A new lease of life in the former revolutionary base area

Infrastructure in Cau Rat hamlet, Dong Tam commune, has been upgraded, creating better conditions for residents’ travel and economic development. Photo: Doan Phu

Memories of a time of hardship

Although Cau Rat was located only 6–7km from the former Binh Phuoc Province Administrative Center, in the past, all trade with the outside world depended on the laterite road DT741 (now DT753). It was dusty in the dry season and muddy in the rainy season, while the two old Cau Rat bridges (large and small) made travel extremely difficult. Most villagers traveled on foot, by bicycles carrying loads, or ox carts.

Tran Van Lam, a 78 year-old resident of Dong Tam commune’s Cau Rat hamlet, recalled that when his family and a group of migrants from Central Vietnam settled here in 1978, the area was sparsely populated. Apart from a small settlement, only a few dozen households lived scattered among fields and orchards.

“At that time, forests were still dense, especially toward the Ma Da bridge. Besides reclaiming land for farming, some people depended on the forest for survival such as hunting, logging, collecting rattan and bamboo, or making charcoal,” Lam shared.

“Living off the forest brings tears to the eyes” was a common saying among those who once made their living from logging, hunting, or clearing land for cultivation in Cau Rat hamlet. Malaria and forest dangers claimed lives, left others disabled, or sapped their strength after long days in the jungle, before forest exploitation was eventually banned.

By 1994, when Tan Phuoc commune was established, Cau Rat had about 178 households. The old DT741 laterite road was periodically maintained by local authorities but remained rough “dusty in the dry season, muddy in the rainy season”. Lacking modern transport, villagers, mainly Kinh and ethnic minorities such as Tay, Nung, and Khmer, still traveled in small groups on foot, carrying baskets or using bicycles and ox carts to bring farm produce and poultry to exchange for essentials like fish sauce, salt, sugar, or medicine. In remote farms where transportation was unavailable or difficult, those who fell seriously ill or women in labor were often carried by family members or neighbors, either on bicycles or in hammocks, to reach emergency care or give birth.

Model farmer Pham Minh Tan (Center) in Group 2, Cau Rat hamlet, Dong Tam commune, earns over VND 800 million annually from 1ha of rubber trees and fish ponds. Photo: Doan Phu

Tran Manh Cuong, Head of Dong Tam commune’s Cau Rat hamlet, explained: “Before the new two-tier local government model, Cau Rat was the central hamlet of old Tan Phuoc commune. That’s why key infrastructure projects - roads, power lines, clinics, schools, and the memorial stele for fallen heroes - were concentrated here. Currently, Cau Rat is also benefiting from four national- and provincial-level projects under construction, including the Rat stream flood drainage project, the Dong Tien–Tan Phu bypass road, the expansion of DT753, and the Gia Nghia–Chon Thanh expressway.”

“In 2024, Tan Phuoc commune was recognized as meeting advanced new-style rural standards, with Cau Rat as the central hamlet. We mobilized nearly VND 2 billion from residents to match state budget funds, enabling us to achieve 100% paved roads, stable electricity for households and production, cultural facilities, and a clean, green, beautiful landscape,” Cuong stressed.

“In the 1990s, when I first came to settle here, I always worked hard to overcome difficulties for a better life. What makes me happiest is that the government has consistently cared for residents and invested in building up Cau Rat over time.”

PHAM MINH TAN (group 2, Cau Rat hamlet, Dong Tam commune)

 

Cau Rat hamlet now has 396 households with nearly 1,500 people, and about 165 hectares of farmland. There are no poor households left; 100% of families live in decent houses, and over 30% are classified as well-off or higher. Income mainly comes from farming, service, and factory work by younger residents. As of late 2024, per capita income had reached VND 85 million.

Vu Xuan Roanh, Party cell Secretary of Cau Rat hamlet, who settled here in 1996, has witnessed the transformation first-hand: “From once being the poorest part of old Dong Xoai commune, Cau Rat has become the leading hamlet in movements on building new-style rural areas in former Dong Phu district’s Tan Phuoc commune. With the commune and province now merged, and national key projects passing through the area, I am confident Cau Rat hamlet will continue to grow stronger.”

As we left Cau Rat at the end of August 2025, many major projects were being accelerated to meet deadlines, ready to contribute to the economic growth of both the region and Dong Nai Province. We, like all the residents of Cau Rat hamlet (once a revolutionary base of the Military Region 7 forces), are filled with joy and expectation that Cau Rat hamlet will grow stronger, when the country as a whole and Dong Nai in particular are implementing the two-tier local government model to better serve the people.

By: Doan Phu

Translated by: M.Nguyet-Thu Ha