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After the Lunar New Year, peach and plum blossoms burst into bloom along the roads of Northwest Vietnam, bringing a feeling of vitality and freshness. The road from Lao Cai city to Cam Duong commune, about 15km long, winds around hillsides, with glimpses of houses in the early morning mist. The newly paved road is clean and is transforming this land.
We met Captain Nguyen Cao Cuong (born in 1989) - Deputy Head of Cam Duong Commune Police, one of the Top 19 nominees for the Outstanding Young Vietnamese Faces Award 2024, at the commune's People's Committee headquarters as scheduled.
The sturdy Captain, with bright eyes and a gentle smile, spoke in a deep, warm voice. He shared many interesting things about his life and career, his efforts, his unwavering will, his pioneering spirit and dedication, as well as his experiences and professional sensitivity, especially his role in helping people escape the horrific landslide that completely buried 10 houses on the night of September 9th last year.
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Captain Nguyen Cao Cuong surveys the resettlement area after the landslide. |
“They have basically settled down, and some households are rebuilding their houses. But I will take you down there so you can get a closer look at the situation,” Mr. Cuong shared when talking about the landslide in Da 2 village, Cam Duong commune, which still gives him "goosebumps" when mentioned last year due to typhoon No. 3.
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Captain Nguyen Cao Cuong, while on patrol, discovered a crack in the hillside behind the houses of 10 families in Cam Duong. |
Near the hillside that collapsed last year, a resettlement area has now been established in Da 2 village, Cam Duong commune. We visited the nearly completed house of Mr. Tran Quoc Thiep (43 years old, Tay ethnic minority), located just across an asphalt road from the collapsed hillside. The slope of the hill behind Mr. Thiep's house has been inspected and leveled by authorities to ensure safety. Therefore, Mr. Thiep and nine other households have confidently returned to rebuild their homes and start their lives anew.
Seeing Mr. Cuong arrive, Mr. Thiep happily greeted him and recounted the old story to the stranger: "We always remember the police officers. Luckily, they came to inform us and assist with the evacuation, otherwise we would have lost everything. Everyone is heartbroken; some people spent their whole lives building a house, and now they've lost everything, their entire fortune buried in mud. At this age, we don't have enough money or resources to overcome this. Fortunately, with the support of the government and the police, our lives are less difficult."
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Cam Duong commune police moved residents and their belongings on the evening of September 9, 2024. |
The story of that critical moment, like a slow-motion film, left us both curious and deeply moved... On September 9, 2024, after Typhoon No. 3 made landfall, Lao Cai experienced heavy rain. That afternoon, the police of Cam Duong commune, along with local security forces, divided into teams to patrol areas at risk of landslides.
At that time, Captain Cuong's team discovered a crack about 15cm wide and 50-60m long on the hilltop in Da 2 village, posing a high risk of landslide. He telephoned the city police and the commune authorities to report the situation and request guidance. Simultaneously, the team immediately went to the resettlement area in Da 2 village to inform the residents about the situation and urge them to move to the community center for temporary shelter.
That day, out of 13 residential areas in Cam Duong, 11 were deemed at risk, and the task force's phone rang incessantly. Recognizing that the situation in Da 2 village was the most serious, the local authorities mobilized police trucks, officers, and civil defense personnel, dividing them into teams to carry supplies and equipment.
Seeing the large and urgent arrival of the forces, the villagers unanimously agreed to leave immediately. By 6 PM, the evacuation and relocation of belongings were complete. The authorities erected stakes and ropes to prevent people from moving around and returned to their unit to evacuate files and documents because the water had already started to flood the area.
“At that time, I was a little scared, thinking, ‘I wonder if anyone will come back to take anything else?’ Fortunately, when we went to the community center to check, everyone was safe,” Captain Cuong recalled.
Around 8 PM on September 9th, the rain intensified. Judging that Da 2 village was upstream and prone to landslides and flooding, the task force returned to assess the water level. After checking the situation, they headed back to the inter-village road to return to the commune.
After moving through the landslide area for about a minute, they heard an explosion like a bomb behind them. An entire section of the hillside collapsed almost immediately, burying 10 houses that they had just moved out of that afternoon.
