Mr. Cha Cut has only one leg but still works and earns 300 million/year

Mr. Nguyen Van Cha joined the army and performed international duty in the Cambodian battlefield since 1985. He belonged to the Engineer force of Division 330. In 1987, during a military operation, Cha unfortunately stepped on a mine and lost a leg and many other injuries on his body. After nearly 3 years of treatment, he returned to normal life with a disability rate of nearly 80%. At this time, Mr. Cha encountered many difficulties in life.

“At that time, the whole country was still poor, and war invalids did not enjoy the same benefits as they do now. After nearly three years in a nursing home, then returning to the Department of War Invalids, receiving a salary of only a few tens of thousands of dong, life after discharge was extremely difficult,” Mr. Cha confided.

Ong cha cut chi con 1 chan van lao dong thu 300 trieu nam hinh anh 1 — Mr. Nguyen Van Cha has tried very hard to rise up.

With the encouragement of many people, he married Mrs. Nguyen Thi Huong. Mr. Cha's family in Cai Nuoc district had little land for production, so he and his wife went to the U Minh forest to reclaim and start a business. The State granted him about 7 hectares of land in Nguyen Phich commune, U Minh district. The forest land at that time was wild, life was very difficult.

“Back then, my wife and I hired out to plant rice, pick young shoots, cut reeds, and generally did all sorts of things to earn money. Every night, my wife and I went fishing, and after our hired work, we worked on rice, sawed firewood, and sold it to buy rice to eat. If we wanted to sell firewood, we had to row a boat to Thoi Binh town to sell it. No one would buy it here,” Mr. Nguyen Van Cha recalled.

With the bravery of Uncle Ho's soldiers, not afraid of hardship, whatever ordinary people do, Mr. Cha is determined to do. At first, Mr. Cha and his wife dug up each tree root, cleared each mound of earth, and filled in the hollows to have land to grow rice. After that, they continued to dig up the remaining land to plant forests. Seeing the one-legged man working so hard made the neighbors admire him, and they affectionately gave him the nickname "Cha Cut".

Ong cha cut chi con 1 chan van lao dong thu 300 trieu nam hinh anh 2 — Although disabled soldier 2/4 Nguyen Van Cha lost his leg, he can still do difficult work.

With the determination of the war invalid and his wife, the alum soil was gradually domesticated, bringing in increasingly higher income. His family currently has about 5 hectares of land growing acacia hybrid and lush cajuput trees, and taking advantage of the surrounding embankment, he grows bananas. Mr. "Cha Cut" also researched and learned the model of growing bamboo shoots around the house to earn more income. In addition, his wife also opened a small grocery store to help the family earn money. Thanks to that, each year Mr. Cha's family has a source of income of hundreds of millions, and the economy is increasingly stable.

“The two banks of banana trees each year also bring in tens of millions of dong in income. Growing bananas does not waste anything, banana leaves and banana stems can all be sold. The family combines banana growing with farming, planting Melaleuca trees, etc. each year, they also have an income of about 300 million dong,” Mr. Cha Cut is happy with the results he has.

When talking about the achievements he has made to date, Mr. Cha Cut said: “My wife has suffered a lot.” However, the hardships the veteran with one leg has gone through and his efforts to improve his life are recognized and appreciated by everyone around him.

Ong cha cut chi con 1 chan van lao dong thu 300 trieu nam hinh anh 3 — Mr. Cha was awarded a Certificate of Merit for outstanding contributions.

Mr. Ho Minh Quyen, Head of the Veterans Association of Hamlet 10, Nguyen Phich Commune, when talking about Mr. Cha's efforts, could not hide his admiration for his efforts to improve his life.

“This land has been heavily contaminated with alum since ancient times, making it very difficult to cultivate. Later, in order to grow trees, Mr. Cha had to try very hard. Weeding and tilling the soil required diligence, so every day Mr. Cha had to weed and remove rubbish so that the garden could grow to what it is today. Mr. Cha also complied with all regulations and was enthusiastic in his activities in the Veterans Association,” said Mr. Quyen.

Mr. Nguyen Van Cha is now 62 years old, his war invalid salary also helps him and his wife ensure their life. However, the legless man always remembers Uncle Ho's teaching "labor is glorious" so every day he still goes to trim banana leaves, weed, harvest bamboo shoots, etc. With his efforts in economic development and active participation in local movements, Mr. Cha has been awarded many Certificates of Merit and Merit.

In 2022, Mr. Cha was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the People's Committee of Ca Mau province for outstanding contributions. Last July, he was honored to be one of four meritorious people of Ca Mau province selected to attend the 2024 National Conference to honor outstanding revolutionary contributors in Hanoi .