Law

The 'Blue Roses'of Nghe An Border Guard

Khanh Ly • October 20, 2024 07:10

Despite being the weaker sex, female soldiers of the Nghe An Border Guard Force always excel in their assigned tasks, regardless of their position or circumstances. The mark of these "blue roses" is evident in numerous emulation movements that highlight the image of intelligent and capable women in the military.

The Nghe An Border Guard Force currently has 62 female soldiers, of which 21 are serving at border guard posts along the province's two border lines (13 of them are working along the western Nghe An border line).

Many of these women are the core "nucleus" in the unit's cultural and artistic movement and are passionate and enthusiastic cultural propaganda soldiers, bringing songs and performances to serve officers, soldiers, and people in the border area.

For example, Major Hoang Thi Kieu Vinh, a professional military officer and staff member of the Community Mobilization Team at Nhon Mai Border Guard Station, is affectionately called "the nightingale of the mountains" by the locals because of her sweet voice singing folk songs.

Naturally gifted and passionate about singing, after graduating from the Provincial School of Culture and Arts, she enlisted in 1995 and was assigned to the Cultural Propaganda Team (Political Department of the Provincial Border Guard), regularly bringing her singing talent to remote areas to serve the soldiers and the people.

In July 2020, Major Hoang Thi Kieu Vinh transferred to Nhon Mai Border Guard Station, a unit assigned to manage the Nhon Mai and Mai Son areas (Tuong Duong district) – home to 21 villages, 1,356 households, and 6,534 people from four ethnic groups (Kinh, Thai, Kho Mu, and Mong).

Overcoming homesickness and the initial difficulties and unfamiliarity with the customs, traditions, and language of the local people, she and her teammates have implemented many activities to support the people in poverty alleviation and rural development.

In particular, developing her singing talent, she participated in teaching music to students and mentored the Nhon Mai commune's amateur arts team, winning high awards such as the Special Prize and First Prize in the "Village of Lotus Singing" competition in 2022 and 2023 at the district level; and the Second Prize in the provincial folk singing competition...

In a neat and tidy room at the Nhon Mai Border Guard Post, Major Hoang Thi Kieu Vinh happily shared: "In the unit, only I and Lieutenant Colonel Vo Thi Ha are women. We receive care and support from our comrades, trust and affection from the local people, and encouragement from our families, so we always feel warm and secure."

As a member of the Community Mobilization Team, to bring propaganda work closer to the people, Major Hoang Thi Kieu Vinh has meticulously created short plays to disseminate policies and laws with content that is easy to remember, easy to understand, and relevant to reality.

For example, the short play "The Sadness of the Wildflower" is inspired by the folk songs of the Ví and Giặm genres, serving as a message to raise awareness among the people, especially ethnic minority women, about child marriage, gender equality, family planning, and community health care.

Having been stationed in the border area for nearly four years, the local people have come to regard Border Guard Officer O Vinh as "one of their own"...

Similarly, Lieutenant Colonel Bui Thi Huong Giang is a rare female officer working at the Nam Can Border Guard Station (Ky Son). She always strives to overcome all difficulties, stays committed to the area, and actively propagates and mobilizes people, especially ethnic minority women, to improve their understanding and awareness of border laws and regulations, and to develop the economy, eradicate hunger, and reduce poverty.

Particularly during the complicated Covid-19 pandemic, when students in mountainous areas faced difficulties with online learning, Lieutenant Colonel Bui Thi Huong Giang, along with her colleagues, went down to the villages to diligently guide and assist the children in using the equipment effectively for their studies.

With maternal love, she also directly takes care of Lầu Bá Sao (14 years old), who was adopted by the Nhôn Mai Border Guard Station under the "Border Guard Adopted Children" program, providing him with meals, sleep, guidance in his studies, and teaching him about lifestyle and behavior.

Originally from the cultural propaganda team of the Political Department (Provincial Border Guard), upon returning to the grassroots level, Lieutenant Colonel Bui Thi Huong Giang became a key figure in building mass cultural and artistic movements; motivating and assisting ethnic minority women to overcome feelings of inferiority, barriers, and prejudices, and actively participate in local movements and activities.

We also had the opportunity to meet and talk with the first female soldier to volunteer for duty on that mountain front, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thi Tran Thanh.

