Gia Lai, April 6 -- In the borderlands of the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, what began as makeshift refugee settlements for Cambodians escaping the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime has evolved into a profound emblem of the Vietnam - Cambodia solidarity over the past nearly five decades.

As the brutal Pol Pot regime forced thousands of Cambodians to flee their homeland, villages along the Vietnam - Cambodia borderline such as Kloong in Ia O commune of Ia Grai district, and Triel in Ia Pnon commune of Duc Co district became the shelters of hope.

Recalling the horrors of that time, Ro Cham Hloac, an elder in Kloong village, said that Pol Pot was merciless, killing civilians, stealing crops and livestock, and even planting landmines to...