Typical example in Na Xia

– That is Mr. Linh Van Tong, born in 1964, Na Xia village, Xuat Le commune, Cao Loc district. He is a typical example in donating land for road construction and local economic development.

Leading to Na Xia village, it is no longer a narrow dirt road, dusty in the sunshine, muddy in the rain, it is now a long, straight concrete road. To have that shared joy, it must be mentioned the people who voluntarily donated his “golden inch” for the village, typically Mr. Linh Van Tong.

Mr. Tong said: “I come from a purely farming family, so to me, an inch of land is an inch of gold. However, looking at the children and adults in the village constantly walking on the dirt road, the agricultural products made to sell by traders, I really couldn’t bear it. With convenient transportation, the economy will develop, people can easily exchange and buy goods, and children can go to class more easily.

Bearing that in mind, in 2003, when the commune mobilized people to join hands to expand the road through the villages of Co Khuong, Na Ram, Na Xia, and Ban Ranh villages, Mr. Tong’s family did not hesitate to donate nearly 400 m2 of land planting star anise trees in harvesting season for road construction.

Mr. Linh Van Tong with the concrete road built on his family’s land area

Although the road is now wider, it is more convenient for people to travel, however, on rainy and windy days the road becomes slippery and muddy. At the end of 2020, from the capital of the new rural development program, the village is supported by the State with cement to concretize the road. To make the road wider and more beautiful, Mr. Tong’s family continued to donate more than 100 m2 of land.

From the pioneering example of land donation by Mr. Tong’s family, more than 33 households in the villages also volunteered to donate nearly 2,000 m2 of land for road construction. Up to now, the road leading to the village is nearly 4 km long, more than 6 m wide with clean and beautiful concrete.

Mr. Hoang Dinh Khai, Na Ram village said: “Realizing that Mr. Tong did not hesitate to donate such an inch of gold, I and many families followed him. My family donated more than 50 m2 of land to make the road wider and more beautiful. Similarly, Mr. Vy Van Thanh, from Na Xia village, also followed Mr. Tong’s example, donating nearly 40 m2 of land to concretize the road…”

With the determination of the government and unions, along with the consensus and enthusiastic response of Mr. Tong and the people, the movement of donating land for road construction has spread strongly. From 2011 to now, people in the commune have donated over 3,500 m2 of land and called for a support of 6 billion VND to build rural roads and cultural houses, contributing to the commune which met19/19 criteria in 2020.

Besides donating land for road construction, Mr. Tong’s family is also one of the typical households in the movement of economic development in the hills and forests. In 2004, he planted 4 hectares of pine, in 2019, he harvested over 1 ton of pine resin. In addition, he also developed nearly 4 hectares of anise, which has been harvested for 5 years, the output is over 1.5 tons/year; 2 hectares of Camellia sasanqua Thunb can yield over 1 ton/year. From forest hills and buffalo and cow raising in a small scale, his family has a stable income of over 100 million VND/year.

Mr. Ly Van Thang, Vice Chairman of Xuat Le Commune People’s Committee said: “Mr. Linh Van Tong is a typle example not only in Na Xia village but also in Xuat Le commune for his noble deeds in social work and as an energetic person in economic development. He and his family have always been exemplary in following the guidelines of the Party,  the policies and laws of the State. The commune has propagated and replicated this example to have more typical examples like Mr. Tong.

With those efforts, in April 2021, Mr. Tong is a typical farmer who was awarded a certificate of merit by the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee for his outstanding achievements in the movement “Lang Son and the whole country join hands for new rural development”.