(HBO) – Away from the urban hustle, Tan Lac district in the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh is still moving forwards on the path of reform and development. That is my own thought about the land and Muong ethnic minority people here.
A road in Chieng village, Lo Son commune - one of the
poorest communes of Tan Lac district - has been concreted to meet people's travel
need.
The though
came to me when I returned to Dich Giao, the first in Tan Lac district recognised
as a new-style rural commune, travelling on wide rural roads and crossing new schools
with full of students’ laughter.
Dich Giao was previously
known as a commune with low living conditions. Local people’s per capita income
was around 12 million VND and poor families accounted for 26 percent of the total
households in 2011.
How could such
a poor commune earn new-style rural area status four years later? Chairman of
the People’s Committee Bui Van Dinh said the determination and consensus of the
commune’s Party Organization, administration and people were the impetus behind
the success.
Residents in Dich Giao donated more than 50,000 sqm of
land for new-style rural projects as they were well aware that the new-style
rural building would lay a foundation for socio-economic development and
improving their living standards. They did not wait for support from the
government but playing an active role in the work.
The commune has set targets of maintaining and improving
19 national requirements for a new-style rural area between 2016 and 2020;
increasing per capita income to 44.2 million VND; reducing the poverty rate to
2 percent; raising the rate of trained workers to 55 percent; having 90 percent
of its population covered by health insurance and all households get access to
clean water.
Meanwhile, Quyet Chien commune is home to 360
households with over 1,640 residents but it has only
372 hectares of
farming land, including
90
hectares of rice and over
150 hectares of maize.
Most of its people are living in difficult circumstances.
The commune has taken advantages of its advantages in terms
of soil and climate to grow chayote for sale, thus help local famers improve
their living conditions.
With assistance from the Good Neighbours International
(GNI) of the
Republic of
Korea, in August last
year, local farmers zoned off 2,200 sq.m for growing clean vegetables and
fruits. The success of the project has encouraged the commune to come up with a
long-term project for off-season vegetable production by 2020. It will be a new
opportunity for Quyet Chien to develop clean agriculture and improve incomes
for local people.
Vice Chairman of the district’s People’s
Committee Bui Van Nho said the living conditions of people in 23 communes and
towns of the district may still vary but they have been improved remarkably.
As part of Project 6 under the national target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in 2024, Lạc Sơn District, Hoa Binh province focuses on diverse and practical activities to promote the project's goal: "Preserving and promoting the beautiful traditional cultural values of ethnic groups in conjunction with tourism development."
After 3 years of implementing Resolution No. 04-NQ/TU, dated October 11, 2021 of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on preserving and promoting the cultural heritage values of Hoa Binh province's ethnic groups in the period of 2021 – 2025 with the orientation to 2030 (NQ04), it has mobilized the participation of the entire political system, the people from all walks of life and there have been positive changes. So far, out of the 10 targets of NQ04, 3 targets have been met and exceeded the plan set for 2025. Typically, 70% of the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of ethnic groups in the province is on the list of the national ICH items and they have been protected and restored, exceeding 20% of the proposed Resolution.
Great National Unity Day has been recently celebrated in Duong hamlet, Vay Nua commune, Da Bac district, in an atmosphere of warmth and community spirit. The event highlighted national identity and strengthened the bond of solidarity among residents.
On November 28, the People's Committee of Cao Phong district organized the Cultural and Sports Festival of Cao Phong district's ethnic groups in 2024.