Worried about hunger and poverty, village elder Ly Dai Thong pioneered the application of a new economic model, bringing light of hope to the Nam Dam people.
Economic pioneer
During a business trip in the bitter cold of winter in the vast rocky plateau, we had the opportunity to visit the Nam Dam Community Cultural Tourism Village, Quan Ba Commune, Quan Ba District, Ha Giang Province.
Different from the wild villages surrounded by mountains, the impression we got when we arrived here was the peaceful, romantic scenery with the highlight being the golden beeswax-colored rammed earth houses and the ancient cultural features of the Cham Dao people.
Not only impressed with the way the people here do tourism, we were also particularly attracted to a village elder - a pioneer in agricultural economic development, wishing to "bring food, clothing, and warmth" to the villagers. That village elder is Mr. Ly Dai Thong (born in 1958) - a prestigious person in Nam Dam village.
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| Village elder Ly Dai Thong shares about the process of him establishing the fruit tree growing profession in the locality. Photo: Vu Mung |
Talking to us, Mr. Thong said that in the past, the village was very poor, tourism was not as developed as it is now, the people's lives also depended on slash-and-burn farming from growing corn, potatoes, and cassava. In particular, the terrain on high hills and mountains also made it difficult for people to travel and develop the economy.
Realizing that they had to change their residence and find a more flat and fertile place to stabilize production, at that time, around 1992, Truc Son village was hit by a fire that burned down 27 houses. Therefore, the villagers were motivated to migrate to Nam Dam. It was not until 1999 that Nam Dam village was officially established.
"At that time, because I was a prominent person in the village, I was elected as the Village Chief. Taking on the responsibility with the trust of the villagers, I wondered how to develop the local economy, improve the lives and income of the people. After that, I researched and learned on my own. Especially through TV programs about Ha Giang's good economic development, I realized that I had land, so why couldn't I do it. Then I started by planting plum and pear trees" - Mr. Thong said.
According to Mr. Thong, at first we only planted small areas. During that process, the model also received attention from the district's professional agencies, who guided on techniques and care. So after a while, the crops bore fruit, had productivity and quality. Then people believed and followed, and now the whole village has dozens of hectares specializing in fruit trees.
Overcoming initial difficulties, Mr. Thong demonstrated to the villagers a new economic model right where they lived. And after much hard work, a garden of nearly 2 hectares, with plums, peaches, and grapefruits, all nearly 200 trees, spreading out evenly, created an income for his family of nearly 200 million VND each year. The villagers also gradually had "food and savings" thanks to growing fruit trees.
Recounting the reason for starting with fruit trees, Mr. Thong said, realizing that this is a suitable job for local people, especially the elderly who have a light job, so we had to promote, participating in it as a form of exercise, sport, fun in the family. Thanks to that, everyone is motivated and enthusiastic about working and producing.
Talking about the achievements he has worked hard to build over many years, Mr. Thong compares himself to the first plow that turns up the land's assets, which are only for those who are persistent, patient and determined to change.
Preserving traditional values of the people
From the bare hillsides, thanks to the hard work and diligence of the Nam Dam people, the appearance of this place has changed day by day. Village elder Thong said that thanks to the people's joint efforts to build their homeland, in 2001-2002, Nam Dam village was honored to become a clean and beautiful cultural village.
According to Elder Thong, thanks to the beautiful natural scenery and the traditional cultural identity of the local people, the milestone marking the great change of Nam Dam is the development of tourism. By 2013, Nam Dam had become one of the first places in Quan Ba district to do community tourism.
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| The Cap Sac ceremony is one of the unique rituals of the Dao Cham Nam Dam ethnic group. Photo: D.N |
"Preserving and developing tourism products with strong cultural identity is the key solution that the local tourism industry aims for to attract tourists. Being able to ensure life while still preserving the culture of our ancestors is a wonderful thing" - said Elder Thong.
Therefore, from that time, Mr. Ly Dai Thong took the trouble to research and collect traditional dances and songs and together with local people restored and recreated them to perform for tourists.
Currently, coming to the Nam Dam Village Community Cultural Tourism Village, visitors can rest in the Dao people's rammed earth houses, learn about their customs and practices, live with the locals and participate in activities such as: Cap Sac Ceremony, Harvest Prayer Ceremony, Love Songs, Antiphonal Songs, Bamboo Dance... Along with that, visitors can also enjoy unique dishes imbued with the traditional culture of the Dao people.
Mr. Thong said: “Visitors come to Nam Dam because of the original beauty of the Dao people. We often tell each other to preserve and promote the cultural identity of the Dao people, so that more tourists come to Nam Dam. We organize festival activities with separate excerpts in the evenings to serve tourists, helping them understand a part of the Dao people's culture.
"In particular, to preserve the soul and simplicity of the people of the rocky plateau, we had to train and instruct each villager and child to absolutely not to solicit, ask for money, or raise prices for tourists. Perhaps, this is also what leaves an impression on tourists when coming to Ha Giang in general and Nam Dam in particular" - Mr. Thong said.
Saying goodbye to Nam Dam in the late afternoon, when the sun had just set, but the old man Thong's voice still echoed in the traveler's mind: "The houses may be far apart but the way of thinking must be close together, for each other". That is the harmony of the village, knowing how to love, share and protect each other, supporting each other to develop the economy, preserving and promoting the good traditional values of the ethnic minorities here.
| Sharing with Cong Thuong Newspaper, Ly Ta Danh - Secretary of Nam Dam village - said: Currently, Nam Dam village Cultural Tourism Community Village has 65 households living in the area. Of which, 39 households provide homestay services that meet the standards to welcome guests with the capacity to serve 600 guests/day and night, bringing in an average annual income of 200 - 300 million VND for each household doing tourism. |
Source: https://congthuong.vn/ve-nam-dam-gap-gia-lang-tien-phong-lam-kinh-te-368642.html
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