'The Red Big Brother of the West' and memories of the border region.

The "5 No's" campaign

One late winter afternoon, amidst the lingering mist of the Ky Son mountains, at the house of Mr. Lau Xong Gio, nestled on a slope in Truong Son village, Nam Can commune, two old friends embraced each other with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. It was a reunion filled with emotions and thoughts between Mr. Vi Hai Thanh – former Secretary of the Ky Son District Party Committee – and Mr. Lau Xong Gio – former Secretary of the Nam Can Commune Party Committee.

Two men with graying hair and wrinkled faces, yet their eyes remained sharp and their memories clear. Along with the strong scent of wine, a flood of memories flowed through their stories of shared hardships and camaraderie.

The joy of reuniting with a former colleague. Mr. Vi Hai Thanh (left) and Mr. Lau Xong Gio. Photo: Hoai Thu

Mr. Lau Xong Gio recalled: “Mr. Thanh was the Secretary of the Ky Son District Party Committee for more than 10 years (2003 - 2014). At that time, continuing the work of his predecessor, Mr. Thanh called on cadres and people of all ethnic groups in Ky Son district to implement the “Five No’s” campaign, an action that significantly contributed to changing the development situation of Ky Son at that time. These were: No opium cultivation; No illegal proselytization; No land disputes; No migration to Laos; No selling goods to bandits.”

That afternoon, at their reunion, Mr. Vi Hai Thanh and Mr. Lau Xong Gio walked hand in hand along the mountain slopes of Truong Son village, admiring the place where once, vast fields of purple, red, pink, and white flowers—a flower the locals called "the bewitching plant"—of opium poppies once bloomed. "In the 1990s, the trafficking and use of opium was rampant. The mountain slopes were covered with opium poppies, especially in the border communes. Nam Can was no exception; those slopes were all planted with that deadly flower," Mr. Lau Xong Gio recalled, pointing to the distant mountainside.

Continuing his comrade's story, Mr. Vi Hai Thanh said that at that time, in order to eradicate the "opium poppy," Ky Son district held three meetings with village elders and heads to disseminate information and reach a consensus on the policy. Afterward, the district Party committee assigned members of the standing committee to go to all 11 communes, visiting every house and every field to persuade people to cut down their opium poppy plants.

Initially, this initiative faced fierce resistance. Even the district party secretary, upon visiting the fields to persuade them, was threatened with being "given a red pill" (a bullet). The resistance even reached its peak when a group entering the village to encourage the cutting down of opium poppies secretly had poison added to their rice; fortunately, someone discovered it in time.

Mr. Lau Xong Gio also recalled that, in implementing this policy, cadres and Party members were the first to actively and exemplarily carry it out. After about two years of resolute and persistent campaigning, the area of ​​opium poppy cultivation in Ky Son district at that time was basically eradicated, only remaining in remote mountainous areas where some individuals still secretly cultivated it. After this period, the district assigned the communes to conduct cross-checks with each other to strengthen control over the re-cultivation of opium poppies.

Mr. Vi Hai Thanh reunited with his former comrades-in-arms and officials from Nam Can commune, Ky Son district. Photo: Hoai Thu

One of the other things that former Ky Son District Party Secretary Vi Hai Thanh actively and resolutely carried out with successive generations of officials during his term was to encourage people not to "assist" bandits, that is, not to sell food to bandits.

In the 2000s, banditry and robbery were rampant in neighboring Laos and in Ky Son district, especially along the border and at border crossings. District officials traveling to the field had to be protected by police and soldiers for fear of bandit attacks.

Later, the neighboring country carried out a campaign to eliminate the bandits, who then fled to the border areas with Vietnam, including Ky Son. The fight against the bandit forces in Ky Son also resulted in many sacrifices, especially among the border guards, such as the heroes and martyrs Va Tong Khu, Va Ba Giai, Pham Xuan Phong, Nguyen Canh Dan…

After successfully persuading the villagers not to sell food to the bandits, the district authorities then persuaded the bandits to surrender, restoring peace to the villages. "The 10 years that Mr. Vi Hai Thanh served as district party secretary were one of the most peaceful periods without gunfire, as the bandit problem was pushed back and remains so to this day," said Mr. Lau Xong Gio.

Veteran Vi Hai Thanh. Photo: Hoai Thu

Building friendly relations between Vietnam and Laos.

Mr. Lau Xong Gio took a sip of strong liquor, his eyes distant as he mentioned the names of his fallen comrades. “The veterans, the generation that the young people now call the 40s and 50s – the few remaining like us are dwindling. After this meeting, who knows if we’ll ever reunite?” – Mr. Lau Xong Gio said, gripping Mr. Vi Hai Thanh’s hand tightly.

After a moment of reflection, the two former soldiers of Uncle Ho returned to their unfinished story. Ky Son district has 192 km of border with neighboring Laos. Therefore, "maintaining border security and preserving the long-standing, steadfast friendship with our neighbor Laos plays an extremely important role," said the former Secretary of the Ky Son District Party Committee.

Therefore, along with many generations of officials in Ky Son, Mr. Vi Hai Thanh paid special attention to fostering friendly exchanges with neighboring Laos. Because of the extremely difficult road conditions, the provinces of Laos intended to cancel the meetings, but he persuaded them to maintain them and proposed that on May 19th each year, three provinces of Laos would hold a meeting with Vietnam in Ky Son, while the remaining provinces would take turns holding meetings in Laos every three years.

Furthermore, as a Provincial Party Committee member, Mr. Vi Hai Thanh actively sought approval for Ky Son to strengthen its foreign relations with Laos through practical actions such as inviting Lao diplomatic delegations to visit Vietnamese landmarks and providing medical care for Lao officials and citizens.

In addition, efforts are being made to maintain the Nam Can border market, both to facilitate exchange and travel among the people of the three districts of Laos and to provide an opportunity for officials from the border districts of both countries to meet, interact, and exchange information and updates on each other's situation, thereby strengthening solidarity and friendship.

His efforts in strengthening friendship with neighboring Laos and maintaining border stability were recognized by officials and people of Ky Son, who affectionately called him "Big Brother Red" of the Western region.

The rice harvest season in the mountainous region of Ky Son. Photo by PV.

Sitting surrounded by friends, reminiscing about the vibrant years of their activities, the eyes of the former District Party Secretary shone brightly, and a gentle smile still graced his lips. However, his gaze sometimes became pensive as he recalled comrades and friends, some still alive, others gone. People like Mr. Lầu Xông Giơ are few and far between, and opportunities to meet are becoming increasingly rare as everyone has reached a venerable age.

For him, names like Mùa Nỏ Tu, Hoàng Xuân Lương, Lầu Chông Vừ, Moong Biên Phòng, La Thị Thúy, Lô Máy, Lô Toán, Nguyễn Trọng Kỷ, Bùi Trầm, and later Vi Hòe, Lô Minh Hoạt... always evoke familiar feelings, etched in his memory forever. “They will forever be a source of inspiration for me to continue contributing and working towards a more stable and prosperous Kỳ Sơn, free from poverty; so that all the people of Kỳ Sơn's ethnic groups can enjoy warmth, prosperity, and happiness during the Lunar New Year,” shared Mr. Vi Hải Thành.

Mr. Vi Hai Thanh is currently the Chairman of the Veterans Association and the Chairman of the Education Promotion Association of Ky Son District. Prior to that, he served as the Standing Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee for eight years (1992-2000) and as a member of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the District Party Committee, and Chairman of the People's Council of Ky Son District for eleven years (2003-2014). He was the first person from Ky Son to be recognized as an exemplary figure in studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology and ethics at the central level.

Hoai Thu