Ha Quang district: The changing highlands

Ha Quang District is some 43 kilometres from Cao Bang Town along provincial road 203. There are no longer the muddy roads, miserable houses and dirty children’s faces that were here some 10 years ago. Xuan Hoa Town is putting on a new appearance with spacious shops and the images of beautiful mountain girls. Luc Khu also has left behind the withered maize terrace-fields, cassava plots and dry faces from water shortage, there is now the fragrance of flowers instead to welcome tourists to visit Pac Po, witness to the radical changes of the mountainous area.

 

Ha Quang is a mountainous border district with a natural area of 45,306 square kilometres, including 19 communes and towns (9 border communes with a 61.5 kilometres border with China), and a population of 45,000 people. Formerly, Ha Quang was a difficult place, facing poverty and hunger. Thanks to the attention of industries and the efforts of local people, Ha Quang has risen to alleviate poverty and create a new appearance. Anyone returning after a long absence can easily see the rapid socio-economic changes in the district. Ten years ago, 70 out of 100 households in Ha Quang were living in poverty and hunger, but in 2005 there were only 14 poor households and no hungry households. The infrastructure system has also been improved: by 2007, 18 out of 19 communes have car roads to the communal centres; 18 out of 19 communes have access to the electricity network with 71 per cent of households here using electricity from the national power grid; and all 38 schools here have been solidified. Mr Duong Duc Toan, former Chairman of Ha Quang’s People’s Committee confided, “Ha Quang today is much different than when I worked in the district previously.” Mr Be Van De in the mountainous Thuong Thon Commune said, “Formerly, local people in Luc Khu District Commune faced water shortages all year round, but now all households have water containers, and they no longer have to travel some 5-7 kilometres to bring water for household use. They feel confident of the future here.”

Teacher Mac Van Nheo, Director of the Cao Bang Department of Education and Training noted, “In the 12 poor communes in Luc Khu, one out of three residents goes to school.” This is significant, suggesting that even under difficult circumstances, Ha Quang people still strive for a better life by sending their children to schools.

 

Sharing this with Mr Trieu Dinh Le, Chairman of the district’s people’s committee, he said the progress is real and easy to see, but Ha Quang is still facing a lot of difficulties, such as slow transformation of the economic structure, 13 communes are still poor and education levels in some communes are still limited. He added that the district is introducing measures to exploit available potential and strengths to push the district forward.

 

In addition to measures on intensive cultivation, multi-cropping, and using new varieties in food production, the district has also built specialised areas, such as the tobacco-growing area in lowland communes, and summer-autumn peanut-growing area in highland communes. Ha Quang has also focused on raising cattle in attachment with developing elephant grass (in 2007, the district has more than 11,000 cows). Chairman Trieu Dinh Le affirmed, “With the initial results, we believe that the model of two plants and one animal (tobacco, peanut and cattle) will revitalize the district’s agriculture sector.” Moreover, the district has also planned 14,000 hectares of forests to provide materials for processing plants in the future.

 

The district has actively coordinated with the provincial authorities to speed up investment in projects such as Pac Po historical heritage area which has been approved by Prime Minister, at the same time focusing on preserving the beautiful cultural features of the locality (the land of Then music), and developing other services such as selling souvenirs, to diversify tourism. The district will exploit the advantages of Soc Giang border gate and services, to turn Soc Giang into the commercial centre of the district and the province, and offer tours from Pac Po to Soc Giang border gate. Besides, Ha Quang will continue improving human resource training quality, raising the effectiveness of the political system, and enhancing national defence and security, to maintain political stability and ensure social order for the sake of sustainable development.