(VOVWORLD) -Not as noisy and busy as in cities, spring in remote villages has the vitality of mountains and forests. A new spring has come to peaceful, rustic Ban Ca (Ca hamlet), where the villagers are living a better and happier life today.
 90% of people in Ban Ca are Dao ethnics who keep preserving the traditional cultural characteristics. (Photo: Cong Luan) |
During the French resistance war, Ca hamlet in Cho Don district, Bac Kan province, was where President Ho Chi Minh lived and worked for three weeks from December 7, 1947, to the end of December, that year.
In 1996, Ca hamlet was designated a national historical relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information. The road is paved and wide, runs along a stream and winds through the foothills. It is home to 300 Dao ethnic people.
Ban Van Luong, a villager, told VOV that the area used to be a bare hill. Now every hectare generates thousands of dollars in income and the hills and forests have helped the villagers build new houses.
“In the past, life was so difficult. But now it’s completely different. A lot of forest trees have been planted. There were almost none before,” Luong said, adding, “Farming is also different. Now we have fertilizers and technology. We used to not have telephones or TVs. Now, thanks to the government's guidance on how to do business, people have a better life, with electricity, roads, schools, and clinics. Our living conditions have really improved.”
 Dao ethni people in Ban Ca take forest economy as key development direction. (Photo: Cong Luan) |
A few decades ago, Luong and the other residents of Ban Ca never dared to think of having such a comfortable life. They grew mainly corn and rice and didn’t know how to use technology, so they sometimes went hungry, especially between crops.
Real change began when the local Party cell issued a resolution on agricultural development, focusing on afforestation and breeding. The idea was strongly responded to, led by Party members and the most prestigious people of the hamlet. Now the afforested area includes 400 hectares of acacia, cinnamon, and magnolia conifera trees. Many local families earn thousands of dollars a year from the wood.
According to village Party cell Secretary Ban Van Duc, “Ban Ca was a remote village. Now, the Party and State have invested in road and electricity. A number of villagers have learned to use technology, do business, and save, so life here has become better.”
Ban Ca has recently become a bright spot in preserving the culture and customs of the Dao ethnic group. In 2021, the village established a Pa Dung singing club with 20 members. In addition to performing on holidays, the club members regularly participate in district and provincial cultural events, and have collected printed material about Pa Dung singing to educate the younger generation.
In the first days of the new year, the Dao people of Ban Ca celebrated another successful year of afforestation. The Pa Dung club performed songs to welcome spring and the village's renewal.
Hoang Van Hy, Chairman of the Bình Trung communal People's Committee, said that the local government has set the village’s socio-economic development orientation and directions for national security. “First, we’ll restore and upgrade the Ban Ca historical relic site to make it worthy of being a national historical relic. Second, we’ll teach people to use technology to increase production and develop the forest economy,” Hy noted.