Due to declining health and outdated agricultural production methods, his family frequently faced food shortages during the lean season. As a result, his family was classified as a particularly impoverished household in the commune. A few years ago, with the help and guidance of Major Nguyen Van Bang, Deputy Political Officer of the Huong Phung Border Guard Post (Quang Tri Provincial Border Guard), he switched to cultivating new, short-day, high-yield rice and corn varieties. From one crop per year, his family now cultivates two crops per year, yielding 300 kg per sao (approximately 1000 square meters). Now, Mr. Bong's family life is becoming increasingly prosperous.

Major Nguyen Van Bang (center) presents gifts and provides guidance on cultivating new rice varieties to Mr. Ho Bong's family in Cheng village, Huong Phung commune (Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province ).

In the warm atmosphere of early spring, Major Nguyen Van Bang recounted: "In November 2022, I took up my post at Huong Phung Border Guard Station. Initially, after each field visit, I noticed that the local people were very hardworking but still poor. Upon closer investigation, I learned that they were cultivating degraded local rice and corn varieties that took a long time to grow, were less resistant to pests and diseases, had shriveled kernels, and low yields. Given this situation, I advised the station's Party Committee and commanders, as well as the local Party Committee and government, to implement a pilot project to test high-quality rice and new corn varieties (TBR97, TBR225 rice varieties; TBM18, A Sao glutinous corn varieties) to research crop conversion. When the model proved effective, I advised and mobilized social support to provide an initial 1,600 kg of rice seeds and 140 kg of corn seeds to the people to switch to new cultivation methods."

Driven by a desire to help people build prosperous lives in the challenging border regions of the country, like a diligent bee, Major Nguyen Van Bang contacted scientists and agricultural engineers to seek assistance in testing high-yield crop and livestock varieties. He is currently implementing effective pilot models such as organic coffee cultivation and African ostrich farming. He also advised local Party committees and authorities on effectively implementing the movement to jointly build new rural areas, linked with the Border Guard's model of helping people eradicate hunger and reduce poverty in Cheng and But Viet villages, and the "Border Guards joining hands for the poor - leaving no one behind" movement. He also advised the Party committee and unit commanders to actively contact sponsors and philanthropists inside and outside the province to support the construction of one "borderland warm house," 22 water wells, and 22 breeding cows for poor households... with a total value of nearly 350 million VND.

Comrade Ho Van Bien, Head of Cheng village—a village sponsored by Huong Phung Border Guard Post—expressed: “Officer Bang and the soldiers of Huong Phung Border Guard Post are a pillar of support for the people of Cheng village in particular and the area in general during difficult times. Thanks to their help, hunger and poverty are gradually being pushed back, and the lives of the people are improving.”

Text and photos: NGOC GIANG

* Please visit the Ethnic Groups and Religions section to view related news and articles.