The Central Highlands army and people join hands to eliminate temporary houses - Part 1: The journey to build warm homes in the highlands

In the vast Central Highlands, where the dry monsoon winds hit the fragile bamboo walls, where the first rain of the season can sweep away a rickety house, a solid roof is a dream too great for many poor families, especially ethnic minority households. But from these difficult lands, the warm light of houses of love is shining, built by the hands, hearts and persistent companionship of the army and people through the program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses.

Rebuilding the roof with the people

In May, the Central Highlands are scorchingly sunny. In Ia Mor commune (Chu Prong district, Gia Lai province), officers and soldiers of the Gia Lai provincial Border Guard and local militia are still working hard to complete new houses for households under the local program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses.

In order to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses and contribute to improving the lives of people in border areas, the Border Guard of Gia Lai province has built 10 houses for people in difficult circumstances. Each house is supported with 70 million VND, the soldiers contribute additional materials and labor days to ensure the construction of more spacious houses.

More than a month has passed since he moved into his new house, but for Mr. Siu Hoang (Khon village, Ia Mor commune), the happiness is still intact as at the beginning. Every morning when he wakes up, touching each solid wall, he feels like it is a real dream because 2 months ago, his family was still living in an old stilt house, only 28 ^m2 .

That dilapidated, rickety stilt house has been home to 12 people for more than 10 years. Every rainy season, the sound of the wind whistling through the loose wooden walls makes Mr. Hoang choke because of the constant fear of the house collapsing, and he can't sleep well at night. His family's circumstances are extremely difficult, he and his wife work hard day and night in the fields, struggling to even find food and clothing, let alone dream of a solid roof. For many years, a new house has been just a distant dream for his family.

“We are extremely grateful to the Gia Lai Provincial Party Committee and Border Guard Command for mobilizing funds and working days to support the construction of a new house for our family. So the dream of a new, solid house that can protect us from the rain and sun has now come true. My family will try to do business, develop the economy and escape poverty,” said Siu Hoang.

Officers and soldiers of Ia Pnôn Border Guard Station (Duc Co district) participate in removing temporary and dilapidated houses.

Colonel Tran Tien Hai, Commander of Gia Lai Provincial Border Guard, said that removing temporary and dilapidated houses not only helps people have solid housing and a stable life, but also contributes to building closer ties between the military and the people, together firmly protecting the sovereignty and security of the border.

"Over the years, we have paid great attention to taking care of the people's lives. Regarding the work of eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses, the unit has always clearly recognized that this is a "peacetime combat mission", for the prosperous and happy life of the people, calling for contributions from cadres, soldiers and philanthropists. We realize that we need to be responsible for the people at the border, to show gratitude for their feelings towards the border force", Colonel Tran Tien Hai shared.

Pleiku City leaders and military units hand over houses to households in Gao commune.

Sharing the joy, the mother and her four children of Rchâm Luih (village D, Gào commune, Pleiku city, Gia Lai province) now have a solid roof to protect them from the sun and rain.

After only nearly a month of construction, with the consensus and joint efforts of the local government and the officers and soldiers of Regiment 48 (Division 320, Army Corps 3), the new spacious house of Ms. Luih and her four children was completed. On the day she received the key from the leaders of the Pleiku City People's Committee, Ms. Luih could not hide her emotions. Her eyes were filled with tears, her hands trembling as she held the key, a small object but it opened a whole new chapter for her family.

Ms. Luih said that her husband died of diabetes, leaving her alone to struggle to raise her three children. For the past few years, the four of them have been living in an old, leaky, cramped corrugated iron house. It is stuffy on sunny days and water flows like a river on rainy days. Every time it rains heavily, she can only hold her children and pray that the corrugated iron roof does not fly away.

Hope only really glimmered when the Party and State issued a policy to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses. Her family received 60 million VND in support, the rest was contributed by relatives. The new house cost 80 million VND, with a living room and two bedrooms, and has now become a real home, where children's laughter is no longer drowned out by the sound of wind blowing through torn corrugated iron sheets.

“My children and I are so happy! Thank you to the Party, the local authorities and the soldiers for helping us have a safe home so we can live and study in peace…”, Ms. Luih said with tears in her eyes, amidst the warm applause of those who witnessed that happy moment.

Police forces join hands to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses

Along with Ms. Luih and her children, 7 other families in village D received financial support to build houses. Mr. Ro Cham Huyt, head of village D, said: Gao commune has 22 households receiving financial support to remove temporary and dilapidated houses, of which village D has 8 households, the most in the commune. Of these, 5 are near-poor households and 3 are policy families. Through propaganda and mobilization work, all families considered for financial support to build houses have additional contributions. In addition, youth union members, women's union members, and farmers' union members actively participate in labor days with the army, helping the houses to be completed soon and handed over to families to move in.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Tu, Deputy Political Commissar of Regiment 48 (Division 320, Corps 34) said that as soon as the unit received the mission, it mobilized all resources together with local Party committees and authorities to contribute to building solid homes for households. This is not only a responsibility but also an obligation and also a testament to the solidarity and attachment between the army and the people.

“In the process of carrying out the mission, the officers and soldiers of Regiment 48 always proactively overcome difficulties, work wholeheartedly and thoroughly with the highest responsibility to ensure the progress and quality of the project so that people can benefit from the program as soon as possible. We identify helping people build houses as a regular and long-term political task. Each solid roof is a more solid step for people in the journey of hunger eradication and poverty reduction. This is also an opportunity to further strengthen the solidarity between the army and the people, the solidarity between the unit and the local government, contributing to building a strong local government, promoting the qualities of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period”, the Deputy Commissar of Regiment 48 expressed.

