Sow faith
One day in mid-autumn, we returned to Luc Chan village (Hai Son commune), a highland border area of the province. Nearly 60 years old, Mr. Ly A Chang (San Chi ethnic group), Party Cell Secretary and Village Chief, is still attached to his fields and border patrols every day.
More than 20 years ago, Mr. Chang and his family left Tien Yen to settle in the border area. The land at that time was still wild and security was complicated. With perseverance, he both reclaimed land and built a career, and persistently encouraged people to unite and maintain order in the village. He confided: “At first it was not easy, people did not believe. I had to go from house to house, setting an example for people to see. When people believed, I could do the job.”
Now Luc Chan has changed its appearance. The acacia forests are green and the neighborly love is stronger. More importantly, the awareness of protecting the border and obeying the law has permeated the lifestyle of every citizen. Mr. Chang is the "living milestone" that helps Luc Chan stand firm on its development journey.
Also on the border of Hai Son commune, Mr. Choong Sao Chan (Dao ethnic group), a prestigious person in Phinh Ho village, is over 60 years old but still actively participates in the Border and Landmark Self-Management Team. Every week, he spends several sessions walking along the border, clearing and cleaning, promptly reporting any suspicious signs.
We met Mr. Choong Sao Chan when he was preparing to inspect the border, exuding in him the sense of responsibility of a “living landmark”. With his prestige, he always accompanies the border guards to propagate and mobilize people to participate in border protection; to go to each household to propagate the Party’s policies, the State’s laws, and border regulations so that people can understand and implement them.
Mr. Chan shared: “Combining production with border protection is the duty and responsibility of all Phinh Ho people. When working in the border area, we always remind each other to be vigilant and report any strangers to the authorities and the Border Guard immediately.”
In Na Ly village (Quang Duc commune), when mentioning Mr. Phun Hop Senh (Dao ethnic group), people all respect him for his prestige and contributions to the locality. At the age of 76, he still has a clear voice, bright eyes that seem to contain the spirit of the mountains and forests. Having been the Party Secretary of the commune for nearly 30 years, then a member of the 8th National Assembly, he understands better than anyone the lives of his people. Even though he has retired, he is still busy: when attending reconciliation, when going to households to mobilize people to plant forests, raise buffaloes and cows, and make an economy from elephant grass. He smiled and said: "We have to help people eat and wear clothes to talk about protecting the forest, protecting the village, and maintaining peace."
What is special about Mr. Senh is his persistence in preserving the Dao people's cultural traditions. He teaches his children and grandchildren the language and writing so that the next generation will not forget their roots. He propagates against illegal religion, considering it a way to maintain faith in the Party. On September 17, he was invited to participate in the model of "Promoting the role of prestigious people" in Quang Duc commune. With his presence, people trust him more, and the movement to preserve village peace spreads further. The influence of a "prestigious person" is not only in words, but also in a simple, exemplary daily lifestyle.
Also in Na Ly village, Mr. Phoong Nhuc Phi (Dao ethnic group), former Party Secretary of the commune, although nearly 70 years old, still patrols the border with the militia every day, clearing the road around the border marker. He encourages people to abandon superstition and preserve traditional houses. The results are not only in the patrols, but also in the clear poverty reduction results: From 30% poor households, now the village has only a few near-poor households. He is called by the people as the "fire-bearer" in the border area.
In Pac Poc village (Hoanh Mo commune), Ninh A Ngan (San Chi ethnic group), Party cell secretary and village chief, is always trusted by the villagers. Although young, Ngan has soon become the spiritual support of the villagers. He is active in mobilizing villagers to develop the economy, develop agriculture and forestry with native trees such as cinnamon and star anise; encourages young people to work as factory workers, join worker groups at border gates... to develop the economy. Ngan shared: "When we are young, we have to go first, do first, so that the villagers can see, believe and follow." Not only taking care of the economy, he also regularly patrols the border and landmarks with the Border Guard. The image of the young Party cell secretary and border guards has become familiar to the villagers. That youthful energy, when ignited by the village elders and village chiefs, is contributing to writing a new story on the fence of the Fatherland.
Deep roots
On September 17, Quang Duc commune launched the model "Promoting the role of prestigious people, village elders, shamans, and doctors to mobilize people to participate in ensuring security and order, preventing child marriage in ethnic minority villages and hamlets", this is the first model in the eastern region of the province. With 46 members including village elders, village chiefs, shamans, and doctors, the model aims to closely coordinate between the political system, the armed forces, and the people. The members are the bridge between the government and the people, mobilizing people to maintain security and order, prevent child marriage, eliminate bad customs, and raise legal awareness.
Mr. Phùn Hợp Sênh and many other prestigious people were trusted to participate as core members. They not only propagated policies, but also reconciled conflicts, guided people in economic development, and taught their children to stay away from social evils. Mr. Phạm Văn Khởi, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Quảng Đức Commune, said: “When prestigious people speak up, people listen and follow. This is the key to maintaining peace at the grassroots level.”
The model has been actively responded to by the people in the commune. Along with the police, grassroots security forces, and the Border Guard, the model is also an important "address" for people to trust, actively participate in self-management groups, boldly denounce crimes, and provide information about the security and order situation and life in the village. The model is not only a social management initiative, but also demonstrates the motto "Taking the people as the root, relying on the people to protect the land and the village".
Quang Ninh has more than 118km of land border and nearly 200km of sea border. Implementing Directive No. 01/CT-TTg (January 9, 2015), the movement "All people participate in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation" has been effective. Up to now, border guards have coordinated to establish 497 border and landmark self-management teams with nearly 5,600 members, in which prestigious people always play a core role.
From the border marker self-management groups, peaceful border models, and information provided by the masses, the border guards and police have discovered and handled hundreds of law violations. This shows the strength of the "people's hearts" when each citizen becomes a soldier, each village is a fortress.
Village elders and village chiefs... do not have high titles, but their prestige and responsibility are invisible powers. Each person has a different story, but they all have one thing in common: Using prestige to build trust, using example to lead the community. They are the "big trees" in the vast forest, deeply rooted in the Fatherland's borders, spreading peace to the villages, contributing to maintaining the borders and building a rich and beautiful homeland.
Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/nhung-cot-moc-song-noi-bien-cuong-3376618.html
![[Photo] General Secretary To Lam attends the 1st Congress of the Central Party Committee of the Fatherland Front and Central Mass Organizations](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/1200x675/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/9/23/2aa63d072cab4105a113d4fc0c68a839)
Comment (0)