Part 2: The journey from settlement to establishing a career

Overcoming early anxieties in their new surroundings, numerous households have steadily settled down and established thriving livelihoods. As daily living stabilizes, villagers work with peace of mind to develop production, fostering active local role models who contribute to building increasingly prosperous hamlets along the nation’s frontier.

Sowing trust, cultivating active role models

Recounting the ongoing transformations in the borderland of Mường Nhé, teacher Phạm Văn Khiêm, Vice Principal of Mường Nhé Primary Ethnic Boarding School, repeatedly highlights the special case of Giàng A Vả in Si Ma village, Mường Nhé commune. Through patience and genuine care, the Party’s guidelines transformed Giàng A Vả from a young man who was once skeptical into an active grassroots-level role model.

Teacher Khiêm recalled that in 2007, Giàng A Vả and his family relocated from the former Sìn Hồ district in Lai Châu province to settle in Si Ma village. During the initial period, Giàng A Vả harbored doubts and reservations regarding demographic stabilization policies under Project 79.

To reassure residents and build trust in Party and State directives, local Party committees, administrations, and grassroots-level functional forces persistently explained the policies, helping Giàng A Vả’s family recognize the significance of demographic stabilization so they could commit to their new home and focus on economic development. Moving from hesitation to full support, Giàng A Vả evolved into an active figure whom local villagers look to and emulate.

At the outset, Giàng A Vả took the initiative to borrow VND 170 million to purchase 12ha of land for crop cultivation. Following the motto of using short-term returns to sustain long-term investments, he initially cultivated corn, cassava, and black cardamom to accumulate capital. In 2019, he transitioned to growing lemongrass and distilling essential oils, generating an annual income between VND 200 million and VND 300 million.

A major breakthrough occurred in 2021, when Giàng A Vả converted 8ha of steep, low-yield slopes into cinnamon groves. After years of careful tending, the cinnamon hills yielded their first significant returns. In June 2026, he sold 2ha of young cinnamon, earning VND 700 million. With this capital in hand, he planted an additional 4ha of coffee.

Reflecting on his efforts, Giàng A Vả shared that in economic development, one must lead the way in following provincial and communal resolutions so that fellow villagers see tangible results and believe. Maintaining both cinnamon and coffee secures stable earnings and guards against crop failures or price slumps.

Though he initially lacked a full grasp of local policies, patient persuasion by the Party committee, administration, and the Việt Nam Fatherland Front Committee of Mường Nhé commune brought a fundamental shift in Giàng A Vả’s perspective, turning him into an influential figure who spreads new thinking throughout the community.

Phạm Thị Hà, Chairwoman of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front Committee of Mường Nhé commune, affirmed that Giàng A Vả is an active role model who listens attentively and adheres well to local guidelines. Although his family faces lingering historical obstacles regarding population and family planning policies, his ideological progress and community contributions are unmistakable, providing a practical foundation for the local Party committee to guide and support an outstanding mass prospect in overcoming shortcomings. Under this mentorship, Giàng A Vả expressed his aspiration to join the ranks of the Party.

Giàng A Vả expressed that past misconceptions made life arduous, but through cadres’ instructions, he came to understand the right path. He intends to use practical actions, demonstrated by his cinnamon and coffee hills, to prove his commitment to the Party and show himself worthy of the organization’s guidance.

Such shifts in awareness and confidence allow figures like Giàng A Vả to be nurtured and tested into foundational nuclei for building strong grassroots-level Party organizations across border villages.

Striking firm roots in a new homeland

Project 79 has progressively established the prerequisites for compatriots to stabilize their lives, secure residential plots and farmland, and alter farming habits by abandoning nomadic shifting cultivation. For residents of Mường Nhé 1 village, the journey of striking roots in their new home began with these very foundations. During the early days of resettlement, many families were accustomed to slash-and-burn farming, shifting to new areas whenever the soil grew exhausted.

Sồng A Hờ, a resident of Mường Nhé 1 village, recalled that upon first arriving, villagers felt disoriented; despite having houses and residential land, they did not know how to secure a livelihood, prompting many to contemplate migrating again or clearing forests to survive. Guided and cared for by cadres, villagers abandoned those intentions and resolved to develop their household economies on this land.

To help residents remain and thrive in their new surroundings, Party committees and authorities persistently stayed close to the village, visiting each household to mobilize support and provide production guidance. Granting stable agricultural land provided residents with productive means and the confidence to invest for the long haul.

While livelihoods previously depended on erratic upland corn and cassava crops, Mường Nhé 1 village has established an organized production zone with over 40ha of coffee, more than 270ha of rubber, 5ha of fruit trees, and various livestock models.

Arriving at the resettlement area as a poor household, Hạng A Páo’s family borrowed capital to grow coffee alongside cattle husbandry. Today, his household earns approximately VND 180 million annually. Hạng A Páo shared that with stable land and cadre guidance, he no longer needs to migrate, focusing entirely on building prosperity and schooling his children.

Vàng A Chua, Head of Mường Nhé 1 village, shared that villagers previously favored spontaneous migration elsewhere, but with homes, farmland, and essential infrastructure guaranteed, everyone has abandoned that mindset. Having lived here for years, residents view the village as their second homeland, joining hands to develop it. From a 100% poverty rate, the combined poor and near-poor rate has declined to around 50%. Project 79 provided stable habitations and productive land, enabling people to labor with peace of mind and form long-term attachments to their new home.

Composed of households resettled under Project 79, Cà Là Pá 1 village in Sín Thầu commune has formed a stable community of 85 households with over 450 residents. Following demographic reorganization, villagers were guaranteed housing and farmland; infrastructure was refined with investments in the power grid, school points, and paved intra-village roads. Currently, each household holds an average of 1ha to 2ha of production land. Villagers primarily cultivate rice and cassava, with the entire village maintaining roughly 10ha of upland rice, 18ha of cassava, 2ha of corn, and 18ha of wet rice. This year, several households began piloting coffee cultivation, unlocking new livelihood avenues.

Hạ A Dua, Secretary of the Cà Là Pá 1 village Party Cell, shared that with residential plots, farmland, electricity, schools, and concreted village lanes in place, residents feel fully reassured. The Party cell regularly conducts outreach to mobilize the people to unite in production, protect the village, and reject spontaneous migration. Villagers recognize that having relocated here, they must stabilize their lives and work diligently to secure a brighter future.

From initial relocation to lasting attachment, and from a resettlement site to a true homeland, these transformations establish the foundation for border residents to stay firmly rooted, safeguard their land and forests, and defend the nation’s westernmost frontier.