Over the years, the Border Guard Force has built a strong foundation of public support, with the joint efforts and solidarity of the people in the border areas. Among them are "living landmarks" such as village elders, community leaders, and influential individuals who have made many positive contributions to maintaining peace and security in the border regions.
The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the province awarded certificates of merit to individuals who achieved outstanding results in the movement "All people participate in protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation" during the period 2019 - 2023.
"The Flame" at the foot of Pha Luong Mountain
During our journey to find the "living landmarks" along the northwestern border of our country, we were introduced to Mr. Song A Tua from Pha Luong village by the leaders of the Chieng Son Border Guard Post, Moc Chau district. Mr. Tua has served as village head for nearly 35 years. For just as many years, he has always worked alongside the Border Guard force to propagate and encourage the people to settle down, cling to the land and the border, build a prosperous life, and actively participate in protecting the border and boundary markers.
According to Mr. Tua, due to the nomadic lifestyle and difficult-to-change customs, it wasn't until 1989 that 42 households were persuaded to settle at the foot of Pha Luong mountain and establish Pha Luong village. To date, the village has 126 households and 783 inhabitants, all of whom are Mong ethnic people. Located close to the border with Sop Bau district, Hua Phan province, Lao People's Democratic Republic, the village faces many material and spiritual difficulties, making it vulnerable to exploitation and manipulation by unscrupulous individuals who may participate in smuggling and the illegal transportation of goods and drugs across the border.
In a conversation with us, Mr. Tua shared: "As a respected figure and the head of the Song clan, I regularly promote and raise awareness of the law among the people. At the same time, I have often directly participated with border guards in patrolling and protecting the border and border markers. Each time we participate in patrols, we have to trek through forests and mountains; sometimes it takes a whole day to walk from the village to the border marker. Now, the border marker has been renovated and looks bigger and more beautiful, and the road leading to it has been built, making travel easier. The people are increasingly conscious of protecting the border and border markers."
Mr. Song A Tua (third from the left) with officers and soldiers of Chieng Son Border Guard Station, Moc Chau district, guiding the people in caring for fruit trees.
Despite his advanced age, Mr. Tủa, with his enthusiasm and sense of responsibility towards his homeland, regularly collaborates with the Border Guard to mobilize the people to participate in self-management of the border and boundary markers, and to maintain security and order in the area. Thanks to his efforts, the security and order situation along the border area under the responsibility of the Chiềng Sơn Border Guard Post has remained stable over the years. Based on information from the people, the unit has dismantled many cases of illegal drug trafficking across the border.
As one of the people whom Mr. Tua and the Chieng Son Border Guard Post helped overcome drug addiction and then supported economic development to escape poverty, Mr. Song A Nha from Pha Luong village shared: "Previously, due to peer pressure from friends in other villages and a lack of focus on work, I became addicted to drugs. In 2019, thanks to Mr. Tua's efforts to help me quit, and with the support of the commune government and the Border Guard Post in the form of a breeding cow, I decided to develop my family's economy. I learned farming and livestock techniques from Mr. Tua and applied them to my family's production. The breeding cow has given birth to 4 calves, and my family continues to raise and expand the herd. Every year, my family cultivates nearly 2 hectares of rice and hybrid corn, raises 10-13 buffaloes and cows; each year we harvest 10 tons of corn, more than 1.5 tons of rice, and sell 3-4 breeding buffaloes and cows. In 2022, my family escaped poverty." I am very grateful to Village Chief Tủa and the officers and soldiers of the Chiềng Sơn Border Guard Post.
Major Mai The Canh, Political Commissar of Chieng Son Border Post, commented: 'Mr. Song A Tua is one of the most respected individuals among the ethnic minority community. Despite his age, he is always exemplary and responsible towards the community, earning the trust and respect of the people. He serves as a shining example and a solid spiritual pillar, guiding the community on their journey towards a prosperous and happy life while contributing to the protection of national sovereignty and border security. He is one of the 163 exemplary individuals nationwide honored at the "Village Backbone" program organized by Communist Review magazine in collaboration with the Border Guard Command. Additionally, he is one of the four individuals recognized by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee with a Certificate of Merit for his contributions to the movement "All people participate in protecting national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and border security in the new context" for the period 2019-2024.
Mr. Song A Tua, along with officers and soldiers of the Chieng Son Border Guard Post, assessed the situation in Pha Luong village.
"The towering tree" of the border region
After more than an hour's journey from the Nam Lanh Border Guard Post, traversing a 25-kilometer road winding along the mountainside, we arrived at Hua Lanh village to meet a respected figure who has been dedicated to the Border Guard force in protecting the border and boundary markers for nearly 20 years. That person is Mr. Giang Khua Dinh, considered a "great figure," the pride of the Hmong people of Hua Lanh village.
We were greeted by a tall, thin man with dark skin and a face marked by many wrinkles of age. With a friendly smile, Mr. Dinh offered us a cup of fresh tea made from tea leaves picked from ancient tea trees. At first, it had a slightly bitter taste, but after just one sip, we would remember the sweet aftertaste lingering in our throats.