Nearly six years ago, while working at the Political Department of the Nghe An Border Guard Command, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thi Tran Thanh surprised many when she submitted an application to work at Mon Son Border Guard Station (Con Cuong) - an area with 36.5 km of border adjacent to Bolikhamsai province (Laos), where over 80% of the population are ethnic Thai people, the rest are Dan Lai people and a small number of Kinh people.

As a member of the Community Mobilization Team, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thi Tran Thanh proactively advised the Party Committee and the Station Command on implementing various solutions to help people develop their economy and stabilize their lives; she also acted as a "bridge" to call on charitable organizations and individuals to help disadvantaged households in the area.

She personally provided direct assistance to 7 households, including 4 Dan Lai households in Mon Son commune, to develop their household economy through support in the form of seedlings, livestock, and guidance on animal husbandry and crop cultivation... building long-term livelihood models.

In early 2024, upon transferring to Tam Hop commune (Tuong Duong district) – an area with 25.724 km of border shared with Vieng Thong district, Bolikhamsai province (Laos) – Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thi Tran Thanh paid special attention to strengthening the grassroots political system. She regularly advised and exchanged ideas on Party work with the village Party branches under her charge.

At the same time, the unit's command staff coordinated with local women's associations to establish and maintain the effective operation of 3 clubs: "Women participating in protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security" in Bac Son, Nam Son and Yen villages, Mon Son commune (Con Cuong district), and the "Women and the Law" club in Huoi Son village, Tam Hop commune (Tuong Duong district).

Having spent nearly six years stationed at the border, despite the hardships and pressures, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thi Tran Thanh believes that "the practical experience of being close to the people and staying in the villages has left her with many unforgettable memories of camaraderie and the close, loyal bond between the military and the people at the border."

Overcoming the typical feminine characteristic of being "weak and delicate," the female soldiers of the Nghe An Border Guard always persevere and strive to train and compete with their male comrades to successfully complete their tasks, contributing to the cause of protecting national sovereignty and border security..

During the annual training ceremonies of the armed forces in Nghe An province, many female border guards made a strong impression with their martial arts combat demonstrations, showcasing decisive, skillful, and flexible movements.

Typical examples include the Qigong exercise performance lying on spikes and breaking rocks by Senior Lieutenant Hoang Hoa Mai; the nunchaku performance by Captain Nguyen Thi Ha; and the sword dance by Major Dang Thi Minh Khue…

Female border guards in Nghe An province have also achieved many outstanding results in all-army sports competitions. A prime example is Lieutenant Nguyen Thi Tra My (born 1999), a talented female sharpshooter who excellently won second place in the individual shooting event (exercise 4 with K54 pistol) at the 2024 Military Shooting Competition for Border Guard Forces, Region I.

Although this sport demands both physical and mental endurance, Tra My has proven her exceptional abilities despite having only served in the military for two years.

Subsequently, Tra My was also the only female representative from the Border Guard force selected to participate in the 2024 All-Army Military Shooting Competition (including border guard, navy, army, air defense - air force, coast guard, etc.) and excellently won third place.

Major Dang Thi Minh Khue, Chairwoman of the Women's Association of the Provincial Border Guard, said: "In implementing the unit's Emulation Movement for Victory, female border guards always strive to train and achieve the criteria of a modern-day military woman: 'Intelligence, courage, discipline, and compassion,' and successfully complete their assigned tasks."

In 2024, many female officers achieved outstanding results in participating in national defense sports competitions at all levels. Specifically at the Border Guard Command level, in addition to Lieutenant Nguyen Thi Tra My winning second place in military firearms shooting, Lieutenant Le Thanh Huyen also won first place, and Lieutenant Le Thi Hanh Trang won second place in unarmed combat.

In addition, at the competition for outstanding female officers and members organized by the Border Guard Command, the Women's Association of the Border Guard of Nghe An province excellently won the A prize.

Commenting on the "blue roses" in the force, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Cam - Deputy Head of Political Affairs of the Nghe An Border Guard Command, said: In recent times, the Women's Association of the Nghe An Border Guard Command has effectively implemented the emulation movements "Women of the Border Guard: Intelligent and courageous, fulfilling their duties well, building happy families" associated with the campaign "Promoting traditions, contributing talents, worthy of the name of Uncle Ho's soldiers" in the new era and the models "Excellent female cultural propaganda soldiers", "Women participating in protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security", "Healthy women to protect the Fatherland"; "Accompanying women in border areas"...

This contributes to enhancing the image of female border guards as "excellent in their work and capable in their family life."