My hometown has rustic and simple places but hides the aspiration and will to build the homeland and keep the villages peaceful and prosperous. Typically the Mau Mau canal is located in Khanh Binh Dong commune, Tran Van Thoi district, Ca Mau province.

The village by the green canal

Mr. Nguyen Van Mum (his common name is Sau Mum) lived in Kieu Hamlet 12, this spring at the age of 90, but still lucid and wise. He said: I went to the resistance war, when I returned in 1953, in front of my house, there was a canal about 4 meters wide, straight, more than 5 kilometers long, connecting from So Le to Cau Keo dam. The two banks of the canal are green, cool, green trees. Relatives called it Mau Mau channel.

The origin of this name was when the revolutionary government determined to build a model residential village, even in the fire. Accordingly, between the years 1949 – 1950, implementing the policy of “Plow to have fields”, the Revolution mobilized the number of landless people from many localities such as Cuu Long (Vinh Long, Tra Vinh), all Rach Price, Long Chau Ha (now Kien Giang province), Ca Mau, Bac Lieu … came here to settle.

This area was very desolate at that time. That day, each household was granted a plot of land by the Revolution, 500 meters long and 72 meters wide. After receiving the land, the government instructed people to dig a canal in front of their house, 4 meters wide, then build the house. Especially, when people build a house, they must be 8 meters away from the canal bank.

After the house land, 30 meters long, each house dug a 1 meter horizontal canal surrounding its land; and then I plant land for gardening and farming. In the garden, it is necessary to plant indigenous trees such as coconut, mango, and guava.

In Kieu Hamlet, people built houses with gardens and surrounding trees.

Uncle Sau Mum added: At that time, the government stipulated that the main door of the house on this side of the canal must be opposite the main door of the house on the other side of the canal; the two sides of the house canal are straight, right in the row, it looks very beautiful. Patterns of that day, Type Mau 12, Model 14 and Model 15, belonged to Khanh Binh Dong commune, Tran Van Thoi district. This is a model, especially in the Model Mau – one of the revolutionary bases of the southwestern region.

The elderly aunts in the Mau Mau canal recalled that, despite the war, the Revolution guided people to live, live in order and to clean.

Mrs. Ho Thi Thanh Be, from Kieu Hamlet 14, is also at the age of “rare and old” this year, recalled: “Back then, every house used to make septic toilets, with a lid above, to avoid odors and flies. So the environment is very clean ”.

And Uncle Huynh Van Hoa, nearly 90 years old, in Mau Mau hamlet 12A this spring was 40 years old, said: “Back then, when eating rice, everyone used two-headed chopsticks (one head used to pick up food, head and the rice and food in the mouth). At that time, people obeyed the policy of keeping the hygiene from eating, living, and the environment very strict. My children at that time, 7 or 8 years old, all knew how to use two chopsticks and did not throw trash in the canal ”.

Sharing the same source of nostalgia for the old country, Ms. Le Thi Dung, residing in Ninh Kieu District, City. Can Tho recuperates: “Back then, the Mau Mau canal was very beautiful. Everyone respected and trusted the revolution, loved the cadres and soldiers. The young people in the commune enthusiastically joined the army to fight the enemy. My family has three and two brothers who went to the war, and all three died.

The flower line on the channel of the Model Mau.

During the war, Khanh Binh Dong was not only a solid revolutionary base – hamlets, canals named Tam Chanh channel, Dan Quan canal, until now, still retain glorious victories of Tran army and people. Van Thoi was brave, brave, broke many arduous battles, set off to destroy the enemy.

This place is also the address to train human resources for the revolution. Khanh Binh Dong Primary School, the first primary school in Tran Van Thoi district was formed and put into operation in 1961. In the situation of bombs, storms and bullets, but 3 classes (Grade Three, Grade Second, Grade Nhat) has attracted hundreds of children in many communes, such as Khanh Binh Dong, Khanh Binh Tay, Khanh An, Nguyen Phich, Phong Lac, Tran Hoi … to study. From this school, many students have strived to become writers, teachers, military officers, police, leaders of key agencies of Ca Mau province.

Many roads coated with asphalt and concrete have been extended.

About Today’s Model

Truly as my friends invited me: back to Khanh Binh Dong, the road is paved with asphalt, covered with concrete stretched long; in many places four-wheelers run bon bon. The wartime primary school, now the spacious Khanh Binh Dong Secondary School, is located on the banks of the Mau Mau canal.

Continuing the tradition of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces, the Model people still retain their beauty, such as planting trees along the canal, not encroaching on the roadside. Most impressively, every New Year comes, when the spring comes, the house always makes an altar to record the credit, on the altar, there is always a picture of Uncle Ho.

A movement of Model is emulation to build a yard and embankment against landslide; Emulation to raise children in college. According to Mr. Cao Van Dat, Vice Chairman of Khanh Binh Dong Commune People’s Committee, up to now, the whole commune has more than 2,300 households that have built yards and embankments, accounting for more than 60% of the total population of the commune. Very happy to know, from 2015 up to now, Khanh Binh Dong has nearly 1,200 children enrolled in universities and vocational colleges.

One of the efforts to overcome difficulties of the people of Khanh Binh Dong commune is hard work, hunger eradication and poverty reduction. In the whole commune, there are more than 360 models of multi-farming farmers with productivity, quality and income of more than 60 million VND / ha. 

Thanks to that, 5 years ago, the whole commune had up to 15% of poor households, equivalent to 850 households, now it has decreased by 8 times. Mr. Do Van Su, Chairman of Khanh Binh Dong Commune People’s Committee, said: “We are working hard to implement the last criterion (19 criteria), so that Xuan Tan Suu 2021 will become the 5th commune in the district to meet the communal standards. new countryside”./.

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