Vu Ba Xia - the "leader" of the Hmong village, trusted by the Party and respected by the people.
At the end of the year, the winding road to Hop Thanh Mong village (Tuong Duong commune) seems shorter thanks to the story of Vu Ba Xia, the Party Secretary and Village Head – a man who "speaks in a way the people understand, acts in a way the people trust," spoken of with pride and confidence by the villagers. At 40 years old, he has become a pillar of support for the community thanks to his approachable and respectful style, always putting the interests of the villagers first.
Content:Khanh Ly/Technique:Hong ToaiDecember 26, 2025
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At the end of the year, the winding road to Hop Thanh Mong village (Tuong Duong commune) seems shorter thanks to the story of Vu Ba Xia, the Party Secretary and Village Head – a man who "speaks in a way the people understand, acts in a way the people trust," spoken of with pride and confidence by the villagers. At 40 years old, he has become a pillar of support for the community thanks to his approachable and respectful style, always putting the interests of the villagers first.
Welcoming guests at the community center while preparing for a village meeting to discuss organizing activities for the New Year celebration, the "leader" of Hop Thanh village, Vu Ba Xia, smiled gently and confided: "To make the people listen and trust the officials, we must 'match words with actions'."
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Having served as Party branch secretary since 2017 and been elected village head since 2019, he, along with the Party committee and village management board, has consistently applied the motto "3 together - 5 clear - 4 no":Eat, live, and work together with the people; clearly define responsibilities, tasks, methods, timelines, and expected results; avoid imposing your will, doing things for them, avoid formalism, and remain close to the people.
This transparent, democratic, and sincere approach helped to alleviate the mentality of waiting and relying on others among the people. The villagers gradually became more proactive and united in common tasks. When implementing the concrete paving of the 170-meter-long road leading to the Tat Ha eco-tourism area and the 117-meter-long internal village road, the Party branch and the village management board held meetings with the people and went to each household to persuade them, following the motto "the people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people supervise, and the people benefit." As a result, five households voluntarily donated nearly 300 square meters of land for the road construction.
Mr. Ly Gia Hua (75 years old) - one of the households that happily donated land - shared his thoughts, saying, "Everyone cherishes and regrets losing their land, but when the village head said, 'The road is being built for our people to use, for our children and grandchildren to benefit from. The government provides cement, and the villagers contribute land and labor,' everyone enthusiastically followed suit." To date, 100% of the village's internal roads have been concreted, facilitating agricultural production, transportation of agricultural products, and travel for the people.
Besides building roads, Party Secretary Vu Ba Xia also mobilized people to install 43 streetlights worth over 100 million VND through social contributions; and erected a community hall canopy worth 56 million VND with labor contributed by the people. Thanks to these efforts, Hop Thanh village, once an extremely disadvantaged area, now boasts a new, more spacious and beautiful appearance.
Bearing the dual roles of Party branch secretary and village head, Vu Ba Xia always prioritizes dialogue, reconciliation, and understanding the thoughts and aspirations of the people. "The Hmong people live according to clans. To gain the people's consensus, we must discuss and consult with the village elders and respected individuals first," he shared. Thanks to his understanding of the people and their customs, all his policies receive high levels of agreement.
In recent years, Hop Thanh has undergone remarkable changes: new stilt houses have sprung up under the forest canopy, concrete roads are brightly lit at night, and village life is filled with laughter. All of this is linked to the persistent and dedicated community outreach work of the young "leader," who is wholeheartedly committed to the welfare of the village and its people.
In Party building efforts, despite difficulties in recruiting new members due to young people working far from home and the influence of customs and traditions, the Hop Thanh village Party branch still admitted 3 new Party members during the 2021-2025 period, bringing the total to 16. Notably, the village now has its first female Mong Party member – a significant milestone in the transformation of community awareness. “Our Mong women now carry not only corn and cassava on their backs, but also the Party’s policies and guidelines,” proudly stated Vu Ba Xia, the Party branch secretary and village head.
In economic development, Vu Ba Xia and the Party committee were always concerned about finding a stable model for the people. He campaigned to expand the area of sorghum cultivation from 15 hectares to 20 hectares, yielding an income of 10-50 million VND/season/household; encouraged the planting of corn, mustard greens, and seasonal vegetables; and developed the buffalo and cattle herd to nearly 100 animals.
Many households in the village have boldly started small-scale businesses such as cultivating sorghum seedlings and planting agarwood... For example, Mr. Vu Ba Do (1986) successfully cultivated 600 sorghum seedlings, reducing his dependence on natural seed sources. In addition, Mr. Do and some other households have also planted 300 to 1,000 agarwood trees, which are showing positive initial results.”
In addition to developing local production and aiming for sustainable poverty reduction, Party Secretary and Village Head Vu Ba Xia also researched and coordinated the placement of laborers for organized, legally compliant work in distant locations, ensuring incomes of 60-120 million VND per year. As a result, the poverty rate in Hop Thanh village has sharply decreased from 42% in 2020 to 19% in 2025.
In addition to developing local production, Party branch secretary and village head Vu Ba Xia also coordinated and facilitated organized and legal employment opportunities for laborers in distant locations, ensuring incomes of 60-120 million VND per year. As a result, the poverty rate in Hop Thanh has decreased sharply from 42% in 2020 to 19% in 2025.
Not only is Vu Ba Xia skilled in mobilizing the people, but he is also a pioneer in digital transformation – a new field for the people in the highlands. From someone with little knowledge of technology, he bought a computer to learn word processing, then created Zalo groups for the Party branch, village management groups, and the "Hop Thanh Village People" group to quickly update and connect information in both directions. He persistently learned from students and commune officials, then "guided and taught" the villagers step by step.
Thanks to their perseverance, 88% of the villagers now have electronic identification accounts, and over 70% know how to use smartphones to look up procedures, find agricultural knowledge, connect with relatives, and sell goods to their neighbors. Vu Ba Xia and the community digital technology team have also assisted villagers in completing more than 300 online applications – something completely unfamiliar to them before.
Digital technology has also contributed to positive changes in the prevention and control of child marriage. From images and short videos shared on social media to direct communication activities of the child marriage prevention club, people's awareness has gradually changed, and for two consecutive years, Hop Thanh village has had no cases of child marriage.
Elder Ly Xia Cho (80 years old) - Head of the Ly clan, affirmed: "Vu Ba Xia not only speaks well but also acts well. Thanks to good officials, our village is peaceful, with no child marriage, no children dropping out of school, and no illegal migration across the border. The village has achieved the standards of a new rural area and is drug-free. For five consecutive years, there have been no new drug addicts and no security or order hotspots have arisen."
According to Luong Thanh Son, Head of the Party Building Committee of Tuong Duong commune, Vu Ba Xia is a role model of "skillful mass mobilization," daring to think and act, and effectively promoting grassroots democracy. In 2025, he was honored to be recognized by the Provincial Steering Committee as one of 115 exemplary "skillful mass mobilization" models and a shining example of grassroots democracy regulations in Nghe An province for the period 2021-2025.
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Despite having accomplished so much and receiving recognition and appreciation, when speaking with us, Vu Ba Xia humbly whispered: "My greatest pride is not the certificates of merit or titles, but the fact that my village is changing every day, and that the people are united and living in peace..."
That motivates the "leader" of the Mong Hop Thanh village to continue dedicating himself to the Party and the people, contributing to building a prosperous, progressive, and peaceful village.
