Mr. Song A Mang, a respected figure in Cao A village, Lang Chieu commune.

Mr. Song A Mang, a respected figure in Cao A village, Lang Chieu commune, Bac Yen district,
Son La province. Photo: Nguyen Vinh

The imposing villa located on Gió Peak in Cáo A village, Làng Chếu commune, Bắc Yên district (Sơn La province) belongs to Mr. Mang's family. He is a respected figure in Cáo A village, Làng Chếu commune, and the first Hmong person in the commune to build such a large house. Next to it is the largest cassava processing factory in the Bắc Yên highlands (Sơn La province), currently employing a dozen workers. Mr. Mang is also busy inspecting production, moving from the flour factory to the vermicelli factory. He's constantly on the move, never resting. He has not only enriched himself but also provided jobs and income for the entire highland region.

Mr. Mang was born and raised in Cao A village in a large family. Like many other Hmong families in the highlands of Bac Yen, his family was poor. They spent their whole lives toiling in the fields, barely making ends meet. Twenty years ago, reaching Lang Chieu required traversing dozens of kilometers of forest roads. The difficult transportation meant that the lives of the Hmong people were confined to the towering Ta Xua mountain range.

The imposing house atop Gió Mountain belongs to the family of Mr. Sồng A Mang, a respected figure in Cáo A village, Làng Chếu commune.
Bac Yen district (Son La province). Photo: Nguyen Vinh

Back then, Mr. Mang's family grew corn and ginger... Every harvest season, the Hmong people diligently and patiently carried loads of their produce to the main road to sell their agricultural products to traders. The prices of corn and ginger were incredibly low. "My family was the same; only the strongest could carry three loads from the village to the main road. We sweated and toiled just to earn a few pennies. Moreover, because of the difficult roads, traders would force down the prices of our agricultural products," Mr. Mang shared.

Leveraging the role of influential individuals

The path from the village and production area to the main road is 5km long. The villagers travel on foot. Agricultural products are transported back to the village or sold elsewhere on the shoulders of the people. Mr. Mang also experienced these hardships, but he had a bigger idea: Why not widen the road so that cars can reach the village and relieve the burden on the villagers' shoulders?

The 5km road connects the center of Lang Chieu commune, Bac Yen district (Son La province) to the village and production area of ​​Cao A village.
Photo: Nguyen Vinh

Mr. Mang had been contemplating this idea for many years. During village meetings, he brought up the topic of building the road with the villagers. At the time, many disagreed with Mr. Mang's approach. They argued that building a 4-meter-wide road across the mountain slopes would require a tremendous amount of labor; it was impossible for people to do it alone. Furthermore, widening the road would pass through the farmland of many households. Some families openly opposed the project, absolutely refusing to donate their land. Faced with such difficulties, Mr. Mang remained resolute in his determination to complete the road. With a large road leading to the production area, the lives of the villagers would be improved. People would no longer have to toil under the sun and rain carrying supplies up the mountain as they do now.

After much persuasion and campaigning among the villagers, Mr. Mang gradually gained their support. Building a major road couldn't be done manually; they had to hire excavators. "Back then, the villagers were very poor. Food and clothing were scarce. Asking them to contribute money to hire excavators for the road would be as difficult as carrying stones to the sky," Mr. Mang recalled. At that time, Mr. Mang's family was slightly better off than others. He raised many goats, buffaloes, and cows, and produced plenty of food. He volunteered to sell his agricultural products and buffaloes to hire excavators to build a road to the production area of ​​Cao A village.

Mr. Mang's commendable work gradually gained the support of the villagers. Mr. Song A Su, also from the village, boldly contributed 35 million VND to help Mr. Mang build the road. Many other households, such as Song A Chu, Song A Trong, and Song A Tenh, volunteered to cook meals and serve the road construction team at the site.

Each year, Mr. Song A Mang, a respected figure in Cao A village, Lang Cheu commune, Bac Yen district, Son La province, purchases over 1,000 tons of cassava from the villagers for processing. (Photo: Nguyen Vinh)

When Mr. Mang hired an excavator to build the road, the villagers were all delighted. After listening to his persuasion and explanation, they agreed to donate land for the road construction. Day after day, Mr. Mang, along with several respected elders in the village, spent months out in the fields measuring, surveying, supervising, and assisting with the work to ensure the road would bring the most benefits. Mr. Song A Trang, the head of Cao A village, shared: "Thanks to hiring the excavator, building the road to the village and to the production area has become much easier. Mr. Mang's actions not only demonstrate a high sense of responsibility towards the villagers but also contribute to improving their lives and opening up opportunities for economic development and poverty reduction."

Wherever the excavator went, a wide, spacious road leading to the production area of ​​Cao A village was opened. After nearly a month of hiring the excavator, the road was completed. On the first day of traveling on the new, wide road, Mr. Mang and the Mong people here were very happy. From now on, their shoulders and legs would be freed. With a wide road, cars could reach the village and the fields to buy agricultural products. The villagers could sell their produce at a better price and reduce their labor significantly. By now, the villagers believed Mr. Mang's earlier words of encouragement: the road, accessible by cars, would open the door to helping them escape poverty.

The vermicelli product is made from cassava starch and is produced by the Lang Chieu Agricultural and Commercial Service Cooperative, founded by Mr. Song A Mang.
Photo: Thuan Viet

Elected as a respected figure by the people since 2015, Mr. Song A Mang, from Cao A village, Lang Cheu commune, Bac Yen district (Son La province), considers it a great honor and responsibility to contribute to the development of the locality. Not only does he propagate and encourage the people in his village to comply well with the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws, but he also pioneers in economic development, helping people change their mindset and methods in labor and production to improve work efficiency, increase income, and improve their lives.

Mr. Mang is also a pioneer in transforming the crop structure and developing production in Cao A village. Besides corn, he also grows ginger, hawthorn, etc. Furthermore, Mr. Mang actively encouraged villagers to follow suit, resulting in high economic efficiency. To date, Cao A village has cultivated 75 hectares of terraced rice, 15 hectares of ginger, and over 30 hectares of hawthorn. Mr. Mang also boldly opened a ginger powder processing factory to market the villagers' products.

Mr. Song A Mang, a respected figure in Cao A village, Lang Chieu commune, Bac Yen district, Son La province, has created jobs for nearly 15 local workers with salaries ranging from 6 to 12 million VND per person per month. Photo: Thuan Viet

Commenting on Mr. A Mang's work, Mr. Nguyen Dang Thuc, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Department of Bac Yen District (Son La Province), said: "Mr. Mang has been a respected figure in the village for over a decade. His practical actions have opened up opportunities for the Mong people in the highlands of Bac Yen District to escape poverty and become wealthy. Mr. Mang is not only a shining example of responsibility but has also contributed to changing the face of the village in the journey to building a prosperous and happy life."

Through his contributions, Mr. Mang has received numerous certificates of merit and commendations from the province, district, and commune levels. In 2020, he was honored to be selected as an Outstanding Farmer. In 2023, he was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Prime Minister: "A reputable person in Cao A village, Lang Chieu commune, who has achieved success in ethnic affairs and implementing the Party and State's ethnic policies. Contributing to the cause of building socialism and defending the Fatherland."

Source: trangtraiviet.danviet.vn