Springtime in homes filled with warmth and solidarity.

The joy of a new home.

This spring, Mrs. Lo Thi Loi (71 years old) and her grandson, Vi Van Thanh, a third-grade student in Tung Huong village, are delighted to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) in their "House of Happiness," still smelling of fresh plaster. Thanh's father (Mrs. Loi's son) passed away early, and his mother remarried, so the two of them lived together in a dilapidated, makeshift house.

Sharing in the plight of Thanh, through the "March Border Program" organized in Tam Quang commune, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union appealed to philanthropists to donate 80 million VND to build a "House of Happiness" for the grandmother and grandson.

The construction crew from the Tam Quang Border Guard Post and the villagers provided labor for dismantling and rebuilding the house, while the Tam Quang commune government contributed 10 million VND to help cover the cost of installing doors to complete the house.

Speaking to us, Mrs. Lo Thi Loi emotionally shared: “Our old house was on a steep and high slope, making it difficult to transport materials. Fortunately, thanks to the construction team from the Tam Quang Border Guard Post and the villagers who braved the sun and rain to help, the house was completed after more than 3 months of construction. Now my grandchildren and I have moved in and are preparing to welcome the new year. We are so happy, it's indescribable…”

Sharing the joy, Mr. Lo Dinh Quang (72 years old), Head of the Veterans Association branch in Son Ha village, expressed: "This spring, my family is happier because the State has provided financial support for repairing and upgrading our house. During the implementation process, the villagers and the Veterans Association branch helped with labor for cleaning, raising the foundation, paving with cement, and building a roof for the yard. Relatives and friends also contributed labor, which saved costs and ensured quality. My family is very grateful."

Thanks to the collective efforts of the community, many houses in the border commune of Tam Quang have been supported with new construction or sturdy repairs, with special priority given to elderly people living alone, vulnerable people, the disabled, and orphans.

A typical example is Phan Tu Tuong, an orphan whose father passed away and who lives with his 80-year-old maternal grandfather in Son Ha village. The Party Committee, the local government of Tam Quang commune, and the Board of Directors of Tuong Duong 2 High School appealed for support from organizations and individuals to build a "House of Compassion" worth over 80 million VND. He has now completed 12th grade and is studying automotive electrical engineering in Vinh City.

In 2023, 125 households in Tam Quang commune had their houses newly built or repaired, and in 2024, 41 households received support under national target programs on poverty reduction, national target programs on the development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas, and from donations and support from individuals and organizations. In addition, despite many difficulties, the local authorities are striving to support some households with particularly difficult circumstances, providing an average of 10 million VND per household to help them meet the criteria.

The entire political system is involved.

Tam Quang is a commune with a 12.688 km long border adjacent to the Muong Chuon cluster of villages in Vieng Thong district, Bolikhamsai province (Laos), comprising 11 villages with a population of 2,039 households/8,240 people, of which ethnic minorities account for 63.93%.

This is also the first mountainous commune in Nghe An province to achieve the new rural standard and is now continuing to build an advanced new rural area. In particular, the "residential housing" criterion is identified as a crucial basis for assessing changes in the socio-economic lives of the people.

Therefore, along with propaganda work and promoting the internal resources of each family, the Steering Committee for mobilizing and supporting the construction of houses for the poor and those with housing difficulties in Tam Quang commune (Steering Committee 1838) directly inspected and reviewed each village; thereby, compiling a list of 225 households in need of new construction or house repair in the 2023-2025 period.

To achieve consensus and high effectiveness, in addition to resources from the National Target Program on Poverty Reduction, the National Target Program on Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, and Program 1838, Tam Quang commune has proactively called for social mobilization, solicited sponsorships and support from individuals and organizations; at the same time, it has leveraged the internal resources of the entire political system to jointly eliminate dilapidated houses for poor households.

For example, to implement a housing program for 84 poor and near-poor households in the area using funds from the Ministry of Public Security, the local government assigned officials and civil servants to be responsible for each household. Simultaneously, they mobilized the entire political system, the Tam Quang Border Guard Post, and the commune police force to help poor households dismantle old houses, level the ground, and lay foundations for new houses. The cost of laying the foundation ranged from 5,000,000 to 6,500,000 VND per foundation. In addition, the locality appealed for social contributions through various forms such as providing sand, gravel, cement, and mobilizing labor to help families with particularly difficult circumstances complete the foundations and build their houses.

In places like Son Ha village, the terrain is complex, making the transportation of raw materials difficult, requiring the leveling of hills and land for foundations. However, with the involvement of the entire political system, including the heads of the commune's Party committee and government, and village officials closely monitoring each situation and individual to promptly implement support plans, the assembly and completion of prefabricated houses have been ensured according to schedule.

Mr. Mai Ngoc Lam, head of Son Ha village, said: "Promoting the spirit of solidarity within the community, the villagers have joined hands to help households dismantle temporary houses, move belongings, and level the ground to build new houses, including more than 50 houses belonging to the Ministry of Public Security. Currently, there are no more temporary houses in the village; only over 20 semi-permanent houses need repair to meet the criteria of 'three solid' (solid walls, solid roof, solid foundation)."

In Tam Bong village, the movement to help each other repair and build new houses meeting the "three solid" criteria has also been enthusiastically embraced by the people. The village also has three teams of workers who help with foundation work, leveling, and construction labor at low prices. "Currently, there are no more thatched houses in the village; only 10 semi-solid houses remain, with completed repair and upgrade plans."

"In 2024, four households were eligible for repair assistance, and one disadvantaged household, Ms. Luong Thi Lien (born in 1942), who lives alone, received support for new construction. This year, Ms. Lien celebrated the Lunar New Year in her new home, and everyone in the village was delighted," shared Mr. Luong Van Thanh, head of Tam Bong village.

While visiting newly built and renovated houses in time for the Lunar New Year of the Snake, Ms. Kha Thi Hien, Chairwoman of the Tam Quang Commune People's Committee, said: Currently, the locality has eliminated temporary and dilapidated houses; however, there are still about 57 households with semi-permanent houses (not meeting the Ministry of Construction's "three solid criteria" for housing in new rural construction (solid foundation, solid frame, solid roof)), including 5 households that are building new houses and 52 that are being renovated.

With the motto "leaving no one behind," the commune aims to eliminate houses that do not meet the "three solid" criteria by the first half of 2025, with a budget of 1,550,000,000 VND.

The sturdy houses, imbued with the warmth of community spirit and the Party's loyalty, in Tam Quang commune not only give disadvantaged households more confidence and motivation to rise out of poverty and stabilize their lives, but also contribute to helping this border commune overcome difficulties and achieve the goal of advanced new rural development.