Feature story

'Being at the police station with Dad is more fun than being at home!'

Khanh Ly-Thanh Phuc • May 2, 2025 14:44

These are the innocent stories shared by two boys, Vi Duong Cam (born in 2011), of the Thai ethnic group, and Vu Ba Lau (born in 2013), of the Mong ethnic group—adopted children of the Border Guard Post located in Na Ngoi border commune, Ky Son district—a remote area with villages scattered at the foot of the Puxailaileng mountain range, perpetually shrouded in clouds.

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Visiting the Na Ngoi Border Guard Post, we were captivated by the sight of two boys, one tall and the other thin and small, huddled together, laughing and chatting happily while caring for a bird in a pretty bamboo cage. When asked, they both replied in unison: "We are the adopted children of the border guards!"

Through conversations with the officers at the Na Ngoi Border Guard Post, we learned that although they belonged to different ethnic groups with different customs and traditions, and had never met before, since becoming adopted children of the Post, sharing meals and sleeping in the same room, Vi Duong Cam and Vu Ba Lau have become as close as brothers, always together wherever they go.

Both of them came from extremely difficult circumstances, so they were taken in by the Na Ngoi Border Guard Post, where they live and eat with the soldiers right in the unit.

Vi Duong Cam is the youngest of six children in a Thai ethnic family in Tang Phan village. Her parents lacked stable employment and were often ill, making life extremely difficult.

Understanding the boy's circumstances, the Border Guard Post adopted him in 2020 and is currently providing him with the opportunity to attend class 8C at Na Ngoi Ethnic Boarding Secondary School.

Meanwhile, Vu Ba Lau, a young boy from the Mong ethnic group in Phu Kha 1 village, lost his father when he was young. His mother single-handedly raised four children on the farm, so Lau's path to school is at risk of being cut short.

Therefore, when officers from the Na Ngoi Border Guard Post, along with teachers and officials from the commune and village, came to Lầu's house to learn about and inform him of the adoption policy, Lầu's family and Lầu himself were very happy and moved. Since the beginning of 2024, Lầu has officially been taken in by the Na Ngoi Border Guard Post for care and education. Currently, he is studying in class 6C at Na Ngoi Ethnic Boarding Secondary School.

Every day, in addition to being cared for in terms of food and sleep, Lau and Cam also participate in activities with border guards such as planting vegetables, tending to ornamental plants in the outpost's grounds, playing sports to improve their health and physical fitness... At the beginning of the new school year or on holidays, such as International Children's Day (June 1st), Mid-Autumn Festival, etc., the border guards at the outpost buy gifts, new shoes, clothes, and school supplies for the children.

Major Già Bá Ná (born in 1979), Team Leader of the Mass Mobilization Team at Na Ngoi Border Guard Station, said: "When they first arrived, the children were shy, had little communication skills, didn't know about personal hygiene, and weren't used to the disciplined lifestyle and rhythm of life in the military environment."

However, thanks to the care, closeness, and gentleness of the generations of officers and soldiers at the Border Guard Post, the children have gradually become accustomed to and consider the Border Guard Post as their second home.

The most difficult thing is creating harmony and a bond between a Hmong boy and a Thai boy of different ages.

At first, the two boys were hesitant, didn't communicate much, and weren't open with each other. But thanks to the border guards who connected them, exchanged ideas, and guided them to participate in group activities, Cam and Lau came to regard each other as brothers, encouraging each other to progress.

The children became more agile, lively, and confident, and they affectionately and tenderly called the border guards in the community mobilization team who had been with and cared for them from the beginning, such as Major Pham Xuan Minh from Yen Thanh district and Major Gia Ba Na from Dooc May commune (Ky Son district), "Dad."

Sharing with us, Vi Duong Cam proudly said: “Being at the police station with the officers is more fun than being at home. Now I know how to fold clothes and blankets neatly, how to plant and water vegetables, how to wrap banh chung (Vietnamese rice cakes), how to play volleyball, and how to play pickleball too…”

Nurturing hope

Besides caring for and nurturing them, the officers and soldiers of Na Ngoi Border Guard Station pay special attention to the education of the children adopted by border guards; they also provide both material and spiritual support so that the children have the opportunity to continue attending school.

The fathers meticulously arranged and organized the children's study areas. During the day, the children went to school, and in the evenings, under the dim light of a small lamp, the fathers in their green military uniforms lovingly explained math problems and corrected their children's handwriting.

“Tutoring the children requires patience, as they have many gaps in their basic knowledge and need to be gradually filled in. In addition, the station regularly communicates with the homeroom teachers and the school's administration to keep track of the children's academic progress and behavior.”

Currently, the Border Guard Post has two young trainees from the Border Guard College interning and assisting Cam and Lau in their studies and daily lives. In addition, the Post regularly connects with the families of the adopted children to inform them of their situation and encourage them to focus on their studies and training. Occasionally, the border guards will take the children to visit their families and relatives before picking them up and bringing them back to the Post. Since the children arrived, the community outreach team has been a little busier, but it's been very heartwarming,” said Major Gia Ba Na.

Thanks to the guidance and teaching of their border guard foster fathers, Vi Duong Cam and Vu Ba Lau's studies made significant progress. Both shared the dream of "becoming soldiers in green uniforms, contributing to protecting their village like their uncles and fathers."

Major Nguyen Dinh Trung, Deputy Political Officer of Na Ngoi Border Guard Station, said: "The children will be cared for at the unit until they complete the 9th grade. After that, if they continue their education to high school, the unit will sponsor them through the 'Helping Children Go to School' program; children who wish to pursue vocational training or attend university or college will also receive similar support. The funds for caring for the children are drawn from the unit's budget and contributions from the salaries of its officers and soldiers."

Before Cam and Lau, the Na Ngoi Border Guard Post had already taken in Mua Ba Sau (born in 2008), a Mong ethnic minority residing in Phu Kha 2 village, Na Ngoi commune. Sau has a rather special situation; his father died early, and his mother remarried a man in Laos.

Sâu lived with her paternal grandparents, but they were old and frail, making life difficult and impoverished. After being taken in and cared for by the Na Ngoi Border Guard Post, Sâu completed secondary school and is currently studying both academics and vocational skills in Quang Binh. The Border Guard Post continues to support her monthly through the "Helping Children Go to School" program.

Currently, in addition to the two adopted children, Vi Duong Cam and Vu Ba Lau, who are being cared for at the unit, the Na Ngoi Border Guard Post is sponsoring four disadvantaged students under the "Helping Students Go to School" program, providing support of 500,000 VND per student per month. One of them is Mai Ly Za, a Laotian student in grade 8, residing in Nam Ngach village, Muong Moc district, Xieng Khouang province.

According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Secretary of the Party Committee of Na Ngoi commune: The "Adopted Children of Border Guards" and "Helping Children Go to School" models that the Na Ngoi Border Guard Post has been implementing are programs with profound humanitarian significance; contributing to accompanying and sharing difficulties with local Party committees, authorities, schools, and ethnic minority households in border areas. Under the guidance and support of their military fathers, these children will one day become useful citizens for society.

Watching the young boys, adopted children of border guards, happily tending to the vegetable garden, playing sports, or frolicking with their foster fathers and brothers in the spacious border guard post with its modern facilities, we felt the simple happiness and human warmth of this border region.

We believe that, with the warm hearts and strong shoulders of the Border Guard fathers as their support, underprivileged boys born in misty villages like Vi Duong Cam, Vu Ba Lau… will have the opportunity to build their dreams; and when they grow up, they will become the core "nucleus" in the nationwide movement to protect territorial sovereignty and border security in the border regions of the Fatherland.