Under the scorching sun, the sweat of engineers and workers falls amidst the vast forests, not only to build "second homes" for the children of ethnic minorities, but also to erect solid "intellectual landmarks," contributing to the protection of the nation's border sovereignty .
These vehicles travel against the tide to "build words" (a metaphor for achieving enlightenment).
In early May, as the sun peeked out from behind the misty mountains, convoys of trucks carrying steel, cement, equipment, and supplies gradually emerged in the dawn light on the winding roads of Northwest Vietnam, like threads crisscrossing the mountain slopes. To deliver these supplies to construction sites in the border region of Lai Chau province, the convoys had to travel more than a day, covering over 400km, more than half of which was along steep, winding mountain passes, with cliffs on one side and ravines on the other. On some curves, heavily loaded trucks had to crawl slowly, drivers straining their eyes to see every meter of the road.
Minh, a driver with many years of experience on this route, happily said: "This route not only tests the driver's skills, but also the resilience and endurance of the people..." Even healthy workers, accustomed to construction sites, the sun, wind, and heavy work, find it difficult to endure the dozens of hours of bumpy journeys on the winding mountain roads... Some arrive at the site pale and exhausted from motion sickness; some teams withdraw as soon as they arrive at the construction site, even though the pay is much higher than for projects in the lowlands.
At many school sites, before construction began, contractors had to build temporary roads through the forest to bring vehicles, equipment, and materials to the construction site. Even basic materials like stone and sand were not readily available; the construction team had to search for supplies in remote mountainous areas and then carefully plan each transport trip along treacherous routes.
To implement this particularly significant task, many units have taken the lead in undertaking challenging projects. In Lai Chau, 10 school projects, with the Provincial Police as the investor, are being carried out under the close supervision of the Ministry of Public Security 's leadership. The discipline and decisiveness of the officers are incorporated into every stage of project management: from strict requirements regarding progress, quality, and safety, to transparent control of each task. Furthermore, the contractor AMACCAO-VINADIC was assigned the construction task thanks to its experience in implementing projects in mountainous areas and its organizational capacity in handling difficult projects. From the four key multi-level boarding schools in the border communes of Pa Tan, Dao San, Hua Bum, and Bum Nua assigned in the first phase, the unit was subsequently entrusted with all 10 schools under the Lai Chau Provincial Police's investment.
Pressure... on the construction site
At the construction site here, AMACCAO-VINADIC faced a difficult construction challenge. Partly due to the rugged terrain, fragmented site, and rocky soil, organizing the construction site in the border communes of Lai Chau was far more complex than in other areas. At some school sites, leveling the ground for construction required machinery to struggle for days against the interspersed solid rocks.
The remoteness and inaccessibility make tasks such as mobilizing labor, transporting materials, and organizing construction much more expensive than for conventional projects. According to the contractor's representative, the scarcity of high-quality labor in the border area has driven up the contract labor cost to 1.7-1.8 million VND/m², about 20-30% higher than the general average. Meanwhile, the contractor still has to apply the "state-regulated standard" unit price, which is much lower than the actual market price – a difficult economic problem requiring significant sacrifice and social responsibility.
Time pressure exacerbated the challenge, as they had to construct 10 schools simultaneously. For the boarding schools assigned in the first phase, the contractor had to complete them within 8-10 months to ensure timely handover and commissioning for the 2026-2027 school year. Treacherous roads, complex terrain, tight budgets, and tight deadlines – these four pressures plagued the border construction site from the very first day of work.
In that challenging situation, the close supervision and decisive action of the Lai Chau Provincial Police leadership provided support and became a pillar of strength for the contractor and construction unit to adhere to the project's progress and quality targets. "Not only did they inspect and supervise, but the investor also regularly visited the construction site, directly listening to the difficulties encountered on the ground and resolving any issues as soon as they arose. From site preparation, transportation, materials, and labor to construction conditions, every bottleneck was reviewed, and relevant parties were connected to ensure timely resolution," shared a representative of AMACCAO-VINADIC.
Furthermore, the AMACCAO-VINADIC construction team has made strenuous efforts to implement 3 shifts, 4 teams, working day and night, including weekends and holidays, staying at the construction site; at the same time, they have increased manpower and equipment, and prepared material transportation plans in advance to minimize the impact of weather and the rainy season.
This proactive approach has helped many projects maintain a continuous pace of construction, even exceeding the schedule committed in the contract. One side sets the pace, the other paves the way; one side tightens discipline, the other concentrates its efforts and perseveres through difficulties... It is from this unity that the border schools are gradually taking shape amidst the vast forests.
Those who quietly erect "intellectual landmarks"
At a time when the large-scale construction site was entering its accelerated phase, a delegation led by Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Long, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Deputy Minister of Public Security, along with leaders of Lai Chau province and the provincial police, were present at the project site in Pa Tan commune. Their presence at the construction site was not merely a routine progress check, but also affirmed the special importance of border region education projects in the national security strategy.
At the working session held at the foot of the rising buildings, Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Long, along with the leaders of Lai Chau province, acknowledged and highly appreciated the enthusiastic, responsible, and expeditious work of AMACCAO-VINADIC and its affiliated units. The Deputy Minister emphasized that the construction of a multi-level boarding school in the border area is not simply an investment in educational infrastructure, but also carries profound political and social significance – a concrete testament to the concern of the Party, the State, and the People's Public Security forces for social welfare and the care of the younger generation in the border regions of the Fatherland. This "milestone of knowledge" is the strongest foundation of public support for protecting national sovereignty.
Dressed in his red construction-dust-covered work clothes, Mr. Tran Hung, the project manager for the boarding school projects, shared: "AMACCAO-VINADIC seems to have a knack for challenging projects. We consider this both a duty and an honor to contribute a small part to the common cause of the Party and the State in caring for the people in the highlands and contributing to the protection of the country's border security. No matter how difficult it is, we will try our best to overcome the challenges, accelerate the construction progress, and still ensure the quality, technical standards, and aesthetics of the project."
In remote border regions, the path to school for children involves crossing deep streams, climbing steep slopes, and winding through rugged mountains and forests. Therefore, building a school in this border area of the Fatherland provides an additional support system for children to pursue education, and allows the people to feel secure in staying in their villages, on their land, and in the borderlands.
Amidst the clouds of Northwest Vietnam, these "milestones of knowledge" are quietly being erected with the iron discipline of the police force, along with the silent contributions of hundreds of engineers and workers from the AMACCAO-VINADIC contractor, who are working day and night on the construction site to build the school of the future, so that children in the highlands and ethnic minorities in the border regions of the Fatherland can soon attend school in the not-too-distant future...
Source: https://nhandan.vn/xay-truong-noi-bien-cuong-to-quoc-post964183.html
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