Stories of sharing food and clothing along the Nam Mo River.
In the midst of the devastating floods, upon learning that the people of Na Muong village in neighboring Laos were in a similar situation, the authorities, border guards, and people of Muong Tip commune (Nghe An province) contacted each other and joined hands to share community support with the people of Na Muong. Behind this story of "sharing food and clothing" lies a great deal of warmth stemming from the close and enduring bond between the authorities and people on both sides of the Vietnam-Laos border.
The floods on July 22nd caused severe damage to many villages in Muong Tip commune (Nghe An province), especially Ta Do village, which was isolated for over a week. While battling the immense damage caused by the floods, upon learning that the people of Na Muong village in neighboring Laos were in a similar situation, the local government, border guards, and people of Muong Tip commune contacted each other and joined hands to share community support with their brothers and sisters in Na Muong. Behind this story of "sharing food and clothing" lies a great deal of warmth stemming from the close and enduring bond between the governments and people on both sides of the Vietnam-Laos border.
Text: Hoai Thu; Photos: Reporter - Contributor - Provided by the Public Security Department• August 2, 2025
Connecting the people and the government
Standing on the banks of the Nam Mo River, the people of Na Muong village, Pha Ven cluster, Noong Het district, Xieng Khouang province (Lao People's Democratic Republic) can see the people of Ta Do village, Muong Tip commune, Nghe An province on the other side of the river. This is because the two border villages of Na Muong and Ta Do are separated only by the Nam Mo River. For generations, the people on both sides have maintained close ties, and information about their lives is regularly updated and shared.
Recounting the story of the people of Na Muong village swimming across the Nam Mo River to contact the authorities for assistance, Mr. Vi Trung An, a resident of Ta Do village in Muong Tip commune, said: as a local resident fluent in Lao, he regularly participates in activities connecting the authorities and people on both sides of the border. After the flood occurred on the night of July 22nd and in the following days, Mr. Vi Trung An learned from the head of Na Muong village, Poc Pom, that his village had also suffered heavy damage and been cut off and isolated since July 23rd.
In Muong Tip, the floods also caused significant damage and isolated villages due to sections of National Highway 16C (Muong Xen – Ta Do) collapsing into the river and dozens of landslides occurring after the night of July 22nd. At one point, the people of Muong Tip ran out of food, and their daily necessities were swept away. Thanks to the rescue efforts of the authorities, it took a week for food aid to be transported to the people of Muong Tip.
As someone involved with local forces in soliciting, receiving, and transporting aid to Muong Tip, Vi Trung An remembered the concerns of the village head, Na Muong Poc Pom, and called to inquire about the situation.
“On the morning of July 31st, the village head, Pọc Pom, said that he saw many people on the other side of the river bringing supplies and relief to Ta Đo and Mường Típ, and asked if they could share some with the people of Na Mương. I reported this to Ms. Vi Thị Quyên, the Party Secretary of the commune, and also to the officers of the Ta Đo Border Guard Station, and they all said they were ready to help. I happily informed Mr. Pọc Pom. Almost immediately, before the officers could prepare boats to assist, some people from Na Mương village who were standing on the other side of the river swam across the Nậm Nơn River to Ta Đo village,” – Mr. Vi Trung An recounted.
For the past ten days, officials in Muong Tip commune have been working tirelessly alongside the people to combat and overcome the consequences of the floods. Upon hearing that people from Na Muong village were coming, they sent Mr. Hoa Van Mon, an official from the Fatherland Front Committee of Muong Tip commune, to meet them directly, bringing gifts. Then, the Party Secretary of the commune, Vi Thi Quyen, and the Border Guard forces also arrived. Both sides encouraged each other to persevere through the difficulties and hardships. And on the morning of July 31st, 40 aid packages were distributed to the people of Na Muong village right on the banks of the Nam Mo River. Each package included 10 kg of rice, 2 boxes of instant noodles, 1 box of water, and various clothes, cooking utensils, etc.
“People on both sides of the border have suffered losses due to flooding. As of August 2nd, the people of Muong Tip have received aid, which, while not much compared to their losses, has helped them escape the hardship of not having enough food and clothing. The people of Na Muong village are in a more difficult situation, so we are ready to share with them. On the morning of July 31st, we hired a boat to transport the people of Na Muong along with 40 gift packages across the river to provide timely support to the people of Ban village,” added Comrade Vi Thi Quyen, Secretary of the Party Committee of Muong Tip commune.
“The following day, August 1st, 2025, more boats traveled back and forth on the Nam Mo River carrying relief supplies from Ta Do village to Na Muong village. This is a gesture of kindness from the soldiers of the Ta Do Border Guard Post,” Vi Trung An happily informed us.
