About the place where the cadres... ferry

(Baonghean) - Wobbly on the ferry crossing the Con River to the Phu Son Commune headquarters (Tan Ky), through his clumsy and awkward movements, we knew he was not a "professional" ferryman. After learning, we learned that he was the Party Secretary of Con Phoi Hamlet, reluctantly becoming a "stand-in" to take passengers across the river...

The "doubles"

Under the scorching sun of a summer day in June, the Secretary of Con Phoi hamlet, Mr. Hoang Van Chung, 42 years old, with dark skin, immersed himself in the Con River, pushing the old ferry out of the dock. The story of Mr. Chung becoming a "stand-in" is related to the unfortunate death of the ferryman of the two hamlets of Tan Lam and Con Phoi in an accident on the river. The ferryman, Mr. Nguyen Van Dong, passed away on June 2, 2014. He was resting on the side of the ferry, when he unfortunately slipped and fell into the river. Mr. Chung sadly said: "We consider Mr. Dong to be the otter of Phu Son commune, but he drowned.

It is true that "you are born with a job, you die with a job...". About ten years ago, a tall, healthy man over 20 years old also had an accident on this river, so after Mr. Dong passed away, the village could not find a replacement boatman, because everyone was afraid of "curse". "The medical station, school, and commune headquarters are all on the other side of the river. The travel needs of visitors, nearly 200 households of Tam Lam and Con Phoi hamlets, and especially nearly 100 students to cross the river are very urgent. Finally, the Party Committee and the commune government called on the village cadres to demonstrate their responsibility as cadres and party members, taking turns rowing the boat to take visitors across the river. And we became the reluctant boatmen..." - Mr. Chung confided.

Con Phoi ferry, Phu Son commune.

For nearly 20 days, except for the women's union and the elderly association, the rest from the party cell secretary, hamlet chief, front committee chief, police officer, youth... of Con Phoi, Tan Lam have had to take turns driving the ferry. Mr. Nguyen Van Toan - Hamlet Chief of Con Phoi, honestly said: "The ferry is old and dilapidated, the water of the Con River fluctuates erratically, and the haunting story of Uncle Dong, so when we decided to drive the ferry to take people across the river, the family members were very worried. My wife asked: "Think carefully, because river matters are not a joke. If something happens, not only us but also the lives of the people on the boat, how can we calculate...". I know my wife is right. I am not good at water work, have never been trained in rescue work on the river, do not have a practice certificate, now driving the ferry is against the regulations. If I insist on refusing, the commune leaders will not be able to force me. But if I refuse, who will do it...".

Con Phoi hamlet Party cell secretary Hoang Van Chung waded in the water to push the boat away from the dock.

Letting guests leave the boat is also not a simple problem.

Students of Phu Son Secondary School (in the photo are Nguyen Thi Thuong and Tran Thi Hue) clearly expressed their concerns about their travel.

The ferry across Tan Lam hamlet, Con Phoi has seriously degraded.

We understand Mr. Toan's feelings. These days, the Con River is still small, but looking at the ferry shelters that still bear the marks of the water, and the many eroded areas on both banks, we know that the flood season here is not simple. "Now the Con River is only over 50m wide, but during the flood season, both banks are flooded, up to over 200m wide. At that time, I could not imagine how to handle it..." - Mr. Toan pondered.

Wish for a bridge

Getting on the boat with a group of students from Con Phoi and Tan Lam hamlets to go to school, when we saw them talking to the Secretary of the Con Phoi Party Cell and talking about the boatman, most of them clearly showed their concern for their travel. Nguyen Thi Thuong (from Tan Lam hamlet) said: “Because the ferry is so far away, the students often go to school late and have to stay at school at noon. Luckily for them, teachers from Phu Son Secondary School helped them, giving up their rooms and kitchens so they could cook for themselves. Thuong said: “I hope that one day, the two hamlets will have a bridge across the river, so I can cycle to school, because right now, I often have to walk because the ferry is small, and taking my bike with me would take up space for other students...”. Tran Thi Hue confided: “Our parents are also very worried about our travel. My mother often reminds me not to play around when getting on the boat so as not to disturb the boatmen and to sit near the life buoy...". Teacher Nguyen Cong Ha, Principal of Phu Son Secondary School, said: "The school has reported to the Party Committee and the commune government, and suggested that the commune should find someone who knows about rivers and has a license to help steer the boat...".

Mr. Nguyen Ho Thu - Secretary of the Phu Son Commune Party Committee confirmed that the commune directed cadres of Tan Lam and Con Phoi hamlets to take turns driving boats to transport passengers across the river. Mr. Thu explained: "The commune has taken the trouble to meet many people working on the river in the area and invited them to help. These people also came to visit the terrain but then all refused because they were afraid. When we tried to persuade the people, no one wanted to do it. Reluctantly, we had to persuade the hamlet cadres to drive the boats, considering it a mandatory task. We also reported the incident to the district. In particular, we proposed a temporary plan to ask the district to provide an iron boat and help find someone capable of driving the boat...".

Also according to Mr. Nguyen Ho Thu, since March 8, 2013, the Provincial People's Committee approved the investment project to build a suspension bridge at Con Phoi wharf, Phu Son commune in Decision No. 622/QD.UBND - CN. The total investment is nearly 45 billion VND. However, due to economic difficulties, the project has not been implemented. "Everyone wants a bridge to make travel convenient and ensure safety. However, in addition to Phu Son, I know that there are 12 other localities that are also in great need of bridges, while the State's funding for implementation is still very difficult - Mr. Thu said.

After nearly a day of staying, we left Con Phoi hamlet, Tan Lam, still haunted by the concerns, worries, and hopes of the cadres and people here. The cadres of Con Phoi hamlet, Tan Lam, Phu Son commune have shown themselves to be very responsible people towards the people. However, the rainy season is approaching, who can be sure that the ferry crossing of the people, and of the cadres who are "ferrying the ferry" every day, will be safe? Therefore, the work of the cadres... ferrying the ferry should not be prolonged any longer. Tan Ky district needs to consider and quickly resolve the recommendations of Phu Son commune regarding the bridge construction.

Nhat Lan - Dao Tuan