Reviewing the contest entitled “Becoming well-off on their own land”, VOV said that last year it received about 1,000 dramas sent from across the country, of which 20 were selected for the finals. The jury presented one first, two second, three third and 10 consolation prizes to winning writers.

According to Le Truong Kien, deputy director of the News and Current Affairs Channel (VOV1), the contest attracted great attention from people of all social strata, including farmers, workers, teachers, war veterans, pensioners and artists.   

He said besides stories about crop and livestock restructuring, many entries looked at burning issues in rural areas such as the prevention of bird flu, blue-ear and foot-and-mouth diseases, environmental pollution in craft villages, food hygiene and safety and the lives of displaced farmers.

The organisers selected 50 dramas for programming, edited the winning works and published them in books so that farmers might replicate successful models. The aired dramas were performed in the vernacular of the countryside, and attracted a large number of listeners, mostly farmers.

Nguyen Van Tro, a listener in May Duong village, Thuan Chau district of the northern mountainous province of Son La, said at the awards ceremony that a group of listeners was established in the village after VOV launched the contest.

“At 05.30 and 13.05 every Saturday, the group members gather at the village’s cultural house to listen to stories, discuss the business models and answer the organising board’s questions,” said Tro.

Vien Ruu Uan, another listener from the north-central province of Thanh Hoa, said that from the radio programmes, farmers in his village learned new ways of raising livestock and cultivating cash crops of high economic efficiency.

“Several years ago, my village only raised buffalos, which generated little income. After hearing the story ‘The king of cows’ on VOV, we decided to raise cows and we now have more than 100,” said Uan.

The contest was jointly launched by VOV and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in 2005.