Changes in life of H’mong people in Can Chu Phin

Determination to eliminate backward customs to build civilized way of life

Can Chu Phin, which is home to the H’mong ethnic minority people, used to be one of the most difficult communes in Meo Vac district with a high poverty rate. Local people used to practice backward customs, which had strong impacts on people’s life.

Leaders of Meo Vac district visit and present gifts to H’mong families in Lung Tha hamlet.

With a determination to build a new life, implementing the Ha Giang provincial Party Committee’s Project No.23 on "Preventing, combating, and resolving the activities of superstitions and strange religions in the province during the 2018-2025 period," the Ha Giang provincial Party Organization’s Resolution No.27 on eliminating backward customs, rituals, and practices, and fostering a civilized way of life among people of various ethnic groups in Ha Giang, the local authorities have exerted utmost efforts and applied different measures and obtained encouraging results.

Taking advantage of local people’s poor knowledge and hardships, bad people lured five households to abandon the traditional beliefs of the H’mong ethnic minority group. Thanks to flexible measures, persistent efforts, and genuine emotions from local officials and leaders, the commune successfully persuaded them not to follow bad guys.

According to Ho Mi Tua, one member of the five households, said that thanks to officials’ dissemination and education, he understood his responsibility of upholding the good cultural practices of his community like ancestors worship. 

Concretizing all inter-hamlet paths in the commune

Apart from not following bad people, the H’mong people have fostered the building of civilized way of life in mourning and wedding practices, such as conducting funerals within 48 hours, organizing weddings economically, limiting animal slaughter, and not engaging in extravagant dowry practices. Additionally, they have been resolute in eliminating child marriage traditions, actively encouraging children to attend school to seek education.

As an active contributor to mobilizing the H’mong people to eliminate outdated customs and build a civilized way of life, Vu Mi Ho, head of San Si Lung commune said, “To earn the trust and compliance of our community, first and foremost, our families must set a good example. In addition, we must persist in dissemination to help our community understand the importance of preserving what is good and getting rid of what is outdated.”

Making the most of unity among people to effectively implement national target programs

As a mountainous commune with 12 hamlets, Meo Vac commune has received support from central, provincial and district agencies and the high consensus from ethnic minority communities. The care from all levels has created favorable conditions for the investment and development of local infrastructure. 

Concrete paths greatly contribute to economic development.

Over the past years, the hamlets in the commune have effectively utilized the forest environmental service fee and fostered the building of new-style rural areas and management, protection and development of forests. As a result, forest protection and development in the hamlets have been carried out seriously and effectively, creating positive changes in the area and improving locals’ living standards. Currently, all the hamlets in the commune have completed the concreting of inter-hamlet paths, over 90% of inter-hamlet paths, and more than 70% of internal village paths.

Over the past time, Can Chu Phin commune has considered the national target programs both an opportunity and a motivation for poor households in the area to overcome poverty. Along with enhancing information dissemination and transparency in project implementation, the party committee and authorities of Can Chu Phin have intensified inspection and urged households to participate in the programs. Thanks to this effort, after over two years, many households in the commune have escaped poverty.

Leaders of Meo Vac district check a cattle farming project in Can Chu Phin commune.

In implementing three national target programs in the years 2022, 2023, and 2024, the Meo Vac district People's Committee allocated over VND 14 billion to Can Chu Phin commune to carry out the programs and projects. Specifically, for the national target program on building new rural areas, the commune has constructed four cultural houses in the villages of De Chia, Tia Chi Dua, Meo Qua, and San Si Lung. These projects were completed and put into service for local residents.

As reported, during the national target program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority areas and mountainous regions, the commune has built two village cultural houses, supported the construction of new houses for four households, provided water tanks for drought-hit families, and supported the purchase of breeding cattle and pigs for reproduction in the villages of Ha Dau Co and Lan Chai. Thanks to the allocated capital, the living standards of local people have been improved.

According to Vang Mi Tra, Chairman of the People's Committee of Can Chu Phin commune, the national target program holds great humanitarian importance, demonstrating the special concern of the Party, State, and Government for ethnic minority communities; especially in areas like Can Chu Phin where H’mong ethnic people account for nearly 100% of the population . He added that in the future, the commune will enhance inspection, supervision, and guide people to use funds for the right purposes; strengthen the implementation of programs and disbursements to ensure the right recipients, transparency, and the right source of capital.

The district’s representatives inspect the progress of the construction of Ha Ia hamlet culture house project.

The sound guidelines and policies of the Party, State, district, and commune and responsibility of local officials and leaders have contributed to building and reinforcing trust of the H’mong people in the party committees, authorities at all levels, laying the foundation for the community to change their mindset, escape poverty, and open up a new, sustainable, and beautiful life, thus successfully safeguarding the nation's borders.

Translated by Tran Hoai