The "young" village elder of the Ca Dong people

“Young” village elder Pham Xuan Nghia (right, far right) performs gongs at a festival in Bac Tra My district in 2022. Photo: NB

Overcoming difficulties for the community

Mr. Pham Xuan Nghia comes from a poor family in Tam Goc village (village 2, Tra Ka highland commune, Bac Tra My). Having no conditions to study further, after finishing high school, Mr. Nghia left school to return to his hometown to stay with his village, helping his parents raise his younger siblings and join the local militia. With his dynamism and responsibility in grassroots movements, Mr. Nghia was honored to be admitted to the Party at the age of 19.

In 2017, Mr. Nghia got married and moved out to live on his own, falling into poverty when life initially faced many difficulties. As a party member, Mr. Nghia worked hard and was determined to overcome difficulties. After only about 5 years of hard work, his family escaped poverty and improved their lives.

Currently, Mr. Nghia and his wife own an ideal economic model combining garden, forest, pond and barn with hundreds of goats, cows, buffalo, pigs, chickens of all kinds and more than 3 hectares of forest land growing cinnamon and acacia. Every year, after deducting expenses, Mr. Nghia and his wife have an average income of more than 70 million VND.

Mr. Nghia is also skillful, self-taught and has a very solid hand in the masonry profession. In the past two years, he has mentored and taught two local young men and established a group specializing in taking on full-package house construction contracts in Tra Ka…

Young village elder, Party Cell Secretary, and Head of Village 2, Tra Ka Commune - Pham Xuan Nghia. Photo: NB.

Mr. Nghia's group is very trustworthy, and understands local customs and practices, so the villagers trust them and come to order houses with quite a lot of demand. However, Mr. Nghia only accepts projects with a limited quantity to ensure quality construction, on-time progress and on-time delivery.

Young Party member Nguyen Thanh Bich, in Tam Goc village, shared that thanks to Mr. Nghia's enthusiastic teaching, he has mastered the construction profession, has a regular job with Mr. Nghia and a stable income of 300,000 VND/day.

Mr. Ho Van Ut, a resident of Tam Goc village, said that when he was at home or on the farm, he and many other villagers often came to talk to Mr. Nghia to get his guidance on business, how to calculate and spend money reasonably. Many people who encountered sudden difficulties, lacked tools, seedlings, etc. were enthusiastically helped by Mr. Nghia.

“The villagers here are still poor, so when asked to build houses, do electrical and plumbing work, Mr. Nghia's team happily helps without taking any money. In addition, Mr. Nghia also raises a male pig for breeding to support free breeding for local farmers,” said Mr. Ut.

Pass on the "fire" of enthusiasm

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Kien - Secretary of the Tra Ka Commune Party Committee, Mr. Nghia is a shining example of learning and following Uncle Ho's example in the locality, saying what he does. In village 2, Mr. Nghia, although only 30 years old, is loved by the villagers and considered as a village elder.

As Party Cell Secretary and Head of Village 2 (since 2019), Mr. Nghia has always been exemplary, demonstrating high responsibility in his work and inspiring positivity, building a civilized and progressive life for the villagers.

Secretary of the Party Cell of Village 2, Tra Ka Commune, Pham Xuan Nghia always takes care of Party building work and presented the decision to admit two new Party members at the end of 2023. Photo: NB.

“Children in the village all attend school, do not drop out. The movement to eliminate temporary houses, escape poverty, and build rural roads are all very favorable. In the village, there are almost no violations of the law on forest protection management, security and order, child marriage... Those results are all thanks to the contributions of Party Cell Secretary and Village 2 Head Pham Xuan Nghia” - Ms. Kien shared.

Sharing from another perspective, Mr. Ho Van Tran - Chairman of Tra Ka Commune People's Committee said that Mr. Nghia has a deep understanding of traditional spiritual rituals, folk songs, dances, and gongs of the Ca Dong people.

In cultural activities and festivals at the local and district levels, Mr. Nghia is always the nucleus, the leader gathering the young generation in the village to teach and practice to compete with other units and to inspire and preserve the identity of his people.

Talking about what he does, Mr. Nghia confided that he is young, healthy, and a party member, so he cannot accept a life of poverty; he must know how to think and find a way to improve himself. Party members must set an example for people to see, follow, and escape poverty together.

“Our people, especially the young generation, must preserve their own voice, identity, and forests… If we destroy forests, imitate bad things, and mix them on social networks… without selection, it is absolutely not allowed. Because if we do so, the future will be difficult, miserable, and our identity will fade away. To preserve everything, as the Party Cell Secretary and Village Chief, I must set an example,” Mr. Nghia confided.

Works participating in the journalism contest "Spreading positive energy for Quang Nam's aspirations"

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/gia-lang-tre-nguoi-ca-dong-3136831.html