Tho Xia (born in 2006) is the eldest child of a poor family of 4 children in Xivilay village (Thoong-My May village cluster, Vieng Thoong district, Bolikhamxay province, Laos). After Tho Xia, there is a younger sister and 2 younger brothers. Xia's parents (Mr. Tho Y Denh and Mrs. Ly Y Chong) only work in the fields, life is difficult so the way to school for Tho Xia and her sisters is extremely difficult.
Sharing Tho Xia's situation, Tam Hop Border Guard Station (Nghe An Province Border Guard) has sponsored and supported him to go to school. Accordingly, Tho Xia regularly receives 500,000 VND every month. In addition, on holidays or at the beginning of the new school year, he also receives new books and clothes. For Tho Xia, the officers and soldiers of Tam Hop Border Guard Station have become his godfathers. According to Major Ha Huy Thien - Deputy Political Commissar of Tam Hop Border Guard Station: Before Tho Xia, the Station sponsored Khen On Pheng Khac Xay, who has now graduated from high school and is working.
Not only Tam Hop Border Guard Station but also other border guards have Laotian students as their godchildren. For example, My Ly Border Guard Station is currently sponsoring Xong Ba Cong, born in 2012 in Huoi Pa village, Muong Quan district, Hua Phan province (Laos). Cong's father is Laotian and his mother is Vietnamese, originally from Mai Son commune, Tuong Duong district. Every time he receives gifts or is directly visited by officers and soldiers of My Ly Border Guard Station, Cong is very happy. He promises himself that he will try to study hard to not disappoint his godfathers wearing green military uniforms.
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Cam - Deputy Chief of Political Affairs of Nghe An Border Guard said: Nghe An Provincial Border Guard manages and protects a 468.281km long border, bordering 3 provinces of Hua Phan, Xieng Khouang, Bo Ly Kham Xay (Lao People's Democratic Republic). The land border area of Nghe An province has 246 villages and hamlets belonging to 27 border communes (of which, 82 are border villages). The border area of 3 provinces: Hua Phan, Xieng Khouang, Bo Ly Kham Xay, has 40 border villages. The people on both sides of the border are mainly ethnic minorities, with long-standing ethnic, kinship, and family relationships (marriage) so they often visit relatives and exchange goods.
Like the Vietnamese people, many villages in the border areas of Laos are still facing many difficulties and many students from neighboring countries are at risk of dropping out of school. Therefore, implementing the program "Helping children go to school" in 2016 launched by the Border Guard Command, units of the Border Guard of Nghe An not only sponsor students with especially difficult circumstances in the area where they are stationed but also sponsor children in the opposite village of neighboring Laos.
Accordingly, Laotian students sponsored by units of the Nghe An Border Guard will receive an amount equivalent to 500,000 VND/month until they finish high school. The sponsored students are students with difficult circumstances, no place to rely on, orphans, homeless, children of prestigious people, people who actively participate in border protection... who have made efforts to study well. Depending on the family circumstances and geographical location, the Nghe An Border Guard units will decide to support the students in cash or monthly food.
Up to now, the Border Guard of Nghe An province has sponsored 19 Lao students. Through the program, many Lao students in difficult border villages sponsored by the Vietnam Border Guard have had the opportunity to study well, creating a good impression on the Party committees, authorities and ethnic people of Laos in the border area. The implementation of the program also has the meaning of further enhancing the special solidarity and friendship between the people and armies of Vietnam and Laos.
Understanding the reality that the lives of people on both sides of the border still face many difficulties, the level of education is uneven, the people's awareness of the country and national borders is limited, some backward customs have not been eliminated, violations of agreements, treaties and border regulations still occur; Nghe An Border Guard Command has directed border units to actively coordinate with functional forces of Laos and Party committees and authorities to coordinate propaganda to raise awareness for people on both sides of the border about the policies, laws of each country, especially about territorial sovereignty, national borders, agreements and border regulations that the two countries have signed; Results and significance of the work of increasing and embellishing the Vietnam - Laos border marker system... In addition, focus on propaganda about the plots, methods and tricks of hostile forces and reactionaries to sabotage solidarity, sabotage the border and markers, and maintain peace and stability in the border areas of the two countries.
Over the past 10 years, the units have coordinated to organize 1,750 propaganda sessions/57,280 participants; thereby, making people on both sides of the border understand more deeply about the policies and laws of each country as well as awareness and sense of responsibility in coordinating to participate in protecting border security and sovereignty; contributing significantly to maintaining and strictly implementing the provisions of law related to the national borders of each side; together building a peaceful, friendly, stable and developing border. The Border Guard Command of Nghe An province has also coordinated with the Department of Information and Communications, the border districts of the province to build and consolidate the broadcasting system in border communes, wards, and border posts. Currently, 100% of border posts and 61 border communes and wards have internal broadcasting systems and bookcases, at Nam Can International Border Gate, a foreign broadcasting cluster is installed; Establish information and propaganda teams at border stations.
