Lung Vai village. Photo: thanhnien.vn

The new village, called Youth Village, nestles in a valley adjacent to the border with China. It was established in 2014, is connected to the national power grid, and has paved roads, schools, and health clinics. It is the second village built entirely by young volunteers. The first was built in Lao Cai province’s Bat Xat district in 2008.

Chao Nga Lieu, a Mong ethnic, was one of the first villagers. He recalls when he and his family first moved to the village: "Living here is totally different from La Pan Tan, our former village in Muong Khuong district. It is much easier to live here because we no longer have to walk for a day to buy the stuff we need. Having settled down here, we can focus one hundred percent on improving our household economy."

Given 2500 USD by the state to build a new house in the new village, Chao Viet Xuan and his wife now enjoy a comfortable living from their bumper crops. They have even bought a new truck to transport their produce to local markets.

"We were not connected to the national power grid and had no roads in our old village. This is our second hometown and we’ve decided to stay here for a long time", said Xuan.

Giang Quoc Hung, Party Secretary of the Lao Cai provincial Youth Union, says the new village currently has 18 households of young Dao, Mong and Nung ethnic people, all now enjoying a more comfortable life. More young people have expressed a willingness to move to the new village.

"The villagers, most of whom are dynamic Youth Union members, have done their best to develop their household economy and contribute to local development. They have ensured their new vilage meets the standards for new rural areas.', said Hung. 

There are currently 19 youth villages across Vietnam, most of them are located in border areas.