Born in 1994 in Hưng Yên province and a graduate of the Border Guard Academy majoring in border management, Đỗ Xuân Điềm once served at the provincial Border Guard Command as a public affairs assistant. Those early years forged in him the qualities of a dedicated soldier - steadfast in his revolutionary ideals and devoted to the people.

In 2022, he was reassigned to Na Cô Sa Border Post, a particularly challenging post along the border. Guided by the belief that “the harder the life, the closer we must be to the people - to understand and help them”, Điềm, in his dual roles as deputy political commissar and secretary of the post’s youth union, has remained deeply engaged at the grassroots level. Together with his unit’s leadership, he has implemented numerous practical initiatives to strengthen the post’s overall performance.

“Safeguarding the border isn’t just about standing guard with a rifle. It’s about earning the people’s trust so they will stand with us to protect the land and forests”, he shared. “That’s why, besides my main duties, I’m always searching for ways to help locals improve their livelihoods and build stability.”

Since 2020, Điềm has mobilized social support to deliver over 1,600 gift packages worth nearly VND 1 billion , and sponsored 30 disadvantaged students through the “Foster mother - Connecting love” program.

Perhaps most memorable to villagers is the “Soldiers’ rice jar” initiative. Every day before meals, soldiers contribute a handful of rice to a communal jar. At the end of each month, the collected rice is distributed to poor households, lonely elders, and orphans in the commune. Over five years, Điềm and his comrades have shared more than 1.5 tons of rice, extending warmth from soldiers’ kitchens to families in need.

Beyond material support, Major Điềm has also helped “sow the seeds of knowledge” for highland children through programs like “Nurturing steps to school” and “Adopted child of the Border Post”. Na Cô Sa Border Post currently houses two students and sponsors three others with a monthly allowance of VND 500,000 each. Together with the youth union, he also maintains the “Foster parents - Connecting love” initiative, providing hundreds of gifts, livestock, and farming tools worth hundreds of millions of VND to help 30 impoverished students’ families.

Local resident Giàng Thị Sía of Na Cô Sa 1 village said emotionally: “Officer Điềm often gives gifts and school supplies to the children and encourages them to attend school regularly. Whenever the village has an event, he’s always the first to show up and lend a hand.”

Driven by passion and a relentless spirit of emulation, Major Đỗ Xuân Điềm has earned numerous accolades throughout his career: First prize at the 2025 National “Skillful mass mobilization” contest, A prize at the 2024 “The soldier I love” contest, and first prize at the 2023 “Outstanding political instructor” contest. He has also received multiple commendations from the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, General Department of Political Affairs of the Vietnam People’s Army, and the provincial People’s Committee. He was named one of the outstanding young faces of the Border Guard Force and a national exemplary youth following Uncle Hồ’s teachings (2020). Under his leadership, Na Cô Sa Border Post has twice been recognized as a determined-to-win unit, and its youth union received the provincial Youth Union’s emulation flag for excellence in 2024.

“I’ve always believed that once you wear the soldier’s uniform, no matter where you are, you must serve the people. Each certificate and award is motivation for me to strive harder, to live up to the trust of my comrades and the villagers”, Điềm said.

More than anyone, Major Điềm understands that safeguarding the border is not only about weapons, but about the “people’s defense.” For years, he and his comrades have lived by the principle of “four togethers” with the local people:  eating together, living together, working together, and speaking the local language - to better understand, support, and stand alongside the people. Thanks to these efforts, the trust of ethnic communities in the Party, the State, and the Border Guard force continues to grow, reinforcing the collective defense of the nation’s borders.

To his comrades, Major Đỗ Xuân Điềm is known as a “flame of inspiration”, always creative, responsible, and humble. To the villagers, he is affectionately called “the son of the village” for every act of his carries the quiet, genuine affection of a man devoted to the land and people along the nation’s frontier.