Dak Lak - Mondulkiri: People's diplomacy preserves friendship

Dak Lak province has a 71.972 km long border with Mondulkiri province - Kingdom of Cambodia. Along the border, Buon Don and Ea Sup districts border Ko Nhet district and part of Pachchanda district of Mondulkiri province. Over the years, the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Association of Dak Lak province has organized many activities contributing to the development of friendship, solidarity and cooperation between the people of Dak Lak province (Vietnam) and the people of Mondulkiri province (Cambodia).

Peace at the border

Ia R've border commune, Ea Sup district, Dak Lak province has more than 2,000 households with 6,901 people of 25 ethnic groups living there. In 2014, Ia R've commune, Ea Sup district, established a twin relationship with Noong Kho Lak commune, Ko Nhet district, Mondulkiri province, Cambodia . Since then, the people of the two communes have regularly maintained and fostered the friendship and solidarity between the two sides, coordinated to protect the environment and resources in the border area; Comply with and implement well the legal documents on the Vietnam - Cambodia land border, coordinate to protect the status quo of the border, border markers... The two communes support and exchange experiences in economic development, poverty reduction, crime prevention with the Club "Crime Prevention", "Prevention of Human Trafficking", "Women with the Law", "Women Do Not Violate Border Regulations"... In addition, there are models of credit and savings groups, charity rice jars, practicing savings, helping each other to sustainably reduce poverty...

Krong Na commune, Buon Don district, Dak Lak province, twinned with So Re Hui commune, Koh Nheak district, Mondulkiri province, Kingdom of Cambodia in 2014. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc Lan

Not only Ia RVê commune is twinned with Noong Khơ Lâk commune, Dak Lak province also organizes twinned relations between Krông Na commune, Buôn Đôn district, and Sơ rê Hui commune, Koh Nheak district. The two sides have signed a Memorandum of Understanding and annually organize summaries. On holidays of both countries, the two communes visit, give gifts, and support each other... Colonel Phạm Quang Hùng, Vice President of the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Association of Dak Lak province, said that in recent years, the Association at all levels from the province to the commune/ward level has coordinated with agencies and units to widely disseminate to the people and members about treaties, agreements, and regulations on land borders; the results of the work of demarcating and planting land borders between Vietnam and Cambodia; about the solidarity, traditional friendship, and noble humanitarian acts of Vietnam helping Cambodia escape the genocide regime, along with many contents related to important events and major holidays of the two countries. There have been 341 propaganda sessions with more than 21,205 participants and learners. The two sides also organized documentary screenings in villages and hamlets, attracting more than 1,500 participants... Thereby, contributing to helping members and people on both sides of the border area promptly grasp information, deeply understand the tradition of solidarity, friendship and cooperation between the people of Vietnam and Cambodia in general and the two provinces of Dak Lak and Mondulkiri in particular. In the two years 2022-2023, the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Association of Dak Lak province organized 6 delegations to visit, encourage, and wish a happy new year, giving 26 gifts worth more than 26,000,000 VND to the border protection forces of Dak Lak province and Mondulkiri province who are on duty on the border, creating solidarity, cohesion, cooperation and mutual assistance in coordination and performing the task of protecting the territorial border between the two provinces. The Association also visited and presented 6 gifts worth 1,800,000 VND to 03 Cambodian households living in Buon Don district on the occasion of the traditional New Year of the Kingdom of Cambodia. In addition, the Association coordinated with the Provincial Department of Foreign Affairs to advise the Provincial People's Committee to support the Khmer-Vietnamese Association of Mondulkiri province with 100 million VND to rent a headquarters and teachers to teach Khmer language. At the same time, coordinated with the Provincial Women's Union to organize a Conference to summarize 5 years of implementing the "Agreement, cooperation for peace and development" to hand over the office building to the Mondulkiri Provincial Women's Union, presented 2 printers worth 10 million VND, and supported economic development capital for 5 women in Se Re Huy commune, Ko Nhet district with an amount of 150 million VND. With the Provincial Youth Union, the Association coordinated to organize free medical examinations and medicine for 500 people at the Pu Chi Ry Commune Health Center, Pach Chan Da District with medicine worth 75 million VND, and presented 2 tons of rice and 10,000 medical masks to young people in Mondulkiri province. Most recently, in March 2023, in Sen Mo No Rum City, Mondulkiri Province, the two Friendship Associations of Dak Lak Province and Mondulkiri Province successfully coordinated to organize the Conference to summarize 5 years of implementing the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation and development of people-to-people friendship relations, period 2017-2022. At the same time, 20 gifts worth nearly 32 million VND were presented to the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association and its members; visited, wished a happy new year and presented gifts worth 3 million VND to the Khmer-Vietnamese Association of Mondulkiri Province.

The Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association of Dak Lak province and the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association of Mondulkiri province signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the 2023-2028 period. Photo: Kim Bao

People's diplomacy plays an important role

Colonel Pham Quang Hung, Vice President of the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Association of Dak Lak province, said that to achieve the above results, the Association has drawn some experiences in organizing people-to-people friendship activities. Specifically: Well organizing people-to-people diplomacy activities with the spirit of solidarity, peace, friendship, trust and mutual understanding on the principle of respecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of both sides, actively contributing to consolidating, building and nurturing the friendly and peaceful, stable relationship between the people of Vietnam and Cambodia. There is always close leadership from the Central Association, direction and attention from the Provincial Party Committee, Provincial People's Committee and close coordination with local departments, branches, sectors and organizations for people-to-people diplomacy in the new situation. Regularly exchange information and activities between the Dak Lak Provincial Association and the Mondulkiri Provincial Association, on that basis, strengthen solidarity, friendship and people-to-people cooperation activities between the two provinces. The Dak Lak Provincial Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association and the Mondulkiri Provincial Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association have properly implemented the contents of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation and development of people-to-people friendship signed on July 24, 2017 in the spirit of friendship, cooperation, friendliness and creating trust and expectations of both sides to contribute to the implementation of the motto "Good neighbors, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, long-term sustainability" between Vietnam and Cambodia.