Militia – Silent heroes in difficult times

In times of trouble there are always militias.

In the late afternoon of mid-September 2024, while preparing dinner with his family, Mr. Vi Van Hieu - Commander of the Military Command of Chieu Luu Commune (Ky Son District) received a phone call informing him that a landslide had occurred in Xieng Thu village, threatening the lives of many households. In this remote commune of Nghe An Province, phone calls like that have been all too familiar to Mr. Hieu for the past 15 years, since joining the force.militiaQuickly putting down his chopsticks, Mr. Hieu prepared his belongings and at the same time mobilized dozens of militiamen from the commune to go down to the village.

Very quickly, the militia of Chieu Luu commune arrived at Xieng Thu village. "At that time, it was getting dark and it was raining heavily. But it was still enough to see rocks and soil flowing down the mountain like a stream," said Mr. Hieu. More than 20 militiamen seemed to know what they had to do and immediately got to work. One group quickly went to each house to evacuate people to safety. The other group divided themselves into moving property and dismantling the houses most seriously threatened by landslides.

Among the houses that were dangerously eroded was the imposing wooden house of Mr. La Van Chien (48 years old), which had just been built less than 9 months ago. “The rocks and soil fell so quickly that even with the support of the militia, they could only remove the tiled roof and a few wooden planks. Not long after, the entire house was buried. Without the militia, we probably wouldn’t have had time to move our belongings,” said Mr. Chien.

When he realized that Mr. Chien's house could not be saved, Mr. Vi Van Hieu immediately commanded the militia to dismantle the other houses next door. "We were able to dismantle two other wooden houses next door. If we didn't do it quickly, those houses would have been buried too," Mr. Hieu said... Immediately after the rain stopped, the rocks and soil from the mountain stopped falling, the militia and self-defense forces worked together to clean up the scene and help the households rebuild their houses. The work lasted for many days.

Mr. Vi Van Hieu said: In this remote commune, landslides occur continuously every rainy season, helping people prevent them is very familiar to the militia force. "Whenever it rains heavily, everyone in the force is ready to wait for the phone call to go. Not only evacuating people or helping to dismantle houses, but also having to be on duty at dangerous points."

One of the places where the militia and self-defense forces have to be on duty 24/7 every time there is heavy rain is the Xieng Thu spillway, located on the road from National Highway 7 to Bao Thang commune. Because at this spillway, every time there is heavy rain, the water flows rapidly, flooding more than 1 meter. In previous years, 2 people were swept away and died after trying to cross the rapid water. "Despite the cold rain, we are still on duty at both ends of the spillway. If people passing by do not have urgent work, we will ask them to turn back. In cases of force majeure such as going to the hospital, we have to ignore the danger and carry people and vehicles across the spillway safely," said Mr. Vi Van Hieu.

Talking about the local militia force, Mr. Lo Van Cang - Chairman of the People's Committee of Chieu Luu commune said: "The militia force plays a very important role in the locality. They are the core force on duty, taking the lead in preventing and fighting natural disasters; helping people overcome difficulties and dangers. In addition to preventing natural disasters, on normal days, this force also contributes significantly to supporting people in labor and production; maintaining security and order; propagating and mobilizing people; directly patrolling to protect forests, participating in building new rural areas. And not only participating in preventing and fighting natural disasters in the area, when other communes in the district suffer from flash floods or landslides, the militia force of the commune is also ready to go to help. Wherever there is a need, the militia is there. Whatever is difficult, there is the militia."

"Save people" - An order from the heart

According to Lieutenant Colonel Ha Van Tuan - Deputy Commander, Chief of Staff of the CommandMilitaryKy Son district: Ky Son is a district with high, steep mountainous terrain; there are many streams and creeks, so natural disasters such as landslides and flash floods often occur, causing great damage to people and property. At these times, the local militia and self-defense force has played a key role in prevention and control work.

For example, during the historic flash flood that occurred in October 2022 in Ta Ca commune and Muong Xen town, the district's militia force of more than 300 people helped people evacuate safely, regardless of danger, searched for property, actively overcame the consequences, and built houses for people.

Like Ky Son district, the mountainous border district of Que Phong has to endure many natural disasters, storms, floods, and forest fires every year. In times of difficulty and danger, the militia and self-defense force of Que Phong district is always present in time, working side by side with other forces and people to prevent, combat, and overcome the consequences.

Lieutenant Colonel Truong Khac Hao - Commander of the Military Command of Que Phong district said: During floods and storms like the one affected by Typhoon Yagi in September 2024, the lives and properties of hundreds of households were threatened. Regardless of the danger, the militia force always rushed to help households evacuate people and move their properties to safety. These militiamen are silent heroes, always ready to face all difficulties and challenges to protect the community. People in the communes on both banks of the Hieu River always consider the militia soldiers as their benefactors.

Nghe An is a province located in the tropical monsoon region, with complex terrain, climate and hydrology; storms, tropical depressions, thunderstorms, lightning, floods, landslides, inundation frequently occur; there is a risk of fire, explosion, collapse of works, mines, forest fires and other accidents causing damage to people, property and works.

According to statistics, from 2014 to 2025, Nghe An province was affected by 17 storms, 4 tropical depressions; 176 thunderstorms and lightning; 36 heavy rains, including flash floods, landslides, and widespread flooding; 212 fires and explosions, 265 forest fires, 422 accidents at sea and drowning, and 02 military aircraft crashes.

During these natural disasters and floods, wherever you go, you can see the images of militia officers and soldiers rushing into the most difficult places. In those places and at those dangerous times, the militia are often the first force to arrive and also the last to leave the scene when the work has been completed. For them, saving people is a command from the heart.

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Regardless of the circumstances, the Nghe An militia and self-defense force always strives to fulfill its assigned tasks well, worthy of the Party's trust and the people's care, nurturing and protection...

Colonel Dinh Bat Van - Deputy Commander, Chief of Staff of Nghe An Provincial Military Command

To organize the militia and self-defense force to fulfill its tasks, in the coming time, the Provincial Military Command will continue to build and organize training to improve the capacity and quality of the militia and self-defense force with sufficient staffing, ensuring political quality and skills; advise the Party Committees at all levels to do a good job of ensuring material and spiritual conditions, and policy work for the militia and self-defense force in the process of performing its tasks; ensure that it is the core force to build the all-people national defense at the grassroots level, and build the political and spiritual potential of the entire people increasingly stronger.