Located on the Truong Son Mountain Range, hamlet 49A borders Dak Cheung district of Laos’ Sekong province. Visiting the hamlet on the last days of the Year of the Cat, we can feel that the spring atmosphere is overwhelming the mountainous locality. Local people are all dressed up, excitedly sharing their fruits of their labor and telling each other stories about Tet gifts that they have recently received from border guard troops.
    |
 |
|
The Vietnam Border Guard Command’s leaders join a New Year celebration event of people in A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province in January, 2023. |
The whole village gathers to joyfully celebrate a new year. The sounds of the gongs echo in the village all night. Co Tu damsels sing traditional songs with beautiful voices. When the sounds of the gongs and drums resonate, hundreds of people walk around the bonfire, forgetting about the cold at an altitude of over 1,000 meters above sea level. Joining the event, Senior Colonel Hoang Van Man, Secretary of the Party Committee and Political Commissar of the Quang Nam provincial Border Guard Command said that every year, the provincial border guard force holds a program to practically take care of people in mountainous area.
The Co Tu ethnic minority people are happier since in the Year of the Cat, the Central region has experienced fewer natural disasters compared to previous years. Favorable weather helps locals and border guard troops have a happy and cozy New Year celebration. Each hamlet builds a small camp for troops, youths, and locals to gather to cook New Year dishes.
Similarly, in Ra Mai hamlet (Trong Hoa commune, Minh Hoa district, Quang Binh province) around 500km from Dac Pring commune and more than 1,400m above sea level, the Chut ethnic minority people and border guard troops are celebrating Tet.
Despite difficult terrain and weather conditions, local people all gather to welcome a new year. According to the tradition and customs, the Chut people celebrate Tet on the seventh day of lunar July to thank gods for creating favorable conditions for them to cultivate and hold Cham Ba Boi festival to celebrate an abundant crop. In recent years, the New Year celebration with border guard troops has been the biggest event.
|
|
 |
|
The spring atmosphere overwhelms Dading village in Ga Ri commune, Tay Giang district, Quang Nam province. The village is located at over 1,700 meters above sea level. |
People in Ka Ooc hamlet are also preparing for the special occasion. Ho Van Phuong, a local in the hamlet, expressed his deep gratitude for the support of border guard troops to help his family have an abundant crop last year and believed that this year will be another successful year.
According to him, local youths have cooperated with Ra Mai Border Post to check the borderline and border markers, and the work will continue on New Year holiday and in this spring to protect peace and happiness in border areas.
Extending approximately 1,100km, Truong Son Mountain Range runs through dozens of localities. Each locality and each ethnic minority group on the mountain range has different New Year celebration customs, but all of them have border guard troops to accompany, receive the care and support of the Party and State, and the sentiment of lowland people.
For people in Hong Van commune, A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province, the image of Commander of the Vietnam Border Guard Command Lt. Gen. Le Duc Thai and Political Commissar of the Vietnam Border Guard Command Maj. Gen. Nguyen Anh Tuan (now Lt. Gen) dancing with local people in the “Border spring warms people’s heart” program in 2023 remains fresh in their mind. They still treasure the sentiment of border guard officers who traveled thousands of kilometers to celebrate New Year with people in mountainous and remote areas.
Translated by Tran Hoai