Suoi Duc area undergoes transformation

As key transport routes such as Provincial Road 773, Huong Lo 10, and Ring Road 4 are opened and connected with surrounding regions, the land of Suoi Duc Hamlet (Xuan Que Commune, Dong Nai City) is rapidly changing its appearance.

Farmers in Suoi Duc Hamlet, Xuan Que Commune, are moving toward agricultural production model combined with eco-tourism.

For this reason, ethnic minority communities, including the Hoa, Tay and Nung ethnic peoples in the area, hope to seize development opportunities brought by Long Thanh International Airport and Song Nhan - Xuan Que Industrial Park to expand employment opportunities, increase income and improve their quality of life.

Making the area more accessible

Suoi Duc Hamlet covers a natural area of approximately 450 hectares and is home to 207 households, of which ethnic minority households such as Hoa, Tay and Nung account for more than 85%. Reputable community member Pham Van Hai (Hoa ethnic group, Suoi Duc Hamlet) said that during 1979-1980, Suoi Duc Hamlet had only a few dozen households, most of whom were ethnic minority people migrating from the provinces of Cao Bang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh. At that time, all exchanges with the outside world relied on footpaths and roads through rubber plantations, causing many difficulties. In return, the soil was highly suitable for many short-term crops such as corn, rice and beans, as well as industrial crops including cashew, rubber and coffee.

Because Suoi Duc Hamlet is more than 12 kilometers from the center of Xuan Que Commune, during the settlement process, to reduce the hardship of dusty roads in the dry season and muddy roads in the rainy season, ethnic minority residents, together with Kinh people, hamlet officials and commune authorities, contributed money and labor to asphalt and concrete many roads within the hamlet and residential groups, with a total value of tens of billions of dong.

Along with the implementation of the new-style rural development program, the advanced new-style rural development program, and the construction of major transport routes such as Provincial Road 773, Huong Lo 10 and Ring Road 4, especially when Long Thanh International Airport and the Song Nhan - Xuan Que Industrial Park project were launched, residents of Suoi Duc Hamlet made even greater efforts by contributing funds and donating land together with hamlet and commune authorities to asphalt and concrete 100% of the main roads in the hamlet, residential groups and concentrated residential areas. Medium and low voltage power lines now cover residential areas, farms and gardens.

Pham Van Hai shared that after many years of settlement, the lives of ethnic minority communities and local residents in Suoi Duc Hamlet have changed significantly. According to the new criteria, there are no poor households left, most residents live in solid houses, and affluent households account for more than 40% of the hamlet’s population. Older people continue agricultural production on farms and gardens, while young people can easily find jobs in enterprises. These achievements are the result of the efforts of each household, community solidarity, and support from officials and authorities at all levels for Suoi Duc Hamlet.

“Many young people in Suoi Duc Hamlet have secured jobs at companies and industrial parks with stable incomes. Those who remain in the locality to engage in agricultural production are dynamic, diligent and hardworking. Therefore, the older generation of farmers in Suoi Duc Hamlet has entrusted production activities, crop restructuring and production models to their children”.

Nguyen Van Lanh, Chairman of the Farmers’ Association Chapter of Suoi Duc Hamlet, Xuan Que Commune

Quick to seize opportunities

The key routes such as Provincial Road 773, Huong Lo 10 and Ring Road 4 have helped Suoi Duc Hamlet escape its former isolation as a remote area and become a more accessible and well-connected area. Seizing this opportunity, farmers in the hamlet have seriously discussed plans to effectively utilize their family land resources through agriculture combined with services and eco-tourism.

Farmer Tang Denh Hong (Group 3, Suoi Duc Hamlet) shared that he plans to renovate and reorganize his family’s 1.8-hectare of land. The two existing crops in the garden, including rambutan and durian, will remain the key products, while additional crops such as pomelo, orange, lemon, guava, mangosteen, jackfruit and pineapple will be planted to diversify production. When visitors come to tour the garden and enjoy its scenery, besides tasting fresh fruit, visitors can also have the opportunity to enjoy traditional local dishes, prepared and served by his family upon request.

Tang Denh Hong, a second-generation Hoa resident of Suoi Duc Hamlet, inherited the diligence and perseverance of the pioneering Hoa settlers. He has also shown great adaptability in restructuring crops and livestock and is recognized as an outstanding farmer of the hamlet and commune, earning a total income of more than VND500 million per year from 1.8 hectares.

Meanwhile, farmer Tinh Ngoc Sang (Hoa ethnic group, Group 2, Suoi Duc Hamlet), who owns 1.4 hectares of rambutan, said that Suoi Duc Hamlet is only 2.5 kilometers from Long Thanh International Airport and 10 kilometers from the Song Nhan - Xuan Que Industrial Park project. Once these projects become operational, they will create opportunities for employment and supporting services for Suoi Duc Hamlet if local residents know how to seize and capitalize on them. A favorable factor is that land ownership certificates have been granted, and local authorities encourage the development of agriculture combined with eco-tourism.

From the perspective of youth, Chau A Xung (Hoa ethnic group, Group 1, Suoi Duc Hamlet) expressed that opportunities for local employment in the coming years will be substantial, attracting skilled workers who left the locality to return and contribute. For young people preparing to enter the workforce, they should strive now to study, learn vocational skills, master information technology and foreign languages in order to secure well-paid jobs close to home with lower living costs when Xuan Que - Song Nhan Industrial Park and Long Thanh International Airport become operational.

The routes of Provincial Road 773, Huong Lo 10 and Ring Road 4 have brought Suoi Duc Hamlet out of its former isolation and transformed it into a more accessible locality. In addition, the rural transport system within residential groups and the hamlet has been paved with asphalt or concrete and connected to major roads, creating significant opportunities for employment and household economic development linked to the bustling activities of Long Thanh International Airport and Song Nhan - Xuan Que Industrial Park.

Pham Quoc Dung, Head of Suoi Duc Hamlet, Xuan Que Commune

Today, Suoi Duc Hamlet is filled with new vitality. The determination to seize opportunities and rise to prosperity is growing stronger among young people from ethnic minority communities in the area. Bui Van Tho, Secretary of the Hamlet Party Cell and Head of the Hamlet Front Work Committee, shared that he consistently emphasizes to all officials, Party members and residents the agricultural development goals outlined in the Resolution of the 1st Congress of the Party Committee of Xuan Que Commune for the 2025-2030 term. These goals focus on developing high-tech agriculture, clean agriculture, organic agriculture and ecological agriculture. In particular, agricultural production must ensure consumer health, increase product value, build value chains and strengthen cooperation among garden owners in developing eco-tourism.

By: Doan Phu - Translated by: Diec Quyen, Thu Ha