Building a "steel fortress of the people's hearts"

Determined to uphold the principle of "The outpost is our home, the border is our homeland," over the years, officers and soldiers of the Cao Bang Provincial Border Guard have comprehensively and synchronously implemented programs and activities to care for the lives of people in border areas.

Officers and soldiers of Xuan Truong Border Guard Station, along with local people, patrol and protect the border.

Sharing about the activities accompanying and assisting people in border areas, Colonel Luong Tuan Long, Political Commissar of the Cao Bang Provincial Border Guard Command, said that over the past 10 years, the border guards have implemented 25 practical programs and activities aimed at developing socio -economic conditions, improving and enhancing the material and spiritual lives of people in border areas; and strengthening the relationship and solidarity between the military and the people. Through these efforts, they have built a solid "steel fortress of the people's hearts" in border areas, creating a strong foundation for the Cao Bang Border Guard to carry out its mission of protecting the Fatherland from early on and from afar, avoiding passivity in various situations.

With the sentiment and tradition of "The outpost is our home, the border is our homeland, and the people of all ethnic groups are our brothers and sisters," over the years, border guards have implemented movements, programs, and models for socio-economic development in border areas. For example, movements and models such as "Border Guards participating in building new rural areas," "Helping children go to school - Border Guard's adopted children," "Eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses," "Accompanying women in border areas," and "Border Guards joining hands for the poor, leaving no one behind"... have affirmed the position, role, responsibility, and affection of border guard officers and soldiers for the people in border areas. According to representatives of the Border Guard Command, models such as border guards helping poor households escape poverty, building clean water facilities, constructing rural roads, providing medical examinations and treatment, distributing medicine to border residents, the "Helping Children Go to School" program, and the "Border Guard Adopted Children" program... have proven effective, especially in models and programs for economic, cultural, educational , and health development in border areas, where the main beneficiaries are the people in the border region.

Expressing his appreciation for the companionship, assistance, and support provided by border guards, Comrade Phuong Van Thang, Secretary of the Party Branch of Ly Van hamlet, Ly Quoc commune, said that before the "Lighting Up Rural Roads" program, Ly Van border hamlet faced difficulties in nighttime travel. In 2025, the Ly Van Border Gate Border Guard Post provided 50 solar-powered lights to be installed along the hamlet's roads, making nighttime travel more convenient for residents and ensuring security and order. The soldiers also helped people build new houses, move livestock pens away from under the houses, and assist in economic development.

Alongside the soldiers managing and protecting the border, the people participate with the soldiers in patrolling and clearing border patrol routes. Whenever they detect illegal activities, such as individuals moving along trails or illegally entering and exiting the country, the people promptly report it to the border guards for prevention and handling according to regulations.

Lieutenant Colonel Pham Tien Uy, Deputy Political Officer of the Ly Van Border Gate Border Guard Station, said that Ly Quoc commune has 1,405 families with nearly 6,000 people. The commune has eight border hamlets; the poverty rate is still over 30%. Effectively implementing the directives of the Border Guard Command, the Provincial Border Guard Command has deployed models, programs, and movements for border guards to participate in economic, cultural, and social development in border areas. Over the past 10 years, officers and soldiers of the unit have based their work on the actual situation.

Notably, implementing the "Helping People Escape Poverty Sustainably" model, the unit provided interest-free loans totaling 130 million VND to seven families for production development. In response to the situation of some students from disadvantaged families, the unit supported 20 children through the "Helping Children Go to School" program, providing nearly 479 million VND in assistance. In addition, the Ly Van Border Gate Border Guard Station also provided 111 million VND to 29 families to purchase materials, build livestock shelters, and relocate livestock shelters from under their houses. Furthermore, the unit coordinated and established eight self-governing committees for border areas and national boundary markers in eight border villages, with 642 households registering to participate. “People in border areas participate in helping border guards manage the border line and boundary markers; promptly reporting crimes and illegal entry and exit. This has mobilized a widespread border protection force and harnessed the combined strength of the people in managing and protecting the national border,” Lieutenant Colonel Pham Tien Uy added.

Text and photos: MINH TUAN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/xay-dung-luy-thep-long-dan-post943954.html