Village chief of Mua Chong Cha

(Baonghean)With a booming voice, the village headman, Mùa Chông Chà, boasted to the reporter, "Our village is now almost the richest in the commune." The entire Phù Khả 2 village (Na Ngoi commune, Kỳ Sơn district) has 58 Mong households, and there are no longer any makeshift thatched houses; most families now own motorbikes and televisions. The village has about 18 wealthy households who raise many buffaloes and cows, grow a lot of corn, rice, and ginger, and can afford most household items.

To achieve their current livelihood, the Hmong people in Phu Kha 2 followed the army's advice, settled down, actively reclaimed paddy fields, planted economically valuable crops, and developed livestock farming. From the very beginning of establishing the new village, Mua Chong Cha was one of the first to respond and actively cooperate with officers and soldiers of the Economic-Defense Brigade of Military Region 4 to encourage the people to settle down, develop the economy, and build a cultural life in this border region of the Fatherland.

Village chief Mua Chong Cha (left) converses with officers from the Economic-Defense Brigade of Military Region 4.

In 2000, at the young age of 30, Mua Chong Cha was elected head of Phu Kha 2 village. Despite his youth compared to many villagers, he boldly proposed many ways to develop the economy and build a prosperous and beautiful village. Among these, promoting the reclamation of paddy fields was chosen as a breakthrough to limit deforestation for slash-and-burn agriculture. After many seasons of reclamation, Phu Kha 2 village has more than 20 hectares of paddy fields, providing abundant rice for the villagers. Head of village Mua Chong Cha mobilized the people to introduce new rice varieties into production, while also promoting the raising of buffaloes, cows, pigs, and chickens. By the warm fire, Mua Chong Cha confided: "Calculated over a year, besides rice cultivation and other crops, if each household raises one cow, they can earn over 20 million dong. Raising buffaloes brings in even more. Now, every household raises a few buffaloes and cows, with many households raising 10 or more…"

For over 12 years as village head, Mùa Chông Chà has closely coordinated with the armed forces in the area to mobilize the people to abandon outdated customs and build a new cultural lifestyle. To date, the village no longer practices the ritual of offering sacrifices to the spirits when someone is sick; instead, people go for medical checkups and take medicine. Weddings and funerals are also conducted in a manner that adheres to state regulations. In 2009, Phù Khả 2 was recognized as a Cultural Village. Major Quách Công Khôi, Secretary of the Party Branch of the Military-Civilian Medical Clinic of Regiment 4, said: "The clinic is stationed near Phù Khả 2 village, so it has a close relationship with the local people. In particular, Mùa Chông Chà is a highly respected figure in the community and is always enthusiastic in all collaborative work between the unit and the villagers."

“The economy is good now. But the Hmong people traditionally marry early. Child marriage has always been a problem, and despite our repeated warnings, some households still violate the law. In the coming time, in addition to continuing to promote production and livestock farming, we and the village management board will strengthen efforts to completely eliminate child marriage to ensure compliance with the law and to guarantee the health of our children…” – Village head Mua Chong Cha confided as he bid us farewell…

Text and photos: Nguyen Son