Khe Tau realizes the dream of "as high as the mountain"

Young village Party Secretary, dare to think and dare to do

In Phong Du Thuong commune, Khe Tau is a particularly difficult village, located in the upper reaches of the Ngoi Hut River. This is where 100% of the H'Mong ethnic group lives. For the H'Mong people, the role of the elderly is very important, especially the village elders.

However, 13 years ago (2012), the young man Lu A Do (who was 28 years old at the time) was elected as the village Party Cell Secretary. According to Mr. Luong Van Thu, Deputy Party Committee Secretary and Chairman of Phong Du Thuong Commune People's Committee, Khe Tau village was very complicated at that time. The commune Party Committee once sent cadres to be the village Party Cell Secretary, but it was not effective. Partly because the cadres did not know the H'Mong language, it was difficult to propagate and implement policies for the people.

After many meetings, the Commune Party Committee decided to put its trust in comrade Lu A Do, who was then the Head of the Village Farmers' Association. Lu A Do was a H'Mong man who was knowledgeable about the area, enthusiastic, proactive, and had many initiatives in his work. And over time, that trust proved to be correct.

Becoming the village Party Secretary, Lu A Do had to face many doubts from the villagers. “Khe Tau was originally a resettlement village with 17 households migrating from Nam Co commune, Mu Cang Chai district. It was not until 2000 that Khe Tau village was officially established.

The village was poor, with lingering bad customs and no fields. Life was very difficult for the people at that time. I could only be determined to use practical actions to prove my ability,” Lu A Do recalled.

"Self-management group" closely follows each problem of each family in the village.

Said and done, the first thing Secretary Do did was to propagate the elimination of bad customs in funerals, weddings, and early marriages that are very heavy in the lives of the H'Mong people. This is a very difficult task, because people cannot change immediately "overnight". After many days of thinking, Lu A Do decided to ask the Commune Party Committee for permission to establish a "Self-management Group" model.

The self-management board is elected by households, including: Party cell secretary, village chief, hamlet chief, police officer and village elder. Khe Tau village has 92 households, so each member of the self-management board is assigned to be in charge of a number of households. From there, the mobilization and propaganda of people to eliminate bad customs as well as timely prevent and resolve problems and conflicts in the village took place smoothly.

Lu A Chua’s family is one of the economically stable households in Khe Tau village. Thanks to their hard work and regular support from village leaders who introduced them to suitable farming models, the young couple’s life is getting better and better.

Mr. Chua still remembers clearly: “That day, the wife's family asked for a dowry of 40 million VND. For a poor person like me, where could I get that amount of money? The only way was to borrow it. Luckily, Mr. Do went to the girl's family, persistently advised her, and reduced the burden of the dowry. From then on, I was able to get married, and I didn't have to worry about debt, but could work with peace of mind. I am very grateful to Mr. Do."

Just like that, over the years, Khe Tau village has significantly reduced the rate of early marriage and third child births. Theft and drug addiction no longer exist. Backward customs in weddings and funerals have also been gradually eliminated. And the “Self-governing Group” model has become a typical example in implementing civilized lifestyles, ensuring security and order, and developing the local socio-economy.

After 13 years as the Party Secretary of Khe Tau village, Lu A Do's biggest concern is economic development and helping people escape poverty. As a H'Mong ethnic, who used to live in Mu Cang Chai - a place with some of the most beautiful terraced fields in Vietnam, Do also longs to create a "wonder" in the village.

“With terraced fields, people will be able to grow wet rice, with higher productivity than growing upland rice or corn and cassava on the fields. But no matter how we tried to persuade them, they wouldn’t listen. So my family had to do it first to prove it to them. After more than three months, the wet rice plants were ready for harvest. When they saw the results with their own eyes, people started to reclaim land and bring water to grow rice,” Secretary Lu A Do recalled.

With diligence and hard work, 92 Hmong households in Khe Tau village, under the guidance of Secretary Do, have successfully reclaimed nearly 27 hectares, creating a magnificent terraced field complex. Currently, each year, people can grow two rice crops, with an average income of 52 quintals/ha. Thanks to that, their lives have become more stable.

However, the fields are there but the roads are too difficult.

Although we are Hmong people, we are used to climbing mountains and wading streams, but when it comes to harvest, carrying rice home is still a difficult problem. “I remember that day, Mr. Do went around the village to persuade people to donate land to build roads. At first, my family did not agree, but Mr. Do persistently analyzed each gain and loss. Finally, thinking of the day we could ride a motorbike up to the terraced fields to carry rice home, my family agreed. And the happiest thing is that now that has come true,” said Mr. Trang A Sua, a villager.

When Khe Tau terraced fields become an attractive tourist destination

Now, looking at the terraced fields in Khe Tau stretching across the hillsides, everyone in the village is happy.

For Party Secretary Lu A Do, that joy seems to be multiplied many times over, when Phong Du Thuong commune is building this place into one of the local tourist attractions.

Mr. Do and many households in the village opened a dirt road from the hamlets to the terraced fields.

In 2024, despite being severely affected by storms and floods, Phong Du Thuong still welcomed over 15,000 visitors through the event of launching the green tourism product of Khe Tau village.

Coming here, in addition to admiring the nearly 50-hectare terraced fields at an altitude of about 1,100 meters above sea level, visitors can also experience bathing in the hot springs of Cao Son village, admire Khe Ban and Khe Mang waterfalls and attend unique festivals of the H'Mong people.

Party Secretary Lu A Do and the terraced fields "projects" for economic development and tourism attraction.

“Tourism will be the future of Khe Tau village. We have a peaceful village, cool climate, beautiful natural scenery. We are very happy with the initial results, with enthusiastic support from the people, tourists, and superiors. That will be the driving force for more success in the future,” said Party Secretary Lu A Do.

In preparation for the journey of tourism development, the villagers have united to preserve and enhance the natural landscape, and to clean up the village roads and alleys. Little by little, Khe Tau village is gradually changing.

“There is no mountain as high as the knees of the Hmong people”, repeating the proverb of the local people, Party Secretary Lu A Do once again expressed his determination to join the Hmong people in Khe Tau in continuing to strive to escape poverty with their dream of “being as high as the mountains”.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/khe-tau-hien-thuc-hoa-giac-mo-cao-ngang-nui-post868812.html