Monitoring and protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security is a crucial and ongoing task of the entire Party, the entire people, and the entire military, as well as the entire political system. This is aimed at building a peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and mutually developing border, and the Border Guard, in its role as the core and specialised force, has been focusing on implementing a comprehensive set of measures to successfully fulfill the assigned responsibilities, contributing to the firm defence of the socialist Fatherland of Vietnam.

Thoroughly upholding the Party’s military and defence policies, particularly Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW of 28/9/2018 by the Politburo (12^th Tenure) on the National Border Protection Strategy, in recent years, the Border Guard Force has consistently taken the initiative in studying and advising the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence on numerous principles and policies to promptly address emerging border and maritime issues. At the same time, it has promoted the tradition of unity, proactiveness, and innovation to successfully fulfill various tasks, continuing to affirm its core and specialised role in firmly defending the country’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity and national border security and protecting peace, security, cultural values, laws and order, and our national dignity and symbols at border areas and border gates.

Lt. Gen. Thai works with Kien Giang Provincial Border Guard

Accordingly, in fulfilling the assigned functions, the Party Committee and the Command of the Border Guard Force focus on leading and directing the organisational adjustment and development of the Border Guard Force towards being “elite, compact, strong, and operationally effective”; coordinating closely with management bodies operating in border areas and border gates; intensifying the fight against crime, trade fraud, dismantling numerous smuggling rings and groups, recovering significant assets for the state, contributing to maintaining security and order in border areas. At the same time, Border Guard troops actively participate in socio-economic development, poverty reduction, cultural life development; natural disaster prevention and control; search and rescue operations; building and strengthening the grassroots political system; etc. contributing to building peaceful, friendly, cooperative borders and laying the groundwork for rapid and sustainable development in border regions and the whole country.

Besides the achieved results, however, the work of grasping, assessing, and forecasting the situation by some Border Guard agencies and units is sometimes slow, lacking proactivity, sensitivity, and flexibility. Also, cooperation and coordination in handling and resolving emerging border and maritime incidents are at times not sufficient and results achieved during the implementation of the strategy of building “all-people border defence posture” is still limited, etc.

In the coming period, the situation along land and maritime borders, as well as in some strategically important areas, harbours complex factors, hostile forces persist in intensifying subversion efforts and sowing discord in the good traditional neighbourly relations between bordering regions. The security situation in rural areas with issues related to ethnic groups, religion, non-traditional security, criminal activities, legal violations, especially drug trafficking, smuggling, illegal immigration, is becoming increasingly complex, posing numerous difficulties and challenges for the management and protection of territorial sovereignty and national border security. This demands that the Border Guard officers and soldiers continue to foster unity, innovation, and determination in effectively implementing key measures and solutions, including:

First, strengthen the Party’s leadership, enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the State’s management over the task of protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security. Party committees, government authorities, especially those in border areas, and Border Guard commanders at all levels need to deepen their understanding of the position, significance, and importance of the task of managing and protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security. They must continue to thoroughly implement the resolutions, conclusions, directives of the Party and the State, as well as the programmes and plans of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, with a focus on Government Resolution No. 16/NQ-CP dated 29 April 2020, Central Military Commission Action Programme No. 88-CTr/QUTW dated 30 January 2019, and the action plans of the executive boards of provinces and cities related to the implementation of Politburo Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW on the National Border Protection Strategy. Based on this, there should be a focus on building a system of transparent and robust Party organisation and government authorities at all levels, enhancing their leadership, guidance, advisory, and organisational capabilities to successfully carry out the task of managing and protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security. Additionally, it is critical to apply and maximise the effectiveness of the leadership principles and mechanisms for border defence work in accordance with the functions, tasks of each level and branch in accordance to the law. Besides, leadership at all levels should effectively resolve the relationship between Border Guard Party committees and Party committees of border provinces; between the Border Guard commands and the commands of military regions, branches, etc. in leading the building of the all-people border defence posture, connecting it with all-people security posture, force development, and implementing border defence tasks. Furthermore, there should be efforts to strengthen inspection and supervision work in line with the spirit of the 4^th Central Resolution (13^th Tenure), continuously improve the leadership and working capabilities of Party organisations at all levels, ensuring unity from the central level to the grassroots level in carrying out the task of managing and protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security.

Additionally, the Border Guard Force must continue to study persisting issues and shortcomings arising from practical experiences to provide recommendations, proposals, and improvements for the methods and mechanisms of leading, guiding, managing border defence work. Develop, enhance, and implement the legal system related to the construction, management, and protection of territorial sovereignty and national border security. Also, it is critical to improve the effectiveness of state management in defence, security, and foreign affairs in border areas; and strictly implement the Law on Border Guard of Vietnam. Besides, the Border Guard leadership must update and supplement the fundamental content of Politburo Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW into teaching and training materials on defence and security knowledge in combination with improvement and innovation in propaganda and education work to ensure that officials and the public understand and fulfill their responsibilities and obligations regarding the task of managing and protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security.

