Thanh Hoa (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 9 visited officials, residents, and armed forces in Yen Khuong, a border commune in the central province of Thanh Hoa.
Yen Khuong, one of the two communes of former Lang Chanh district, is a mountainous and remote area with poor socio-economic conditions, limited infrastructure and transport, and a high poverty rate. It shares a 7-kilometre border with Laos, and is home to 1,126 households with 5,562 residents.
Visiting the Yen Khuong health station, the PM inquired about its organisational structure, medical staff, operations, and facilities, as well as the challenges faced in delivering healthcare services in such a large and disadvantaged area.
Acknowledging the difficulties related to equipment, medicines, and transportation, the Government leader asked local medical staff to uphold the noble ethics of Vietnamese doctors, place the health and lives of the people above all else, and effectively implement the Politburo’s Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW on some breakthrough measures for strengthening public health care and protection.
He emphasised the importance of preventive medicine, primary health care, food safety and hygiene, and health education. The PM also called for greater attention to school health, nutrition for children and the elderly, and the development of a civil-military medical cooperation model, not only to serve local residents but also to support people living across the border in Laos.
Visiting the Yen Khuong police station, PM Chinh was briefed on its structure, staffing, infrastructure, and officers’ living conditions. He noted that after the apparatus restructuring, commune-level police now shoulder heavier responsibilities, particularly those in remote and border areas.
Commending the Yen Khuong police for maintaining social order and security, he told them to coordinate closely with local Party committees, authorities, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and mass organisations to build a drug-free and crime-free commune.
He stressed the need to pay special attention to ethnic minorities and religious communities, preventing hostile forces from inciting division while upholding stability for development.
Regarding infrastructure, the PM requested that a standard model for commune-level police stations be developed, submitted to competent authorities for approval, piloted, and expanded step by step — without haste or perfectionism.
Earlier the same day, upon arriving in Yen Khuong, PM Chinh visited the Yen Khuong border guard station.
After inspecting its performance in national sovereignty and border security protection, public order maintenance, force building, and mass mobilisation, he praised the officers and soldiers for their efforts to overcome hardships and fulfil their duties, contributing to border security and socio-economic development in the area.
He urged the border guards to continue promoting the traditions of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers”, act as a combat force, a working force, and a production force, and uphold their sense of responsibility in safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity and maintaining peace along the border, thereby building a borderline of friendship, cooperation, and development.
PM Chinh also emphasised the importance of staying close to the people — understanding, assisting, and uniting with them; ensuring public safety and security; and helping improve people's livelihoods through support in production, education, health care, and cultural preservation. He called for building a drug-free Yen Khuong, and working hand in hand with local residents to promote the rich cultural identities of local ethnic communities./.
