For border stability, ensuring that "people are well-fed and villages remain peaceful" is the priority. Understanding this, the commandership of Na Ngoi Border Post has actively coordinated with the local Party committee and authorities to educate residents and raise their awareness of following the Party’s guidelines and the State’s laws. They have also expanded economic development models, eliminated outdated customs, and built new cultural lifestyles in local communities. Among these efforts, the post has directly implemented practical and effective livelihood projects.
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Border guard officers and soldiers assisting locals in rice cultivation |
Following the border guards, we visited Xong Gia Lau’s family in Na Cang village, Na Ngoi commune, Ky Son district, where the border post has supported an economic development model. Major Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Political Commissar of Na Ngoi Border Post, and non-commissioned Major Pham Xuan Minh, a member of the unit's mass mobilization team, guided us to Xong Gia Lau’s farm.
After a half-hour trek through the forest, we found Xong Gia Lau by his fish pond. Feeding the fish, he excitedly shared, "Before the recent lunar New Year (Tet) festival, we harvested our first batch of fish. Thanks to selling fish and ducks, we had a much better Tet festival than previous years. This success was largely due to the support from Na Ngoi border guard troops."
At the beginning of 2024, Na Ngoi Border Post introduced Xong Gia Lau to fish and duck farming, providing VND 2 million for fish fingerlings and 100 ducklings. "Honestly, at first, I didn’t want to accept it because I had never raised fish before, and ducks were just for family consumption. But after seeing the soldiers successfully farmed and got money, I decided to try and now my family has escaped poverty," he said.
Besides Xong Gia Lau’s, Na Ngoi Border Post has also supported Mua Ba Hua’s family in Keo Bac village with 1,000 fish fingerlings, worth nearly VND 7 million; and Mua Ba Cu’s family in the same village with 1,200 fish fingerlings, worth over VND 8.4 million. These families have since achieved stable income, turning their farms into model projects for other households to learn from.
Apart from fish farming, Na Ngoi Border Post has also initiated a clean vegetable farming model in Huoi Thum village (a Kho Mu ethnic village) by providing seedlings, farming techniques, and over VND 5 million, along with 30 working days; a two-crop rice farming project in Phu Kha 1 village (a H'mong ethnic village) by providing rice seedlings, irrigation techniques, over VND 10 million, and 36 working days.
Every month, the unit's Youth Union Organization, in collaboration with other organizations, selects two to three underprivileged students in Na Ngoi commune to provide VND 300,000 per child, along with essential supplies. To date, 20 students have benefited, and the unit has also adopted two children while supporting four others in extremely difficult circumstances.
According to Major Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Na Ngoi commune has over 1,000 households from three ethnic groups (H'mong, Thai, and Kho Mu), with more than half living in poverty. The region still struggles with deep-rooted superstitions and illegal drug trafficking.
In the coming time, Na Ngoi Border Post and other stationed military units will continue to serve as a strong pillar for the local authorities, striving to eradicate poverty, while gradually transforming Na Ngoi into a model for economic, cultural, and social development, ensuring national defense and security in this Westernmost border area of Nghe An province.
Translated by Trung Thanh