Models maintaining peace in border areas

Dong Nai province has a border stretching 258.939km, adjacent to the Kingdom of Cambodia. The lives of people in the area are still in difficult circumstances.

Officers and soldiers of Bu Gia Map Border Post present rice to Thi Py Ot (residing in Bu Gia Map commune). Photo: Nam Anh

Ensuring peace in border areas always plays a very important role in the cause of safeguarding national border sovereignty, political security, facilitating socio-economic development, helping people feel secure in their work and building their lives; at the same time, building a solid military-civilian solidarity relationship, forming a strong shield to protect the borderland - the country's frontier.

Policies on supporting students to continue their study

In a recent working session with the Command of the Provincial Border Guard, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoan, Deputy Head of Political Affairs of the Provincial Border Guard, said: From programs and projects supporting students to continue their study, the Provincial Border Guard has thoroughly grasped and deployed to 100% of agencies, units, and border posts to implement, aiming to support many disadvantaged students to attend school.

Under the “Supporting students to go to school” program, the Provincial Border Guard has received support and sponsorship for 63 students (including 55 Vietnamese students and 8 Cambodian students). The “Border Post Foster Children” model has taken in and supported 10 students. The “Army Officers and Soldiers supporting students to go to school” project has received support and sponsorship for 53 students. When supported by these models and projects, students all strive to overcome their circumstances and excel in their studies," Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoan added.

Dinh Dai Phong, a 4th-grade student from 4A5 Class at Dak O Primary School, is a "Foster Child of Dak O Border Post" and comes from a very difficult circumstance. His father passed away early, and his mother alone raised Phong and his four siblings, one of whom is paralyzed. Difficulties piled up, and Phong was at risk of dropping out of school.

Always staying close to the area and grasping the situation, Major Le Dien Thanh, a member of the Area Task Force, Dak O Border Post, advised the post and was assigned to join the task force to foster Phong under the Border Post Foster Children model.

Sharing with us, Phong said: "Even though I am raised by the fathers at the post, whenever I have free time, I ask to go home to help my mother. I will try to study very well so that later I can strive to become a Border Guard like father Thanh and the other border guard fathers..."

Among the 10 students supported by the Border Post Foster Children model, all of them have good or excellent academic performance; many of them also develop their talents and strengths in music, sports, culture, etc., to strive forward, not letting down the care of the fathers and uncles of the Border Guard...

Models that resonate with the people

Following the officers and soldiers of Bu Gia Map Border Post, Dong Nai Provincial Border Guard, to present rice to Thi Py Ot, of the M'nong ethnic group, residing in Bu Nga hamlet, Bu Gia Map commune (on a late November 2025 afternoon), one can truly feel the military-civilian bond in the border region of the Fatherland.

Lieutenant Colonel Dinh The Cong, Deputy Political Commissar of Bu Gia Map Border Post, said: The "Jar of Compassion Rice" model has only been established for a few years, but Thi Py Ot is a particularly difficult case, no longer able to work, and has been supported with rice by the post's officers and soldiers for many years.

The model was implemented by officers and soldiers, stemming from the "Eliminate the Famine" movement launched by President Ho Chi Minh right after independence. For each meal, the soldiers' cooks would set aside 1-2 handfuls of rice into a ceramic jar and cover it. On average, the entire unit saved 20-25kg of rice per month from the model, which was directly given to Thi Py Ot for many consecutive years.

Thi Py Ot, not fluent in Vietnamese, still held the hands of Lieutenant Colonel Cong and the soldiers and said: "Thank you very much to the Border Guard for giving me rice to eat for over a decade. I wish the Border Guards good health, to help me and many other disadvantaged people even more."

"Carrying" loudspeakers, flags, and banners in the "Border Loudspeaker" model, Lieutenant Colonel Le Dien Thanh, a member of the Area Task Force of Dak O Border Post, along with Dieu Lom, Party Cell Secretary and Head of Bu Bung village (Dak O commune) "went to every hamlet, every alley, knocked on every door" to propagate and mobilize people. Lieutenant Colonel Thanh and the Local Task Force also creatively designed small picture leaflets with vivid images to distribute to the people, especially ethnic minorities; helping them raise awareness and join hands with the Border Guard and functional forces to firmly protect the border region of the Fatherland.

Through these efforts in performing their duties, in 2025, the provincial Border Guard completed their assigned tasks well, with many outstanding achievements. Among them, good models and creative approaches contributed to firmly protecting the border region of the Fatherland...

According to Dieu Lom, the village has a total of 295 households, over 1,200 people, divided into 3 residential groups. The village Party cell has 8 Party members, including Lieutenant Colonel Le Dien Thanh, who is a member of this Party cell.

"If before 2020, the situation in the border region was still difficult and complicated, with many social evils and illegal firecracker trading, these problems have now significantly decreased. In 2025 alone, there was no longer any illegal firecracker trading, and over 85% of households in the village achieved the status of cultural families. This success includes the 'Border Guard Loudspeaker' model and the role of Lieutenant Colonel Le Dien Thanh and the Local Task Force," Dieu Lom emphasized.

By Nam Anh  -- Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha