The Border Post of the Huổi Puốc Border Gate is tasked with managing and protecting a 41.833km section of the national border with 16 markers. The area includes one border commune, 28 villages, with 2,039 households and 9,722 people belonging to 6 ethnic groups.

Lieutenant Colonel Vì Văn Tiên, Deputy Political Commissar of the Border Post of the Huổi Puốc Border Gate, said: “Implementing Directive No.01/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on promoting the movement ‘All people participate in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation,’ the movement has received positive responses from the masses in recent times. This has created a widespread ripple effect, mobilizing the combined strength of the entire political system and the people in the self-management of the border line and markers, and maintaining security and order in the border area. The ethnic peoples coordinate closely with the Border Guard force to firmly protect territorial sovereignty and national border security.”

With the mottoes “Listen to the people speak, speak so the people understand, act so the people trust” and “eat together, live together, work together, speak the ethnic language together,” the Border Post of the Huổi Puốc Border Gate always maintains close ties with the people. It proactively coordinates with local party committees, authorities, and functional forces in the area to implement many practical activities. Officers and soldiers regularly go down to the grassroots level to communicate and guide people on correctly implementing the Party’s guidelines and lines, and the State’s policies and laws. They also raise vigilance and combat the schemes and tricks of hostile forces.

Since the beginning of the year, the unit has coordinated to organize 41 communication sessions with 1,846 participants on the Party’s guidelines, the State’s policies and laws, the Law on National Border, the Law on Vietnam Border Guard, Decree No.34/CP on the regulation of land border areas, and related documents on border management and protection. Through these communication, dissemination, and legal education activities, the people’s awareness has been raised. They strictly abide by state laws and land border regulations, and report any unusual activities or events to the border guards and local authorities for timely handling.

In addition, the unit regularly innovates the content, form, and method of communication about building an all-people border defense posture linked with protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security. Communication work is carried out flexibly, suitable for the demographic characteristics and practical conditions of each area. At the same time, emphasis is placed on promoting the exemplary role and mass mobilization efforts of village elders, village chiefs, and reputable individuals in the community. Thanks to creative and practical approaches, the awareness and responsibility of the people in participating in border protection have been increasingly enhanced, creating a solid foundation for building the “people’s heart posture” at the nation’s frontier. The entire commune currently has 8 collectives, 35 households, and 15 individuals registered for self-management of the 41.833km border line and 16 national markers.

The unit also actively advises the local party committees and authorities on establishing self-management models for security and order in villages and effectively maintaining crime reporting boxes. Currently, the entire commune maintains 28 self-management security and order groups with 84 members. Since the beginning of the year, the forces and the people have coordinated to organize 12 unilateral patrols with 122 participants, contributing to maintaining security and order and protecting the peace of the nation’s border.

Noong É village currently has 70 households with 462 people, mainly of the Hmong ethnicity. Currently, the village collective, 6 households with 14 people, and 3 individuals participate in border self-management. Mr. Thào Hồng May, Secretary of the village Party Cell, said: “Determining that protecting the border line and markers is the sacred responsibility and duty of every border resident, the Party cell always closely communicates and mobilizes the villagers to actively participate in activities to protect territorial sovereignty. As a result, the awareness of the people has been increasingly raised; they participate with the border guard force in patrolling and preserving the border line and markers, and promptly detect and report phenomena that violate border regulations.”

The spirit of unity and consensus of the people in the border villages of Mường Nhà commune, together with the border guard force, has been and is forming a solid “people’s heart posture” at the nation’s frontier. Each citizen acts as a “living landmark,” contributing to firmly maintaining national sovereignty and border security, and joining hands to build an increasingly stable, peaceful, and sustainably developing border region.