Thanh Ha Commune (Thanh Chuong District): Overcoming difficulties and rising up through the spirit of unity, self-reliance, and self-improvement.
From a disadvantaged commune in Thanh Chuong district, Thanh Ha commune has risen above its circumstances through the unity and solidarity of the entire political system and all strata of the people, including those who have left their hometowns, creating comprehensive development. The fact that Thanh Ha was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a new rural commune in 2024, as stated in Decision No. 290/QD-UBND dated April 2, 2025, is the clearest evidence of this.
Mobilizing combined strength
Thanh Ha commune is a disadvantaged locality in Thanh Chuong district. Starting from a low baseline, when the Party committee set the goal of achieving the new rural development status by 2024 during the 2020-2025 term, many officials, Party members, and residents expressed doubts and concerns.
Mr. Nguyen Sy Hong, Head of Hamlet 3, Thanh Ha Commune, shared: “The biggest challenge is the uneven economic conditions of the people; when building roads, many sections have a large number of households living far apart, meaning the contribution level is high. But with the determination of the entire political system, numerous conferences and meetings were continuously organized, from the Party branch to the hamlets, villages, and self-governing groups. Wherever there were difficulties or obstacles, commune officials and civil servants were there to help. As a result, people's mindset was 'opened up,' and wherever the road was built, people contributed money, donated land, and cleared the land themselves. Households with better economic conditions contributed more to 'bear the burden' for those in need.”
With the determination of the political system, the Party committees held numerous meetings, from the grassroots level down to the villages and hamlets, and the self-governing groups. Wherever there were difficulties or obstacles, commune officials and civil servants were present to help, thus creating the achievements of the new rural development program we see today.
Mr. Nguyen Sy Hong - Village Head of Village 3, Thanh Ha Commune
It is known that in Thanh Ha commune, households contributed at least 20 million VND and up to over 80 million VND to build new rural areas. For example, five households in Con Den residential cluster, in addition to contributing according to the village's general quota, independently discussed and each contributed 60-80 million VND to build a concrete road in front of their houses.
Mr. Nguyen Van Sinh's family sold a buffalo, borrowed money from relatives and friends, and received support from their children to contribute 80 million VND for road construction, plus over 27 million VND for paving the road from the hamlet to their house. Mr. Tran Van Duan's family in Hamlet 2, despite being classified as a poor household, also sold a calf for over 10 million VND to contribute to road construction...
Commenting on the new rural development movement in Thanh Ha commune, Comrade Trinh Van Nha - Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee and Chairman of the Thanh Chuong District People's Committee - said: "This is the will and strength of the people, along with the support and contributions of those who have left their hometowns. Without the people's determination to overcome difficulties, their self-reliance and self-improvement, there would be no asphalt, concrete, or gravel roads; no comprehensively invested cultural and sports facilities, playgrounds, and entertainment areas from the commune to the villages; no improved rural landscape; and no increased awareness among the people about protecting the environment: green, clean, and beautiful."
Without the determination to overcome difficulties, the self-reliance and self-improvement of the people, and the support of their children living away from home, Thanh Ha commune would not have these paved roads, gravel roads, and modern cultural and sports facilities.
Comrade Trinh Van Nha - Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Chuong District
Along with the people's efforts, the success in building new rural areas in Thanh Ha commune has been accompanied and actively supported by the district. Comrade Dang Huu Bien - Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Ha commune, said: "From the district leaders and various departments and agencies at the district level, they have directly surveyed the current situation, provided direction and guidance on how to do things, and created conditions in terms of resources for the locality to complete each content and criterion."
The district prioritizes allocating and supporting additional cement beyond the provincial policy, while also allocating key investment budgets to create a "boost" for the locality. In particular, it aims to awaken the awareness and responsibility of officials, Party members, and the people in building new rural areas through investment in upgrading school facilities and paving some main roads in the commune. As a result, currently 2/3 of schools have met national standards; the commune has met the national criteria for health and cultural institutions; and all 5 villages have met the new rural area criteria.
Over the four years (2021-2024), thanks to the vigorous implementation of the new rural development program, Thanh Ha commune has achieved the standard for 85 out of 91.5 km of roads; including asphalt and concrete roads; the remaining roads are gravel-paved and integrated with the internal field road system.