Second, build a strong Border Guard Force, leveraging its core and specialised role in the management and protection of territorial sovereignty and national border security. Agencies and units of the Border Guard Force must continue to thoroughly implement and effectively execute Resolution No. 05-NQ/TW dated 17 January 2022 of the Politburo (13^th Tenure) and Resolution No. 230-NQ/QUTW dated 02 April 2022 of the Central Military Commission on the Organisational Structure of Vietnam People’s Army for the period 2021-2030 and the following years. Accordingly, it is critical to continue to build the “elite, compact, strong and operationally effective” Border Guard Force as stipulated in the Plan for “the Organisation of the Border Guard Force for the period 2017-2021 and the following years.” In addition, the leadership of the Force must closely combine the building of core and specialised forces with building all-people forces, force development with building border defence posture and building transparent, robust Party organisations with building comprehensively strong and exemplary units. Besides, it is critical to innovate, create, and improve the quality of political education, training, and exercises, with the determination to build a politically, ideologically, ethically, organisationally, and personnel-wise robust Border Guard Force with excellent military skills, deep legal understanding, great border guard expertise, good mastery of linguistic skills, especially the languages of neighbouring countries and ethnic languages. Furthermore, Border Guard troops must effectively implement the motto “eat the same meal, live at the same place, do the same work, speak the same language with the local people” to ensure the firm protection of the people and the border. Also, Border Guard Force must focus on training and developing the ability to grasp, assess, and forecast the internal and external border situation, skills for managing land border, border markers, land border gates, and maritime borders. Besides, it is essential to enhance skills in implementing coordination for crime fighting, disaster prevention, and search and rescue; as well as improving weapon mastery and equipment utilisation, to promptly and effectively address arising issues and avoid being passive or surprised in any situation. Additionally, there should be efforts to study and improve methods, plans, and documents regarding border defence at all levels, ensuring alignment with the defence strategy in every direction, region, and the entire country. And last but not least, the Border Guard Force must continue to propose and invest in the modernisation of weapons, technical equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure for border guard posts, stations, and facilities to meet requirements and missions.

Lt. Gen. Thai checks the protection and management of border at Giang Thanh Border Gate, Kien Giang province

Third, intensify measures to neutralise subversive conspiracies and tactics of hostile forces; actively combat crime, maintain security and order in border areas and border gates. Border Guard agencies and units, especially specialised and security forces, border guard posts and stations, and public mobilisation teams, etc. need to continue close coordination with local Party committees and authorities and other relevant forces, especially the Police forces according to Decree No. 03/2019/NĐ-CP dated 05 September 2019 of the Government. They must also grasp the internal and external situation along land and maritime border areas to propose and organise the uniformed implementation of measures to thwart subversive plots and activities of hostile forces. In which, focus needs to be placed on dissidents colluding and cooperating with foreign reactionary forces aiming to establish opposing political organisations with the purpose of creating separatist movements, causing divisions among our people and people of neighbouring countries, encouraging illegal immigration and border violations, etc. In addition, the Border Guard Force must grasp the situation, conduct research, propose the establishment of specific its own plans, and align these with the implementation of large-scale programmes, projects, and initiatives by the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security to effectively combat crimes and illegal activities on border routes, focal areas, especially drug trafficking, smuggling, trade fraud, human, weapons, and explosive trafficking, illegal entry and exit, and the prevention of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. Furthermore, it is essential to implement strict control over border lines, gates, trails, and open paths; provide timely advice and effectively resolve issues arising in certain areas related to changes in the current state of the border. Also, the Border Guard Force must continue to enhance the effectiveness of advisory activities, participate in building and strengthening the grassroots political system and socio – economic development, effectively carry out support policies, address complex issues related to rural security and ethnic and religious matters in border areas. Accordingly, Border Guard units must resolve problems promptly and decisively, preventing “small problems from becoming big issues” and the emergence of “hotspot.” Additionally, it is critical to promote the nationwide movement for people to participate in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security, following Directive No. 01/CT-TTg dated 09 January 2015 by the Prime Minister. Besides, efforts must be made to build the all-people border defence posture linked with a robust all-people security posture, harnessing the strength of the great national unity bloc in managing and protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security.

Fourth, enhance the effectiveness of people’s diplomacy, defence diplomacy, and border diplomacy. Based on a deep understanding of the Party’s foreign policy, with a focus on Conclusion No. 53-KL/TW dated 28 April 2023, of the Politburo (13th tenure) on the International Integration Strategy, Defence Diplomacy until 2030 and the following years, and the guidance of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, and coordinated efforts with local Party committees and authorities in border areas, as well as relevant forces, the Border Guard Force must continue to innovate and improve the effectiveness of advisory work and the organisation of the implementation of tasks related to people’s diplomacy, defence diplomacy, and border diplomacy. In addition, there should be efforts to strengthen cooperation with the functional forces of neighbouring countries in the management and protection of borders and border gates, and in the fight against crime, diseases, natural disasters, and in search and rescue missions, etc. The implementation process of such work should apply the flexible and effective principle of “both cooperation and struggle” to securely protect territorial sovereignty and national border security. The Border Guard Force should also take the lead in coordination with relevant agencies and units to advise the Ministry of National Defence on signing border cooperation agreements with the Chinese Ministry of Defence, protocol of cooperation with the Laotian Ministry of Defence, and developing plans to guide relevant agencies and units to realise these agreements. Furthermore, the Force must coordinate with the functional agencies of ministries, branches, and relevant localities to uniformly upgrade, open, and plan the new border gate system, enhance the application of information technology, administrative procedure reform, and digital transformation to modernise security monitoring and control of entry and exit at border gates. Besides, efforts must be made to further leverage the effectiveness of friendly defence diplomacy exchanges, maintain and expand the twinning model between localities, units, and people on both sides of the border, maintain the effectiveness of activities such as “hotline” establishment, joint patrols, meetings, and information exchange, implementing flexible and timely coordination in handling emerging situations to contribute to building a peaceful, friendly, cooperative border, and participate in managing and protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation.

Lieutenant General LE DUC THAI, Commander of the Border Guard