Poor border residents in Nam Po District strive for a better life

The communes of Si Pa Phin, Na Hy, Cha Nua, Na Khoa, Na Co Sa… and the villages of Chan Nuoi, Tan Phong, Tan Lap, Na Su, Na Cau, Na Hy… remain the same in name, but the roads leading to them are now paved. Rows of red- and blue-roofed houses gleam under the morning border sun.

In the modest yet tidy home of Mua A Giang, a resident of Si Pa Phin Commune, we listened to the story of how the local H’Mong people chose to dig fish ponds as a means of improving their livelihoods — a tale filled with remarkable details. In a gentle voice, Giang recounted, “For many years, I struggled to find a new way to make a living. We relied on upland rice and corn, but being halfway up the mountain, I honestly didn’t know what else to do.”

Then, in 2017, the local Farmers’ Association organised a study tour for farmers to learn about economic models in other districts. Giang signed up and visited a fish farming model in Dien Bien District.

Inspired by the trip, he returned home and discussed with his wife and children the idea of borrowing 100 million VND from the bank to hire an excavator and dig a fish pond. “When I first mentioned fish farming, my wife and children were alarmed — no H’Mong in our commune had ever raised fish before. Even catching fish or shrimp from the stream is much harder for H’Mong people than for the Thai,” Giang recalled.

Once they had calmed down, Giang gently persuaded his family. Eventually, they agreed, and he secured the bank loan to hire a digger and excavate a pond around their home. For the first batch, he stocked 4,000 climbing perch and 2,000 grass carp. But lacking experience and knowledge about fish diseases, many of the fish fell ill and grew slowly.

To overcome these issues, Giang went to the commune centre to seek advice. Officials taught him how to change the water during seasonal transitions and even gave him a stack of newspapers, suggesting, “Look for the section on agricultural fish farming. You’ll learn a lot.”

Back home, Giang studied the articles diligently, memorising fish farming techniques. Applying what he learned, his second batch of fish brought in nearly 100 million VND in profit.

With more knowledge and capital from the fish sales, in 2019, Giang expanded into raising 15 buffaloes, hundreds of chickens, and growing various crops such as amomum, macadamia, and fruit trees. Today, his “garden-pond-livestock pen” model earns an average annual income of 200 million VND and has become a local example for others in the village and commune to visit and learn from.

Following Giang’s lead, many farmers in Si Pa Phin boldly shifted to new crops and registered for agricultural production linkages. As a result, the commune has become a model in crop and livestock restructuring, with hundreds of hectares of clean vegetables and passion fruit now bearing region-specific trademarks like “Si Pa Phin Clean Vegetables” and “Si Sa Phin Passion Fruit.”

With the passion fruit cultivation model, dozens of families in Si Pa Phin Commune have escaped poverty. (Photo: THANH DAT)

Like Giang’s family, hundreds of H’Mong and Thai farming families in Si Pa Phin have strived to improve their livelihoods. Over time, each year, Nam Po sees hundreds of families in communes such as Cha Nua, Na Co Sa, Na Hy, and Nam Tin becoming successful in their economic ventures, contributing to the district’s rural development.

Speaking of rural development brings to mind Na Su — a Thai ethnic village in Cha Nua Commune that has led the way in community-based tourism.

Lo Van Quy, Vice Chairman of Cha Nua Commune and one of five pioneering families in Na Su promoting community tourism, shared with us: with support from fellow villagers, local officials, and residents across the district, Na Su officially welcomed tourists by the end of 2023 — less than a month after beginning to implement the idea.

Although there were initial uncertainties and differing opinions, today, 100% of Na Su’s residents are thrilled whenever visitors come to experience local life. Regardless of whose turn it is, whenever the village head announces on the loudspeaker that a tour group is arriving, every household sends someone to help with preparations.

“Na Su has more than 600 residents, and we receive around 500 tourists each month. With each visitor spending an average of 100,000 VND per day and night, our collective income is quite significant. Not to mention, visitors often enjoy buying locally grown products from Cha Nua,” Lo Van Quy said proudly.

Local leaders join farmers in planting trees. (Photo: THANH DAT)

As we shared more stories about individuals, villages, and communes striving to improve, Vang A Chinh — Deputy Secretary of the Nam Po District Party Committee and a H’Mong native of Si Pa Phin — stated firmly: “Compared to the past, life for the people of Nam Po has changed dramatically. Just take the year 2013 — when the district was first established — as a reference point, and you’ll see how far we’ve come.”

Back then, in 2013, Nam Po was created by separating 15 communes from Muong Nhe and Muong Cha Districts. The district covered 250,790 hectares and had 25,517 residents from eight ethnic groups, mostly ethnic minorities. At the time, infrastructure was almost non-existent: roads were dirt paths, many villages lacked electricity and clean water, and schools were makeshift shelters built from bamboo and thatch.

But now, 12 years later, thanks to the unity and efforts of local officials and residents, Nam Po has emerged as a stable border district with improved security and a robust economy supported by comprehensive infrastructure development. All national target programmes have been implemented effectively. In this remote border region, Nam Po continues to rise by establishing sustainable family and village-level economic models.

From a district where most residents lived in makeshift or dilapidated housing, today, only 1.95% of households still live in temporary homes. The average per capita income has reached nearly 22 million VND per year. Infrastructure development has transformed the district’s appearance — particularly in electricity, roads, schools, healthcare, and administrative buildings at both the district and commune levels.

In addition to its economic achievements, Nam Po is also a shining example in Dien Bien Province for Party-building and political system development, with many effective campaigns, models, and initiatives. The movements launched by the district Party committee have spread widely among cadres, Party members, and the public, positively influencing the implementation of the district’s political missions.