Yet what he always recalls with deep reflection is not battles or decisions in tough moments, but the lesson of building a “people’s heart disposition” so that citizens truly trust the Party and government to become active stewards of national defense.

Mass mobilization as the root of peace

Shortly after conditions in Huổi Khon stabilized, Major General Lưu Trọng Lư decided to directly visit Huổi Chạ village in former Nậm Vì commune, Mường Nhé district, an area home to several individuals directly involved in the Huổi Khon incident. Many advised him against going due to concerns over remaining extremist elements and persistent public suspicion. In those circumstances, the military commander gently remarked that without meeting the people, one cannot know what they are thinking.

During that visit, he sought out the home of a party member with over 50 years of Party membership. The elderly member choked back tears, relating that for months he dared not attend branch meetings or wear his Party Badge out of fear of threats from radical individuals. Hearing this, Major General Lưu Trọng Lư held the Party Badge in his hands and softly advised him to pin it back on, noting that a party member must be the first to maintain faith, and when party members remain steadfast, the people have a point of reliance. That brief conversation rekindled faith in a veteran party member.

Leaving that house, Major General Lư continued on to meet an unnamed village head who had been enticed into standing on the brink of suspicion. Initially, the village head refused to meet, so Major General Lư simply sent word that he came to talk, not to arrest.

Late that afternoon, the meeting unfolded inside a simple house without formal records or accompanying forces. The village head asked directly whether he would be arrested if he returned. The general calmly replied that if he and the villagers returned to work and join local authorities in building the village, the government would accompany him.

The conversation lasted many hours, with Major General Lư patiently explaining that no future is built on empty promises and no prosperous life exists if villagers abandon their fields, villages, and community solidarity.

Following that meeting, the village head decided to return alongside the villagers. In subsequent years, he was repeatedly trusted and elected as village head, becoming an active campaigner encouraging residents to implement Party guidelines alongside State policies and laws.

Looking back at the successful resolution of the Huổi Khon hot spot, Major General Lưu Trọng Lư never claimed it as a personal achievement. He attributed the outcome to the unified leadership of the provincial Party Committee and provincial People’s Committee, synchronous involvement from the army, police, and border guard, coordination among the Fatherland Front, mass organizations, and grassroots-level authorities, and particularly the role of village elders, village heads, and reputable community figures.

A lifelong Party member serving the people

After completing his duties as Commander of the Điện Biên provincial Military Command, Major General Lưu Trọng Lư was trusted and elected Chairman of the provincial Veterans Association and a deputy to the provincial People’s Council.

Even when no longer holding command posts, he maintained the style of Uncle Hồ’s soldiers, continuing to visit the grassroots-level, meet comrades, and connect with highland ethnic groups. He dedicated most of his working life to the historical land of Điện Biên, where villages and people joined him in writing a beautiful story about the strength of public trust along borderlands.

When asked what made him most proud after over 50 years in uniform, Major General Lưu Trọng Lư mentioned neither his general rank nor his medals, gently stating that having villagers remember him as a cadre and People’s Council deputy who always stood by the people was enough.

That simple answer captures the full portrait of a cadre, party member, and People’s Council deputy. What he left behind extends beyond correct decisions in critical moments to a timeless lesson in building a “people’s heart disposition.”

Sùng A Kỷ from Huổi Khon village shared that back then, thanks to General Lư advising the province on handling the incident, no conflicts occurred among villagers, allowing everyone to feel secure. Later, he continued to care for the community, proposing investment and support programs so residents had food and clothing, enabling Huổi Khon village to transform and stabilize today.

Truly, the sturdiest landmark along the border is not merely concrete sovereignty markers on national borderlines, but the people’s trust in the Party. When public trust converges and great unity is consolidated, every village becomes a “fortress” and every citizen serves as a “living landmark” protecting the sacred territorial sovereignty of the Fatherland.

The example of Major General Lưu Trọng Lư stands as vivid proof of the ideology “taking the people as the root” in national construction and defense. Lessons from his journey grow increasingly practical as our Party promotes studying and following Hồ Chí Minh’s ideology, morality, and style. Every cadre and party member must absorb Uncle Hồ’s teaching to strive to do whatever benefits the people, no matter how small, and avoid whatever harms the people, no matter how minor. Only when truly close to, respecting, and understanding the people can we construct a solid “people’s heart disposition” to safeguard the Fatherland’s sacred sovereignty across every borderland.