Changes in villages
From a mountainous commune of hardship of Huong Hoa district with poor infrastructure, low income and living standards, Huong Lap has witnessed many positive changes. The infrastructure of Huong Lap commune has been upgraded, while rural roads, healthcare stations, spacious schools have been built. Every villager is very delighted at those changes.
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Presenting gift to a needy people |
Cu Bai village of Huong Lap commune has 128 households with 598 residents, of whom the Van Kieu ethnic group people account for more than 96%. Previously, thanks to the State’s investment, the village built an inter-village road; however, the road was heavily damaged by rain and floods. Learning about the situation, the Party Committee and People's Committee of Huong Lap commune have mobilized resources to build a road to the village, enabling vehicles to travel more easily. Cau Bai is considered the village with the most changes in hunger eradication and poverty reduction in Huong Lap commune.
According to Head of Cu Bai village Ho Hoang Thoi, over the past years, apart from the care of the Party, State, and authorities at all levels, the village has received huge support from troops of Huong Lap Border Post. Through programs, projects, and policies on ethnic minorities, roads, schools, and national electricity grid have been built. Local people have been given assistance in carrying out production models, including planting and taking care of forests and raising goats and pigs. Thanks to that, local people's living standards have been improved. Notably, some households in the village earn from VND 100 to 150 million/year.
Up to now, over 90% of households have access to the national grid, 80% of households use hygienic water, and 85% of households own televisions. For many consecutive years, Huong Lap commune has achieved the target of mobilizing all school-age children to go to school.
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Instructing to locals on how to plant tree for economic development |
In order to develop the economy, people have actively switched to high-value crops and livestock. From just growing crops on hills and raising livestock domestically, local residents have switched to planting and taking care of forests with a total area of 6,500 hectares, growing 58 hectares of KM94 cassava plants and 68 hectares of wet rice, and 18 hectares of herbs, and running small farming models with 2,400 animals.
According to Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Huong Lap commune Ho Thi Ven, in the past, Huong Lap commune faced a lot of difficulties. However, thanks to loan policies of the Party and State and locals’ active application of scientific and technical advances to farming, cultivating wet rice, and planting herbs, the life of villagers has improved. Now, the commune has no poor households, while the number of near-poor families has also declined. Many families can afford tractors, televisions, and motorbikes.
Active care for locals
According to Lieutenant Colonel Ho Le Luan, Political Commissar of Huong Lap Border Post, Huong Lap is the farthest border locality of Quang Tri province, but rich in revolutionary tradition. In the resistance war against U.S. imperialists for national salvation, the so-called border “junction” was an important and strategic transport hub. That was why the enemy continuously dropped bombs to prevent our reinforcements from entering the southern battlefield. Although the village was burned, and many people were injured and killed because of enemy bombs, Van Kieu people unyieldingly stood side by side with troops to fight back U.S. planes, fostered production, and were determined to follow the revolution.
Well aware of that, along with patrolling and firmly protecting the borderline and border markers, troops of Huong Lap Border Post consider taking care of the people's material and spiritual life their duty and responsibility. In 2022, the unit called on and mobilized businesses, individuals, and benefactors to support the construction of libraries, military-civilian medical clinics, houses of gratitude; visit and give gifts to families in extremely difficult circumstances; build a VND 20 million "Light in border area" project.
Lieutenant Colonel Ho Le Luan said that within a program on supporting people in border areas in 2023, the unit presented 20 gifts, worth from VND 200,000 to 300,000 each to policy households and families in extremely difficult circumstances; made 150 pairs of “banh chung” (square glutinous rice cake) for locals to celebrate the lunar New Year.
The border post also cooperated with local authorities to organize many cultural and artistic exchange activities to tighten the solidarity between troops and people and raise locals’ cultural and spiritual life.
In spite of facing numerous difficulties, troops of the border post still believe in the future and are ready to overcome difficulties, firmly guard the border areas of the Fatherland. For the Van Kieu people in Huong Lap, border guards are the ones who bring the warm spring to the village.
Source: Bienphong
Translated by Tran Hoai