Emotional memories of Muong Lat people about General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong

Muong Lat leaders still owe the General Secretary a promise

Thirteen years ago, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited Muong Lat district in Thanh Hoa. On July 19, “a great personality and heart just stopped beating,” causing immense sorrow among the Vietnamese people.

During his visit 13 years ago, Mr. Luong Minh Thong, Secretary of Muong Lat District Party Committee, had the honor of accompanying General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his delegation. This visit marked the first time the cadres and people of the poorest district in Thanh Hoa met and talked with high-ranking Party leaders.

Mr. Thong vividly remembers when he met General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong: “Before getting on the bus from the district center to Muong Chanh commune, the General Secretary called me over and said, 'Mr. Thong, come here and sit on the bus with me.”

“I hesitated at first because the bus was for high-ranking officials, and Provincial Party Secretary Mai Van Ninh was also on board, which made it feel inconvenient. But Uncle Trong insisted, giving me priority to sit in the middle, next to the Provincial Party Secretary. He joked and laughed to ease everyone's tension, saying, Mr. Thong is the happiest today, being accompanied by both the General Secretary and the Provincial Party Secretary.”

In the car, the General Secretary asked me about the lives of the Muong Lat people. After listening, he asked, “In your opinion, which commune in Muong Lat district has the best conditions and the most dedicated cadres?” I replied, “Yes, it is Muong Chanh commune!” A few minutes later, the General Secretary told the district and provincial leaders, “Then choose Muong Chanh commune as the new rural construction site of Muong Lat district.”

Muong Chanh has a border gate and borders Vieng Xay district, Hua Phan province (Laos), so achieving this goal is even more important because this is the face of the district. As a mountainous district with difficulties, one must try harder than one’s brothers in the lowlands. Above all, the officials must be exemplary, encouraging and motivating, helping people escape poverty. After five years from now, the province and district must strive to bring Muong Chanh commune to the new rural finish line," Mr. Thong recounted.

After assigning tasks to the District Party Committee officials, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong turned to instruct the Provincial Party Committee Secretary Mai Van Ninh: "Muong Lat District is a poor border district, home to many ethnic groups, so it is facing many difficulties and shortages, so Thanh Hoa Province must pay utmost attention to the lives of the people in the district," Mr. Thong recalled.

On the way to the village, the General Secretary discovered that the district cadres' car was moving behind, quite far from the leading car, because the vehicle was too old and had a weak engine. Right on the car, the General Secretary told the leaders of Thanh Hoa province: "Comrades, you should have your own mechanism, creating conditions for cadres in challenging areas to have safe vehicles to move and perform their tasks. This road is difficult to travel on, and traveling by unsafe vehicles will make it very difficult for us!" Mr. Thong was moved.

However, over the past 10 years, despite the attention and investment support from the Central Government and Thanh Hoa province, due to many objective factors, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's wish to bring Muong Chanh to the new rural finish line has not yet been realized.

"It was planned that in 2019, Muong Chanh commune would meet new rural standards, but in 2018 and 2019, Muong Lat district suffered heavy damage due to natural disasters, causing everything to return to the starting point," Mr. Thong expressed regret for not being able to fulfill the wishes of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

People always have a heavy heart for Muong Lat

“Muong Chanh has a border gate and borders Vieng Xay district, Hua Phan province in Laos, so achieving this goal is even more important because it represents the district. As a mountainous district facing many challenges, you (district officials - PV) must try harder than your counterparts in the lowlands. Above all, the officials must set an example, both encouraging and motivating the people to escape poverty. Within 5 years, the province and district must strive to bring Muong Chanh commune to the new rural finish line,” Mr. Thong recounted.

After assigning tasks to the District Party Committee officials, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong turned to Provincial Party Committee Secretary Mai Van Ninh: “Muong Lat District is a poor border district, home to many ethnic groups, facing many difficulties and shortages. Thanh Hoa Province must pay utmost attention to the people’s lives in the district,” Mr. Thong recalled.

On the way to the village, the General Secretary noticed that the district cadres' car lagged behind because it was old and had a weak engine. Right on the car, he told the leaders of Thanh Hoa province: “Comrades, you should have a mechanism to ensure that cadres in challenging areas have safe vehicles to travel and perform their tasks. This road is difficult to travel on, and using unsafe vehicles will make it very challenging for us!” Mr. Thong was moved.

However, over the past 10 years, despite the attention and investment support from the Central Government and Thanh Hoa province, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's wish to bring Muong Chanh to the new rural finish line has not yet been realized due to many objective factors.

“It was planned that in 2019, Muong Chanh commune would meet new rural standards, but in 2018 and 2019, Muong Lat district suffered heavy damage from natural disasters, causing everything to return to the starting point,” Mr. Thong expressed regret for not being able to fulfill the wishes of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Mr. Quang recalled that, under the flickering electric light at a household's house in the village, after noting the people's opinions, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong directed the government system, ministries, and branches to consider and take remedial measures to help people overcome their current difficulties and hardships and soon escape from hunger and poverty.

“The Party’s guidelines and the State’s legal policies always pay attention to ethnic minorities. Please rest assured. If you find the economic and social development policies for ethnic minority areas inadequate, the Central Government and the province will study them and gradually improve them. I hope you will share with the Party and the State, considering that the Central Government is simultaneously solving many issues, including investing in key projects to develop the socio-economy in many localities nationwide. I hope that cadres and people will make efforts and strive to help the Mong people in particular and Muong Lat district in general rise out of poverty,” Mr. Thong recounted the General Secretary’s advice.

The photo of Mr. Quang taken with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong 13 years ago was the first and last time he met a great personality, a Communist soldier who devoted his life to the Party, the people, and the country. 

Now, that heart has stopped beating, but the memory of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong still throbs in the hearts of the people!

After the visit and work of the General Secretary, Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee has implemented policies and carried out many major tasks to prioritize attention and investment in socio-economic development in the western region, focusing on Muong Lat district. A Steering Committee was established and assigned specialized cadres in various fields, with the agricultural sector at its core, to regularly stay close to the villages and people, guiding and developing the economy from planting to raising livestock.

Later, the Steering Committee was reorganized, and more recently, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee introduced new, creative, and more effective ways to help Muong Lat escape poverty, aiming to no longer have a district without New Rural Development. The Provincial Party Committee assigned Lai The Nguyen, the Standing Deputy Secretary, to oversee these activities in Muong Lat directly.