Commune Chairman at 30 years old

Go to the gate of the Commune People's Committee, ask for "Uncle Khoa"teach Thai", everyone knows and immediately points to the room on the 2nd floor - where Uncle Khoa works. He is currently the Chairman of the Elderly Association in the commune. At the end of the year, work is busy, but when guests come to visit, he always smiles gently and warmly welcomes them.

Mr. Khoa compiled the curriculum himself to teach the students. Photo:Duc Binh.

Born into the Black Thai ethnic group in Khoa village, the 71-year-old man grew up in a family with a cultural tradition, his father was a civil servant in the commune, his mother was a farmer. He said: "At that time, my father often welcomed guests to the house, they all communicated in Thai, I could also hear a little bit, gradually I got used to it".

His memories of his journey of more than 40 years of attachment toMuong Khoa communestill clear as yesterday. He worked in the commune since 1983 as Deputy Chief of Commune Police. In February 1984, he was elected Chairman of the Commune People's Committee at the age of 30. At that time, he was still studying in the intermediate theoretical training class atSon La province“Before going to school, I only knew my name was on the list, but I never expected to be elected president,” Uncle Khoa confided. Both happy and worried, he only asked for a full week off to return to take up his new assignment.

At that time, life in Muong Khoa was still difficult. The subsidized economy limited resources, people mainly grew rice, corn, and cassava for self-sufficiency. As the commune chairman, Mr. Khoa always worried about the development of the poor land, often having to work in remote villages, bringing with him only a few potatoes and cassava tubers as food. It was these difficulties that forged his will and spirit of tireless work.

After 15 years as Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, Mr. Khoa has become a symbol of responsibility, closeness and dedication. After retiring, he has been Chairman of the Elderly Association since 2010.

Can speak but few can write

Language and culture are things that people perceive from their living environment, always associated with the place they were born. To understand and use the written language, the core of preserving and developing, is not easy.

Uncle Khoa shared: “Wherever we are born, we will perceive the culture and language of that place. But to recognize and write our own ethnic language, we need to learn.”

Each character is carefully written on paper to be attached to the board. Photo:Duc Binh.

In November 1970, while studying at Son La Provincial Pedagogical College, Mr. Khoa first encountered Thai writing through a novel written by a classmate. The days of boarding school became an opportunity for him to become familiar with the writing. With perseverance and passion, after just over a week, he was able to read and write fluently. This was the solid foundation for him to contribute to the preservation of Thai ethnic culture in the following years.

At that time, the social context was facing many difficulties. War and the need for universal education caused the Thai script to gradually disappear. Thai script classes became increasingly rare, and over many generations, reading and writing skills almost only existed in the memories of a few older people, leaving a large gap in the transmission of the script to the younger generation.

Uncle Khoa always worries about preserving the language and writing of the Vietnamese.Thai peopleWith the desire to preserve and promote this value, he has sought many ways to foster the spirit of learning and using Thai in daily life.

During the meetings, the members of the Commune People's Committee also unanimously shared their opinions and proposed to popularize Thai language first among the staff. They realized that using Thai language in management work would help the government get closer to the people, easily share and support the community effectively.

Classes for staff

In September 2024, the first Thai language class was officially held in Muong Khoa commune, with his dedicated guidance. The class attracted more than 30 students, including Party cell secretaries, village chiefs, and deputy heads of mass organizations in the commune.

Panorama of Thai language class in Muong Khoa commune, Bac Yen district. Photo:Yellow River.

Every week, from 2pm to 5pm, the communal cultural house becomes bustling with pronunciation lessons and handwriting practice under the meticulous guidance of the doctor. Students are given carefully edited materials, in which the Thai language is transcribed into Mandarin for easy access.

Thai has two main versions: the Yen Chau migrant transcription and the Mai Son transcription. For basic learners, the Yen Chau version is often chosen because it is more accessible. In this version, the sound system consists of 36 consonants (called “To”) and 19 vowels (called “May”). A consonant can combine with three different vowels to form separate words.

Uncle Khoa shared: “To learn well, first of all, you must memorize consonants and vowels. Some words can be combined according to the rules, but there are also many special words that need to be memorized separately. This requires perseverance and effort from the learner."

Thanks to the dedicated guidance of Mr. Khoa, the class not only helps students grasp the language, but also arouses pride and a sense of responsibility in preserving Thai ethnic culture.

Commune officials actively participate in the training sessions. Photo:Yellow River.

The lessons at the communal cultural house always take place in a lively and enthusiastic atmosphere. On the blackboard, the teacher carefully writes each model stroke, below, the students read in unison, creating an extremely determined echo. Each stroke of the pen, each sentence written is not only a language lesson, but also a respect for the national culture.

Before each lesson, Mr. Khoa always takes time to review the knowledge he has taught, helping students remember and deepen the old lessons. He confided: "You have to write it down on the board for everyone to see and point out your mistakes in order to make progress. If you just leave it there after finishing the lesson without practicing, it won't be effective."

After nearly 3 months of studying, the members of the commune have gradually become familiar with the letters and have begun to put together words for daily communication. However, according to the students, they still need more time to continue practicing and supplementing their knowledge. It is expected that after the Tet holiday, the class will continue to be held to consolidate and improve their skills.

Seeing the initial effectiveness, Muong Khoa commune is planning to expand the scale of the class. Not only for commune officials, the class will open to more members from each village, including children. An important step with the expectation that the Thai ethnic people must master the writing, preserve and pass on this unique cultural feature to future generations.

Uncle Khoa's love for the Thai language is condensed in a simple but meaningful saying: "No matter how old or weak I am, I will pass on all that I know to my descendants. We will not only exist for a day or two, but forever. Don't let our national culture be lost."

Duc Binh