The city of Da Nang possesses a coastline of nearly 89 kilometres and the island district of Hoang Sa with tens of thousands of households, hundreds of thousands of citizens, and a large number of tourist and service facilities operated, managed, staffed, and inhabited by foreigners. Besides, the situation at the East Sea has been complex recently. Other countries have intensified aggressive action with hundreds of vessels escorted by military, marine surveillance, and coastal militia ships to illegally explore our natural resources, encroach on our fishing grounds, exploit our fisheries, and banish and restrain our fishing vessels. That has caused a lot of difficulties in maintaining security and safety for our fishermen’s work, the country’s marine economic operations, and the defence of national sovereignty and border security at sea. To fulfil its task, the Municipal Border Guard (MBG) of Da Nang has always relied on the people and brought into play the synergy of the entire political system and people together with practical measures.

First of all, the MBG Command has counselled the city to promulgate many documents directing offices, units, and localities to perform the mass mobilisation work. It has enhanced the movement entitled “all people take part in protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation” in tandem with programmes for facilitating socio-economic development and building strong political bases in the coastal border areas. Projects for socio-economic development have been combined with defence-security consolidation, while marine economic development has been aligned with the protection of border security and sea, island sovereignty. As the standing office in charge of the movement titled “all people take part in protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation,” the MBG Command has developed and signed agreements and regulations on coordination with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, the city’s departments, sectors, and unions as well as local party committees and authorities to perform the mass mobilisation work in accordance with each office and unit’s function and task. In addition, it has maintained cooperation with the Municipal Public Security in organising the movement of national security protection in the coastal border areas, while directing its border guard posts and the Border Guard at Da Nang Port Border Gate to collaborate with border districts’ public security offices in stimulating the movement of all people’s protection of national security in line with the movement titled “all people take part in protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security” and building “self-management teams” in residential areas. Cooperation with local authorities and sectors has been encouraged to inspect and complete the mechanism and method of promoting the synergy of the whole political system and people in the defence of national territorial sovereignty and border security.

In the process, importance has been attached to rendering cadres and citizens fully aware of other countries’ conspiracies to monopolise the East Sea, the hostile forces’ violation of national territorial sovereignty and border security, and crime of various types in the coastal border areas as well as our Party and State’s guidelines and policies on the East Sea. Doing so has helped raise the people’s awareness of national border, sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction at sea. Fishermen have been educated not to violate other countries’ waters or international law on the sea and they have been encouraged to engage in the defence of national sovereignty over seas and islands.

The MBG introducing regulations on fishing at sea to fishermen

Furthermore, the MBG has proactively cooperated with sectors and localities in realising the Project on “enhancing law dissemination and education for cadres and locals in the border, sea, island areas.” On a yearly basis, offices and units within the MBG work with the Vietnam Fatherland Fronts to organise the All-People Border Defence Festive Day in line with the movement titled “all people take part in protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation” via various methods. Doing so has contributed to raising cadres and locals’ awareness and responsibility for the building, management, and protection of national border at sea, while providing a solid foundation for them to effectively participate in safeguarding national sovereignty, sovereign rights, territorial integrity, and benefits in seas and on islands.

To improve the effectiveness of fishing in right grounds, protecting national sovereignty, and maintaining marine economic operations, the MBG has advised the city on directing its relevant sectors, departments, and committees to reorganise fishing teams and groups to support one another during work as well as raise the quality of communications between fishermen, the MBG, and competent offices. Signal stations integrated with satellite navigation at the MBG Command, border guard posts, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development have been provided with modern equipment. Fishing vessels operating on the high seas have been equipped with the Icom signal devices. Up to now, there have been 130 groups of united fishing vessels (more than 670 vessels) and all of them have been committed to communicating with the MBG and competent sectors and opportunely reporting incidents relating to border, sea and island security to those forces. Since 2015, fishermen have provided the MBG and competent forces with thousands of pieces of valuable information so that the MBG would give advice to the Municipal Party Committee and People’s Committee on well handling the issues relating to national sovereignty, sovereign rights, territorial integrity, and benefits in seas and on islands under its responsibility.

Additionally, the MBG has cooperated closely with local party committees and authorities and relevant competent offices in conducting surveys and encouraging hundreds of vessel owners and thousands of fishermen to self-consciously commit themselves to readily taking part in the defence of sea and island sovereignty in the event under the Government’s Decrees, namely 30/2010/NĐ-CP, dated March 29^th, 2010, and 130/2015/NĐ-CP, dated December 18^th, 2015. Doing so has created a favourable condition for the MBG to mobilise vessels and encourage fishermen to cooperate with competent offices in the defence of sea and island sovereignty, natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue as well as the protection of marine natural resources and environment. Over the past 5 years (2015-2020), competent forces have mobilised 11,000 fishing vessels and nearly 8,300 fishermen to dispel foreign vessels violating our country’s marine sovereignty, together with nearly 50 vessels and more than 1,550 fishermen to take part in search and rescue operations during incidents at sea.

Taking advantage of our Party and State’s policy on international integration and administrative reform, in recent years, crime of various types at sea and in the coastal border areas has witnessed complex developments. Hence, in addition to enhancing law propagation, dissemination and education, the MBG has actively given instructions to locals on participating in preventing and combating crime and maintaining security and order in the coastal border areas and seas under its responsibility. It has worked with the Public Security Force and the Municipal Military Command to adopt specialised measures, organise joint patrols, and encourage the people to opportunely detect the signs of crime and prevent violations of law. Under the Decision 8394/QĐ-UBND, dated November 9^th, 2015 by the Municipal People’s Committee, the MBG has cooperated with the city’s competent forces in conducting over 40,700 joint patrols in the coastal border areas, identifying and settling nearly 2,300 cases.

To obtain such impressive results, the MBG has always grasped the situation and relied on the people, while translating the movement entitled “all people take part in protecting national security” in line with the movement titled “all people take part in protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation” into life with the specific targets relevant to each region’s characteristics. It has also assigned party members of border guard posts to assist households and required party members to keep in touch with residential zones’ party committees and cells in the coastal border areas. Cadres and party members of the MBG have been asked to participate in making political bases strong and act as the core force in the building of the all-people border defence. The MBG has collaborated with the Municipal Vietnam Fatherland Committee Standing Board and municipal and local sectors, departments, and committees in executing programmes for socio-economic and cultural development to improve the people’s life and knowledge in the coastal border areas. It has also actively participated in implementing national target programmes, preventing and fighting against crime, sustainably reducing poverty, building new-style countryside, and multiplying cultural examples in the coastal border areas. At the same time, it has directed its offices and units to enhance cooperation with other forces in building, managing, and defending the border as well as well performing localities’ contingency missions. Besides, offices and units have proactively worked with localities to build and multiply a large number of self-management models for defending border security and preventing and combating crime, such as “team of united, safe vessels,” “marine cultural residential area,” “safe, cultural dock and fishing port,” “safe, cultural, civilised sea route,” “three no’s religious area¹,” and “club of veterans for crime prevention and control,” thereby greatly contributing to maintaining security and facilitating socio-economic development in the coastal border areas.

Those above-mentioned achievements by the MBG of Da Nang have made contributions to building a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds” and will provide a foundation for it to bring into play the synergy of the entire political system and people in the protection of the country’s national sovereignty and border security in the time to come.

Sr. Col. TON QUOC KHANH, Commander of the MBG

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1. Three no’s religious area: (1) No drug-related crime. (2) No social evil. (3) No violation of law committed by believers.