(VOVworld) – People in northern Ha Giang province consider arable land as valuable as gold because most of the local terrain is rocky. Ly Sin Sinh, who is of Mong ethnicity, has donated 300 square meters of his land to build a school for local children. He has also been a pioneer in poverty reduction in Sin Cai commune, Meo Vac district. Lan Anh reports:

Sinh has been chief of Sin Cai commune for more than 20 years. Sinh says he is happy to see the local people’s living standard has improved in recent years: “I was elected chief of the commune in 1993. Since then, people’s living conditions have improved significantly. Local people mainly raise cattle and make alcohol and no one goes hungry any more.”

The soil and climate in Ha Giang are suitable for growing maize. Sinh was the pioneer in growing two crops of maize a year along with rice. He said: “I had to take the lead for others to follow. I pioneered in making terraced rice fields. We grow one crop of rice a year, which is planted in June and is harvested by Tet.”

Each household raises 1 or 2 cows. Previously they had to go far away to find enough grass for the animals but now Sinh has taught them how to grow elephant grass. Sinh told us: “I grew 3 hectares of grass with state financial support. Others have followed suit and they now have enough grass for their cows.”

Sinh has also encouraged others to grow vegetables and raise ducks and chickens. He often sells rice to poor families in the commune at a price lower than in the market: “There are 13 members in my family and each year we can set aside 1-2 tonnes of rice. We only sell our rice to poor families at low prices as a way to support them.”

Sinh’s dedication to his work and enthusiasm in social activities have won him the support of local people and authorities. Nguyen Van Vang is Chairman of Sin Cai commune: “Sinh was the first person in the commune to pilot new seedling and animal breed programs. He acquires new knowledge very quickly.”

As the local economy has improved, Sinh is now concerned with the children’s education. Upon hearing that a French organization had donated 3,000 USD to build two fully-equipped classrooms, he decided to give 300 square meters of his land to build a school: “These classrooms will be used for a long time. I will encourage other people to join me in maintaining them.”

People like Sinh are changing the face of rural Vietnam.