People offering ceremonial tributes at Phao Thanh village communal house
Be proud of the revolutionary countryside
In the early days of 2025, visiting the Safe Zone (ATK) of Thanh Ninh, we clearly sensed that this revolutionary homeland has been transformed with a new appearance featuring clean and beautiful village roads and alleys, lined with bright red-tiled houses on both sides. The new rural winds have brought many changes to this countryside while preserving the peaceful and ancient characteristics of its historical architecture.
We stopped at Phao Thanh village communal house, a place that witnessed numerous historical events during the resistance war against French colonialism. The communal house, which had previously collapsed, has now been restored with billions of VND contributed by local villagers. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Kha, Deputy Head of Phao Thanh village communal house management board, said: The communal house is not only a place for cultural and spiritual activities but also preserves the cultural heritage of the past such as traditional lifestyles, customs and practices... for the village.
In the past, Thanh Ninh Commune was called Phao Thanh, part of Phao Thanh canton, Tu Nong district, Phu Binh prefecture. The History of Thanh Ninh Commune Party Committee (1946-2010) clearly states: During the struggle against French invasion, Phao Thanh communal house was a base for De Tham's rebel forces. In 1884, Hoang Hoa Tham raised the flag of rebellion and established a base in Yen The (Bac Giang province) and Phao Thanh commune became one of the areas where the rebel forces operated. In 1937, the communal house was a meeting place and gathering point for forces that broke into rice warehouses to distribute food to the people. During the August Revolution mobilization period (1939-1945), Thanh Ninh Commune, along with several other localities, was selected by the Party Central Committee and the Northern Regional Committee as ATK II. In 1943, comrade Ngo The Son, a member of the Northern Regional Committee and Head of the Party Working Committee of ATK II, came here to operate and direct the revolutionary movement in what are now Thanh Ninh and Luong Phu communes.
During the August Revolution, the communal house served as a secret meeting place for Viet Minh Front officials and as a starting point for the insurrection to seize power. It was also where village men were sent off to join the army and where main force units were stationed. In 1948, Phao Thanh communal house hosted troops and organized the conference to announce the establishment of the Le Binh Militia Training School. Also in 1948, the printing agency of the Viet Bac Region set up warehouses and printing workshops to publish Viet Bac Army newspaper and print leaflets and propaganda posters, with the warehouse and workshop located at Phao Thanh pagoda near the communal house. In 1949, Phao Thanh communal house and pagoda became a place to care for wounded and sick soldiers from within and outside the province.
During the resistance wars against French colonialism and American imperialism, the officials and people of Thanh Ninh made significant contributions to the revolution. Not only contributing materially, local people also actively participated with manpower for the battlefield, with 205 young people joining the army, 1,606 people volunteering as frontline laborers, actively building fence systems, communication trenches, minefields, various secret tunnels and shelters... Thanh Ninh Commune was honored with the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces during the French resistance period; recognized as a safe zone of the resistance; and awarded the Second-Class Feat of Arms Medal for national defense and Fatherland protection,...
Thanh Ninh is transforming day by day
Steady progress on the path of renewal
Promoting the revolutionary tradition, once a monoculture rice-growing commune, Thanh Ninh has progressively restructured its economy, focusing on developing service industries and boldly adopting new agricultural models such as winter corn, chili and cucumber cultivation while expanding areas for vegetables and fruit trees. By 2023, the average per capita income in the commune reached VND 66.7 million per year, with the poverty rate dropping to 2.2%. In 2015, Thanh Ninh was recognized as meeting the new rural (NR) standards; by 2023, it achieved advanced NR status; and in 2024, it became one of only two communes in Phu Binh to fulfill all criteria for the smart commune model.
During its journey towards advanced NR standards, Thanh Ninh Commune has undergone significant changes, with residents being the primary beneficiaries who feel these improvements most deeply. Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh from Van Dinh hamlet, Thanh Ninh Commune, shared: "We encourage each other to voluntarily donate land and labor to renovate cultural houses, clean the environment, plant trees and work together for NR development...
In economic development, Thanh Ninh Commune has implemented many effective models, such as: Single-variety field models, producing high-quality rice varieties according to VietGAP standards; production and consumption model for Ngoc Lam sticky rice in Hoa Binh 2 hamlet; fields combining water celery cultivation with fish farming in Phu Thanh 2 hamlet... The commune has established 5 cooperatives, creating jobs for hundreds of regular and seasonal workers, with labor income ranging from VND 3 to VND 7 million/ month.
To date, schools and health stations in the commune all meet national standards, 100% of hamlets have spacious, well-appointed cultural houses and 100% of inter-commune roads and over 90% of hamlet roads have been concreted and widened with matching funds and the donation of nearly 30,000 square meters of land from households. The commune currently has over 300 business households that have contributed to increasing the total value of small-scale industrial production from VND 36 billion (in 2015) to over VND 75 billion (in 2024).
Comrade Duong Van Nghi, Secretary of the Party Committee of Thanh Ninh commune, said: These achievements are due to the unity of the Party committee, government and the team of officials, Party members and people in the commune. Building on the traditions of our revolutionary homeland, generations of officials and people of Thanh Ninh Commune always strive to develop our homeland to be increasingly renewed and prosperous.
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