Mr. Giàng Khua Dính, from Hua Lạnh village, discusses the security situation with officers from the Nậm Lạnh Border Guard Post, Sốp Cộp district.
According to Mr. Dinh, Hua Lanh village has 62 households with 410 inhabitants, 100% of whom are ethnic Mong people. The village is located halfway up the Pa Long mountain range, on the border between Hua Lanh and Huoi Hia villages, Nam Lanh commune, and Muong Son district, Hua Phan province, Lao People's Democratic Republic. Previously, Hua Lanh had few households. Many people did not understand the importance of protecting the border and boundary markers, so when going into the forest to collect firewood or hunt, they unintentionally damaged, chipped, or affected the boundary markers. Some even crossed the border illegally to visit relatives, exchange goods, and buy and sell; many households sold their houses, buffaloes, and cattle, and migrated freely to Laos.
Mr. Dinh said: "What I remember most is in 2017, for over a month, I, along with officers from the Nam Lanh Border Guard Post, persuaded Mr. Song A Denh's family, who had left their village and crossed the border, to return and settle down. After that, we mobilized relatives to help build a house, provided seedlings, corn seeds, chicken breeds, and farming and livestock techniques... To this day, Mr. Denh's family has worked diligently, accumulated wealth, and built a spacious wooden house."
Mr. Giàng Khua Dính from Hua Lạnh village, along with officers and soldiers from the Nậm Lạnh Border Guard Post, are raising awareness among the people about participating in border protection.
In 2012, Mr. Dinh was elected village head by the villagers. To ensure the villagers understood the border regulations, he would visit each family after they returned from working in the fields or after dinner to talk to them, disseminate information, and explain in detail the regulations of the border area. From 2017 to the present, he, along with officers from the Nam Lanh Border Guard Post and the Nam Lanh commune government, has successfully persuaded seven households who intended to migrate across the border to return to the village and settle down. In addition, he has provided the Nam Lanh Border Guard Post with numerous pieces of information regarding the security and order situation in the border area; encouraged drug addicts to voluntarily undergo rehabilitation; voluntarily surrender homemade weapons and explosives; and helped the people develop their economy and alleviate poverty. In 2020, Mr. Giang Khua Dinh was awarded the "For the Sovereignty and Security of the Fatherland's Border" commemorative medal by the Border Guard Command.
Footprints leave their mark on the border
During a border patrol with officers and soldiers of the Chiềng Khương Border Guard Post, Sông Mã district, and Mr. Quàng Văn Khộn from Tạo village, Mường Sai commune, we were deeply impressed by Mr. Khộn's stories about his participation in maintaining security and order in the border area. He knows the border as well as his own home, remembering every patch of overgrown grass and uneven road surface... This is because he has voluntarily participated in protecting the border and boundary markers in the Mường Sai commune, Chiềng Khương district, for over 20 years.
Mr. Quang Van Khon, along with officers and soldiers of the Chieng Khuong Border Gate Border Guard Station, exchanged techniques in livestock farming.
In addition to essential forest-going supplies, Mr. Khon also carries a can of clean water to wipe down the border markers while patrolling and protecting the border. Regardless of the weather, hot or cold, once a month, he and the members of the Border and Boundary Marker Self-Management Team of Tao village and officers and soldiers of the Chieng Khuong Border Gate Border Guard Post patrol and inspect the border markers. His footprints have become all too familiar and deeply imprinted on the forest paths with 13 border markers and nearly 27 km of border line.
Mr. Khon shared: "The area around Tao village and Muong Sai commune has a rather complex security situation regarding drugs, firecrackers, and smuggled goods. So, every day while working in the fields, tending to the fruit trees, and raising cattle and goats, I always proactively observe and monitor the situation. If there is anything unusual, I immediately report it to the Chieng Khuong Border Gate Border Guard Station."
Lieutenant Colonel Lo Van Tich, Political Officer of the Chieng Khuong Border Gate Border Guard Station, said: Mr. Quang Van Khon regularly propagates and mobilizes the people in the village to participate in protecting the border and boundary markers. If strangers infiltrate or there are suspicious signs in the border area, Mr. Khon and the people in the village promptly report it to the unit for handling.
Mr. Quang Van Khon (fourth from the right) with officers and soldiers of the Chieng Khuong Border Gate Border Guard Station, disseminating legal information to the people.
The mass movement of people participating in self-management of border areas and boundary markers, and maintaining security and order in border villages and communes, as well as the increasing awareness of national sovereignty and borders among the people in border areas, is becoming more and more prominent. Each citizen becomes a soldier, acting as the "eyes and ears" of the Border Guard force. In border communes, more and more "living boundary markers" are emerging, always at the forefront and setting an example by participating with the Party committees, authorities, and Border Guard forces to create a solid "people's border defense posture" to protect national territorial sovereignty.
(to be continued)
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