State President posthumously awards Medal of Bravery to Head of Grassroots-level Security and Order Protection Team

The ceremony was attended by Member of the Party Central Committee and Deputy Minister of Public Security Senior Lieutenant General Tran Quoc To and Secretary of the Thai Nguyen Provincial Party Committee Trinh Xuan Truong.

Earlier, at around 7:00 a.m. on October 1, while performing his assigned duties, Mr. Phan Van Thanh saw three children — Duong Van Bang (born in 2012), Duong The Anh (born in 2010) and Duong Gia Huy (born in 2013) — struggling in floodwaters along a rural road in Xuan Ha 1 hamlet, Thanh Cong commune. 

Without hesitation and disregarding his own safety, Mr. Thanh bravely jumped into the torrent and successfully rescued Bang and Huy. But while he was trying to carry The Anh ashore, he became exhausted and died.

In recognition of his extraordinary courage and selfless sacrifice, on October 8, 2025, the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam signed a decision to posthumously award Mr. Thanh the Medal of Bravery.

At the ceremony, under the authority of the State President, Deputy Minister Tran Quoc To presented the Medal of Bravery to Mr. Thanh’s family.

In his remarks, on behalf of the Public Security Central Party Committee and the leadership of the Ministry of Public Security, Deputy Minister Tran Quoc To commended the Thai Nguyen Provincial Police Force and the local Grassroots-level Security Protection Support Force for their effective support for local people during the natural disaster, and said that officer Thanh is a shining example of the local Grassroots-level Security and Order Protection Force.

Deputy Minister Tran Quoc To called on local Party committees and authorities to further recognize the essential role of the Grassroots Security Protection Support Force and  instructed the provincial police and relevant agencies to strengthen the political and professional capacity of its members, as well as properly carry out policies and support for the force.