"Giving a new look" to the traditional houses in the border region.

Driven by camaraderie and solidarity, hundreds of "Borderland Homes" have been built by border guards, helping vulnerable individuals settle down, find stable livelihoods, and stand firm on the borderlands of the Fatherland.

Building "Homes in the Border Region"

On the road leading to Binh Ngoc 2 area (Mong Cai 1 ward), the early summer sun seems to soften in front of the house, still smelling of fresh paint, belonging to Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh's family. Amidst fields of corn and potatoes, that small but sturdy house is a significant asset that Mr. and Mrs. Vinh never imagined they would one day own.

Officers from the Tra Co Border Guard Station visited and presented gifts to the family of Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh (Binh Ngoc 2 area, Mong Cai 1 ward).

Mr. Vinh's family is in difficult circumstances. Both he and his wife are nearly 60 years old, without stable jobs or a secure income, and Mr. Vinh himself is in poor health. Of their three children, the youngest has intellectual disabilities and frequently requires family care. Their single-story house, built nearly 30 years ago, is severely dilapidated, with leaky roofs and cracked walls. During storms, the whole family often huddles together in the damp, cold air. "On rainy days, water splashes in, soaking everything, and the whole family has to huddle in a corner to avoid the leaks," Mr. Vinh's voice still choked with emotion as he recalled those days.

Understanding their plight, at the end of 2025, officers and soldiers of the Tra Co Border Guard Station provided Mr. Vinh's family with 10 million VND in assistance, and also mobilized additional resources from the local government and philanthropists to repair the house. Thanks to this, Mr. Vinh's family's house was completely renovated with a total cost of over 80 million VND. For the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026, Mr. Vinh's family was able to light incense in their sturdy new home.

In the border village of Na Ly, Quang Duc commune, Mr. Truong Sau Vay has also just gone through a winter unlike any other. Without a stable job and frequently ill, Mr. Vay has lived alone for many years in his old, dilapidated house. In the dry season, the forest wind blows through the roof, chilling him to the bone; in the rainy season, water splashes in, soaking his sleeping area...

Leaders of the Quang Duc Border Guard Station visited and presented Tet gifts for the Lunar New Year 2026 to the family of Mr. Truong Sau Vay (Na Ly village, Quang Duc commune).

At the end of 2025, the Quang Duc Border Guard Post mobilized financial support and labor from officers, soldiers, and benefactors to repair Mr. Vay's house. After more than two months of construction, the new house was completed and put into use just before the New Year. For the first month, Mr. Vay was overjoyed, cleaning every corner of the yard and cherishing every item given to him by the soldiers and villagers on the day he moved into his new home. "My circumstances are difficult, and I'm constantly ill, so I couldn't repair the house myself. Thanks to the support of the Border Guard, I now have a secure place to live. The feeling of loneliness in the mountains is gone," Mr. Vay said emotionally.

Stories like those of Mr. Vinh and Mr. Vay's families, who received support from the Border Guard in building and repairing their houses, are not uncommon. Over the years, alongside the task of managing and protecting national border sovereignty and security, units under the Quang Ninh Border Guard Command have consistently considered mobilizing the masses and caring for the people's lives as a regular and persistent mission. In border areas, helping people have stable housing also helps them better connect with their land, villages, and the sea, allowing them to work and produce with peace of mind, and to cooperate with functional forces in protecting the border, border markers, and the sea of ​​their homeland.

Fostering the bond between the military and the people.

In response to the "Eliminating Temporary and Dilapidated Houses" campaign for the period 2024-2025, with a vision to 2030, the Provincial Border Guard Command has proactively coordinated with the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, various departments, organizations, and local Party committees and authorities to review difficult circumstances, identify eligible recipients for support, mobilize resources, and organize the construction and repair of houses for people in border areas.

The border guard force's approach went beyond simply providing funding. Immediately after the launching ceremony, border guard posts throughout the province established support teams for house construction, each directly supervised by a member of the post's command. From surveying the site, compiling documentation, connecting resources, transporting materials, to contributing labor, officers and soldiers closely monitored every aspect of the work. Some houses were built with financial support; some walls were constructed using the soldiers' labor; and some homes were completed thanks to the additional contributions of the people, youth union members, association members, and respected community leaders.

From 2025 to the present, units under the Provincial Border Guard Command have deployed support and spearheaded the mobilization of 998.5 million VND and 595 man-days of labor; organized forces and vehicles to support the transportation of materials, construction, and repair of houses for people in border areas. Specifically, the Tra Co Border Guard Station mobilized funds in 2025 to build and repair two houses for disadvantaged households and policy beneficiary families in the area.

Officers and soldiers of the Tra Co Border Guard Station helped Ms. Duong Thi Do (Dong Thinh area, Mong Cai 1 ward) repair her house.

In Dong Thinh area, Mong Cai 1 ward, the family of Ms. Duong Thi Do is in difficult circumstances. Her husband passed away early, her two sons have unstable jobs and work far from home, and Ms. Do suffers from a lymph node tumor in her left leg, making walking difficult. Several consecutive storms have damaged the roofs of two of her single-story houses, making them unsafe for daily life. Due to her family's circumstances and poor health, Ms. Do often has to endure the lonely nights listening to the howling wind and rain pouring through the roof.

Faced with Mrs. Đo's situation, the Youth Union of the Tra Co Border Guard Station immediately planned and set a date to help her family repair their roof, clean up, and renovate their yard. This meaningful activity demonstrates the proactive and volunteer spirit of the young people at the Tra Co Border Guard Station, contributing to sharing difficulties and strengthening the close-knit relationship between the military and the people in the area under the unit's management.

Lieutenant Colonel Dao Xuan Nguyen, Political Officer of Tra Co Border Guard Station, shared: "We are constantly striving to build a stronger and more enduring relationship of solidarity between the military and the people. When the people trust and love us, that is a great strength for us to successfully fulfill our nhiệm vụ of protecting national sovereignty and border security."

A commendable aspect of the program is that after providing housing support, border guard posts continue to coordinate with local authorities to focus on livelihoods, employment, legal education, and mobilizing people to participate in self-governing models for border areas, boundary markers, and security and order. Colonel Vu Van Hung, Political Commissar of the Provincial Border Guard Command, affirmed: "A new house is only truly sustainable when people have better conditions to stabilize their lives, increase their income, and participate in building a safe and united community. Each house built is a beacon of hope, a dream of secure housing given wings in this beloved border region."

In the overall picture of Quang Ninh province 's social welfare program, eliminating temporary and dilapidated housing is a program with profound humanitarian significance. For the border guard force, this program adds depth to the mission of protecting the border, stemming from the hearts of the people. When people have stable housing, they will have more trust in the Party committee and the government, more attachment to the officers and soldiers of the border guard, and more responsibility towards each border line, marker, beach, and river mouth.

New houses continue to spring up along the northeastern border region of our country. There, we find the sweat of soldiers, the sharing of the community, the involvement of the entire political system, and the aspirations of those facing hardship.

Nguyen Chien

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/thay-ao-moi-cho-nhung-nep-nha-vung-bien-3408608.html