That is the spirit of solidarity and friendship nurtured through kindness and noble deeds between Vietnam’s Border Guard and Cambodia’s border protection units.
One night in mid-July 2022, the forests along the border were shrouded in mist, lit only by the flickering beams of patrol flashlights. Around 10 p.m., duty phone at the Srepok Border Post of the Dak Lak Provincial Border Guard Command rang continuously. It was a distress call from across the border. A Cambodian officer had been seriously injured during a patrol. Without hesitation, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Anh Hung, head of the border post, reported the situation to the provincial border guard command and received a clear order: “Do everything possible to save him. Human life comes first!”
Within minutes, the station’s medical team coordinated with Cambodian peers, crossing streams and forest in the rain and wind to reach Second Lieutenant Phang Kchun, an officer from the Me Ruch Border Police Post under Mondulkiri Provincial Police. His left foot was drenched in blood. Amidst the cold border winds, the Vietnamese medic carefully stitched and dressed the wound.
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Second Lieutenant Ta Bun receiving medical care from Ea H’Leo Border Guard medics |
After emergency treatment, Second Lieutenant Kchun was cared for and provided with medicine and medical supplies. When he regained consciousness, the young soldier was deeply moved by his Vietnamese peers’ act.
Over time, the Srepok Border Post has not only conducted joint patrols and exchanged information with its Cambodian side, but also regularly supplied them with food, necessities, and medical items. Bags of rice, boxes of instant noodles, and small packets of medicines carry profound goodwill, strengthening the bond of friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia.
In October 2023, another story of compassion unfolded in the Northwest of Dak Lak Province. Around noon on October 25, amidst the sweltering border heat, Ea H’Leo Border Post received an urgent request for medical aid from the Cambodian border forces. Second Lieutenant Ta Bun, Head of Post 43, Platoon 1, Battalion 2, Ratanakiri Provincial Military Sub-region, was suffering from cough, fever, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. After reporting to the provincial command, the station’s medics immediately set out, traveling nearly 20 kilometers through forest trails to bring the patient back for treatment.
Upon examination, they found his blood pressure dangerously high and his breathing weak. The medics swiftly performed emergency procedures, then coordinated with Defense-Economic Unit 737 under Military Region 5 to transfer him to Ea Sup District Medical Center and later to Central Highland Regional General Hospital. At the medical establishments, the Vietnamese border guards silently took turns watching over their Cambodian comrade.
When the news of Ta Bun’s illness reached the unit, many Ea H’Leo border guards fell silent. They knew him well, a companion who had patrolled with them through rain and heat, sharing food and water in the forest. Now, as he fought for his life, they could not stand aside. Without a call for donations, officers and soldiers voluntarily contributed to cover his medical and living expenses, hoping their Cambodian brother would overcome the crisis.
That sincere affection, rich in humanity and solidarity, reflects not only compassion but also the enduring bond between the border forces of Vietnam and Cambodia. Along the 71-kilometer borderline between Dak Lak and Mondulkiri, such stories are not rare. Whenever illness, accidents, or floods isolate remote posts, Vietnamese border guards are there with medicines, foods, and helping hands. These gestures are not only acts of humanity, but also vivid symbols of the Border Guard’s pure international spirit.
The Vietnam - Cambodia friendship, forged by the blood and sweat of past generations, continues to be illuminated by quiet deeds along the border. A single stitch, a tablet of medicine, a bowl of hot porridge carry the immense compassion of border guard troops.
Source: bienphong.com.vn
Translated by Tran Hoai