co Phat village also submitted an application to leave the poverty line. Similar to Mr. Linh, Mr. Duong’s family has now built a 3-room house, raised 10 buffaloes, cows, and hundreds of chickens and ducks. He voluntarily submitted an application to leave the poverty line because he did not want to become a burden to the State and local authorities.

On the way back, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Hoang Nhat Son commune shared some very good information, not only people like Mr. Linh and Mr. Duong in Co Phat village, in Tan Son village in 2023, there were also 4 Dan Lai households who wrote applications to leave the poor household. Those are the families of Mr. La Van Bao, La Van Thai, La Van Hoa and Ms. Le Thi Hoa. This is really a good sign for the local government.

Visiting Ms. Le Thi Hoa's house, we learned that her family was one of the first 36 households to be resettled in the early 2000s. When she was resettled, Ms. Hoa was a 5-year-old child. When she got married and moved out, Ms. Hoa and her husband also encountered many difficulties and were in the poverty line. After several years of hard work, the couple has now saved up to build a fairly decent house. Currently, her husband works as a factory worker in the South with a monthly salary of more than 10 million VND. Ms. Hoa herself stays at home to farm, raise buffalo, and take care of her 2 children. In 2023, her family applied to be removed from the poverty line to give this policy to other households that are in more difficult circumstances.

Reaching out to the international arena

In particular, in Mon Son commune over the past year, people have been whispering about the story of Nguyen La Vi Na, currently studying at the province's No. 1 Ethnic Minority High School, who won a Silver Medal at the TIMO International Mathematics Olympiad in Thailand in March 2023. Nguyen La Vi Na is the eldest daughter of Nguyen The Thao - Vice Chairman of the People's Council of Mon Son commune. And is the pride of the Dan Lai people in Mon Son commune in general.

Thao’s family is likened to the “United Nations Family” as Thao’s father is Kinh, his mother is Thai and his wife is a Dan Lai from Khe Khang. What is more surprising is that Thao’s wife, La Thi Hang, is also one of the first Dan Lai students to attend Nghe An Ethnic Minority High School since 1995, and is currently a primary school teacher in Mon Son commune.

Although she did not have the opportunity to study English systematically like her friends in the lowlands, Nguyen La Vi Na still completed her exam excellently at the TIMO International Mathematics Olympiad, bringing glory to herself, her family and her school.

Ms. Hang shared that studying and returning to raise the children of Dan Lai is a happiness for her. For her daughter Nguyen La Vi Na, she also hopes that she will have the conditions to study and improve her knowledge. Although she does not expect her child to achieve high academic results, the Silver Medal at the TIMO International Mathematical Olympiad that she has achieved is a worthy achievement. It is also an encouragement, helping the children of Dan Lai to be confident in themselves and continue to reach new horizons in the future.

What we are most concerned about is that, because Dan Lai households are living in the core zone of Pu Mat National Park, land allocation for people is facing many difficulties. The need to allocate residential and production land for people with nearly 400 hectares has not been completed. Therefore, many support policies, such as the housing support policy implemented by the Ministry of Public Security last year, have not been implemented. This is a huge disadvantage for the people.

Mr. Lo Van Thao - Chairman of Con Cuong District People's Committee

Sharing about the changes of Dan Lai people, Mr. Lo Van Thao - Chairman of Con Cuong District People's Committee said: In recent years, with the participation of local Party committees and authorities, and the support and companionship of units, especially Mon Son Border Guard Station, the lives of Dan Lai people have gradually developed.

In addition to the support from the "Cow Bank" of the Fatherland Front, the officers and soldiers of Mon Son Border Guard Station also actively stay close to the people and villages to support people in raising livestock and growing crops, gradually changing the hunting and gathering habits of the people... These are good signs not only for the people of Dan Lai but also for the government and people of Mon Son.