Trapped in a poverty loop

Located about 10km from the center of Búng Lao commune, Hua Chăn village is home to more than 400 people. Before becoming part of Búng Lao, Hua Chăn belonged to Chiềng Đông commune, under the former Tuần Giáo district. For generations, villagers have depended mainly on upland rice cultivation, short-term food crops, and backyard livestock. The village has no access to electricity, and none of the households has income from jobs elsewhere or any kind of business. Of the 77 households, 76 are classified as poor, a staggering 98.7%.

With no electricity and only recently improved road access, life in Hua Chăn remains marked by deprivation. Around 20 families still live in deteriorating wooden houses. During the rainy season, landslides frequently block the road connecting the village to the commune center, making it even harder to travel or transport essential goods.

Vừ A Của, Head of Hua Chăn village, shared: “Most of us here grow upland rice. In good years, we have just enough to eat. But if the weather turns bad, we face hunger. Some households considered moving away to find work, but the distance and lack of childcare made them give up. Many houses are dilapidated, leaking in the rain, and freezing during winter. We hope the authorities will pay more attention and provide support to help us improve our living conditions.”

The poverty in Hua Chăn seems like an unbreakable cycle. The community still practices subsistence farming, with no structured economic models or clear development direction. Not long ago, Hua Chăn received support to plant macadamia and coffee on about 20 hectares. However, as Vừ A Của pointed out, for the model to be effective, villagers need more access to training, technical guidance, market linkages, and most importantly, time for the crops to grow and bear fruit.

Some households have expressed interest in shifting production methods or developing household economies, but most remain hesitant due to lack of knowledge, funding, and confidence in the potential for change. The village’s remote location, poor road access, and lack of production support services make the road out of poverty even steeper.

Building sustainable livelihoods

Faced with the ongoing struggles of Hua Chăn, after the two-tier local administration system was activated, leaders of Búng Lao commune sent a working group to the village to directly assess living conditions and gather feedback from the residents. At the same time, a comprehensive review of the current production practices, living conditions, and exploitable local potentials was conducted to form the basis for suitable support plans.

Nguyễn Trung Chính, Vice Chairman of Búng Lao commune People’s Committee, stated: “After our field trip, we identified Hua Chăn as one of the most impoverished villages that requires both policy attention and practical solutions. In the short term, we are encouraging villagers to make use of local resources and shift to more suitable crop and livestock structures. In the longer run, we’ve tasked specialized agencies with assessing the situation in detail to develop realistic support models, prioritizing small-scale livestock like poultry, which match the village’s customs and terrain.”

Chính emphasized that given the limited resources, support must be targeted, practical, and effective, avoiding a scattergun approach. One key goal is to integrate national target programs on sustainable poverty reduction and new rural development. This includes mobilizing participation from local organizations, enterprises, and even military and police units stationed in the area. This approach aims to maximize all available resources to help the people of Hua Chăn lift themselves out of poverty.

Driven by the real needs of the villagers, Búng Lao authorities are actively reviewing and proposing livelihood models tailored to the actual conditions of each household. At a recent meeting with local leaders, Vừ A Của expressed a hope that the government would help identify suitable crops for the local climate, or animal breeds that are easy to raise and disease-resistant. As for the deteriorating homes, he hoped that housing support would be considered soon so that villagers could achieve a more stable life.

Solving the poverty puzzle in Hua Chăn won’t happen overnight. The key lies in changing mindsets, a shift in thinking and the will to rise from within the community. Only when people stop accepting poverty, dare to think differently, act differently, and move from a passive mindset to seizing opportunities, can external support truly be effective. And in that journey, grassroots authorities must play a central role. When the government is close to the people, understands them, and works for them, and when people begin to believe in change, even the most impoverished villages like Hua Chăn can gradually transform.