Command from the heart

Son Lais a mountainous province, a highland, home to many ethnic minorities: Thai, Mong, Muong, Khang... People's lives are still difficult, and are easily affected by natural disasters, storms, and floods. Realizing that, the Party Committee and commanders of Division 316 always consider the task of helping people stabilize their lives not only as a purely mass mobilization activity but also as an order from the heart, a combat mission in peacetime.

Heavy rains and floods in July and August 2025 caused many families in the communes of Chieng So, Muong Lam, Huoi Mot, and Bo Sinh to have their houses swept away. To help people stabilize their lives soon, Division 316 deployed officers and soldiers to participate in building and repairing houses for affected households. Preparations from surveying the area to selecting officers and soldiers who know how to build and assign them to each commune and village were all organized reasonably. Based on a firm grasp of the local characteristics and conditions of each family, Division 316 developed a specific and appropriate support plan, closely coordinated with local Party committees and authorities, proactively mobilized resources, and created a high level of consensus before deployment. Colonel Lam Dung Tien, Party Secretary and Political Commissar of Division 316, shared: “The Party Committee and Division commanders always uphold the viewpoint that helping people, especially ethnic minorities in remote areas, is also an opportunity to train political mettle and cultivate the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers for each officer and soldier. Therefore, we launched an emulation movement, encouraging soldiers to consider helping people as helping their own families. As a result, after only 50 days, 155 houses were completed and handed over to the people.”

Officers and soldiers of Division 316 help the family of Giang A Du in Huoi Sai village, Chieng So commune build a house.

Soldiers of Division 316 helped Ms. Leo Thi Hien's family in Dua Cat village, Chieng So commune restore their vegetable garden after the flood.

Eat, live and work with the people

The special point of this working trip is that the officers and soldiers not only repaired and built houses but also truly immersed themselves in the lives of the people. The soldiers lived together, ate together, got up early to carry bricks, carry wood, erect house pillars... with the people. In remote villages, there were many days when it rained heavily but the soldiers still stuck to the area, taking advantage of the times when the rain stopped to continue working to keep up with the progress. That dedication and sincerity warmed the hearts of the people, turning each working day into a day of military-civilian solidarity.

Mr. Lo Van Sam, Head of Dua Cat village, Chieng So commune, said: “The soldiers worked regardless of the rain or shine, carrying each brick, tying each bundle of bamboo, and building each house with the people. The soldiers lived in harmony, helping the people with everything from big to small. The people had new, sturdy houses, and felt secure in their work. The relationship between the army and the people was truly like fish and water.” The completion of 155 solid houses not only provided safe housing for families but also contributed to strengthening the people’s trust in the Party, the State, and the Army. For Division 316, each task of helping the people was a time to train and educate officers and soldiers about responsibility, sense of organization and discipline, and the ability to do mass mobilization work. Through that, the soldiers became more mature, understood and loved the people, and were ready to receive and complete all tasks well, even in difficult conditions. Colonel Lam Dung Tien emphasized: “The unit considers supporting the people as an opportunity to educate officers and soldiers about love for comrades and compatriots; to foster the spirit of humanity and closeness with the people. Each house built is a practical lesson in the spirit of solidarity, profound human values, and the will to overcome difficulties and fulfill assigned tasks.”

For each officer and soldier of Division 316, 50 days of helping the people is not only a task but also a profound memory, a precious luggage to continue to strive and train. New sturdy houses, repaired landslide roads create convenience for people in their daily life, but what remains most deeply is the trust, the flesh-and-blood bond between the army and the people. The "people's hearts" in the Northwest highlands are therefore even stronger./.