One of the precious legacies President Ho Chi Minh left for following generations is a collection of four articles titled "Diligence, thrift, integrity, uprightness” using pen-name Le Quyet Thang on the May 30, May 31, June 1, and June 2, 1949 issues of the Cuu Quoc newspaper. Infused with the late leader’s teachings, the youth of Hoa Binh province have been exerting efforts to make self-improvement to contribute to the development of their hometown and the Fatherland.

Nguyen Trung Kien, Director of the Doc Lap Agricultural Services Cooperative, is one of the two exemplars of Hoa Binh province granted merit certificates by the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education in recognition of their outstanding achievements in studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, moral example, and styles in 2024.

Previously, he also received a certificate of merit from the Prime Minister for considerable achievements in patriotic emulation movements in 2023, along with a certificate of merit from the chairperson of the provincial People’s Committee for his attainments in movements on the occasion of 75 years since President Ho Chi Minh issued the "Appeal for Patriotic Emulation”.

Kien said that born in Noi hamlet of Doc Lap commune, Hoa Binh city, he was always preoccupied with the fact that the soil in his hometown is fertile, but local farmers earned just enough money to cover their meals and were unable to escape from poverty.

Therefore, despite graduating from the faculty of ethnology at the University of Culture, Kien, with his love for agriculture, began his career by working at the Central Plant Protection joint Stock Company 1. After working at this company for two years to acquire knowledge and skills, he decided to return to his hometown. He piloted cultivating the Nova wax gourd in Doc Lap and some neighbouring communes. Results showed that this gourd variety suits the soil condition in these areas, generating high productivity and profit. To ensure income for his family and pursue the love for agriculture, he opened a store of agricultural materials and plant protection products.

With his acquired knowledge and experience, Kien came to each local household to give cultivation advice and help them access buyers.

To build a brand and ensure stable sale, he persuaded some households to establish a cooperative. In November 2020, with support from the Cooperative Alliance of Hoa Binh province and the local administration, the Doc Lap Agricultural Services Cooperative came into being.

From the initial 10 members with only 3.5ha of wax gourd farming, the cooperative now gathers 100 members with 10ha of farming under the VietGAP standards and another 30ha following food safety standards. In addition, it has also capitalised on local advantages to develop goat and chicken farming.

The participation in the cooperative has helped farmers secure stable sale for their products. Kien has assisted them to connect with traders, enabling farm produce to reach many wholesale markets in Hung Yen, Thai Binh, and Hanoi, among others. Safe vegetables of Doc Lap are now available at such supermarkets as Duc Thanh and Vinmart.

In particular, Kien’s efforts have significantly helped with local crop restructuring, switching from rice to other high-value crops, and the building of a safe vegetable brand for this mountainous commune.

Looking back on his journey, Kien said he is very happy that he has contributed his small part to his hometown’s development, adding he hopes young people will exert efforts to enrich themselves and keep in mind Uncle Ho’s teaching that "there's nothing too difficult, only fear of the wavering heart.”