On grasping and implementing Conclusion No. 01-KL/TW of the Politburo (13th tenure), the Border Guards of Binh Dinh Province always step up studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, and style by means of practical, concrete deeds, most notably the building of robust all-people border defence, there by bringing into play overall power and people’s participation in firm control and protection of sovereignty and border security.

When he was alive, President Ho Chi Minh used to note that, “The plain is our house and the sea is the door of the house. Can we keep our house without protecting the door? If we did not care about defending the sea, the fishing and salt production would not be carried out peacefully. Thus, an important task of people living in coastal areas is to safeguard the coastline. People living in coastal areas are the doorkeepers of the Fatherland.” To contribute to accomplish the task of “guarding the door for the Fatherland from the sea, the Binh Dinh Border Guards always stay united and works closely with people living in the maritime boundary zone and islands to actively establish strong all-people border defence posture through building and strengthening the grassroots political system, assisting people and localities in social, cultural, economic development, and mobilising overall power to safeguard national sovereignty and border security.

A joint coast patrol

With a 134km-long coastline, an over 108km-long maritime borderline, an internal waters of 1,181 square kilometres, a territorial waters of 2,451 square kilometres, 33 islands and islets, and 5 ports including 4 international ports, Binh Dinh occupies a strategic position in terms of politics, economics, national defence, and security in the Central Highlands. Over the past years, situation in the maritime border zone of the province is basically stable. Social life witnesses new developments as a result of fairly good economic growth. Sovereignty and security at the martime border and islands are firmly maintained. However, rural security situation relating to some socio-economic projects in the area remains complex. The number of fishing vessels violating foreign waters decreases but lacks sustainability. Crimes evolve in a complex manner. The situations present new, higher requirements for building robust all-people border defence.

On being deeply imbued with Uncle Ho’s teaching, which emphasises that “success or failure is partly due to cadres’ competence. It is also partly due to right or wrong leadership styles. With skillful leadership, minor talent may become great talent. With unskilled leadership, great talent may turn into minor talent,” the Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and commanders usually promote leadership of establishing strong all-people border defence. They attach importance to leadership of effective implementation of collaboration mechanisms with district party committees and municipal party committees, which aim to exchange information about the maritime border zone and reach a consensus on measures to lead and direct the management and protection of sovereignty and security at the martime border and islands. The Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and commanders preside at and coordinate good realisation of resolutions, directives, and plans of the Provincial Party Committee, Provincial People’s Committee, and the Border Guard Party Committee and Command for defending sovereignty and security at the martime border and islands by means of specific solutions conducive to functions, missions, and conditions of localities and units. Of note, importance is attached to socio-economic development in combination with protection of sovereignty and security in the maritime zone, building of strong the all-people border defence posture within the all-people national defence posture in connection with the people’s security posture in the locality.

President Ho Chi Minh used to stress that, “The Public Security and the Military must exercise vigilance, suppress enemies at home and abroad, and rely on the people if they wish to complete their missions well. When they have been capable of mobilising and uniting the people, anything can be done successfully.” On being deeply imbued with his teaching, the Provincial Border Guard emphasises the need for tapping into the role and responsibility of party committees, authorities, unions, and entire people in the area for establishing robust all-people border defence. Of note, the most important task is to increase the effectiveness of propagation among local party committees, authorities, and people to generate consensus and high responsibility for this vital mission. The Provincial Border Guard focuses on effectively carrying out the project on “In-depth training and popularisation of the Law on Viet Nam Border Defence and other detailed documents that guide implementation of this project in the 2021 – 2025 period” in connection with conducting the project on “Bringing into play the role of the military in legal education and encouraging people to comply with law at the grassroots level in the 2021 – 2027 timeframe.” During implementation, units have actively reformed content and methods of propagation and education, ensuring diversification, abundance, and suitability for characteristics of the locality and each type of subjects.

