Former Kim Son Youth Volunteers compete to be good at economics

In recent years, the movement "Former Youth Volunteers (VYPs) do good business , help each other to sustainably eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, for the sake of comradeship" has motivated former Youth Volunteers of Kim Son district to strive to get rich, contributing to the socio-economic development of the locality.

The clam farm of the family of former Youth Volunteer Duong Van Dung (born in 1954, in Hamlet 5, Kim Trung Commune) is bustling with traders these days to buy clam seeds. With more than 30 years of experience, Mr. Dung's family is one of the famous clam seed farmers in the commune. On an area of more than 1 hectare including 5 ponds, each year he supplies tons of clam seeds to the market in and outside the province, earning a profit of over 500 million VND.

In 1973, along with many young people of that period, Mr. Dung volunteered to join the youth volunteer force at Station 17, Group 559. After years of fighting and serving in the army, in 1992 he returned to his hometown and focused on developing his family's economy.

Kim Son sea area is blessed by nature with hundreds of hectares of reclaimed land each year, with fertile alluvium deposited to create ideal dunes for raising clams. When Mr. Dung returned to his hometown, Kim Trung land was still wild and had not yet fully exploited this strength. He boldly rented 1 hectare to invest in renovating the wasteland, digging ponds to build a clam breeding farm.

"Clam farming is very simple because there are few diseases and it does not require much care. Farmers only need to pay attention to cleaning the pond and choosing clam seeds with clear origin so that the clams will develop stably and bring high economic efficiency," Mr. Dung shared.

The clam breeding model has helped Mr. Dung's family escape poverty, become a household with a good income in the locality, and at the same time become a place to study and share experiences for many households and visiting groups who want to learn.

In addition to taking advantage of the natural strengths of the locality, many former Youth Volunteers are also sensitive to market needs, thereby developing the economy. The comprehensive service model of former Youth Volunteer Nguyen Van Hien (Hamlet 3, Kim My Commune) is a typical example.

After completing his military service and returning to his hometown, Mr. Hien boldly invested in opening the first advertising sign shop in Kim My commune... Having gone through many jobs as a "small trader" during the subsidy period, he and his wife gradually revived the family economy, raised their children to study and helped their brothers and sisters in the family and local comrades when they encountered difficulties.

From a small advertising sign shop, the family expanded their business services to include an auto repair garage, an electrical and plumbing store, high-end sanitary equipment, etc., earning nearly 1 billion VND per year. His family's economic model also created jobs for 10-13 regular workers with salaries ranging from 6-10 million VND/person/month.

At the age of 80, Mr. Hien still maintains the spirit of self-reliance and self-reliance of a soldier, the spirit of a former Youth Volunteer Soldier on the economic front. He shared: "When we were young, we fought on the battlefield, dedicating our youth to the Fatherland. Now that we have returned to our homeland, we continue to dedicate ourselves to setting an example for our children and the younger generation to follow."

Former Kim Son Youth Volunteers compete to be good at economics — Multi-service business store of former Youth Volunteer Nguyen Van Hien (far left).

Economic development is a way for former Youth Volunteers of Kim Son district to demonstrate their mettle in peacetime life. Mr. Tran Nang Dien, Chairman of the Association of Former Youth Volunteers of Kim Son district, said: "The Association of Former Youth Volunteers of Kim Son district currently has nearly 500 members, operating in 23 Association bases. Since its establishment, the Association at all levels has actively promoted the movement "Former Youth Volunteers do good business, help each other to sustainably eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, for the sake of comradeship" to arouse and promote the will, determination, and spirit of Youth Volunteers, dare to think, dare to do, overcome difficulties and rise up, not accepting poverty; at the same time, focus on exploiting the potential and advantages of land, preferential loans, and resources of former Youth Volunteers so that members can compete in labor production, do good business, and help each other sustainably reduce poverty".

The members have been proactive, creative, and bold in applying scientific and technical advances to livestock and crop care; developing production, commodity economy, and services. Since then, many outstanding economic models have emerged, led by former Youth Volunteers, such as: the deer raising model of former Youth Volunteers Bui Tan Vuong and his wife Nguyen Thi Ha (Chat Binh commune), the wooden furniture production model of member Vu Van Manh (Lai Thanh commune), the handicraft production model of member Do Nhu Phu (Luu Phuong commune), the aquaculture and seafood farming model of member Pham Cong Nhuan (Kim Hai commune)...

After returning from the war, many former Kim Son Youth Volunteers boldly explored, innovated, overcame difficulties and started from scratch. They took advantage of land, capital, and human labor to produce, do business, and make breakthroughs. Many people had a low starting point, but thanks to their will and determination, they escaped poverty and enriched their families and society.

Currently, many former Youth Volunteers are old and weak but still enthusiastic about the Association's work, not only producing and doing business well, but also actively serving as witnesses to resolve policies and regimes for their comrades, collecting artifacts related to Youth Volunteers to propagate andeducate their children and grandchildren, and the younger generation to understand and appreciate the contributions of the Youth Volunteers.

Promoting the achieved results, in the coming time, the Association of Former Youth Volunteers of Kim Son district will continue to implement a number of economic development models and organize study tours for members. From there, it will help former Youth Volunteers have the motivation to participate in economic development and get rich right in their homeland.

Article and photos: Hong Minh

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