Part 2: Each Party member is a “living landmark”

These are Party members who daily stay attached to their villages and forests, quietly sowing trust through their prestige, responsibility, and simple deeds. From their exemplary role, love for the homeland and consciousness of safeguarding land and preserving forests spread across the community, coalescing into strength so that every citizen joins hands to protect the borderline and preserve peace at the outpost of the Fatherland.

Deep longing whenever away from the landmark

Party member Chu Khai Dèn of Tá Miếu village, Sín Thầu commune always harbors an aching love for the borderlands. He has dedicated his youth to staying rooted in the village and border area, caring for, protecting, and preserving every border landmark at the frontier of the Fatherland. For him, each patrol and contribution to protecting the borderline is not only the duty of a citizen residing at the frontier, but also how he fulfills his sacred oath before the Party, before the homeland, and before the land where he was born. Regularly, whenever A Pa Chải Border Guard Station organizes patrols and inspections along the borderline and landmarks, Chu Khai Dèn readies his gear to set out. Familiar footsteps traverse mountain slopes, trace along borderlines, and arrive at each cherished landmark.

“Whenever I do not go up, I miss the landmark deeply. I regard the landmark as an intimate soulmate,” Chu Khai Dèn shared. Every time he joins border guard forces on landmark patrols, he carefully clears wild weeds and inspects every sign to ensure the landmark remains intact. Where fresh water sources are unavailable, he cuts banana trees growing along the road, using fresh banana sheaths to wipe down every corner around the marker. Then, during the solemn moment of standing at attention and formally saluting the landmark, pride in the border territory and the Fatherland rises quietly within him.

Following his patrol steps, Chu Khai Dèn continues walking down each alley, knocking on every door, visiting villagers to recount stories of the borderline and landmarks, and reminding everyone of their responsibility to preserve every inch of the homeland’s soil. He persistently mobilizes residents to heighten vigilance, proactively engage in border protection, and prevent sovereign violations from unsettling village serenity. From such dedication, 126 households in the village have joined in unison to defend the borderline and landmarks, contributing to firmly maintaining national sovereignty along the border of the Fatherland.

In Leng Su Sìn village, residents have long grown accustomed to the image of prestigious elder Sừng Sừng Giá and local Party members joining border guards on patrols to inspect borderlines and markers, promptly detecting and thwarting border trespassing acts. “As a person of prestige, one must set an example and take the lead so villagers realize that safeguarding the borderline and markers is each person’s responsibility. Initially, only a few participated, but by going regularly and mobilizing villagers to accompany, people gradually understood and responded. Now, whenever patrol and border protection activities arise, villagers stand ready to contribute. With everyone doing a small part to protect the village and borderline together, the border becomes increasingly solid,” Sừng Sừng Giá shared.

Sín Thầu commune currently has a borderline stretching 69.867km, including 40.861km along the Vietnam - China border and 29.006km along the Vietnam - Laos border. This represents an area of particularly vital significance, where each border stretch and frontier landmark is inextricably tied to the sacred duty of defending national territorial sovereignty.

Promoting a pioneering and exemplary role, the contingent of Party members, village elders, village heads, and prestigious persons have joined border guards in staying close to villages and living among the people, actively propagating and mobilizing residents to heighten awareness and responsibility in protecting borderlines and markers. Through persistent mobilization and the personal example set by Party members, village elders, village heads, and prestigious figures, the spirit of vigilance and community accountability has spread ever wider. Each resident serves as a firm foundation standing alongside border guard forces to defend the westernmost frontier of the Fatherland. Upon detecting abnormal signs, locals proactively inform local authorities and functional forces, contributing to firmly preserving political security and social order, while safeguarding national territorial sovereignty and border security.

Along the patrol route, Captain Đinh Công Kiên, Deputy Political Officer of the Leng Su Sìn Border Post, shared that rarely is there a place like Sín Thầu, where every citizen becomes a soldier, resolutely staying attached to the village, holding onto the land, and forging a firm “all-people border defense posture” to safeguard national territorial sovereignty.

Preserving border forests

Forests at the westernmost tip remain lush green through countless seasons of rain and sunshine, embracing the villages and borderlands of Sín Thầu. Boasting a forest coverage rate of 71.05%, Sín Thầu takes pride in ranking among the top localities in forest protection and development across Điện Biên province. That canopy of green is preserved through the engagement of the entire political system, alongside the pioneering, exemplary spirit of Party members, village elders, village heads, prestigious figures, and ethnic communities.

Early in the morning, while mist still blankets the forests in white, the home yard of Leng Su Sìn village Head Chang Lòng Cà already bustles with voices. Party members, prestigious figures, and village residents gather in full attendance, listen to forest protection regulations, and divide into groups to clear undergrowth and patrol designated forest tracts under their stewardship. Currently, the community of Leng Su Sìn village manages and protects 595.53ha of forest.

“In our village, for residents to listen and follow, Party members must set an example first. For tasks such as patrolling, clearing undergrowth, and protecting forests, Party members lead the way without shying away from hardship or fatigue. When villagers witness genuine and consistent deeds, they trust and join in. Preserving forests therefore ceases to be the private concern of a few individuals, becoming the common responsibility of the whole village,” Village Head Chang Lòng Cà shared.

Amidst the deep green forests, Party member Pờ Mì Nò, a forest ranger at the Sín Thầu Forest Ranger Station and a daughter of the Hà Nhì ethnicity, resolutely leaves her footprints on rugged trails to patrol and protect the forests. There are journeys extending across towering summits, deep ravines, and forest downpours, yet her steps never cease turning toward the primeval canopy. Her passion for the woods and professional devotion have shaped a Pờ Mì Nò affectionately called the “Steel Rose” of the wilderness by colleagues and villagers alike.

“As a Party member, one must go first and act first, especially regarding hard and arduous work. While patrolling and protecting the forest, I combine communication and mobilization so villagers elevate their consciousness and responsibility in forest preservation. Protecting the forest is not merely a job, but the responsibility of a Party member toward the homeland, the village, and the green of the boundless wild,” Pờ Mì Nò expressed.

Đàm Văn Cường, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Sín Thầu commune, stated that by promoting a pioneering spirit, each Party member in Sín Thầu has truly become a solid shield protecting the forests. They are attached to the woods as they are to their very lives, standing alongside functional forces as some contribute patrol labor, others remind residents not to harm the trees, and others stand ready whenever the forest calls. Such modest actions have established an enduring forest defense posture so that the green canopy at the westernmost frontier is not only defended today, but handed down to future generations.

These “living landmarks” across the border region not only help firmly safeguard each borderline, landmark, and primeval green forest, but also quietly instill trust and aspirations for renewal within the hearts of the people. When borders remain peaceful and the people’s hearts posture stands firm, residents feel secure staying rooted in their villages and land, engaging in production, and fashioning a new life. From their pioneering steps, Party members continue to bring forth wisdom, becoming “engineers” of the villages who help construct new, sustainable livelihood models, partner with the people to develop the economy, and transform potential and advantages into the momentum to rise, forging a prosperous life on the frontier soil.