Lieutenant Colonel Lu Lu Chu, commander of Thu Lum border guard station, distributes gifts to children. Photo: Hoang Anh.
Footsteps crossing the mountains
It was midday in Thu Lũm. While clouds still covered the mountainside, twelve officers and soldiers of the Thu Lũm Border Guard Post began their field exercise to carry out civilian outreach work. Each person carried a gift package on their shoulder – rice, instant noodles, blankets, cooking utensils, fish sauce, salt... not worth much, but containing heartfelt sentiments for the people of Là Si.
Nestled deep within the vast forests of Northwest Vietnam, the small village of Là Si lies in a secluded valley. The entire village comprises only twenty households, comprising over a hundred La Hủ people – a gentle, quiet ethnic group deeply connected to the forest. Life is still full of hardships; literacy hasn't reached every household, and each rainy season, the road leading to the village is blocked by landslides, isolating it from the outside world.
In the misty autumn air, border guards prepare to depart for La Si. Photo: Nguyen Quan.
The road to La Si was winding, with many sections buried under rocks and debris. The motorbikes stopped, and everyone took turns carrying the supplies, cautiously making their way along the steep slopes, where a single misstep could send them plunging into the abyss. Mountain clouds swirled around them, the sky almost touching their shoulders. Lieutenant Ly Tong Sieng – participating in a civilian outreach campaign for the first time – walked breathlessly, his sweat mixing with the dust. He smiled, his voice hoarse: "The journey was very difficult; at times, it felt impossible to continue. But thinking of the people waiting, we encouraged each other: Our soldiers aren't afraid of hardship; we're only afraid that our people will suffer even more."
The hardships but meaningful lives of border guards. Photo: Hoang Anh.
After four hours of trekking through the forest, around mid-afternoon, the green uniforms of the soldiers appeared in the La Si valley. Wooden houses made of Pơ Mu wood were hidden in the thin smoke from cooking fires, under the fading sunlight. Seeing the soldiers, the villagers rushed out to greet them, their smiles radiant in the weak sun.
Village chief Ly Nhu Xe clasped the commander's hand tightly, his voice trembling: "The village is so happy when the soldiers return, like a family member who's been away visiting. The Party, the State, and the Border Guards always remember us, the people of La Si." His voice was simple yet strangely warm. In his aged eyes, there shone a glimmer of faith – the most precious asset a soldier always brings.
Video : Border guards from Thu Lũm outpost conduct community outreach work in Là Si.
Keeping the flame alive in the hearth
By the time the gifts were handed out to each household, it was already getting dark. But the men didn't rest. A group of them gave free haircuts to the villagers – the clicking of scissors echoed in the forest wind. The children's hair was neatly trimmed, and their dirt-stained faces suddenly lit up with smiles.
Another group guided the villagers in preparing the land for growing vegetables, building trellises for gourds, and raising chickens to make their meals more nutritious. These seemingly small tasks represented a significant change for the La Hủ people. For the first time, they heard about a "second harvest," about the concept of "growing for oneself," and about not just waiting for the forest to provide, but also sowing seeds of hope in the forest land.
Unwearying footsteps. Photo: Nguyen Quan.
In a wooden house at the end of the village, three children sat by the fire, their eyes filled with sadness. When Lieutenant Sieng heard they were considering dropping out of school because of the long distance and lack of warm clothes, he remained silent for a moment, then took three new jackets from his backpack and placed them on each child's lap: "Go to school, children, the soldiers will help."
That simple promise later kept Là Si's three young students. The teacher recounted that the next day, they were the first to arrive at class. As night fell, the village was shrouded in mist. The soldiers built a campfire and cooked rice with the villagers, sharing a warm meal amidst the vast forest. Amidst the crackling of the burning wood, someone whispered, "Today, our villagers handed over three flintlock rifles to the soldiers."
No one said anything more, but there was a sense of relief in their eyes. Those old guns were handed over along with the belief that with the soldiers, there was peace.
The village is bustling with activity. Photo: Hoang Anh.
The border of the people's hearts
The next morning, as the mist cleared, the marching column prepared to leave the village. The villagers lined the slope to see them off, exchanging silent handshakes and hugs. An old man, leaning on his cane, stepped forward, touched a soldier's shoulder, and whispered, "Take care on your journey. Come back sometime; the people of La Si will miss you very much."
The forest path was steep and slippery, but our hearts felt lighter. After the trip, amidst the mountains and forests of the border region, the bond between the soldiers and the people grew even stronger. The small gifts, though modest, contained profound affection – a vivid expression of the spirit of "serving the people," of the tradition of "being remembered when we leave, and cherished when we stay."
The bond between the military and the people remains strong. Photo: Hoang Anh.
In the furthest reaches of the country, every step taken by border guards not only safeguards the border and boundary markers, 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, Commander of Thu Lum Border Guard Station, shared with us: "Trips like these are the glue that binds the military and the people together, the foundation for building a people-centered defense. When the people consider the soldiers as family, when their trust in the Party and the State is strengthened, then each citizen will become a 'living landmark' protecting the border."
See you again in the small village. Photo: Nguyen Quan.
The village of Bản Là Si will change. The wooden houses will have vegetable gardens, and the children will attend school more regularly. And with each rainy season, the villagers will no longer feel abandoned in the middle of the forest. Because they know that somewhere out there, there are soldiers carrying love and responsibility in their hearts, always thinking of them.
Amidst the rustling wind through the forest canopy, one seems to hear the whispers of the land, the mountains, and the border rivers: "At the very edge of the homeland, there are people who silently keep the flame of compassion burning."
It's Si in the month of October...
Source: https://vtv.vn/nhung-buoc-chan-hanh-quan-ve-la-si-100251012131214436.htm