Heartwarming messages
Immediately after the online newspaper and radio and television station of Nghe An province published information about two border villages between Vietnam and Laos that were both damaged and cut off by floods but were ready to "share food and clothing" with each other in times of hardship, the story was widely shared by local people in Vietnam and Laos on their personal accounts and social media pages.
Those posts have continuously received hundreds of thousands of comments, expressing empathy and heartfelt emotion about small but meaningful things, about the long-standing tradition of connection, and about the fraternal friendship between the people and authorities on both sides of the Vietnam-Laos border, not only in Na Muong or Muong Tip.
Reading those emotional words, I suddenly felt teary-eyed. A Facebook page named “Maysaa – The Lao Girl” shared links to articles from Nghe An newspapers and radio/television with the status update: “Thank you to the government and people of Muong Tip commune for sharing food and clothing to support the Lao people when they swam across the Nam Mo River to seek relief after 10 days of isolation and hardship.”
The Facebook page named "Cultural Communication" also shared information about the support along the Nam Mo River and received over 71,000 likes and more than 2,000 comments with shared sentiments about the close bond between the people of Vietnam and Laos: "Their love is deeper than the Red River and the Mekong River," "If you love each other, you'll climb mountains, cross rivers, and overcome passes," "In times of hardship, the whole world is home; love and sharing are always the most precious and sacred things"...
An account named "Trang Nguyen" wrote, accompanied by a bright red heart sticker: "Did anyone else get teary-eyed after reading this news like I did? The solidarity between Vietnam and Laos is amazing. I hope everyone will overcome the current difficulties together."
Spreading the unwavering friendship between Vietnam and Laos.
Following information from Mr. Vi Trung An about the Muong Ai Border Guard Post and its efforts in transporting food, household supplies, and other necessities across the river to support the people of Na Muong village (Laos), we contacted Lieutenant Colonel Ngo Quang Hieu, Political Officer of the Muong Ai Border Guard Post. Lieutenant Colonel Hieu stated, “On August 1st, our unit dispatched officers and soldiers from the Ta Do Border Control Station to provide assistance to the people of Na Muong village, totaling 20 million VND, including instant noodles, rice, water, household items, and tools such as hoes and shovels… We also provided boats to transport relief supplies directly to the village. This sharing and encouragement came from the fundraising efforts of the officers and soldiers of the Muong Ai Border Guard Post to help the people of Muong Tip.”
“We regularly carry out support and exchange activities between the forces, authorities, and people on both sides of the border. This support for the people of Na Muong village is not the first time. It is a regular activity between the Border Guard forces and the authorities and people of the two border villages. The two villages of Ta Do and Na Muong have been brotherly friends since 2013,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ngo Quang Hieu, Political Officer of Muong Ai Border Guard Station.
Lieutenant Colonel Ngo Quang Hieu added: In 2025 alone, the unit coordinated with Company 221 of Laos to organize two bilateral patrols. Three delegations, comprising 15 officers and soldiers, visited, worked with, and presented gifts to the local authorities of Muong Moc district and the border protection forces of Laos, totaling 25 gifts worth 25 million VND. They also connected individuals to donate gifts to the people in border villages and the border protection forces of Laos, totaling 125 gifts worth over 75 million VND. The Muong Ai Border Guard Post also sponsors one student from a Laotian family, providing 6 million VND annually for their studies.
Nghe An province has a land border of over 468 km, bordering three provinces of the Lao People's Democratic Republic: Hua Phan, Xieng Khouang, and Bolikhamsai. The people of the ethnic groups in the border areas of both countries have a revolutionary tradition and always stand united with the authorities and armed forces to protect the sovereignty and security of the border.
We, reporters from the local Party newspaper, have repeatedly accompanied and followed the Border Guard forces and local authorities across mountains and forests from Vietnam to Laos to report on border protection activities and to attend ceremonies establishing fraternal ties between communities on both sides of the Vietnam-Laos border (also known as "village-to-village fraternal ties"). This activity is implemented in accordance with Directive No. 12/2013/UBND of the People's Committee of Nghe An province on organizing the movement of establishing fraternal ties between communities on both sides of the Vietnam-Laos border in Nghe An province. To date, Nghe An province still maintains 21 pairs of villages and clusters of villages on both sides of the border that have established fraternal ties, with the spirit of mutual support between the two nations, "mountains connected to mountains, rivers connected to rivers".
Currently, implementing a two-tiered local government model, along with Ta Đo village in Muong Tip commune, 12 villages of the former Ky Son district have established sister-village relationships with 13 villages in neighboring Laos, maintaining that bond of friendship and strengthening it even further. The sharing and support between the people of Ta Đo and Na Muong villages in recent days is a clear example of this.
