Through practical and effective actions, the unit has worked closely with local Party committees and authorities to build new-style rural areas, contributing to clear improvements in the socio-economic life of ethnic communities.
Paving way to school for children
In the 2025-2026 school year, the journey to school has become less difficult for many disadvantaged students in communes such as Dam Rong 1, Dam Rong 4, and Phuc Tho of Lam Ha district. For Kon Yong Ju Thuan, a third-grade student at Da Kao Primary School in Dam Rong 4 commune, the new school year has been especially meaningful. He has received new clothes, books, and daily care from special “fathers,” allowing him to study with greater confidence and better learning outcomes.
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Doctors from Lam Dong Defense-Economic Mission provide free medical examinations and medicines for residents of Dam Rong 4 commune. |
Thuan lost his father at an early age and comes from a family facing extreme hardship. In 2023, he was adopted by Production Team No.1 of Lam Dong Defense-Economic Mission. For the boy, this marked a turning point in his life, as now he has a new family that offers care, encouragement, and long-term companionship on his educational journey.
Colonel Nguyen Trong Thuy, Political Commissar of the Mission, said that under the project “Officers and soldiers paving the way to school for children,” implemented as part of Military Region 7’s National Target Program for the 2021-2030 period, the unit is currently taking care of two students and providing regular support for 15 others. All are children from ethnic families with particularly difficult living conditions.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Pham Anh Tu, Head of Production Team No.1, the two fostered students, Long Dinh Ha Tuong, a third-grader of Da Tong Primary School from the Co Ho ethnic group, and Kon Yong Ju Thuan of the M’nong ethnic group, receive textbooks and notebooks, learning materials, daily necessities, transportation to school, and a meal allowance of VND 60,000 per child per day. The remaining 15 supported students are provided with books, school supplies, necessities, transportation to school, and a meal allowance of VND 600,000 per child per month throughout the nine-month school year. Beyond material assistance, the unit regularly coordinates with families and assigns volunteer young intellectuals to tutor the children, reinforce academic knowledge, monitor learning progress, and help them develop essential life skills.
Standing side by side with people through hardships
Two decades ago, Dam Rong was a remote and isolated area, where poor infrastructure and limited livelihoods posed severe challenges for local residents. The district was established through the merger of several communes from Lam Ha and Lac Duong districts of the former Lam Dong province. At that time, more than 93 percent of the population were ethnic minorities, the poverty rate stood at nearly 72 percent, and average annual income per capita was only VND 2.6 million. Dam Rong was among the country’s 61 poorest districts and was included in the Government’s Program 30a for poverty reduction.
Senior Colonel Nguyen Van Minh, former Head of Lam Dong Defense-Economic Mission, recalled the early days when the unit was established in November, 2004. The barracks consisted of makeshift, repurposed buildings, surrounding residential areas were sparse, and basic services were almost nonexistent. To purchase essential goods, personnel had to cross Chuoi Pass and Phu Son Pass to reach Dinh Van town. The harsh conditions caused understandable concerns among many officers and soldiers assigned to the area.
Overcoming these challenges, Colonel Dinh Nho Hung, Head of the Mission, noted that the unit’s Party committee, chain-of-command, and officers and soldiers have consistently stayed close to the local population. Alongside fulfilling training and combat readiness tasks, they have actively advised and supported local authorities in promoting economic and cultural development while strengthening national defense and security.
Through mass mobilization movements and initiatives, such as “Joining hands to build new-style rural areas,” “Skillful mass mobilization,” “Joining hands for the poor - Leaving no one behind,” and “The military joining hands for public health,” the mission has become a recognized model in mass mobilization work within Military Region 7.
Thanks to these efforts, numerous practical projects have been completed and put into operation. These include lighting systems benefiting more than 2,000 households, clean water supply projects serving over 2,000 households in the Phi Lieng area, hundreds of kilometers of rural roads and irrigation canals, hundreds of gratitude houses, and millions of seedlings, livestock, and production tools delivered directly to local authorities and residents.
Today, the communes of Dam Rong 1, Dam Rong 2, Dam Rong 3, and Dam Rong 4 have all met new-style rural standards, with average annual income per capita approaching VND 50 million. Once-barren hills have been transformed into productive farms cultivating sturgeons, durians, bananas, and coffee, while formerly remote villages have developed into stable and vibrant residential clusters.
Affirming the unit’s contribution, Lieng Hot Ha Hai, Secretary of the Party Committee of Dam Rong 3 commune, emphasized that Dam Rong’s journey out of poverty has been closely linked to the enduring, responsible, and heartfelt support of the armed forces, particularly Lam Dong Defense-Economic Mission.
Translated by Tran Hoai