Border guard general with models and projects changing the face of Quang Nam province's border area

Although he has been transferred to another job for a long time, many people, especially the elderly in the border area of Quang Nam province, still ask about Major General Van Ngoc Que, Deputy Chief of Political Department of the Border Guard (BĐBP), former Political Commissar of the BĐBP of Quang Nam province. How can we forget, when comrade Van Ngoc Que is the one who brought many projects and models to help people develop the economy and contribute to changing the "face" of the border area.

Báo Quân đội Nhân dân•26/01/2025

Back to the homeland

Major General Van Ngoc Que was born in 1968 in Viet Tri City, Phu Tho Province, but his father was a cadre who had gathered in the North (from Dien Ban Town, Quang Nam Province ). Graduating from the Border Guard Officer School (1987-1990 course), being assigned to the Border Guard of Quang Nam - Da Nang Province, the young officer Van Ngoc Que was extremely excited because from now on he could contribute his strength to build and protect his homeland. Always thinking of himself as a son of his homeland Quang Nam, the resistance zone against the French and American invaders, the border guard officer Van Ngoc Que determined that he needed to strive and contribute to be worthy of the great sacrifice of his fathers.

Comrade Van Ngoc Que (when he was Colonel, Political Commissar of Quang Nam Provincial Border Guard) presented audio-visual equipment to people in the border area of Quang Nam province (2014).

During his work in the highland border areas, witnessing the lives of ethnic minorities, where the former bases and resistance corridors of the revolution were still poor, backward, and fragmented, he could not help but feel sorry and understand that the responsibility of border guards is not only to protect the sovereignty and security of the national border in a rigid way, such as patrolling and protecting the border and landmarks, but also to mobilize the strength of the people.

As a force stationed in the area, the Border Guard cannot be an outsider, leaving it to the local government. But in fact, the desire to make the mountainous countryside flourish, change its appearance, make the people's lives prosperous, happy, and catch up with the lowlands is not easy, it cannot be achieved overnight. However, if you do not go, you will never reach the destination. With such thinking, comrade Van Ngoc Que has taken specific actions.

The road to the border of Quang Nam province is arduous and difficult.

Continuing the thinking and work of previous generations of cadres, comrade Van Ngoc Que and the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and the Border Guard Command of Quang Nam province have sought many solutions to continue advising and proposing to the Provincial Party Committee and the People's Committee of Quang Nam province; coordinating with departments, branches, unions; Party committees and authorities of border districts and communes to promote socio-economic development, strengthen national defense and security, and build border areas that are truly "fence" of the Fatherland.

To have a basis to propose the implementation of these humane and groundbreaking projects, comrade Van Ngoc Que, together with the officers of the Political Department and the border posts on the border, went to each village and each household to survey and understand the living conditions, thoughts and aspirations of the people, the strengths of each region, so as to "plant what trees, raise what animals" to develop the economy while still preserving the cultural identity of each ethnic group. At that time, the road to the Quang Nam border was remote and difficult, especially the border of Tay Giang district, which was full of rocks and gravel, and some sections turned into "muddy rivers" when it rained. However, he did not hesitate to walk down to the villages to survey and from there build models and projects with the Quang Nam Provincial Border Guard Command as the investor or chair to help people develop the socio-economy.

Back to the villagers

Previous generations of commanders have implemented effective projects such as "TV coverage" and "Cow Bank". However, over time, these models need to be consolidated. Comrade Van Ngoc Que, together with the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and the Provincial Border Guard Command, directed units to coordinate with local Party committees to survey, plan, and call on philanthropists and businesses inside and outside the province to support investment in additional funds for maintenance and repair of broadcasting stations; and purchase more than 200 breeding cows to add to the "Cow Bank". In fact, thanks to the maintenance of the "Cow Bank", many families have the basis to raise livestock and escape poverty, many households have developed into large-scale cow farms, thereby accumulating for reproduction and purchasing household items.

Major General Van Ngoc Que and members of the Organizing Committee selected paintings in response to the Campaign for creating and exhibiting paintings on the topic of gender equality and prevention of domestic violence and gender-based violence in 2024.

In particular, during his time working at the Border Guard of Quang Nam province, comrade Van Ngoc Que devoted much effort to the program "Warm homes for the poor in border and island areas" jointly launched by the Border Guard Command and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front. This is an extremely meaningful activity because it helps many poor people have houses to live in, with the Border Guard contributing from there to strengthen the relationship between the army and the people at the border. With that great significance, from 2009 to 2014, the Border Guard of Quang Nam province coordinated with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Quang Nam province to mobilize and donate cash and materials, along with the contribution of thousands of working days of officers and soldiers of border posts, to build 54 new houses for poor people in the border areas of the province.

Comrade Van Ngoc Que also directed units to implement many other models such as "Rice jar of love", "Supporting Vietnamese Heroic Mothers", "Supporting lonely elderly people", "Helping children go to school - Adopted children of border guards" which are models with profound humanity when soldiers are willing to reduce their food rations to share with the poor; contribute a day's salary to feed students, motivating them to overcome their circumstances, continue to go to school, support Vietnamese Heroic Mothers and lonely elderly people... These actions are like fragrant flowers of military-civilian love blooming throughout the border areas of Quang Nam province.

Major General Van Ngoc Que chaired the Conference to review self-criticism and criticism of the Standing Committee and individual members of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the Political Department of the Border Guard in 2024.

In order to eliminate backward and superstitious customs and to give people the opportunity to access and enjoy modern cultural and civilized values, comrade Van Ngoc Que directed border posts to organize many tasks to become cultural highlights in the border area, such as: Establishing Ho Chi Minh reading rooms, circulating thousands of books to serve the learning needs of cadres, people and students in the area; purchasing audio-visual equipment for posts and some villages in the border area; coordinating with local Party committees, authorities, electricity companies, and network operators to pull the power grid, install mobile phone transceiver stations, and internet networks to serve soldiers and people.

In particular, the implementation of the program "Border Guards join hands to build new rural areas" has contributed to changing the appearance of villages in the border areas of Quang Nam province. Up to now, 100% of border communes have electricity, telephone, television, internet...

Major General Van Ngoc Que has 27 years of working experience at the Border Guard of Quang Nam - Da Nang province (now Quang Nam Provincial Border Guard), holding the following positions: Statistical - Synthesis Officer of the Operations Department (Staff Department); Youth Union Assistant; Deputy Political Officer of Binh Minh Border Guard Station; Head of the Mass Mobilization Department; Deputy Director, Political Officer.