Springtime joy in the vast Pù Mát forest.
Newly built, sturdy houses, suspension bridges connecting the joyful banks, and gleaming concrete roads leading into the villages. A new spring is arriving, a spring of peace and hope for the Dan Lai people in the villages of Bung and Co Phat (Mon Son commune) amidst the vast Pu Mat forest…
Thanh Phuc - Khanh Ly/Present:Hong ToaiFebruary 15, 2026
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Newly built, sturdy houses, suspension bridges connecting the joyful banks, and gleaming concrete roads leading into the villages. A new spring is arriving, a spring of peace and hope for the Dan Lai people in the villages of Bung and Co Phat (Mon Son commune) amidst the vast Pu Mat forest…
In the early days of 2026, we traveled upstream along the Giang River, following a forest path with many steep slopes to reach the Dan Lai people in Khe Khang, where the two villages of Bung and Co Phat nestle amidst the towering mountains of Pu Mat. Along the way, old plum trees bloomed with white blossoms, reeds burst into flower, and vibrant red poinsettias peeked out from behind a thin veil of mist.
The scenery was both familiar and strange. Familiar because I had been there many times, strange because it stirred a unique feeling of excitement in my heart: This time, I was visiting the local people who now had new houses. We traveled nearly 20 kilometers through the forest, over rocky, slippery sections after the storm, and the motorbike occasionally veered off the road.
But then, as a significant milestone, 6 kilometers of smooth concrete road unfolded before their eyes, leading straight into the village. Even the wooden and bamboo bridges that used to span the streams and ravines were replaced with sturdy iron bridges. Under the gentle spring sunshine, the houses with red corrugated iron roofs and yellow-painted concrete walls stood out against the green of the mountains and forests.
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Welcoming us into his cozy new home, Mr. La Van La (from Bung village) couldn't hide his joy: "I'm so excited, so happy. I've lived in this house for half a year now, and it still feels like a dream. I never thought I'd have such a secure and stable home like this. I'm so grateful to the Party and the State."
Mr. Lá's family consists of nine people, who used to live crammed into a thatched house with bamboo walls and an earthen floor. It leaked during the rainy season and was unbearably hot and dusty during the dry season. "In previous years, around this time, my son and I would be busy repairing the thatched roof and reinforcing the bamboo walls around the house to prepare for Tet. This year, we're relieved; we just need to focus on making traditional cakes and finding peach blossoms to decorate for Tet," he said with a gentle smile.
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That joy was also evident on the face of Mr. Luong Van Suu (42 years old, from Bung village). With a 40 million VND grant for house repairs, he replaced his thatched roof with a heat-insulated corrugated iron roof, and installed a discreet, wood-imitation corrugated iron wall. “Having received the land ownership certificate, being the owner of my land, and receiving support for house repairs, I am very pleased and feel at ease.”
"Perhaps this is the happiest Tet holiday my family has ever had," Mr. Suu shared. In Co Phat village, veteran Le Van Thanh, now 80 years old, lives with his disabled son and spoke emotionally about his new house, which is "solid and sturdy."
“Having a new house has made me feel healthier. This winter, I feel less pain, so I can go out to the garden to dig the soil and plant vegetables like cabbage, beans, and tomatoes. Now I have vegetables for Tet (Lunar New Year). I've also managed to raise a few chickens and ducks,” Mr. Thanh recounted, his eyes shining with simple joy.
According to La Van Cang, Secretary of the Party Branch of Bung village, this time 37 households in the village received support for building new houses and repairing existing ones, including 28 households building new houses and 9 households repairing existing ones. “Having a sturdy house is the long-held dream of the villagers. ‘A stable home’ is essential for ‘prosperous work.’ With houses, roads, and bridges, the villagers are more enthusiastic and focused on their work,” Mr. Cang said.
The daily transformation of the Dan Lai people in the upper reaches of the Giang River is also evident in the village landscape, with clean concrete roads within the village and three suspension bridges completed before the 2025 rainy season, ending the isolation and the need to use bamboo rafts for transportation during the rainy season.
Even more encouraging is that as Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, most families in Bung and Co Phat villages have lush green vegetable plots, thriving flocks of chickens and ducks, and barns full of rice. Many households have acquired tractors and mini-mills to serve their production and daily lives. Around 100 villagers work far from home, sending their income back. Although life is still difficult, this is a significant step forward compared to the past.
Mentioning Co Phat and Bung villages (Mon Son commune), many still refer to them as the "most disadvantaged areas in Nghe An." Despite benefiting from policies under the National Target Program for socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period 2021-2030 (National Target Program 1719), the lives of the Dan Lai people here remain quite difficult.
According to Mr. Pham Manh Hung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Mon Son commune, the two villages currently have 243 households, mainly Dan Lai people, of which 235 are poor households, accounting for 96.7%. The biggest and most long-standing problem is the dilapidated housing and land disputes.
Implementing the government's program to eliminate temporary housing, the local authorities identified 78 households eligible for support in building new houses or repairing existing ones. After conducting a field survey, Nghe An province decided to increase the house area to 50m² and simultaneously increase the support level to 90 million VND for new construction and 50 million VND for repairs.
Based on that policy, the Steering Committee for the Eradication of Temporary Housing in Mon Son Commune mobilized the "four on-site" forces, along with the cooperation of border guards and local people, to launch a construction campaign. By July 31st, all 78 houses, including 58 newly built and 20 renovated, were completed, ensuring quality and exceeding the provincial deadline by 15 days.
In particular, the land ownership bottleneck has been resolved, with 231 land ownership certificates issued to residents of Co Phat village and 224 to residents of Bung village, covering a total area of approximately 360 hectares, including residential and agricultural land. These certificates not only affirm legal land ownership rights but also help the Dan Lai people feel secure in staying in their villages, ending their worries about displacement and land loss. More importantly, they serve as a "ticket" for the people to access social welfare policies, borrow capital for production investment, gradually provide for their children's education, and open up a path to sustainable poverty alleviation.
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Along with housing and land, the National Target Program 1719 has also created a strong impetus for infrastructure development and livelihoods. Six investment projects specifically for the Dan Lai people in Bung and Co Phat villages have been completed, significantly changing the appearance of the border region.
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Sy Ha - Head of Khe Khang Station (Mon Son Border Guard Post) commented: "The lives of the people are still very difficult, but after just over a year, the changes are very clear. They have new houses to settle in, roads and bridges to connect them, and they have received 'hands-on' guidance in production and livestock farming, gradually moving towards a longer spring for Dan Lai village."
This spring, amidst the vast Pù Mát forest, the Tet (Lunar New Year) celebration of the Dan Lai people is not only about green sticky rice cakes, wild peach blossoms, or warm, glowing hearths, but also quietly blossoms with the joy of settling into new homes. Upstream on the Giang River, while the morning mist still lingers on the canopy of the ancient forest, another spring, warmer and more enduring, is gently beginning.
