Ly Dong, Party Cell Secretary of Tra Canh B Hamlet, Thuan Hoa Commune, Can Tho (Photo: Thach Hong/ VOV correspondent in the Mekong Delta)

In the past, transportation was a problem for residents of Tra Canh B Hamlet in Thuan Hoa commune. The narrow dirt roads became muddy in the rainy season, making travel extremely difficult.

“At that time, there were no paved roads and no bridges across the canals. Whenever we wanted to reach the main road, we had to wade through mud, which was exhausting and time-consuming,” local resident Kim Tai Ngan said.

As Party cell Secretary, Dong went house to house to find solutions. He made transportation a priority and persuaded residents to donate land and contribute labor and money. He also sought State support to improve the local bridges and roads.

“Inconvenient transportation made local people’s livelihoods difficult. I encouraged them to work together to build new roads and bridges,” said Dong.

Dong took the lead in donating money and work and motivated many others to join him. 

“Now we can go to the market by motorbike instead of walking there on dirt roads. Traveling is much easier now. Dong got people to clear bushes along the roadside,” said a resident of Tra Canh B Hamlet.

Another added, “Children can get to school more easily. When we go to the fields, we can ride motorbikes to carry fertilizer, pesticides, and seeds more easily.”

Thanks to Ly Dong’s efforts, many concrete bridges and roads are built in Tra Canh B Hamlet (Photo: Thach Hong/ VOV correspondent in the Mekong Delta)

The first bridge was built in 2010 for just over 2,300 USD. Today Tra Canh B Hamlet has 20 large and small bridges and 5 roads running along canals. All of those projects were funded and organized by the hamlet’s Party cell, led by Secretary Dong, with investment totaling millions of dollars.

Dong has worked hard to support disadvantaged households. The family of Thach Thi Linh Da lived for many years in a temporary shack. In 2021, Dong helped them build a new, solid house equipped with basic amenities.

“I was overwhelmed with joy. When I saw the construction materials being delivered, I couldn’t hold back my tears. My family was poor, and I had no idea when we would be able to build a house like this,” Linh Da said.

Ly Dong visits Thach Thi Linh Da’s family. (Photo: Thach Hong/VOV correspondent in the Mekong Delta)

“Ly Dong has taken many creative approaches to mobilizing social resources, especially for building rural infrastructure. He rallied support for the construction of numerous bridges and other large-scale projects to improve transportation and drive local socio-economic development,” Tran Thuy Truc Thanh, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Thuan Hoa commune Party Committee, said.