Thanks to that, the officers and people of the villages on both sides of the border have actively coordinated with the Border Guard (Vietnam) and the functional forces (Laos) to participate in patrolling, clearing and protecting the border signs and the national border marker system in the area (the border protection forces on both sides have coordinated bilateral patrols and cleared the border line and border markers in 1,120 rounds/11,231 officers, soldiers and people participating). Thereby, they have promptly detected and provided the functional forces with valuable information about activities violating the border system, damaged and lost border markers due to vandalism, natural disasters and floods. Regarding illegal border crossings, hunting of rare animals, illegal exploitation and transportation of forest products, encroachment, illegal fishing with explosives on border rivers and streams, etc., information from the people helps the Border Guard and the authorities of each side promptly coordinate to resolve and effectively combat incidents occurring on the border, contributing significantly to maintaining territorial sovereignty and border security of each country.
Over the past years, the Nghe An Border Guard has had many practical activities that have been recognized by the Party Committee, government and people of the Lao provinces. Such as supporting Nam Tay village, Vieng Phan village cluster, Sam To district, Hua Phan province to build 1 Cultural House and 3 Friendship Houses for poor households with a value of nearly 1.3 billion VND; supporting Pung Vai village, Pha Danh village cluster, Muong Quan district, Hua Phan province with a clean water project worth 26 million VND.
The Provincial Border Guard Command and the combined military-civilian medical stations on the border of Nghe An province have provided medical examination and treatment for 607 people in the villages (Laos) and provided free medicine worth more than 37 million VND, built the Military-Civilian Friendship Medical Station in Xop Tong village, worth more than 14.9 billion VND and the Nam On military-civilian medical station, Xay Cham Phon district, Bo Ly Kham Xay province (opposite Thanh Thuy border gate) with a total investment of nearly 15 billion VND. Especially during the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, Nghe An Border Guard supported and helped the authorities, people, and border protection forces of the three provinces of Hua Phan, Xieng Khouang, and Bo Ly Kham Xay (Laos) with medical equipment, supplies, and necessities worth nearly 2 billion VND in the work of preventing and fighting the Covid-19 epidemic.
In addition, in order to improve understanding of the language and culture of each country, helping people in the border area of Laos to expand exchanges and trade, Nghe An Border Guard has coordinated to open Vietnamese language classes for students who are cadres and people in the border area of Laos. Notably, at Thong Thu Border Guard Station (Que Phong district), which manages and protects 29.5 km of national border with 9 landmarks and has a Thong Thu secondary border gate connecting with Sam To district, Laos. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Station opened 03 Vietnamese language classes for cadres, people and students in the villages of Vieng Phan Village Cluster, Sam To district (Hua Phan - Laos) for 115 students, each course lasting 04 months; after finishing the course, students can communicate quite fluently in Vietnamese. In addition, the station sent officers to directly "hold hands and guide" the construction of a VAC economic development model for Mr. Vu Va Po's family in the Vieng Phan cluster of villages in Sam To - Hua Phan district (Laos). Not only did they provide funding to buy more than 4,000 fish fry, 500 Xa Doai orange trees and 200 Thai mango trees, but the officers and soldiers of the station also helped with hundreds of working days to renovate, clear land, dig holes to support Mr. Po's family to plant fruit trees, dig ponds to raise fish, build barns to raise cows and pigs, etc.
Or at My Ly Border Guard Station (located in My Ly commune, Ky Son district), although it has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic for the past 2 years, there have been many activities connecting with the forces and people of the border villages of Laos. In 2021, the unit organized 3 visits and presented epidemic prevention materials, food and provisions to the checkpoints of Border Guard Company 217 (Laos) and twinned villages worth 107 million VND. In 2022, on the occasion of the Lao traditional New Year, the station coordinated with the authorities of My Ly and Bac Ly communes to establish 4 delegations/25 people to present gifts on the border (total value of over 34 million VND) to Company 217, checkpoints, 5 twinned border villages...
The activities of Nghe An green-uniformed soldiers at the border have contributed to fostering the close-knit relationship, sharing the joys and sorrows between the army and people of Vietnam and Laos, together protecting the peaceful and friendly Vietnam-Laos border and building a prosperous and happy life...