The marching footsteps to La Si

VTV.vn - In the middle of the Thu Lum forest (Lai Chau), the Border Guard soldiers marched to La Si, where each step extended the Fatherland's border with love and responsibility.

Lieutenant Colonel Lu Lu Chu, head of Thu Lum border station, gives gifts to children. Photo: Hoang Anh

Footsteps over mountains

Thu Lum noon. While clouds still covered the mountainside, twelve officers and soldiers of Thu Lum Border Post began their journey to the field to do mass mobilization work. Each person carried on their shoulders a gift – rice, instant noodles, blankets, pots, fish sauce, salt... not worth much but containing the heart sent to the La Si people.

In the middle of the Northwest, the small La Si village lies in the middle of a deep valley. The whole village has only twenty households, more than a hundred La Hu people - a gentle, quiet people who are attached to the forest like their own breath. Life is still full of hardships, not even the smallest houses have access to literacy, and every rainy season, the road to the village is eroded, isolating it from the outside world.

In the mist of Thu Lum, border guards prepare to depart for La Si. Photo: Nguyen Quan.

The road to La Si was winding, with many sections of dirt and rocks blocking the way. Motorbikes stopped, and people took turns carrying their loads, groping their way along the steep slope, where one misstep could mean falling into the abyss. Clouds and mountains swirled around, the sky almost touching their shoulders. Lieutenant Ly Tong Sieng – his first time participating in a civil mobilization operation – walked and panted, sweat mixed with dust. He laughed, his voice hoarse: "The road was very arduous, at times it seemed like we couldn't continue. But thinking of the people waiting, we encouraged each other: Our soldiers are not afraid of hardship, we are only afraid that our people will suffer even more."

The difficult but meaningful life of a border guard. Photo: Hoang Anh.

After four hours of trekking through the forest, around mid-afternoon, the green of soldiers' uniforms appeared in the middle of La Si valley. The po mu wooden roofs were hidden in the thin smoke from their kitchens, under the late afternoon sunlight. Seeing the soldiers, the villagers rushed out to welcome them, their smiles radiant under the weak sunlight.

Village chief Ly Nhu Xe held the commander's hand tightly, his voice trembling: "When the soldiers return, the village is very happy, as if a family member from far away comes to visit. The Party, the State and the Border Guards always remember us, the La Si people." The voice was simple but strangely warm. In those old eyes, there was a gleam of faith - the most valuable asset that soldiers always bring.

Video : Soldiers of Thu Lum border station return to do civil work in La Si.

Keeping the fire burning in the wilderness

By the time the gifts were handed out to each household, the sky had darkened. But the men did not rest. A group of men cut hair for free for the villagers – the sound of scissors clacking echoed in the wind of the forest. Children’s hair was neatly trimmed, dirty faces suddenly lit up with smiles.

Another group guided people to prepare the land to grow vegetables, build trellises for squash, and raise chickens to make meals more nutritious. These tasks seemed small, but for the La Hu people, they were a big change. For the first time, they heard about the "second crop", about the concept of "growing to eat", about not only waiting for the forest to give them but also knowing how to sow hope in the forest land.

Tireless steps. Photo: Nguyen Quan.

In the wooden house at the end of the village, three children sat by the fire, their eyes filled with sadness. When he heard that they were planning to drop out of school because of the long distance and lack of warm clothes, Lieutenant Sieng remained silent, then took out three new shirts from his backpack and placed them on each child's lap: "You guys go to school, the army will help."

That simple promise later retained La Si's three young students. The teacher said that the next day, they were the first to arrive at class. Night fell, and fog covered the village. The soldiers lit the fire, cooked rice with the villagers, and shared a warm meal in the middle of the forest. In the crackling sound of the firewood, someone whispered: "Today, our villagers handed over three flintlock guns to the army."

No one said anything more, but there was reassurance in their eyes. Those old guns were returned with the belief that with soldiers, there would be peace.

The village was bustling with joy. Photo: Hoang Anh.

People's border

The next morning, when the fog cleared, the marching group prepared to leave the village. People stood along the slope to see them off, shaking hands and hugging silently. An old man with a cane stepped out, touched the soldier's shoulder, and said softly: "Please be careful. When you have a chance to come back, the people of La Si will miss you very much."

The forest road was steep and slippery, but people's hearts were lighter. After the trip, in the middle of the border mountains and forests, the bond of love between the army and the people became stronger. The gifts were small but contained deep affection - a vivid expression of the spirit of "serving the people", of the tradition of "when you go, the people remember, when you stay, the people love".

Strong military-civilian relationship. Photo: Hoang Anh.

In the farthest part of the Fatherland, every step of the Border Guard soldiers not only protects the border and landmarks, but also extends the border of the people's hearts - the most sacred border in the hearts of the Vietnamese people.

Lieutenant Colonel Lu Lu Chu, Chief of Thu Lum Border Guard Station, shared with us: "Trips like this are the glue that binds the army and the people together, the foundation for building a people's heart. When people consider the army as family, when their trust in the Party and the State is strengthened, each citizen will become a 'living milestone' protecting the border."

See you again in the small village. Photo: Nguyen Quan.

Ban La Si will be different. The wooden roofs will have more vegetable gardens, the children will go to school more regularly. And every rainy season, the people will no longer feel forgotten in the middle of the forest. Because they know, somewhere out there, there are still soldiers with love and responsibility in their hearts, always looking towards them.

Amidst the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the forest canopy, one seems to hear the whispers of the land, the mountains, and the border rivers: "At the end of the Fatherland, there are people who silently keep the flame of love never extinguished.

I love you in October...

Source: https://vtv.vn/nhung-buoc-chan-hanh-quan-ve-la-si-100251012131214436.htm