After the merger of administrative units, Sín Thầu is larger and responsibilities are heavier, but the trust in the Party of the Hà Nhì and Mông people here has never changed. Because typical party members have become the connecting thread of people’s hearts, building the border land into a solid “fortress” of security and a bright spot in economic development.

Tall trees giving shade in border region

After merging the entire area of 3 communes: Sen Thượng, Leng Su Sìn, and Sín Thầu, Sín Thầu commune has now become a large administrative unit with 16 villages, managing tens of kilometers of border line adjacent to the two countries of Laos and China.

Amidst that transformation, veteran party members like Sừng Sừng Khai (A Pa Chải village) remain a solid “fulcrum” for the community. Having held important responsibilities from Chairman to Secretary of the commune through many periods, Khai’s boldest mark was the 2009 - 2020 period, when he directly “quelled” the problem of free migration in Leng Su Sìn commune. At that time, the poverty rate was up to 93%, and theft, deforestation, and illegal religious propaganda took place in the village. Khai did not mind hardships, visiting every household to propagate, mobilize, and help people stabilize accommodation and farming.

Now, although retired, Khai has not allowed himself to rest. He takes the lead in growing amomum, coffee, and cinnamon and maintaining a herd of over 100 livestock to set an example for villagers. “One must determine what to do first, what to do later, it must be methodical. Whether the old commune or the new commune, I am still a child of the Party, I must maintain traditions and protect every inch of border land,” Khai pondered.

Not far away, in Tá Miếu village - the starting place of the Fatherland map’s stroke, Lỳ Xuyến Phù is diligent with a new mission: Developing tourism associated with border sovereignty. He realized the huge potential from conquering Milestone 0 and frequently mobilized young party members to pioneer in preserving Hà Nhì cultural identity to develop community tourism. To him, every family developing a stable economy is the most solid “fortress” to protect national territory.

Technical officers carrying Party cards

If the elders are spiritual fulcrums, young party members like Lỳ Hà Tư, Secretary of the Lỳ Mạ Tá village cell, are “combatants” on the front of hunger eradication and poverty reduction.

Lỳ Mạ Tá currently has 28 Hà Nhì households. Facing the difficult problem when cultivation area shrunk due to Mường Nhé forest conservation requirements, the village cell decided to implement the motto: “Party members go first, the village follows”. Lỳ Hà Tư specifically assigned each party member to be in charge of a group of households, directly guiding wet rice farming and livestock raising techniques right in the fields. In every periodic meeting, party members must report the substantive results of helping people convert crop structures. That closeness has helped Lỳ Mạ Tá keep the forest well and rise to become a bright spot in the commune’s economic development.

The strength of the Party’s will and the people’s heart is clearly shown through the role of Pờ Mỳ Lế, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Sín Thầu commune Party Committee. With many years of experience in the border region, Lế understands the challenges in managing an area three times larger after the merger. She and the commune Party Committee collective consolidated self-management teams, spreading the “4 no’s” criteria (no addicts, no deforestation, no free migration, no illegal religious preaching) from the old Sín Thầu to all 16 new villages.

To date, the movement “All people protect national security” has attracted more than 120 individuals registering to participate in self-management of border lines and milestones. “Every officer and party member now is a propagandist on the new front. Although the management area is larger, the political security situation in the whole commune is always stable, with no hotspots,” Pờ Mỳ Lế affirmed proudly.

Looking at the leadership apparatus of Sín Thầu commune today, from “tall trees giving shade” like Sừng Sừng Khai and Lỳ Xuyến Phù to the young generation like Lỳ Hà Tư and Pờ Mỳ Lế, one can clearly see a continuous flow of passionate Party spirit. The administrative unit merger is not just an addition of area or population but a resonance of the power of unity under the Party flag.

Towards the 14th National Congress of the Party, every party member in the westernmost region sends the iron faith of the Hà Nhì and Mông people to the Party. These flowers offered to the Party at the border junction are still fragrant every day, keeping the border land always peaceful and rising strongly with the country.