Commander of Nhon Mai Border Guard Post: Be close to the people, understand the people to gain their trust and love.
On the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the Border Guard Force's Traditional Day (March 3, 1959 - March 3, 2025) and the 36th anniversary of the National Border Guard Day (March 3, 1989 - March 3, 2025), Nghe An Newspaper had a conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Phan Thanh Hong, born in 1972, from Nghia Dan district, currently the Commander of Nhon Mai Border Guard Station, Tuong Duong district.
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The commander of the Nhon Mai Border Guard Post (Tuong Duong District) is affectionately called "Godfather" by his fellow border guards and the local people. He is a man who always strives to mobilize and support community projects for the villagers, a commander who is close to the people, understands them, and is loved by them. Every place he has worked in has left behind positive and profound memories.
On the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the Border Guard Force's Traditional Day (March 3, 1959 - March 3, 2025) and the 36th anniversary of the National Border Guard Day (March 3, 1989 - March 3, 2025), Nghe An Newspaper had a conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Phan Thanh Hong, born in 1972, from Nghia Dan district, currently the Commander of Nhon Mai Border Guard Station, Tuong Duong district.
Thanh Nga(Execution) • 3/3/2025
PV:As the commander of a border guard post, responsible for guarding the border and protecting the security of the nation's sovereignty markers, could you elaborate on your role and responsibilities?
Lieutenant Colonel Phan Thanh HongFrom the moment I joined the military, I have always been aware of my responsibilities, absolutely loyal to the Party, devoted to the people, upholding the spirit of revolutionary vigilance, resourceful, courageous, overcoming all difficulties and hardships, and excellently fulfilling the task of protecting the socialist regime, protecting the Party, the State, the people, and safeguarding every inch of sacred land of the Fatherland.
Border guards are also an active force in building and strengthening the grassroots political system, developing socio-economic conditions, contributing to building a strong national border defense system, building a peaceful, stable, friendly, cooperative and developing border; managing and protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security. In addition, I am always aware that consolidating and strengthening national unity and building a solid "people's support" is a decisive factor in the success of the cause of protecting the national border.
The Nhon Mai Border Guard Post, where I work, is responsible for managing a border line over 28km long, and also oversees two communes, Mai Son and Nhon Mai, with 1,431 households/6,868 people, comprising Kinh, Thai, Mong, and Kho Mu ethnic groups. As the Post Commander, I lead the unit in coordinating with local authorities and the Lao border protection forces to ensure security and order in the border area. In addition, I direct the unit to actively support and assist our neighboring country in border management, contributing to strengthening and fostering the long-standing friendship between Vietnam and Laos.
With the motto: "The outpost is our home, the border is our homeland, and the people of all ethnic groups are our brothers and sisters," my comrades and I always strive to make the "home" on the border for our border guards warm and peaceful. Along with that, I always consider the local people as our brothers and sisters, our relatives; we have a responsibility to be close to them in all circumstances. When the villagers are happy, we share their joy; when they face difficulties, we share their burdens.
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Therefore, soldiers in green uniforms must always adhere to the motto "3 attachments, 4 togethernesses": Attaching to the unit, attaching to the locality, attaching to policies and guidelines; eating, living, working, and speaking the language of the local people. With that motto, we always build a tight work schedule, taking the people as the criterion for our activities. For us, each citizen is a "living landmark," and when the people are happy and peaceful, the border region is secure.
PV:It is known that,During his business trips to the villages, seeing the many difficulties and poverty faced by the ethnic minority people in the border areas, he connected with and appealed to businesses and philanthropists to support and help the people, from rice, blankets, and clothes to housing, clean water, and bridges... Could you tell us more about these meaningful activities?
Lieutenant Colonel Phan Thanh Hong:In every place I was stationed, I was committed to providing the best possible life for the local people. I always paid attention to what they lacked and sought ways to mobilize support, hoping to help them have a more comfortable life. When I first arrived in Nhon Mai, the people there had to wade across the stream every day. It was manageable in the summer, but during the rainy season, transportation and trade became extremely difficult and arduous. This was especially true for the children; every time it rained, their journey to school was incredibly challenging, and they often faced many dangers.
In the three years since I became the Commander of the Nhon Mai Border Guard Post, I, along with my colleagues, have appealed to benefactors to build three bridges in the two communes where I am stationed, with a total value of 3.3 billion VND. The inauguration day of the bridges was also the happiest day for the local people. Now, the people no longer have to wade through streams, and it is easier to trade whatever livestock or crops they raise, thus increasing their income and investing in their children's education.
