Coc Pang overcomes difficulties - Cao Bang Electronic Newspaper

“Far from Yen Tho, Duc Hanh suffers” - a saying passed down for many years by the people in the border area of ​​the province as an affirmation of the difficult life in the old Duc Hanh commune. However, since Duc Hanh merged with Coc Pang (old) to form Coc Pang (new) commune, people have jokingly said: now it is no longer “Duc Hanh suffers”, but… Coc Pang suffers.

Difficult traffic

On the night of August 22, 2025, in the small dining room at Coc Pang Border Post, Lieutenant Colonel Chu Xuan Dong's dinner was interrupted by a phone call reporting that a car was stuck due to a landslide on Provincial Road 217. Lieutenant Colonel Dong immediately mobilized forces, brought rescue equipment, and rushed into the night in the middle of the mountains and forests. After more than 20 hours, in Coc Pang, the sky was like a lid was turned upside down, the darkness was thick. In front, a car skidded right at the landslide site, stuck between rocks and soil on one side, and a deep abyss on the other, with a roaring red stream of water. The border guards, police, and militia joined forces, pulling and pushing, and finally rescued the car. Drops of sweat mixed with mud.

Coc Pang commune currently has only over 25% of the roads paved, the rest are dirt roads - dusty in the sun and muddy in the rain.

Lieutenant Colonel Chu Xuan Dong said: Provincial Road 217 is prone to landslides and traffic jams. The unit is always ready to help people and passersby overcome danger. Not only landslides, but Provincial Road 217, which is the main artery connecting the center of Bao Lac commune to Coc Pang commune, is now 25 km long and has seriously degraded. There are many potholes. Even people familiar with the road have to spend more than an hour to reach the center of the commune.

Coc Pang Commune has a total natural area of ​​over 170.28 ^km2 , 26 hamlets with 1,971 households, 10,206 people, including 5 ethnic groups (Tay, Nung, Mong, San Chi, Lo Lo). The commune has 7 border hamlets: Che Ly B, Lung Man, Khuoi Sa, Coc Pang, Na Mia, Na Luong, Na Nhung with 22.064 km of border with China. The entire Party Committee has 498 party members, operating in 36 affiliated party cells.

Even the provincial delegation could not escape the "hardship". On the morning of August 22, the Coc Pang Commune Party Committee held its first Congress for the 2025-2030 term. The provincial delegation, led by Comrade Be Minh Duc, Provincial Party Committee member, Deputy Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation, had to stop their car in the middle of the road because of a large landslide. The commune mobilized a "tank" car to pick up the delegation to attend the congress on time. Speaking at the Congress, Comrade Be Minh Duc affirmed: Only when you get there can you fully understand the suffering of Coc Pang. Difficult roads are a huge obstacle to socio -economic development. We continue to make recommendations and propose solutions to support as soon as possible.

According to statistics, the whole commune currently has only 25% of roads paved, the rest are still dirt roads, dusty in the sun, muddy in the rain. Ms. Nong Thi Luu, Che Ly A hamlet, sadly said: I have a motorbike, but many days I still have to wear boots and wade through mud for a long distance to get to the market. I want to sell some agricultural products but the road is so bad, traders' vehicles rarely come to the village.

"Hungry" for water, lack of electricity

Standing on the second floor of the commune headquarters, after the closing session of the Congress, Secretary of the Coc Pang Commune Party Committee Nong Van Luong looked towards the jagged rocky mountains, his voice heavy: The Congress was successful, the people were excited. But the biggest concern is still the old Duc Hanh area. The hills are high, people are thirsty all year round. Here, people have to rely on rainwater, corn and rice crops are unstable. Many households lack water for daily activities all year round, bathing and washing also have to calculate by the bucket. Nearly 1,000 households in the commune, concentrated in the old Duc Hanh area, often live in a state of lack of clean water. Many families still carry cans of water from streams several kilometers away for use.

According to Chairman of Coc Pang Commune People's Committee Ha Ngo Tuan, not only water, the commune also has hamlets that do not have national grid electricity. Livestock raising is also difficult due to lack of grazing land. Compared to 2020, the number of livestock and poultry in 2025 has decreased significantly. Poverty is like a vicious cycle, the commune wants to break out but is still tied down. Currently, Coc Pang commune has 965 poor households, 231 near-poor households, accounting for 61.8% of the total number of households. After organizing a 2-level government, the commune still lacks officials compared to regulations, many positions have to be held concurrently.

Corn growers have unstable income. Photo: TL

Thirsty for resources to "relieve suffering"

The Commune Party Congress has identified key programs for the 2025 - 2030 term: Developing key crops in the direction of commodities; building and upgrading the rural transport system and improving the quality of cassava, star anise, cinnamon and cassava raw material areas; nurturing and forming OCOP products; promoting the application of science - technology and digital technology in production; building brands for key agricultural products. Focusing on investing in developing the forest economy associated with protecting protective forests and upstream forests; striving to achieve 13 or more new rural criteria by 2030.

The commune proposed to the superiors to open the border trade route, creating momentum for socio-economic development. However, the commune leaders themselves frankly admitted: These programs, goals, tasks, and solutions mostly focus on the old Coc Pang area, where there are advantages in production land and strong crops. As for the arid rocky mountain area of ​​Duc Hanh, without large resources to support it, it will still be difficult to create a breakthrough. Secretary of the Party Committee of Nong Van Luong commune is concerned: We really hope that the State will pay attention to investing in infrastructure, especially domestic water, electricity grid, and transportation. Only then can we hope that people can escape the cycle of suffering.

In the “suffering” Coc Pang, landslides, carrying water cans every day, darkness because of no electricity… are still familiar images. But with the determination of the Party and the government, the consensus of the people and the support from the State, the people of Coc Pang believe that the “suffering” passed down by word of mouth for generations will gradually be replaced by a new belief: Coc Pang will escape poverty.

Quoc Tuan

Source: https://baocaobang.vn/coc-pang-vuot-kho-3180442.html