This persistent and methodical approach has contributed to creating distinct changes in mass mobilization work, building and firmly consolidating the “posture of people’s heart” at the frontline of the Fatherland.
On the border from Thanh Hoa province to Hue city, people of the Thai, H'mong, Kho Mu, Pa Co, Van Kieu... ethnic minority groups live scattered in remote villages, where socio-economic development conditions still face many difficulties. Reality shows that to effectively popularize the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws, and to mobilize people to abolish backward customs, develop the economy, and maintain security and social order, the top priority is for officers to understand local customs and habits and speak ethnic minority languages.
    |
 |
|
Soldiers and militiamen of Thanh Hoa province use ethnic minority languages to disseminate laws. |
In Thanh Hoa, annually, the provincial Military Command organizes 2-3 classes teaching ethnic minority languages for about 100-150 trainees who are officers and soldiers. Senior Colonel Nguyen Xuan Toan, Deputy Political Commissar of the Command, said that when troops understand customs and habits and speak languages of ethnic minority people, residents will share heartfelt support. Thanks to that, dissemination and mobilization work becomes much more favorable.
In the western area of Quang Tri province, where nearly 66% of the population is Van Kieu people, Defense-Economic Unit 337 clearly determines that learning the ethnic language and understanding customs is a mandatory requirement for officers doing mass mobilization work. The unit maintains classes teaching the Van Kieu language, while inviting village elders and reputable people to directly teach the customs and habits of Van Kieu people. Lieutenant Colonel Tran Dinh Cong, Mass Mobilization Assistant of Defense-Economic Unit 337, shared that in the early days of visiting villages, whenever they needed to communicate with people, they had to ask for an interpreter. When understanding the customs and speaking the people’s language, they treat the unit’s troops like their family’s members, regularly sharing difficulties so the soldiers can help resolve them.
During rainy season, Huong Lap commune (Quang Tri province) frequently faces the risk of flash floods, seriously affecting people’s lives. Facing that situation, Defense-Economic Unit 337 has proactively coordinated with local authorities to disseminate information to, mobilize, and support people to move to safe places. At the end of 2021, when prolonged heavy rain threatened flash floods in Trang village (Trang Ta Puong hamlet, Huong Lap commune), the unit’s troops went to the village, persistently persuading people to move to safer places. Thanks to speaking the Van Kieu language, in a short time, they mobilized 30 households to voluntarily go to higher areas. Ho Kha Chai, a resident of Trang village, shared that soldiers speak the Van Kieu language, so people listen, understand, and follow immediately.
At the Cultural House of Ka Tren village (Na Ngoi commune, Nghe An province), we witnessed a large crowd of people attending a dissemination session campaigning against the illegal storage, trading, and use of weapons, explosives, and support tools organized by the Na Ngoi Border Post under the Nghe An provincial Border Guard Command in coordination with Defense-Economic Unit 4 and local authorities. Soldiers explained legal regulations in the H'mong language, combining real stories and visual images so people could easily hear and understand. Ending the drive, in Ka Tren, Tham Hon, Tang Phan, and Huoi Thum villages, more than 350 people signed commitments and handed over 10 guns along with many dangerous support tools. Colonel Luong Hai Kien, Deputy Political Commissar of Defense-Economic Unit 4, emphasized that doing mass mobilization requires understanding the culture and knowing the language of the ethnic people. Many economic models and bright spots in border areas have succeeded thanks to officers speaking the same languages as ethnic minority groups.
Currently, each year, Military Region 4 organizes dozens of classes fostering ethnic knowledge and teaching ethnic minority languages, attracting thousands of officers and soldiers. Thanks to the dissemination work conducted in minority ethnic languages, residents’ awareness of law observance has been raised markedly; the situation of slash-and-burn farming, illegal border crossing, illegal religious preaching, and storage of homemade weapons has decreased sharply. Many effective models such as “Model military-civilian cultural village,” “Voice of border area,” and “Joining hands to implement three national target programs” bear the bold mark of the contingent of officers and soldiers who are knowledgeable about customs and fluent in ethnic minority groups’ languages.
From ethnic language classes to each border village, the voice of people has become a bridge tightly binding the military-civilian relationship, a “soft power” helping soldiers stay close to villages and locals, accompanying them in socio-economic development and building a new life. From there, “border landmarks” of the people’s heart are increasingly fortified, contributing to keeping the Fatherland’s border peaceful from the grassroots level.
Translated by Minh Anh