Alongside clearing land for socio-economic development and defense projects, they have also built strong ties with local communities through practical support and sincere dedication, helping strengthen the people’s heart posture along the nation’s frontier.
Military engineers’ footsteps in Northwest region
Brigade 543’s troops live in temporary tarp shelters along mountain slopes in Xin Man border commune, Tuyen Quang province while carrying out UXO clearance missions. Most operations take place in remote border areas with severe living conditions, harsh weather, and difficult terrain, truly challenging to the brigade’s engineers.
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Military engineers mark locations suspected of containing UXO requiring clearance. |
Head of Brigade 543 Senior Colonel Nguyen Doan Manh said many mission sites initially went without roads, electricity, water, and housing. Advance teams must arrive early to coordinate with local authorities, prepare logistics support before the main force could deploy.
Long periods in the field have made the soldiers accustomed to harsh conditions of intense heat, red dust, mud, flooding, freezing winters, and even frost and snow in high-altitude areas. Many nights, heavy rain forced entire units to stay awake protecting shelters and equipment.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Son, Deputy Chief of Staff of Brigade 543, another challenge was how to persuade some residents to hand over farmland for defense projects. Language barriers and local customs also complicated information dissemination efforts.
From experience, the unit concluded that in poor and remote border areas, soldiers must “help people understand and trust,” and support local residents during difficult times. Therefore, mass mobilization work always comes first.
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Special caution is exercised by engineering troops when handling UXO. |
Brigade 543’s Deputy Political Chief Lt. Col. Dang Minh Duc explained that the unit closely coordinated with local authorities and border guard force before each deployment. Residents were informed about the purpose of UXO clearance missions, and affected households received proper explanations and compensation in accordance with the law.
Gradually, many residents who were initially uncertain came to understand and sympathize with the engineers’ work. Some even voluntarily helped the unit build shelters, guide troops through the forest, locate water sources, and deliver food supplies during bad weather.
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Military engineers’ achievements after many days operating in the Northwestern region, actively clearing explosive remnants and returning hundreds of hectares of safe farmland to local residents |
According to Secretary of the Party Committee and Political Commissar of the brigade Sr. Col. Nguyen Xuan Viet, the brigade’s public outreach was demonstrated through practical actions. Besides their missions, soldiers helped repair houses, improved roads, fixed schools, cleared drainage systems, and provided free health check-ups and medicines for local people and treated victims of labor and traffic accidents. These simple but meaningful acts have helped narrow the distance between soldiers and local residents.
People’s concerns are soldiers’ responsibility
Lt. Col. Tran Van Hau, Head of Battalion 2, has spent years working in border areas. Besides leading UXO clearance operations, he is respected by locals for understanding each family’s hardships and helping whenever possible.
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Troops of Battalion 4, Engineering Brigade 543 assist residents of Hau Cau village, Xin Man commune, Tuyen Quang province with harvesting crops. |
He recalled a flood relief mission in 2024 in Mai Hong 2 village, Lao Cai province, when soldiers helped residents evacuate property, repair damage, and distribute food supplies during severe flooding. Images of engineers carrying relief goods through mud left a strong impression on local communities.
Nguyen Anh Dung, Secretary of Party Committee of Bao Ha commune, Lao Cai province, expressed deep respect and affection for the unit’s troops. He highly praised their high sense of responsibility and sincerity and closeness. They helped return hundreds of hectares of safe farmland to locals, actively develop local infrastructure, improve residents’ awareness of the law, and assisted locals in disaster relief and cultural life building.
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Troops of Engineering Brigade 543 help flood victims relocate property to safe areas. |
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Troops assist local residents in building houses. |
In remote border areas, the presence of military engineers goes far beyond military duties. Every cleared hectare of land and every completed project has helped strengthen local socio-economic development and reinforce the people’s trust in the Party, the State, and the military, creating the shortest way into the hearts of local residents.
Translated by Mai Huong