Part 3: Predecessors guiding footsteps of successors

From being guided...

While early morning mist still shrouds the road into Nậm Là village, Mường Nhé commune, Party member Sùng A Hua and youth union member Thào A Hù set out together. Their destination is an impoverished household lacking working hands in the village. Starting with everyday chores, Hua and Hù set about repairing household utensils and helping the family conclude tasks left unfinished the previous day.

Such undertakings have become second nature to Hua. To Hù, every visit alongside the young Party member to a local household offers a lesson in remaining close to the people, understanding their needs, and sharing their hardships. Thào A Hù is an outstanding youth union member currently monitored and nurtured by the Nậm Là Village Party Cell to strive toward Party membership, under the direct mentorship of Sùng A Hua.

Prior to his admission into the Party, Hua was guided by an earlier predecessor: Party member Thào A Di, an influential and prestigious figure in Nậm Là village. At that time, Di did not preach lofty theories. He instructed Hua through practical actions: visiting individual households, joining collective village chores, mobilizing villagers, and upholding exemplary conduct across every deed. Those lessons accompanied Hua throughout his striving process. From an active youth, he was steadily nurtured and admitted into the Party by the branch.

Upon taking his Party oath, Hua received the assignment to mentor other outstanding youth union members, among whom was Thào A Hù. Emulating Thào A Di’s methodology, Hua did not commence with grand lectures or heavy demands. Instead, he drew Hù into village affairs. Through each concrete task, he reminded Hù to listen attentively, match words with deeds, and take initiative in assuming responsibility.

Sùng A Hua shared that for Hù to strive effectively, one must first entrust him with suitable responsibilities. Through actual work, one discovers whether a recommended union member is responsible, enthusiastic, and approachable to fellow villagers. He noted that having received dedicated guidance from senior predecessors in earlier days, he now extends the identical support to Hù.

To Thào A Hù, every trip to the grassroots level with Hua represents personal tempering. In the village, a young person’s prestige is earned through personal conduct and deeds performed for the community. Thào A Hù shared that Hua regularly guides him through minor tasks, reminding him to stay close to villagers and execute assigned work thoroughly. He expressed his desire to grow more mature, perform meaningful tasks for the village, and strive for admission into the ranks of the Party.

From Thào A Di to Sùng A Hua, and onward from Hua to Thào A Hù, a continuous chain of succession is taking shape. Predecessors pass down experience, while successors accept duties, discipline themselves, and achieve maturity step by step. Consequently, Party building originates from grounded routines in grassroots-level life.

Yet to forge such linkages as witnessed in Nậm Là, grassroots-level Party committees must start by identifying the right individuals and patiently creating environments for them to grow. In Mường Nhé commune, this approach receives focused attention from the commune Party Committee. Over the first eight months of 2026, the commune admitted 51 new Party members, surpassing the provincial target.

Tạ Văn Sơn, Secretary of the Mường Nhé Commune Party Committee, affirmed that cultivating candidate pools must begin at the grassroots level among union members, youth, and active mass elements in local campaigns. Upon discovering promising individuals, the branch must assign tasks, designate Party members to provide mentorship, and track their striving process. Through practical fieldwork, those who mature will replenish the ranks of on-site cadres and Party members.

As demonstrated in Nậm Là, an individual once mentored can become a guide to others. That continuity starts with Party committees recognizing prospective figures in everyday routines and extending opportunities for them to mature.

...to becoming pathfinders

In Huổi Thanh 1 village, Nậm Kè commune, the tradition of predecessors guiding successors unfolds through another medium. Party Cell Secretary Đặng Văn Néng devotes substantial time to monitoring and mentoring young Party member Phùng Nải Kinh, born in 2002. The initial assignment entrusted to Kinh by the branch was serving as a member of the village security and order team.

Grasping local developments, maintaining public order, and mobilizing citizens to observe legal regulations are tasks Phùng Nải Kinh carries out regularly, leading him directly to each household. Through these duties, he gains deeper insight into village affairs and understands how to make public undertakings effective.