Building the bridge didn't solve the ultimate problems of the local people, because around me, many families still live in makeshift houses that leak even before it rains. I instructed my colleagues to survey and compile a list of truly needy households to appeal to philanthropists for support in building decent houses. And in three years, 29 houses were completed, with initial assistance of about 50 million VND per house, plus the labor of the soldiers and villagers. Many families now have decent homes to stabilize their lives.
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With a sense of responsibility and a spirit of always bringing the best to the people, I also mobilized efforts to drill water wells for schools, provided hundreds of practical gifts during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year) to disadvantaged people; supported students through the "Helping Children Go to School" Program and the "Military Officers Helping Children Go to School" Project, along with many programs aimed at students in disadvantaged areas such as: "Warm Clothes for the Border"; "Moonlight on the Border - Mid-Autumn Festival Night", "Border Dormitory"; and built a combined military-civilian medical livelihood model... With this livelihood model, the most important thing is that we create a sense of cooperation and joint development among the people, so that the results they receive will be worth many times more.
PV:Of all the livelihood models that you and philanthropists/volunteer organizations have supported for the people, which one do you appreciate the most?
Lieutenant Colonel Phan Thanh HongThere are many excellent models that I have promoted and implemented with my fellow villagers, creating practical livelihoods and helping people overcome hunger and poverty. The model I am most proud of is the "Nursery for Sowing Green Seeds, Greening the Border." This model provides free seedlings to ethnic minority communities, helping to develop sustainable household economies in border communes. Through this, it raises awareness among the people about reforestation, changing inefficient traditional farming practices to new production methods, contributing to improving the ecological environment, mitigating climate change, and increasing income.
The model, covering an area of 400m², was supported by the Global Green Seed Company with seedlings, fertilizers, and technical guidance on care, in order to implement the Prime Minister's plan to plant 1 billion trees in the 2021-2025 period. On the day of the model's launch, we received 4,000 seedlings of various species such as Terminalia catappa, Diospyros melanosa, and Aquilaria sinensis, worth 30 million VND. Using these seedlings, we guided the local people on how to propagate and care for them, ensuring their healthy growth and gradually greening the forest area, contributing to flood prevention and mitigating flash floods during the rainy season. Since establishing this model, the local people have shown a sense of shared responsibility and shared benefits, yielding initial positive results.
PV:To achieve such impressive results today, you must have gone through a process of hard work and dedication, right?
Lieutenant Colonel Phan Thanh HongSince my youth, I have been deeply in love with the military uniform, especially the uniform of the border guards protecting the nation's borders. Through newspapers, television, and even the films my father (who worked in the film industry) made, I always felt that border guards were truly courageous and loyal. And from those days, I always promised myself that I would become a soldier serving in the army. I thought my childhood dreams would change as I grew older, but no, after finishing 12th grade and passing the entrance exam to Hanoi University (now Vietnam National University), I still couldn't stop thinking about my childhood dream. So, I put aside my studies and enlisted. After completing my training, I passed the entrance exam to the Border Guard Academy, and after many years of training, I returned to work in the Nghe An Border Guard with many ambitions and a burning desire to contribute.
Having held various positions, from team leader to Commander of Tam Quang Border Guard Post and currently Commander of Nhon Mai Border Guard Post, I have always been determined to fulfill my assigned duties well. In each place I have worked, I have always wholeheartedly helped my comrades and dedicated myself to building a strong and comprehensive unit. Everywhere I have played the leading and exemplary role of a Party member, a border guard, and a soldier, always staying close to the local area and actively mobilizing the people to implement the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws and regulations.
PV:What do you think when many people say that border guards stationed at the border always face many disadvantages?
Lieutenant Colonel Phan Thanh Hong"Having chosen to be a border guard, we must accept sacrifices. We cannot be near our parents, wives, and children during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year), nor can we be with our families when we are tired or need warmth and support. We also cannot handle the major and minor affairs of the household. My family is in a rather special situation: both my wife and I work in the Border Guard, but we are in different units, more than 300km apart. My wife currently works at the Military Medical Department, Logistics Division, Border Guard Command of Nghe An Province, while I am at a grassroots unit and rarely home, so the burden of the family falls entirely on my wife's shoulders."
For me, to be able to shoulder both the responsibilities of the country and family, the most important thing for a border guard is knowing how to balance and prioritize what is most important at each moment. Therefore, when I can maintain peace in the border region and ensure that the people living in border areas have a peaceful and happy life, that is when I feel most at ease to return to my family.
PV:Thank you for the conversation!
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