The messengers of the great friendship between Vietnam and Laos

For the people living on both sides of the border of Huong Viet commune (Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province, Vietnam) and La Co hamlet cluster (Se Pon district, Sa Van Na Khet province, Laos), the officers and soldiers of Huong Lap Border Guard Station, Quang Tri Border Guard are the messengers of Vietnam - Laos friendship. The tireless efforts of the soldiers in green uniforms in the work of building a peaceful, friendly, stable, cooperative and jointly developing border are the way to enhance the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.

Continue to foster and strengthen the special solidarity relationship between Vietnam and Laos

The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense always supports and is ready to assist the Lao Ministry of National Defense.

Huong Lap Border Guard Station presents gifts to teachers and students of A Via Primary School. (Photo: Truc Ha)

Close-knit Vietnam - Laos brotherhood

The convenience of transportation, residence and importantly, the "common origin" have helped the people on both sides of the border of Huong Viet commune and La Co hamlet cluster have a deep bond despite being two countries and two peoples. After many appointments, we finally arrived at this border land to see and feel more clearly the special friendship between Vietnam and Laos. Entering the end of February is the transition period between the spring of Vietnam and the dry season of Laos. The road leading to A Via hamlet is just a dirt road, on both sides are lush cassava and loquat gardens. Lieutenant Colonel Ho Le Luan, Political Commissar of Huong Lap Border Guard Station, likened these to cassava gardens of solidarity and friendship because of the contributions of households on both sides of the border, in which the people of A Via hamlet contributed land, while the people of Ka Tieng hamlet contributed labor and the profits were divided equally.

The story began about ten years ago, when A Via and Ka Tieng villages organized a village-to-village friendship. This activity has created more favorable conditions for people to help each other develop the economy and escape poverty. The "Friendship Garden" - a commemorative project for this event with hundreds of Boi Loi trees has now grown well and yielded annual harvests. And this friendship garden also brings in income to serve the common work of the village. The "joint business" of the people of A Via and Ka Tieng villages has also significantly improved the lives of many households. Money from selling cassava helps families have more nutritious meals, buy household items, some families even buy televisions, motorbikes, send their children to school far away... And of course, when economic conditions improve, brothers and relatives have the conditions to care for and help each other more.

What is even more interesting is that when we arrived at A Via, we met many Lao people with Vietnamese blood in their veins. Mr. Ka Dinh was always proud to have devoted his youth to the Vietnamese revolution. For nearly 20 years, he fought on the Binh Tri Thien front, participated in the Khe Sanh campaign, attacked Ta Con fort... In the liberated Quang Tri province, Mr. Ka Dinh worked in the Youth Union, mobilizing young people to build the land of Huong Hoa. When asked why he chose to stay in A Via instead of returning to Huong Viet, Mr. Ka Dinh said: "At that time, I thought that being in Laos or in Vietnam was still building the homeland because there were many people who chose like me. Now, the people in A Via and Huong Viet are still the same, still speaking the same Van Kieu language".

Vietnamese and Lao children enjoy the 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival organized by Huong Lap Border Guard Station and Border Guard Company 321. (Photo: Truc Ha)

Towards lasting value

Landmark 591 is located right at the Ta Rung sub-border gate (Huong Viet commune, Huong Hoa district), with a flat location, where many joint activities of the border protection force and people on both sides of the border take place. When the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, entry and exit were temporarily suspended to serve the epidemic prevention and control work, causing many difficulties for the households of La Co village cluster, because up to now, people here often went to Vietnam to exchange goods. Then, also at the location of this landmark, bags of rice, bottles of fish sauce, packages of salt, boxes of instant noodles, medical supplies for epidemic prevention and control were transferred here to give to Lao brothers to overcome difficulties.

The most recent program was the exchange of experiences and gift giving to teachers and students of La Co Ethnic Boarding Primary and Secondary School and Huong Viet Primary and Secondary School. Through this program, hundreds of gifts including necessities, school supplies, clothes, and warm blankets were given to the people, students, and Border Guard Company 321 (Savannakhet Provincial Military Command).

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Cong Trinh, Head of Huong Lap Border Guard Station, shared: “We have mobilized philanthropists to support necessities and daily necessities to support people on both sides of the border. What is special is that when they learned about the charity programs for our compatriots and friends in Laos, the philanthropists supported very enthusiastically. That shows that nurturing that friendship is not only done by those who work directly like us or the people living in the border area, but also by the companionship and support of people everywhere in this country of Vietnam. That sentiment makes us feel that we have to be more responsible.”

Major Keo Lot Ma, Political Commissar of Border Guard Company 321, welcomed us with a firm handshake, as if we were relatives from afar. The conversation became easier when there were quite a few officers and soldiers in the company who knew Vietnamese. The border guards of the two countries intimately exchanged information, work and learned from each other's experiences in each meeting and joint patrol. In each story, we felt the affection that the border guards of the two countries had for each other, not only in words but also in affection and care concretely in practice. With what they have done, are doing and will do, we believe that the messengers of Vietnam - Laos friendship will do better and better in the tasks entrusted to them by the Party, State and people of the two countries.

Assessing the foreign affairs activities on the border, Mr. Bun Lôm Su Pha Mi Xay, Deputy Secretary of the Se Pon District Party Committee, said that whether the Lao-Vietnamese heart will forever be green and sustainable or not depends not only on the current generation of cadres and people but also on future generations. These solidarity exchange activities are a solid foundation for people on both sides of the border to further foster the solidarity and friendship between Vietnam and Laos, together building a peaceful, friendly, cooperative and mutually developing border area.

"Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia Family Day"

67 Vietnamese families, 91 Lao students and 14 Cambodian students participated in the program "Vietnamese families with Lao and Cambodian students studying in Ho Chi Minh City" in 2023.

The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense always supports and is ready to assist the Lao Ministry of National Defense.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong - Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, Deputy Minister of National Defense affirmed that the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense always supports and is ready to assist the Lao Ministry of National Defense in successfully organizing military and defense events within the framework of ASEAN 2024.

According to Truc Ha/Border Guard Newspaper

https://www.bienphong.com.vn/nhung-su-gia-cua-tinh-huu-nghi-vi-dai-viet-nam-lao-post472938.html

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/nhung-su-gia-cua-tinh-huu-nghi-vi-dai-viet-nam-lao-197377.html