Yet to Party Cell Secretary Đặng Văn Néng, delegating work is not meant for young members to conclude and halt their efforts. Kinh was continuously encouraged to engage in mass movements and rally youth to establish green, clean, and beautiful village landscapes. From environmental sanitation and lane renovations to community activities, Kinh progressively grew into an active core figure within the youth movement.

In Huổi Thanh 1, these assignments are tied to the objective of building the village into a community-based tourism destination. Preserving landscapes, protecting the environment, forging clean public spaces, and mobilizing community participation require regular upkeep. In that ongoing effort, young Party members like Phùng Nải Kinh serve as nuclei to rally collective strength.

Đặng Văn Néng, Secretary of the Huổi Thanh 1 Village Party Cell, noted that helping mass prospects mature requires assigning duties for practical seasoning and testing. Through each task, the branch observes and evaluates, providing instructions where weaknesses remain. Once a task is accomplished well, more demanding assignments are introduced to sustain personal development.

To Kinh, each assigned responsibility provides an occasion for self-reflection. Phùng Nải Kinh shared that receiving branch duties deepened his sense of responsibility. Interacting with fellow villagers demands exemplary conduct, speaking clearly so people understand, and leading by personal example. He expressed his desire to unite village youth in collective affairs to make their hamlet increasingly clean and prosperous.

From a village security team member to an organizer capable of rallying youth, Kinh has matured through concrete village assignments.

This reality highlights that behind every newly admitted mass prospect lies an extensive trajectory of observation, task assignment, seasoning, and mentorship. Throughout that journey, the roles of the branch head and assigned mentors carry special significance. The branch secretary stays close to the grassroots level, thoroughly understanding individual circumstances and backgrounds. From grassroots-level campaigns and local duties, they must identify active, responsible, and respected individuals to cultivate prospective pools proactively. For assigned mentors, accompanying candidates extends beyond guiding them through formal documentation and administrative prerequisites; more critically, it entails laboring alongside them, leading by example, offering encouragement, and providing real-world testing grounds.

Across ethnic minority areas, this principle rings even clearer. Villagers evaluate cadres and Party members through their tangible deeds, demeanor, and operational effectiveness. Therefore, for mass prospects to place faith in the organization and strive for Party admission, Party members must build prestige through concrete actions. Developing Party members cannot be rushed. A prospective candidate must undergo seasoning, demonstrate correct striving motives, and withstand trials in actual work. Joining the Party is an honor, yet first and foremost an obligation of exemplary conduct before the people.

Bùi Xuân Trường, Deputy Head of the provincial Party Committee’s Organization Commission, affirmed that branch secretaries must stay close to the grassroots level, grasp local realities, and understand prospective candidates to discover positive elements and build pools proactively. Assigned Party members must remain approachable, set personal examples, accompany, encourage, and assign tasks for mass candidates to season themselves through practice. When branches remain grounded, Party members lead by example, and candidates receive real assignments, candidate cultivation becomes substantive.

Realities in Nậm Là and Huổi Thanh 1 clearly demonstrate this principle. Sùng A Hua was once guided by Thào A Di; having matured, Hua now mentors Thào A Hù. Phùng Nải Kinh, starting as a young member, continues to receive tasks and seasoning from Secretary Đặng Văn Néng to become a leading core in village activities. This embodies an unbroken cycle of succession.

According to data from the provincial Party Committee’s Organization Commission, during the first six months of 2026, the entire province admitted 1,184 Party members, of whom 920 were ethnic minorities, accounting for 77.7%; approximately 74% of newly admitted ethnic minority members were under 35 years of age. These figures demonstrate that youth constitute a vital recruitment source across ethnic minority areas. Yet behind each statistic lies an extensive journey of discovery, trust, assignment, and maturation.

An instance of assisting an impoverished household, an afternoon joining youth to clear village paths, an outreach visit to residents, or a task pursued through to completion - through these modest deeds, credibility is earned and experience accumulated. Eventually, the mentored individual becomes the mentor. That cycle presses forward continuously: predecessors hand down experience, successors absorb and mature, and in turn step forward as fresh pathfinders for the village.

That is how prospective seeds are cultivated and tempered at the grassroots level, steadily evolving into successor nuclei that fortify strong Party organizations across highland villages.