Despite being informed in advance about this trip to the village, I was still surprised by the warm reception of the local people. In his story, Captain Kien shared that during the summer of 2023, he, along with Non-commissioned Majors Nguyen Thien Tuyen and Thao A Minh, was assigned to coordinate with the local authority to implement the mass mobilization work in Hua Rom village. They also assisted two families facing difficulties in constructing their houses. These two special houses were the presents of the Dien Bien Phu municipal Military Command and sponsors to the two needy families of Giang A Di who was born with congenital mutism and hearing impairment and Giang Thi Ua who faces difficulties.
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Non-commissioned Senior Captain Chu Van Kien and local militiamen and the family of Giang A Di standing in front of the new house in Hua Rom village |
Every day, Kien, Tuyen, and Minh took turns going to the market, cooking meals, and personally measuring, designing, and constructing the houses. The house owner, Giang A Di (born in 1979), who was born with congenital mutism and hearing impairment, can only communicate through gestures. On the inauguration day of the house, Di continuously wiped away tears of joy when the unit and local authorities, along with the sponsors, officially handed over the houses to him. As for Giang Thi Ua, she said, "Thank you so much. My mother and I could not even dream of having such a beautiful house."
Talking about his memories with locals in Hua Rom village, Kien mentioned that the entire village consists of 139 households, all belonging to the H'mong ethnic group. Due to difficult economic conditions, at the beginning of 2023, seven households with 36 people sold their assets, and moved to Dak Nong province after listening to the enticement of bad guys. However, only three months later, these families returned together to their hometown.
Alongside building houses for the two families, the non-commissioned officer also collaborated with the local authorities to provide information about the Party's guidelines and the State’s policies on ethnic minorities to the locals, guided them to develop household economy, techniques of afforestation and forest management.
Before saying goodbye, Giang Thi Ua repeatedly reminded, "This lunar New Year (Tet), please come and celebrate Tet with my mother, the villagers, and me!" Despite the cold weather, we felt truly warmed when bidding farewell to the H'mong people in Hua Rom village. On the mountainside, peach and plum blossoms show their colors, signaling a New Year full of happiness and abundance.
Translated by Trung Thanh