Since receiving instructions from border guards about intercropping and making use of a natural stream to irrigate crops, village elder Quỳnh Nhất from a Tà Ôi ethnic village in A Luoi district, Thua Thien-Hue province has manged to improve his way of life, and now his family is well provided for. Seeing how Nhất’s living standards had improved, other residents in Kleng A Bung hamlet have also started to rotate crops following advice from the border guards. This approach has greatly contributed to poverty reduction in the locality. Indeed, only 33% of local households are classified as poor while 4 out of 5 communes are recognised as new-style rural areas now. Images of border guards enthusiastically helping locals without a care about the harsh weather and difficult terrain have touched the Ta Oi ethnic people in A Luoi district. They are now willing to follow border guards’ instructions on economic development instead of relying heavily on social policies./.