Taking care of the lives of people in the Lao border region.

Sharing rice from the "soldiers' rice jar"

The "soldier's rice jar" model originated from the Central Party Committee's Directive on "Resistance and National Construction" on November 25, 1945, in the context of the country's difficulties after gaining power from French colonialism. This savings movement was initiated by President Ho Chi Minh himself, aiming to consolidate the government, fight against French colonial aggression, eliminate internal opposition, and improve the lives of the people. During the years of resistance against the French and American invaders, and continuing afterward, the rice savings jar has been maintained by cadres, soldiers of the armed forces, and people in many regions of the country as a humanitarian value, helping those in need.

Officers and soldiers of the A Đớt border gate guard station guide people in Ka Lôi village (Ka Lùm district, Laos) in planting pineapples...

...and build houses for them.

At the A Đớt border gate guard station, the soldiers maintain a rice jar to save money and provide support to two disadvantaged ethnic minority households and six students participating in the "Helping Children Go to School" program.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Quang Manh, Political Officer of the A Dot Border Gate Border Guard Station (Thua Thien-Hue Border Guard Command), said that every day the soldiers in charge of the mess hall set aside a portion of rice from the officers' and soldiers' rations to support these special cases.

When we arrived at the A Đớt Border Guard Post, the officers and soldiers were preparing gifts for Thào A Điếc from Ka Lôi village (Laos), an 8th-grade student at H.Ka Lùm Secondary School. Thào A Điếc will take advantage of the weekend to come and receive the gifts. Thào A Điếc, along with five other students from the border communes of A Lưới, receives monthly support of 500,000 VND each from the border guards. "This initiative will be maintained until the children reach adulthood," added Major Võ Xuân Minh, Deputy Political Officer of the A Đớt Border Guard Post.

Besides supporting students' education, young officers and soldiers also coordinate with the Youth Union of three communes in the area – Lam Dot, Dong Son, and Huong Phong – and the Ta Vang Border Guard Post, Border Guard Company 531 (Laos) to organize flag-raising ceremonies at border marker 666. Young people from both countries are always present in programs such as general cleaning of border areas, raising awareness about protecting the border and border markers for border residents, Green Sunday, Village Day, and Volunteer Saturday… Many children receive gifts and free haircuts after these lively weekends.

Carrying cement and corrugated iron sheets on their backs to build houses for the people of Laos.

In the border region on the Lao side, near the A Đớt - Tà Vàng border gate, lies the village of Ka Lôi, with 120 households and 563 Lao residents. Ka Lôi village has long-standing blood ties with the ethnic minority communities in the mountainous district of A Lưới. Due to difficult transportation conditions, there are no roads connecting the villages to the center of Kà Lùm district (Laos), so most daily activities, from medical care to shopping, must be done through A Lưới. To help the people of Ka Lôi village stabilize their lives, since 2009, the Border Guard Command of Thừa Thiên- Huế province has launched a program to support the construction of the first 42 houses.

Officers and soldiers of the A Đớt Border Gate Border Guard Post are constructing a clean water and sanitation facility for the 531st Border Guard Company of neighboring Laos.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Quang Manh, Political Officer of the A Dot Border Gate Border Guard Station, said that this program was directly supervised by Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defense (at that time, he was the Commander of the Border Guard Force of Thua Thien-Hue province). With the spirit of helping our neighbor is also helping ourselves to protect a peaceful border, Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien directed the implementation of the program. Later, the Thua Thien-Hue Provincial Border Guard Command continued to implement it and assigned the A Dot Border Gate Border Guard Station to be responsible for it.

"To date, we have built nearly 100 houses for the people of Ka Loi village. To build a house for the people of Ka Loi village, in addition to materials sourced locally, officers and soldiers of the A Dot Border Gate Border Guard Post carried cement and sheets of corrugated iron across the border for months to live, eat, and support the construction," recalled Major Vo Xuan Minh, Deputy Political Officer of the A Dot Border Gate Border Guard Post.

During natural disasters, if there is a request for assistance from the neighboring country, the border guards at A Đớt border gate step in to call for and mobilize emergency food supplies for the people of Ka Lôi village. The border guards at A Đớt border gate also go to the neighboring country to help people increase production, provide guidance on corn and rice cultivation techniques, and donate breeding cattle and goats…

Mr. Thao Dien, Deputy Head of Ka Loi village (Laos), said that the people of Ka Loi village would face great difficulties if they did not receive support from the officers and soldiers of the A Dot Border Gate Border Guard Post and other Vietnamese agencies and levels. From houses and crops to livestock, everything has been helped by the Vietnamese side. They also seek treatment in Vietnam for illnesses and ailments. The stable lives of the people of Ka Loi village are a "slice" of the friendly border, further strengthening the bond of affection, working together to protect a peaceful border, and nurturing the tradition of friendship between the people of Vietnam and Laos. (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bien-cuong-huu-nghi-cham-lo-doi-song-nguoi-dan-bien-gioi-lao-185240602222719708.htm