The soldiers had helped locals to repair roads, build houses and bridges, even work on the farms over the past month, and had become close friends. Now it was difficult for the villagers to say goodbye.
A month ago, soldiers from Battalion 1, Regiment 741, were assigned to protect the border in Dien Bien’s Muong Nhe district, and give a new look to the poor area.
Nam Vi commune in Muong Nhe district is an extremely disadvantaged area with a high ratio of poor households. Access to the village is limited due to poor-quality roads.
It also borders China and Laos, making security complicated. The soldiers were dispatched there to make a change.
They moved between every remote area of the village to safeguard local security.
The soldiers, local authorities and young people also helped the villagers build a 10m wooden bridge across a stream, and cleaned up residential areas.
In Huoi Lum village, the soldiers repaired nearly 5km of roads and fixed classrooms, while building wooden houses for five families as well as cultivating more than 5,000sq.m of rice and 1,000sq.m of vegetables.
In their free time, the soldiers took part in local entertainment activities.
This also provided a chance to talk and share. Battalion 1 and local authorities shared Party and State policies and laws to the villagers, raising their awareness of national security.
Major Tran Kim Anh, deputy head of Battalion 1, said: “We would not have been able to accomplish our tasks without the help of local authorities and the ethnic minority community.”
Lo Van Xuan, Chairman of the Nam Vi Commune’s People’s Committee, said in only a short time, the soldiers had left an impression on the villagers. They not only completed the task of protecting border security, but also joined community activities with villagers, consolidating trust in the armed forces.
VNA/VNP
