Standing in front of her spacious new home in Pá Vạt 1 village, Lò Thị Pọm has still not forgotten the rainy night in late July 2025.

“It rained very heavily back then. Rocks, soil, and water rushed down incredibly fast from both the front and back of the house. We only had enough time to grab a few clothes and run to higher ground. Watching our home get swept away while being completely helpless was deeply heartbreaking,” Lò Thị Pọm choked back tears as she recalled, her eyes still clouded with sadness.

The prolonged downpour turned the Mã River muddy brown as it swelled and swept away everything in its path. Heavy rain triggered landslides, flash floods, and torrents, burying hundreds of hectares of rice and crops. Many roads were cut off. Around 300 meters of National Highway 12 passing through the area had its roadbed washed away and its negative slope eroded, causing localized traffic disruptions. The only ways to reach the villages were by motorbike or on foot.

Dozens of irrigation works, community houses, and school sites were damaged. Across the commune, over 150 households suffered housing damage. In the days that followed in Mường Luân, the sounds of cranes, excavators, material trucks, and the footsteps of rescue forces hardly ever ceased. Residents were evacuated from dangerous zones. Relief rice and essential supplies were delivered to each village. Many families who lost their homes were arranged temporary accommodation while waiting to rebuild their nests.

Nearly a year has passed, and the marks of the disaster have gradually receded. Lò Thị Pọm’s new stilt house was rebuilt on the old foundation, surrounded by a solid embankment system completed just before this year’s rainy season. Inside the small grocery stall on her front porch, the chatter of customers mingled with the laughter of children playing, making the atmosphere lively. Aside from trading and doing business, her family also raises livestock and poultry to increase their income.

With a gentle smile, Lò Thị Pọm said: “Difficulties still remain, but life is much more stable now. Thanks to the care of the party committees and local authorities at all levels, along with the help of the villagers, my family has step-by-step stabilized our lives. Having a home and work gives us more motivation to keep striving.”

Not only are homes being rebuilt, but across the hillsides and fields, the people of Mường Luân are also gradually restoring their livelihoods and seeking sustainable economic development paths. In Mường Luân 2 village, Lò Văn Dũng is harvesting lục trúc (Bambusa beecheyana) bamboo shoots that have just reached maturity. Behind him stretches a lush green garden of over 2,000 m². Few would know that just a few years ago, Lò Văn Dũng’s family was still classified as a poor household.

Refusing to passively rely on assistance, Lò Văn Dũng spent time researching production models suitable for local conditions. The first lục trúc bamboo blocks were brought in for trial planting. From just a few dozen initial plants, the garden expanded day by day.

Lò Văn Dũng shared: “After the losses caused by natural disasters, I deeply realize that to stabilize our lives, we must actively rise up through production. The lục trúc bamboo plant fits the soil here well, is easy to care for, and has a stable market. Having an income source gives me greater peace of mind to support my children’s education and continue investing in economic development.” That garden helps his family earn between VND 100 million and 120 million annually.

Driven by the efficient production models of local residents, Mường Luân’s economic landscape is undergoing many positive transformations. Despite facing numerous difficulties from the impacts of rains and floods, the locality has maintained its development pace, especially in agriculture. Up to now, the total cultivated area of the entire commune has reached over 2,057 ha, with a food production output exceeding 7,800 tons. Livestock farming continues to develop stably, becoming an important income source for many households. On the hillsides where corn and cassava were once primarily grown, residents are placing their hopes on coffee trees - identified as the locality’s new development direction.

In 2026, the commune organized seed nursing to serve the planting of around 450 ha of coffee, striving to exceed 2,000 ha by 2030. Various commodity production models such as chili, potatoes, and other high-economic-value crops are step-by-step expanding. These new directions contribute to raising incomes for residents and building a foundation for Mường Luân’s sustainable development in the coming years.

In parallel with production development, social security work has been deployed in a timely and efficient manner. Sourced from the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction, the commune supported the repair and construction of hundreds of new homes for poor households. The poverty rate currently stands at 26.71%, down 4% compared to the same period last year. Social allowance regimes, pre-harvest hunger relief rice support, care for people with meritorious services, and support for children in difficult circumstances have been fully executed. In new-style rural area building, the locality currently meets 16 out of 19 criteria. Rural infrastructure is step-by-step being finalized, making the appearance of villages increasingly spacious, clean, and beautiful.

Vũ Ngọc Hoành, Secretary of the Mường Luân commune Party Committee, stated: “After the hardships we went through, the most encouraging thing is that residents have stabilized their lives, feel secure in labor and production, and continue to rise up economically. In the coming time, the local party committee and authority will continue to accompany the people, focusing on effectively exploiting local potentials and strengths. We will pay special attention to developing coffee trees and appropriate production models, step-by-step raising incomes and improving living standards for the people.”

In the late afternoon, the final sunlight of the day bathes the surface of the Mã River in gold. Along National Highway 12, traffic continues to pass steadily. New roofs glimpse behind rows of trees. In the courtyard of the village cultural house, children chirp happily as they play. In the distance, voices calling out to pack up farming tools echo from the fields at the end of the harvest season.

The Mã River still flows silently through Mường Luân as it has for generations. That river once carried the losses of natural disasters, but today it reflects villages that are reviving. After days of hardship, a new rhythm of life has returned to this land, simple yet resilient, just like the people themselves.