Conducting legal dissemination for fishermen at sea

The Provincial Border Guard has recommended the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial People’s Committee to lead and direct many measures to encourage levels, branches, and localities to undertake activities for the maritime border and islands; promote maritime economic development in the direction of trade and logistics services at sea; and establish potential in every aspect in the maritime border zone. The system of traffic infrastructure linking inland areas with those at the maritime border and islands; the roads along the coast and those connecting the littoral area with the Highway 1A, Highway 19, and the coastal trails in support of economic development, people’s spiritual, material life, and maintenance of national defence and security; sea ports, fishing ports, economic zones, industrial parks, tourist and service areas along the coastline and on islands are built and widened, contributing to strengthening of social, cultural, economic potential in the maritime border areas. Localities pay great attention to establishment, planning, and resettlement of residents; job training, job creation, and increased social security in the maritime border area; mobilisation of various social resources in support of fishermen to go deep-sea fishing in connection with protection of sovereignty, maritime security, and islands.

Additionally, the Provincial Border Guard attaches importance to enhanced solidarity with people, reliance on the people during task implementation, and active participation in building of political bases, local socio-economic development, and strong people’s heart and mind posture. Following President Ho Chi Minh’s teaching, “To achieve successful reform requires cadres to strictly realise guidelines and policies of the Party and Government, but first and foremost they must unite with the working people, then the shipowners,” cadres and soldiers of the Provincial Border Guard always regard the border posts as homes, the sea and islands as homeland. They track the people and areas day and night; dine with, live with, and work with the people; and integrate into mass movements. In its capacity as the standing body of the Steering Commission on implementing the provincial movement “All people participate in protection of territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation,” the Provincial Border Guard Command has coordinated propagation and instructed organisations, households, and individuals to register to participate in security, order self-management by means of many models, thereby creating linkage, improving effectiveness, ensuring safety in production and prevention and response to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and taking part in safeguarding sovereignty, maritime security, and islands of the Fatherland.

The Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and local party commitees and authorities grasp and implement seriously and effectively documents of the higher echelons on increased participation of border guard cadres in district- and commune-level party committees at the maritime border area; enhanced solidarity between the Border Guard and local party committees, authorities, and people; good leverage of the role of party members and cadres of border posts in strengthening local political bases.

Through practical deeds, the Provincial Border Guard proactively and actively takes part in local socio-economic development, helping people in hunger eradication and poverty reduction, and building new-style countryside; spends tens of thousands of working days on building and repairing roads and irrigation canals; assists families under preferential treatment in building houses of comradeship, housse of great unity, and houses of gratitude; provide people with medical examination and advice; and helps people to prevent, respond, and deal with consequences of natural disasters and floods. Many movements and campaigns, which include “The Provincial Border Guard joins hands for the shake of the poor without leaving anyone behind,” “Supporting school boys and girls – adopted children of border posts,” “Border Guard Spring warms villagers’ hearts,” “Supporting women living in the border area,” “Helping one poor household in the maritime border area each week,” have been effectively carried out, contributing to increased spiritual, material life and people’s confidence in local party committees, authorities, and the Border Guards, creating material foundation and spiritual driver of building strong all-people border defence.

Moreover, the Provincial Border Guard pays great attention to building of representative, exemplary, comprehensively strong departments and units; successfully brings into play the role as the specialised, core force to perform management and protection of territorial sovereignty and national border security as well as preserve security, social order, and safety in the maritime border area. Accordingly, they work closely with branches and forces to grasp situations firmly and recommend policies and measures to control and defend sovereignty, border security, waters, and islands; actively struggle and defeat plots and acts of sabotage taken by hostile forces and forces encroaching upon sovereignty and national border security. The Provincial Border Guard cooperates closely with localities and relevant forces to monitor objects of struggle, patrol and track humans and vessels operating at sea, timely discover and respond to legal violation, preserve security and order in the maritime border area, safeguard sovereignty and security at the maritime border and on islands, maintain stability, and create favourable conditions for sustainable, rapid socio-economic development in the locality.

Senior Colonel PHAN TRUONG SON, Commissar of the Provincial Border Guard Command