Officers of Huoi Luong Border Guard Station, Lai Chau Provincial Border Guard prepare materials before construction.

After many hours of climbing the winding, twisting, and turning slopes, we finally arrived at Si Lo Lau Commune, Phong Tho District, Lai Chau Province. Just in time to finish a bowl of water, we went with the officers and soldiers of Si Lo Lau Border Guard Station to Tha Giang Village, sharing the joy of receiving a new house with the family of Phan Phu Xuan. Xuan's family is one of the households that Si Lo Lau Border Guard Station supported to remove temporary, dilapidated houses. Xuan's family is one of the poor households in the commune, with especially difficult circumstances, his wife left him and their young child. Many rainy and windy nights, Xuan did not dare to sleep, because the house made of wood and bamboo was rotten, and no one knew when it would collapse.

Thanks to the support of officers and soldiers of Si Lo Lau Border Guard Station, Xuan and his son finally have a new house to live in. Entering the newly completed house, Xuan emotionally said: “Living in such a spacious house, I still can’t believe it is true. Without the help of the Border Guard and local authorities, I don’t know when my father and I would have been able to build a house to live in…” Talking to us, Xuan added that, along with supporting the construction costs, Si Lo Lau Border Guard Station mobilized more than 60 working days to coordinate with local authorities to build the house. The new house was completed before the rainy and stormy season, making him and his son very secure. The house is the motivation for Xuan and his son to rise up in life.

Officers and staff of Huoi Luong Border Guard Station, Lai Chau Provincial Border Guard transport materials for construction.

Directly commanding the house construction, Major Do Van Canh, Deputy Head of Si Lo Lau Border Guard Station, confided that after a careful survey, the unit commander connected and called on benefactors to support cash and construction materials to help families in difficult circumstances, poor households, and meritorious people who are having difficulty with housing. During the implementation process, officers and soldiers strictly followed the construction process, ensuring the correct design, progress, and "3 hard". Promoting existing advantages, the unit mobilized officers and soldiers to donate cash and assigned people to support families who were subject to the demolition of temporary houses, dilapidated houses, and the construction of houses. Up to now, the Station has repaired and built 7 new houses with nearly 60 working days. Thanks to the help of the army, the families have significantly reduced construction costs. In addition to human resource support, the unit also coordinated with local authorities to raise 107 million VND to support 2 families in difficult circumstances to build new houses, which have been completed.

Leaving Si Lo Lau commune, we visited the family of Phu A Xe, a resident of Ma Lu Thang 1 village, Huoi Luong commune, Phong Tho district. Looking at the new house that was gradually being completed, Xe could not hide his emotions and said: “Thanks to the help of the Border Guard, my father and I will soon have a new house to live in. From now on, we will no longer have to endure the situation of sheltering from the rain and wind… I thank the Party, the State, the Party committees, the authorities at all levels and the Border Guard very much.”

Officers and soldiers of Huoi Luong Border Guard Station, Lai Chau Provincial Border Guard actively help people remove temporary and dilapidated houses.

Unable to hide his joy, Mr. Xe told us that without the help of officers and soldiers of Huoi Luong Border Guard Station, his dilapidated house would not have been demolished. Mr. Xe also expressed that he would encourage his family members to work hard to develop the economy, to escape poverty, and join the Border Guard in protecting the sovereignty and national border territory.

It is known that Mr. Xe's family is a near-poor household. For decades, all activities of the 6 members have taken place in a dilapidated, rickety, termite-infested house..., built decades ago. After the survey, on May 11, Huoi Luong Border Guard Station sent 18 officers and soldiers to support the family in dismantling the house and leveling the ground for construction work. Not only helping to dismantle the old house, but the officers and soldiers of Huoi Luong Border Guard Station also helped Mr. Xe's family find a place to sell good materials at reasonable prices, in order to reduce costs and ensure the quality of the project.

With its responsibility and affection, over the years, Lai Chau Border Guard has coordinated with local Party committees and authorities to implement many social security programs, notably: "Spring Border Guard warms the hearts of the villagers", "Helping children go to school - Adopted children of border guard stations". In particular, responding to the emulation movement of the whole country joining hands to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in 2025 launched by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Plan No. 01-KH/BCĐ dated December 20, 2024 of the Steering Committee for the elimination of temporary and dilapidated houses in Lai Chau province on implementing housing support for people with revolutionary contributions; In order to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses for poor and near-poor households in Lai Chau province, the Lai Chau Provincial Border Guard Command has directed grassroots units to continue to do a good job of propaganda, mobilization, and mobilizing all resources and working days to participate in supporting the implementation of the movement to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in the border areas of Lai Chau province.

"Builders" in green uniforms carry out the house construction process.

Talking about the results that the unit has achieved, Lieutenant Colonel Truong Minh Duc, Commander of Lai Chau Provincial Border Guard Command, affirmed: The movement to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in the border area of ​​Lai Chau province has received special attention from the Party Committee and the Provincial Border Guard Command, and has been directed to implement them with specific methods, close to the actual conditions of each locality and unit. The Lai Chau Provincial Border Guard Command has assigned and assigned targets on quantity and working days to all stations. Each unit undertakes to support at least 2 houses, and at most 18 houses/station; at the same time, officers and soldiers are assigned to coordinate with the militia and youth union to accompany and help people throughout the construction process until the house is completed.

With the program "Spring Border Guard, Warming the Hearts of the Villagers" in 2025, the Lai Chau Provincial Border Guard Command received 400 million VND from the Border Guard Command to support the elimination of temporary and dilapidated houses for 10 households in especially difficult circumstances in the border area. The Lai Chau Provincial Border Guard Command also launched and mobilized officers and soldiers to receive a total of more than 286 million VND transferred to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Lai Chau province to carry out the movement to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses. By mid-May 2025, the Lai Chau Provincial Border Guard had mobilized 870 working days to help people build 168 houses, completed 581/1,995 houses and was constructing 1,087 houses for those supported to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in the area.

The houses built with love and responsibility by officers and soldiers of Lai Chau Provincial Border Guard are contributing to realizing the dream of settling down for poor households and families in difficult circumstances, affirming the great value of the movement "Border Guard joins hands for the poor - Leaving no one behind".

Article and photos: HA KHANH-VAN HOI

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    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/nuoi-duong-van-hoa-bo-doi-cu-ho/bo-doi-bien-phong-tinh-lai-chau-xay-nha-bang-tinh-thuong-va-trach-nhiem-829706