The numbers speak for themselves.

From Pleiku City to the border districts of Duc Co or Chu Prong, everywhere you can see the image of Uncle Ho's soldiers with simple people leveling the land, mixing mortar, and building house frames. Each house is not only the result of help but also the crystallization of solidarity and sharing.

As of May 15, the entire Gia Lai province has started construction and repair of 7,421/8,155 houses, reaching 91% of the plan, including 5,994 houses under construction and 1,427 houses under repair.

According to statistics, the province currently has 8/17 localities that have started construction of 100% of temporary and dilapidated houses; 3 localities have reached over 90% and the remaining localities have reached over 70%. Along with the drastic participation of Party committees and authorities, since the beginning of April, military forces stationed in the area have contributed a total of 29,630 working days to participate in building and repairing houses for people.

Of which, the provincial armed forces with 437 officers and soldiers participated in 11,438 working days; military units stationed in the area mobilized 436 officers and soldiers with 10,012 working days; local sectors and organizations contributed 8,180 working days.

On behalf of the Ministry of Public Security, Lieutenant General Pham The Tung presented 231 billion VND (donated by officers and soldiers of the entire police force) to support Gia Lai province in implementing the Program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses.

In 2025, the Ministry of Public Security was assigned to preside over and support Gia Lai and Cao Bang provinces in implementing the Program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses. In Gia Lai province, the Ministry of Public Security supported 231 billion VND to join hands with local Party committees and authorities to care for and help poor and near-poor households, policy families, and people with meritorious services to the revolution to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses, helping people "settle down and make a living".

At the ceremony to present model houses, hand over support funds and start the demolition of temporary and dilapidated houses in Gia Lai province, Lieutenant General Pham The Tung, member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Minister of Public Security, presented VND 231 billion (funds from the Ministry of Public Security) to representatives of Gia Lai provincial government and presented symbolic keys and gifts from the Minister of Public Security to 10 households in need of demolition of temporary and dilapidated houses in Dak Djrang commune, Mang Yang district, Gia Lai province.

Deputy Minister of Public Security Pham The Tung said: Under the leadership of the Party and State, the drastic participation of the entire political system, the consensus of the people and the support of all classes in society, especially businesses, Vietnam has become a model of hunger eradication and poverty reduction in the world. The Party and State always pay special attention and have many policies and guidelines to support the poor, people in difficult circumstances, and the disadvantaged; develop the socio-economy in difficult areas, remote areas, border areas, islands, and ethnic minority areas. Thereby, people from poverty have been supported to become prosperous and happy. Many localities across the country have stepped out of the difficult threshold, striving to meet the new rural standards. The above results affirm the will and determination of the entire Party, the entire political system, the entire army and the entire people in the work of hunger eradication and poverty reduction.

In recent years, the Ministry of Public Security has taken the lead in mobilizing and coordinating with localities to build a total of 18,159 houses, with a budget of more than 780 billion VND. In 2024 alone, the Ministry of Public Security mobilized resources to build, renovate and repair more than 3,000 houses, with a total budget of more than 150 billion VND for poor households, policy families, families with meritorious services to the revolution, ethnic minorities and is currently urgently implementing in many provinces and cities across the country. The Ministry of Public Security is coordinating with Gia Lai province to urgently and effectively implement the emulation movement "Join hands to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in 2025". These are very positive results, a successful start for the Program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in Gia Lai province.

"I believe that, with the joint efforts, unanimity, and participation of the entire political system, business community, and people, the emulation movement to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in the province will succeed soonest, achieve the most substantial results, have the strongest spreading effect, for the prosperous and happy life of the people, and be a typical, leading locality, soon completing the set plan," Lieutenant General Pham The Tung emphasized.

Deputy Minister of Public Security Pham The Tung and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Rah Lan Chung presented symbolic keys and gifts from the Minister of Public Security to 10 households whose temporary and dilapidated houses were to be demolished in Dak Djrang commune, Mang Yang district.

Mr. Rah Lan Chung, Chairman of Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee shared: Responding to the emulation movement "Joining hands to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses nationwide in 2025" launched by the Prime Minister, Gia Lai province has promptly established a Steering Committee to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in the province and implemented synchronously and drastically from the province to the grassroots level. Thereby, 8,485 poor households, near-poor households, and households with meritorious services to the revolution have been reviewed and listed as eligible for support to build new and repair houses (of which, 6,828 new houses, 1,657 houses have been repaired), with a total cost of 459.390 billion VND.

In addition to the support from a number of corporations and enterprises inside and outside the province, the Ministry of Public Security plays a key role in helping and supporting 231 billion VND to save 5% of regular local budget expenditures in 2024.

"With the determination to complete the set goals as soon as possible, the province has focused on mobilizing resources from agencies, units, businesses, organizations, individuals and communities inside and outside the province; at the same time, mobilizing human resources from police and military units to contribute in many forms, aiming to improve the quality of housing for households. This is a very meaningful event, demonstrating the spirit of solidarity, responsibility and the tradition of "repaying gratitude", "mutual love", contributing to bringing a prosperous and happy life to people with merit, poor households, and disadvantaged people, leaving no one behind", Mr. Rah Lan Chung emphasized.