(VOVWORLD) - Sin Ho border district in Lai Chau province is home to ethnic minority families who live in difficult circumstances. Thanks to the Party and State’s support, many of them have had their old, dilapidated house replaced by a new, solid house.
 Tan U May (R) of Phang So Lin commune in Sin Ho district has been helped to build a new, solid house. (Photo: Khac Kien/VOV) |
In a house that still has the smell of fresh mortar, 60-year-old Tan U May of the Dao ethnic group in Phang So Lin hamlet can’t conceal her happiness. She married when she was young. Her husband died soon after she gave birth to their first child. Since then she has lived in a house with earthen walls and a thatched roof patched with raincoats and burlap sacks.
She recently received 1,700 USD from the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction to build a new house.
“Now we have a good house and our life has become more stable, thanks to the government’s help. Although our financial circumstances remain difficult, I’m growing corn that will give us enough to live on,” May told VOV.
Phang So Lin hamlet has 100 households with 600 people. Last year, six households received government financial support to build a new house. Most of the hamlet’s makeshift and dilapidated houses have now been replaced.
Tan A Pao, Head of Phang So Lin hamlet, said, “We selected the most disadvantaged households and visited each of them to verify their situation.”
Local authorities have called on organizations and individuals to donate cash and construction materials to help poor families build a new house.
Cheo A Ngai, Secretary of the Phang So Lin commune Party Committee, said, "Last year, we helped poor people replace substandard houses. Now they have stabilized their lives and are working hard to reduce poverty."
Giang A So of Hong Thu commune now lives in a new, spacious house after nearly a decade of marriage. The 70-square-meter house was built with 2,100 USD from the program to eliminate dilapidated houses plus money Sở and his wife borrowed from their relatives.
“With support from the government, my family has built a much larger house. I’m very happy. Now my wife and I can focus on our work,” said Giang A So.
 The administrations at all levels in Sin Ho district are determined to remove makeshift and dilapidated houses as scheduled for 2025. (Photo: Khac Kien/VOV) |
All the families in Hong Thu commune belong to the Mong ethnic group. The climate here is harsh, with clouds covering the area all year round. Local life is quite difficult.
Thao A Senh, Chairman of the Hong Thu commune People's Committee in Sin Ho district, said, "Most of the houses in Hong Thu commune are substandard. We’ve coordinated with organizations and associations to visit each house and report to the district, who will allocate resources to ensure that everyone has decent accommodations."
1,800 local households are living in makeshift and dilapidated houses this year. Bui Van Tuan, Deputy Secretary of the Sin Ho Party Committee, said that to complete the substandard house removal program, in addition to the government’s financial support, the district administration has used its own budget and called for donation from organizations and individuals.
"We will make every effort to gather resources for temporary and dilapidated house elimination. We’ve asked the provincial administration to create a detailed monthly or quarterly implementation plan," said Tuan.
A solid house, the dream of many poor and near-poor families, is becoming a reality for many, bringing hope and confidence and expectations of a brighter future.