Overcoming disability

(Baonghean.vn) -The soldiers emerged from the war. They began a new war: the war against poverty. In this no less arduous and challenging war, they still demonstrated the bravery and good qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers.

The happiness of the caretaker of the martyrs' monument

In February 1975, when the resistance war against the US entered its final stage, 17-year-old Nguyen Dinh Loi (Dien Ngoc - Dien Chau) volunteered to join the army with the desire to contribute a small part of his strength for the day of total victory. In 1976, Nguyen Dinh Loi was a soldier of Brigade 176 of the Lao volunteer army with the mission of protecting the Vietnamese military attaché team to help the enemy suppress the remnants of the Vang Pao bandits. In August 1981, at the Bolikhamxay front, soldier Nguyen Dinh Loi suffered a broken spine and severe injuries all over his body, losing 98% of his health.

Not willing to wear “armor” with a system of reinforced steel all day long to protect his straight bones from being misaligned, he persistently practiced. Every day, regardless of rain or shine, he spent 1-2 hours to train himself. With the thought of finding a job that was both suitable for his health and meaningful, he proposed to the local authorities to arrange for him to work as a guard at the 30-31 martyrs’ memorial, a national historical site located right in his commune, taking care of the incense offerings for the martyrs every day.

At that time, the vacant land of the 5,000 m2 martyrs' memorial site was still large, and it was impossible to rely on state subsidies forever. The couple planted rice, potatoes, vegetables, beans, corn, and raised fish. With the guidance of the local government on how to do business and the experience of good production models of war invalids, the couple worked hard, so his family life became more and more stable. Due to his limited health, he switched to planting, caring for, and trading ornamental plants - for high income...

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Loi (Dien Ngoc, Dien Chau) takes care of the Memorial
Martyrs 30-31 of the commune. Photo: Thanh Chung

War invalids beautify life

This veteran has a name as simple and honest as he is - Nguyen Viet Thong. He was born in 1956 in a poor village in Nghi Lien commune (Nghi Loc), now part of Vinh city.

At the age of 18, he joined the army at the call of the country. In 1981, he was discharged from the army and returned with a 4/4 war invalid status. Taking on the responsibility of the eldest brother in a family of 7 siblings, he attended an intermediate management class while working at the Nghe Tinh Food Company. He took care of work, got married, and married off his younger siblings before thinking about his own happiness when he was in his forties. After the subsidy period ended and the transition to a market economy began, his life began with new hardships and difficulties. He was assigned to buy each truckload of rice from the South and transport it to the red rock area of ​​Quy Chau to sell at the exact time when rice prices fell. Then the unit lost money and lacked work, so he took unpaid leave to work in the service industry. He rented a booth selling construction materials at the time when there was a rumor that Chinese bricks were harmful to health. He could not sell them and lost money, so he went to the South to learn shrimp farming.

Far from home, with no capital, working for hire so the income was not much, his old parents in the countryside needed to be taken care of, so he returned to ask to rent land at the airport to raise fish. Three teammates worked together, day and night, when it was almost time to harvest, they saw fish with their bellies exposed in the pond. It turned out that someone had used electricity to steal the fish. So he lost everything again. After returning to his old agency for a short time, his only younger brother had a traffic accident. Due to family circumstances, he had to resign, thinking hard to find a way to support his family. Finally, he decided to return to the profession of growing ornamental plants - which is the traditional profession of his hometown. However, his profession of growing ornamental plants was not easy or favorable. With no capital, only relying on the pension for war invalids, no output, no experience... There was a time when this veteran had to carry carts of trees around the markets from Gia Lach, Bai Vot (Ha Tinh) and even to Dien Chau...

With the new direction, he no longer has to wander around selling trees but supplies, plants and takes care of trees and flowers for large projects in the province such as the urban environment of Cua Lo Town, Vinh City Political School, Nghi Loc Vocational School, Vietnam-Laos General Warehouse... Thanks to his training in the army, he has won over customers with his "trust" in business and work efficiency. He and veterans and fellow villagers regularly exchange experiences, cooperate in business, and share opportunities. Young people in the village are also attracted to these very meaningful activities. The profession of his hometown's flower and ornamental plant village has the potential to be preserved and developed by future generations.

Saying goodbye to us, he said he hopes that the bonsai growing profession will develop more and more so that our environment will be less polluted and so that he will have the opportunity to create jobs for the children of his former comrades and many poor people in mountainous and remote areas.

Thanh Chung - Huong Giang