Catholics in Anh Son district live a good life and practice their religion.

Coming to village 4, Tuong Son commune (Anh Son) - one of the typical villages in the new rural construction movement, everyone can easily see that the small, narrow roads of the past have been replaced by spacious, clean, and beautiful concrete roads. The countryside is flourishing day by day, and people are bustling and bustling to prepare for Christmas.

Parishioners of Hung Son commune (Anh Son) actively participate in economic development, growing industrial tea for high income. Photo: Thai Hien

Visiting the family of parishioner Nguyen Thai Phuong, who is the pioneer in the movement to build roads in village 4, Tuong Son commune, Mr. Phuong shared: Realizing that the policy of building new rural areas of the Party and State is completely correct and in line with the people's wishes, when there was a plan to build a road, I saw that part of the family's garden area was located at the bend of the road, I convinced my wife and children to donate ^50m2 of land so that the road would be straight and beautiful. Along with donating land, I myself thought that if we kept waiting and relying on the State's investment, it would be very difficult to implement because the State's funding source was limited, I went to each parishioner's family in the village to propagate and mobilize them to understand and agree to implement. From the pioneering work of my family, a vibrant movement was created for the Catholic and non-Catholic people in the village to follow.

In addition to economic development, parishioners also participate in the movement to build new rural areas and preserve a green, clean environment. Photo: Thai Hien

Leading us along the 5m wide, spacious, clean and beautiful concrete road, Mr. Nguyen Tat Quy - Head of Village 4, Tuong Son Commune (Anh Son) said: The village currently has 153 households, more than 600 people, of which 33% are Catholics living in Quan Lang Parish. In recent years, the village has always been at the forefront of new rural construction movements, from donating land for rural roads, building cultural facilities to environmental sanitation, and arranging household gardens.

In 2 years (2022, 2023), village 4, Tuong Son commune mobilized people to build a project of the century. From a hill, the village mobilized to level, level, lower the foundation 73 m long, 49 m wide, 5 m high, with 9,000 cubic meters of land to build a stadium including 1 soccer field, 2 volleyball courts and a planned area to build a village cultural house, worth 500 million VND.

After implementing the construction of the stadium, the village continued to mobilize people to contribute to build a 120m long, 5m wide road to the stadium; install an electric lighting system and people supported 46 stone benches, with a total amount of more than 150 million VND, the Catholic and non-Catholic people in the village responded with great enthusiasm. Along with responding to the construction of the new countryside, the Catholic and non-Catholic people in village 4, Tuong Son commune are always united, living "good life, good religion", especially taking the lead in the movement to build a cultural life in residential areas, currently, the village has over 85% of cultural families, the security and order situation in the area is always stable, there are no social evils. The average income per capita of the village is 35 million VND/year.

Catholics in Anh Son district unite and join hands to build great national unity and build increasingly prosperous and beautiful countryside. Photo: Thai Hien

Hung Son Commune (Anh Son) currently has nearly 34% of the parishioners belonging to Dong Lam Parish. With the motto of "Good life, good religion", over the years, the parishioners of Hung Son Commune have always complied with the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, helping each other develop the economy, eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, and build a prosperous and happy life.

We visited the family of parishioner Le Xuan Long in Hop Tien village, Hung Son commune, a typical example of the local economic development movement. Mr. Long shared: In 2013, when there was a policy to develop forest gardens and industrial tea trees, his family took the lead in converting to growing tea trees on an area of more than 1 hectare of hilly land. Thanks to tea trees, his family's life has become increasingly prosperous. With 6-7 harvests of tea each year, his family has a stable income of more than 100 million VND. In addition, Mr. Long also plants 3 hectares of forest and raises chickens and pigs. With a stable income, his family has the conditions to raise 6 children to study and have stable jobs.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang - Chairwoman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Hung Son Commune (Anh Son) said: In order for Catholics in the area to always actively respond to patriotic emulation movements, Hung Son Commune has had many solutions, suitable and effectively implemented, in which, the Party Committee, the government, the Fatherland Front and the commune's organizations regularly contact and meet with dignitaries, officials and parishioners to grasp their thoughts and aspirations, promptly resolve difficulties for the people. Since then, the relationship between the parish, Catholics and non-Catholics with the Party Committee and government has become increasingly open, close and cohesive.

Since then, Hung Son commune has become a leading locality in all aspects of Anh Son district from a low starting point. In the past 5 years, the commune has mobilized contributions from Catholics and non-Catholics to build 7 village stadiums with full soccer, volleyball, and badminton fields, designed to synchronous standards; built a martyrs' temple on an area of 1,500 ^m2 , with a total project cost of over 5 billion VND. Currently, the village and hamlet traffic system in the commune has been 100% concreted. The lighting system on the traffic routes passing through residential areas has been installed on 97/107 routes. The commune is striving to achieve the status of an advanced NTM commune by 2023.

bna_chăm sóc.jpg — Bai Phu oranges in Anh Son district have high productivity. Photo: Quang An

Currently, parishioners in Anh Son district are actively transforming the structure of crops and livestock, applying scientific and technological advances to develop agricultural production, developing small-scale industries and services, contributing to increasing income and improving life. There have been many models of parishioner households doing well economically, earning an income of 100 - 300 million VND/year, typically the industrial tea growing model in Hung Son commune; gai cake production in Tuong Son commune; livestock farms on biological bedding in Hoa Son, Lang Son and Linh Son communes; hill garden models in Cam Son and Khai Son communes.

In addition to economic development, parishioners have joined in the movement to build new rural areas. In 2023, parishioners in Khai Son and Linh Son communes donated nearly 500 ^square meters of garden land to open roads; parishioners in Anh Son district contributed billions of dong to build rural roads; football fields; cultural houses... Actively participating in preserving a green, clean, and beautiful environment, maintaining sanitation, collecting waste weekly, planting flower roads, contributing to building a "Bright, green, clean, and beautiful" environment.

By the end of 2023, Anh Son district has 14 communes reaching the new rural finish line, of which 12 communes are home to Catholics. In addition, Catholics also actively participate in social security, charity, humanitarian activities, responding to movements and campaigns launched by the Vietnam Fatherland Front and departments, branches and organizations.