Subsequently, the situation of the people was continuously reported to higher authorities. At the same time, the commune police were on duty, taking measures to ensure the safety and security of the area. In the following days, rice and food were supplied in sufficient quantities to the people.
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Captain Cuong shared that he was born in Cam Khe ( Phu Tho province ) and had dreamed of wearing the People's Police uniform since childhood. In 2008, after graduating from high school, he enlisted to serve in the police force.
His time at the 7th Mobile Police Battalion stationed in Nhu Quynh (Hung Yen) forged in him a strong will, ready to take on any mission. He once directly participated with his comrades in flood relief efforts in Duc Tho ( Ha Tinh ), living and sleeping with the people of Central Vietnam for a month amidst the vast expanse of floodwaters.
After much effort, in 2011, Captain Cuong was officially enlisted in the police force. He was assigned to Dien Bien province, and then later to Son La. With the youthful aspiration to venture out, explore, and learn about new lands, he volunteered to go to the most difficult areas.
In 2013, Mr. Cuong was assigned to the Lao Cai City Police Department. After holding various positions, in 2019, he received a transfer order to Cam Duong commune, where he has been working for the past six years.
In November 2024, Mr. Cuong was appointed Deputy Head of the Cam Duong Commune Police, in charge of fire prevention and control, rescue operations, and traffic management.
According to Mr. Cuong, Cam Duong commune has a large geographical area, a large population, and a complex security situation. Currently, the commune's police force has to undertake many important tasks, from receiving case files to investigating and reporting to higher authorities.
Previously, for security and public order incidents, the commune police would report to the city police, who would then send specialized teams to handle the cases. But now, for such incidents, the commune police will handle the files and forward them to the city police for prosecution.
"To keep pace with the new situation, the unit's members have determined that, no matter how difficult or arduous the task, they must share and encourage each other to excellently complete the assigned duties. To prepare for the very important work ahead, the team has updated and studied regulations, and honed their knowledge and experience to be able to carry it out," Captain Cuong said.
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Captain Cuong shared that the biggest challenge at the commune level is how to resolve cases in accordance with the law while ensuring harmony, closeness to the people, and a friendly relationship with them. To achieve this, the officers in the unit regularly monitor the area, encourage, visit, and gather information.
When incidents are just beginning to emerge and develop, we must take measures to suppress them and prevent them from becoming complicated. Furthermore, the legitimate wishes and demands of the people must be addressed satisfactorily.
He recounted how even small things could cause arguments between mother and son. The mother, over 80 years old and receiving a pension, was struggling financially, but her grown son was still irresponsible and constantly came home in the middle of the night demanding money. The mother, feeling helpless, had no choice but to seek help from the local police.
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Captain Nguyen Cao Cuong believes that one of the most important tasks for commune police is to be closely involved with the grassroots, to understand and handle incidents as soon as they arise, and to resolve them in a reasonable and fair manner. |
The local police intervened, reminding and warning the son that if he did not comply and caused a disturbance, the police would take appropriate legal action. At the same time, they advised and explained the son's behavior and filial piety to help him understand and change his ways.
Or consider the case where a husband came home late after drinking and demanded to sleep with his wife, but she firmly refused, leading to him beating her. The wife then reported it to the police. At the police station, the husband showed remorse and cooperated, so the police couldn't forcefully punish him.
“The commune police live and eat with the people. The people are the foundation, so we can't be too strict and relentlessly punish every single person. In such cases, we also have to influence the families by telling them that if they don't comply, they will be fined for administrative violations, we send a notice to the village to get feedback on the family's cultural achievements, and that doing so will affect their children's aspirations. They understand and comply,” Captain Cuong said.
Captain Nguyen Cao Cuong, Deputy Head of the Cam Duong Commune Police (Lao Cai City), was the person who directly discovered the dangerous crack and promptly evacuated 10 households before the houses of 45 people completely collapsed during the historic storm and flood in September 2024.
Captain Cuong was awarded the Third Class Order of National Defense for his outstanding achievements in saving state property, people, and property during flash floods, contributing to the cause of building socialism and defending the Fatherland.
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