From a engineering soldier to a support for neighborhood residents
In 1985, young man Nguyen Nhu That enlisted, wearing a soldier's uniform belonging to unit C16, Brigade 543 (Military Region 2). He and his comrades took on the task of engineering soldiers: designing and installing bunkers to serve combat.
In March 1988, after being discharged from the army, Mr. That returned to work as an official in the material department and then transferred to Ho Chi Minh City to work at Nha Rong Waterway and Road Transport Company (Formerly District 4). In 2015, when he received the retirement decision, he did not choose to rest but continued to accept to participate in local work. He is currently Deputy Secretary of the Party cell, Head of Quarter 8, Tan Hung Ward. For him, if in the past it was a front against invaders, today, the biggest task is to help local people stabilize their lives.
One of the outstanding imprints of the neighborhood head is the mass mobilization work to upgrade alley 1041 Tran Xuan Soan with a total budget of more than 5 billion VND. Mr. That and the neighborhood management board persistently walked to each house among more than 100 households to mobilize contributions of 30% of the budget (equivalent to 1.714 billion VND). His transparency and patience have created great trust, helping the money to be collected in just over a month and the new asphalt road to be completed right before the Lunar New Year 2021.
Mobilizing people to contribute large sums of money is not always easy. Some households demand to see design drawings, causing difficulties. But as officials, we must patiently explain, work publicly and transparently. The trust of the majority of people is the fulcrum for us to complete our tasks," Mr. Nguyen Nhu That shared.
Not stopping there, during the tense COVID-19 epidemic, the veteran continuously appeared at "hot spots", rushing into isolation areas to distribute medicines, necessities and relief money to people. With those contributions, he was awarded a Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister. After more than a decade of persistently working at the grassroots level, Mr. That achieved the title of Party member who excellently completed tasks for 10 consecutive years (2015 - 2025), the party cell he led always maintained an excellent position.
Giving a "fishing rod" for livelihood and spreading the spirit of "Gratitude".
With the goal of sustainable poverty reduction, Mr. That believes that it cannot just stop at temporary support gifts but must "giving a fishing rod" - creating long-term livelihoods. He stood up to act as a bridge with the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies, completing dossiers to help many difficult households borrow capital to do business.
The biggest concern for him is the case of veteran Nguyen Huu Nghia - a low-income security guard, whose wife suffered a stroke and is bedridden. Thanks to Mr. That's guarantee to borrow capital to open a rice shop, Mr. Nghia's family gradually became economically independent and officially rose out of poverty. In parallel, Mr. That regularly maintained two large social security campaigns on the full moon of July and Lunar New Year; took care of scholarships for poor and studious students and painstakingly mobilized philanthropists to support 5-6 million VND/difficult household with funerals to fully prepare for the funeral.
Assessing the neighborhood head, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Deputy Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Tan Hung ward, said that Mr. That is a typical veteran, always promoting the qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" who are responsible, exemplary and close to the people.
Speaking about the journey he has gone through, the 66-year-old veteran smiled and confided: "Growing up in the army, my nature is that once I take on a job, I must do it thoroughly, not letting today's work linger until tomorrow. Wherever my health is still there, I will contribute to it. When I am weak, I will proactively step back so that young people with qualifications and health can continue to serve the people.
