A soldier's mission from the heart.

Recognizing the importance of building "people's support," the Border Guard of Lang Son province always considers poverty alleviation and ensuring social security for the people in border areas as a task stemming from the heart of a soldier, a sacred responsibility.

Officers and soldiers of Bao Lam Border Guard Station build houses for people in the border area.

Recognizing the importance of building "people's support," the Border Guard of Lang Son province always considers poverty alleviation and ensuring social security for the people in border areas as a task stemming from the heart of the soldier, a sacred responsibility, thereby fostering solidarity between the military and the people, contributing to the firm protection of national territorial sovereignty and border security.

The Border Guard of Lang Son province protects 231.74km of the national border, spanning 11 communes and 285 villages, including 72 border villages; with a population of over 118,000 people, mainly Tay, Nung, Kinh, and Dao ethnic minorities. Compared to the rest of the province, the border area still faces many difficulties, with a poverty rate of 11.5% in 2015.

Engage with the people to understand them.

To strengthen the Party's direct leadership role in border areas and tighten the close relationship with the people in border regions, 173 Party members in military uniforms have been assigned to oversee 709 families in border areas through the model of "Border Guard Party members participating in village Party branch meetings and taking responsibility for households." Following the motto "3 attachments, 4 togethernesses" (attaching to the unit; attaching to the area; attaching to policies and guidelines; eating together, living together, working together, and speaking the local language together), border guard officers and soldiers have accompanied the people in advising and supplementing the content of Party branch meetings, directly helping with livelihoods, and sharing the thoughts and aspirations of the people…

With its harsh climate and difficult terrain, Mau Son commune is one of the most disadvantaged areas in Lang Son province. Thanks to the support of the Border Guard, the poverty rate here has decreased by an average of 3-4% each year. From a family facing hardship, Mr. Trieu Phuc Vang's family in Lap Pia village, Mau Son commune, received support from officers and soldiers of the Chi Ma Border Gate Border Guard Post in obtaining loans and guidance on transitioning to livestock farming and medicinal herb cultivation. Today, his family has not only escaped poverty but has also become a new economic hub in the village.

Mr. Vang shared: “The Border Guard not only supported us with livestock and crops but also wholeheartedly guided us on how to raise animals and cultivate crops effectively. Thanks to that, my children can go to school with better conditions. Therefore, my family is always determined to help the Border Guard protect the border and ensure security and order in the area.”

Having spent 23 years serving the border region of Lang Son, witnessing many border residents struggling to make ends meet in dilapidated houses, Lieutenant Colonel Do Van Phuc, Political Officer of Bao Lam Border Guard Post, has always believed that for people to establish themselves, the Border Guard must first help them settle down. He and the officers and soldiers at the post have persistently mobilized social resources, contributing hundreds of man-days to directly build and repair houses for the people. For families living far away or in high mountains, the Border Guard and the people have worked together, carrying bricks and bags of cement, leveling the ground, and erecting walls, transforming remote and isolated areas into stable homes. "People-oriented work cannot be rushed or abandoned. To gain people's trust, officers must match words with actions. With skillful people-oriented work, anything can be accomplished," Lieutenant Colonel Phuc shared.

Implementing the emulation movement "The whole country joins hands to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses," in 2025, the Border Guard of Lang Son province mobilized resources totaling nearly 1.7 billion VND and contributed over 1,000 man-days of labor to directly build and repair 16 houses for the people. Through this, the bond between the military and the people has become even deeper, affirming the qualities of "loyalty to the Party, devotion to the people" of the border guards.

Implementing the emulation movement "The whole country joins hands to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses," in 2025, the Border Guard of Lang Son province mobilized resources totaling nearly 1.7 billion VND and contributed over 1,000 man-days of labor to directly build and repair 16 houses for the people. Through this, the bond between the military and the people has become even deeper, affirming the qualities of "loyalty to the Party, devotion to the people" of the border guards.

The story of Mr. Dinh Van Sinh's new house in Doan Ket village, Quoc Khanh commune, is a case in point. Mr. Sinh is a relative of a fallen soldier, elderly and frail, and his family is classified as poor, having lived in a dilapidated house for many years. Officers and soldiers of the Po Ma Border Guard Post provided 50 million VND from their contribution fund and directly sent personnel to help his family with the construction.

Standing in the middle of his sturdy new house on his first day, Mr. Sinh was moved: "I never dared to dream that I would one day live in such a beautiful house. Before, the roof leaked when it rained and the wind blew through; at night I was always worried the house would collapse. From now on, I can focus on my work and no longer fear the rain and storms."

From 2024 to the present, Po Ma Border Guard Station has coordinated with local authorities to build and repair 20 houses for poor households. The station is also one of the leading units in the "Eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses" emulation movement of the Lang Son Provincial Border Guard.

Building a strong "border of people's hearts"

Not only does the Border Guard of Lang Son province help people in border areas "settle down and make a living," ensuring long-term stability of their livelihoods, but it also pays special attention to improving the quality of life and social welfare for the people. To date, with the help and support of the Lang Son Provincial Border Guard, 82 projects including classrooms, children's playgrounds, commune and village entrance gates, underground bridges, and clean water facilities have been built; 460 solar-powered streetlights have been installed, illuminating more than 30km of village roads; and more than 2,000m² of concrete ^courtyards for 21 cultural centers have been completed... contributing to creating a more modern appearance for the border area.

In addition, border guards in Lang Son province have supported and fostered 246 disadvantaged students; donated nearly 32,000 gifts to policy beneficiary families and disadvantaged students... with the total value of models and programs implemented over the past 10 years reaching more than 83 billion VND. These impressive figures have contributed to changing the face of new rural areas, reducing the poverty rate from 11.5% in 2015 to 1.97% by the end of 2025. Notably, before the merger, 14 out of 20 border communes in Lang Son province had already achieved the new rural area status.

We feel very secure and confident in the Border Guard. They are always closely connected with the people, helping us with farming, building village roads and field roads to ease the burden of planting and cultivating. Therefore, all the villagers are committed to patrolling and protecting the border and boundary markers with the Border Guard; actively providing information to prevent crime, smuggling, and disease outbreaks…

Mr. Be Xuan Dai, Party Branch Secretary and Head of Doan Ket Village, Quoc Khanh Commune

“We are very reassured and confident in the Border Guard. They are always closely connected with the people, helping us with farming, building village roads and field roads to make planting and harvesting less difficult for the people. Therefore, all the villagers are committed to patrolling and protecting the border and boundary markers with the Border Guard; actively providing information to prevent crime, smuggling, and disease outbreaks…” said Mr. Be Xuan Dai, Party Secretary and Head of Doan Ket village, Quoc Khanh commune.

Highly appreciating the effectiveness of the skillful and effective mass mobilization models and programs of the Border Guard of Lang Son province, Colonel Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Deputy Political Commissar of the Provincial Military Command and Political Commissar of the Provincial Border Guard Command, said: These are tasks stemming from the heart and mind; from responsibility and sacred feelings towards national sovereignty, borders, and the people of ethnic minorities in the border areas. These community projects and concrete, practical tasks to help the people have truly become "bridges" contributing to strengthening the close bond and blood-related solidarity between all levels, sectors, and forces with the people of ethnic minorities in the border areas.

QUOC DAT

Source: https://nhandan.vn/nhiem-vu-tu-trai-tim-nguoi-linh-post955426.html