The total resources mobilized for rural development in the locality over the four years (2021-2024) reached more than 69 billion VND, of which the people and their children living away from home contributed 8.4 billion VND, equivalent to 12.16%. Specifically, road construction accounted for over 35.7 billion VND, of which the people contributed 6.8 billion VND, equivalent to 25.8%.
In the construction of new rural areas, no organization, agency, or unit, and no official or civil servant of Thanh Ha commune is left out. Each member of the Standing Committee and the Executive Committee of the commune's Party Committee is assigned and responsible for directing each cluster and each village, and each specific criterion; each official or civil servant is responsible for each content, criterion, and village area to provide guidance.
In the construction of new rural areas in Thanh Ha commune, no organization, agency, or individual stands aside, creating a crucial block of unity and combined strength.
Comrade Dang Huu Bien - Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Ha Commune
The commune focuses on propaganda and raising awareness among officials and the people. The Fatherland Front and other political and social organizations each undertake specific tasks and responsibilities; from disseminating information and mobilizing people to "join hands in building new rural areas," to caring for social welfare and poverty reduction; upgrading and beautifying village cultural centers; building "clean houses and beautiful gardens," tree-lined roads, flower-lined roads, street lighting, and environmental sanitation; building model gardens for farmers, standard new rural gardens, and economic models.
Each village in the commune concretizes specific tasks for each self-governing group, promoting the people's right to self-governance according to the motto "the people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people inspect, the people benefit," creating consensus among the people and their children living away from home...
Taking care to improve the lives of the people.
In Thanh Ha commune today, transportation routes have been upgraded to prevent flooding and widened to 5-8 meters, paved with asphalt, concrete, or gravel. Educational, medical, cultural, and sports facilities, lighting systems, and residential housing have been invested in and improved significantly. The material and spiritual lives of the people have improved remarkably.
Many residents of Thanh Ha commune have ventured out of their villages to participate in the domestic and international labor markets, becoming skilled workers in factories and enterprises both within and outside the province. Currently, 385 people from Thanh Ha commune are working abroad. Notably, the commune has five tea and wood processing factories, providing employment for many workers.
Local farmers are also actively innovating their thinking and methods; dynamically shifting towards combining agriculture with business and services. The commune has 107 households implementing business and service models such as sawing, carpentry, transportation, and agricultural services, etc.
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In agricultural production, farmers have boldly expanded the scale of raising goats, pigs, and chickens for commercial purposes, replacing the previous self-sufficient farming methods. They have also actively improved their orchards, planting fruit trees such as pomelo, oranges, guava, and jackfruit. Farmers in Thanh Ha commune have also boldly switched to high-yield, high-value rice varieties; and developed several new economic models, such as introducing green squash cultivation; and establishing and developing five farm and family farm models.
In particular, the locality has successfully restored the cultivation of the high-economic-value Tho Hao ginseng variety, covering a total of over 2 hectares and continuing to expand. Thanks to the dynamism in production and economic development of the people, income in the area has improved, reaching an average of over 50 million VND per person per year.
With a stable economy, the spiritual well-being of the people in Thanh Ha commune is also being carefully considered. The people live in an environment that ensures comprehensive development. And not only do the people directly benefit from the results of the new rural development program, but each official and civil servant in the political system also becomes more mature.
Comrade Nguyen Van Ty, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Thanh Ha commune, stated: “During the implementation of the new rural development program, the leadership, guidance, management, and operational capacity of the Party committees and authorities from the commune to the villages have been enhanced; the sense of responsibility and the people-oriented working style have been promoted. The methods and content of the Fatherland Front and other political and social organizations have been reformed in a concrete, practical, and effective direction. New rural development is not only a socio-economic development program, but also an opportunity for the grassroots political system to be consolidated, reformed, and developed in a more sustainable and effective direction.”
Building new rural areas is not only a socio-economic development program, but also an opportunity for the political system at the grassroots level to be strengthened, reformed, and developed in a more sustainable and effective direction.
Comrade Nguyen Van Ty - Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Thanh Ha Commune
Currently, following the direction of continued restructuring and merging of communes, Thanh Ha commune is expected to merge with Thanh Thuy and Kim Bang communes. The achievements through the new rural development program are creating confidence and motivation for officials and people of Thanh Ha commune to confidently integrate with other localities and continue to develop further after the merger into a new commune.
