In February 1985, the young Nguyen Van Cha enlisted in the military and later served on the Cambodian battlefield. During a march in June 1987, he stepped on a landmine, lost one leg and sustained other serious injuries. After three years of treatment, he returned home with a disability rating of about 80%.
"Those years were very hard times. I spent nearly three years in a nursing center before staying at the Department of War Invalids and Social Affairs," Cha recalled.
After getting married, Cha and his wife moved to the U Minh forest area to start a new life. They were allocated seven hectares of land, including five hectares for forestry and two hectares for farming.
At the time, the land was barren and heavily affected by acid sulfate soils, making cultivation extremely unproductive. Their hardships worsened as two children were born one after another. The younger child was often ill and Cha himself suffered pain from his war injuries whenever the weather changed.
"My wife and I took on whatever work we could find—farm labor, rice planting, anything. At night, we set long lines to catch fish. We also grew rice and cut firewood to sell," he told VOV.
True to the resilience of Uncle Ho's soldiers, Cha never shied away from hardship. In addition to hired work, he and his wife spent every spare moment reclaiming low-lying land for rice cultivation. They later built embankments to expand their farmland and plant trees.
Their determination gradually transformed the acidic soil into productive land. Today, the family owns about five hectares of thriving hybrid acacia and cajeput forest. They also grow bananas along the dike banks and grow bamboo shoots around their home to generate additional income. Cha’s wife runs a small grocery store, providing a steady source of daily income.
All these activities give them financial security. "Nothing from the banana trees goes to waste. The leaves and flowers can all be sold. Altogether, the bananas, rice fields, and cajeput trees earn us 11,000 USD a year," Cha said.
According to Ho Minh Quyen, Head of the Veterans' Association branch in hamlet 10, Nguyen Phich commune, Cha has shown remarkable determination. "Through years of hard work, he has transformed once-barren land into fertile and productive farmland. He is also a dedicated member of the Veterans' Association."
Cha has received numerous certificates of merit from authorities at various levels. In July 2024, he was one of four representatives from Ca Mau province honored at a national conference in Hanoi to honor people with meritorious services to the revolution.
