Over the past years, the Party Committee and High Command of the Border Guard have firmly grasped their functions and tasks and closely coordinated with the local Party committees and authorities in implementing several policies and solutions to build a strong "people’s heart and mind posture” in the border areas. It is determined as a solid foundation for the management and protection of the border’s sovereignty and security.

Border areas play a  strategically  important role in Vietnam. On the basis of thoroughly grasping the viewpoint of the Party on building the " people’s heart and mind posture" together with efforts of the local Party committees and authorities at all levels, ethnic minorities, and the active participation of the Border Guard, border areas have seen many positive changes, reflected in the socio-economic development, strengthened national defense and security, and improved living standard. These areas, however, are facing with numerous difficulties due to low educational level, poor socio-economic infrastructure, and unsound customs in addition to unthoroughly-handled stockpiling, trade, and use of prohibited goods and border-crossing trade frauds. At the same time, hostile forces are promoting subversive activities with sophisticated and malicious schemes and tricks that adversely affect the task of managing and protecting the national border security.

Clearly recognizing its role as the core force in managing and protecting the national border security and sovereignty, and the importance of building the "people's heart and mind posture", the Border Guard has taken initiative in advising and coordinating with the local Party committees and authorities in border areas to build the national defense, the all-people defense posture in association with people's security, and the all-people border defense posture strong. The force has focused on propagating and educating Ho Chi Minh's thoughts, views and lines of the Party and policies and laws of the State on building the national unity, military and defense tasks, and the protection of the Motherland. Specially, top priority has been put on the Resolution of the 12^th National Party Congress, the Strategy for  Homeland protection in the new situation, the National Border Law, decrees, agreements, and regulations on border and border gates, etc. The People, thereby, have clearly recognized the determination to protect the Motherland of the Party and the State; their rights, obligations, and responsibilities in protecting the national border sovereignty; functions and tasks of the Border Guard; and conspiracy and tactics of hostile forces. During the course of implementation, its units have promoted the role of organizations, forces, mass media, and cultural institutions in combination with regular and thematic propaganda suitable for specific objects. They have also resolutely struggled to defeat all tricks of taking advantage of issues related to ethnics, religion, democracy, or human rights  of the hostile forces, undermining the political security, social order and safety, and driving a wedge  between the Party and people, between the Army in general, and the Border Guards in particular, and the ethnic minorities, in order to break down the "people's heart and mind posture" in the border areas.

The Border Guard officers and soldiers have regularly kept close to their surrounding areas, grasped the actual situation to actively advise the local Party committees on measures to consolidate, improve, and strengthen the operational quality of the political system, especially the Party organizations, governments, and socio-political unions. Much attention has been paid to improving the knowledge and working methods of village officials, prestigious people, militia, socio-political cadres, and the development of new party members. At the same time, the Border Guard has also advised the local Party committees and authorities on the role of mass mobilization, thereby enhancing the responsibility of leading and directing this important work with suitable solutions. In order to strengthen and improve the quality of grassroots party organizations, the Border Guard has assigned 308 officers to border communes of extreme hardship, of which 259 have been appointed to the local Party committees and authorities. Besides, there have been 1,208 party members at Border Guard stations participating in the village party cells.

Furthermore, special importance has also attached to advising and assisting the local Party committees and authorities in socio-economic development in combination with national defense and security, intensifying the hunger eradication and poverty reduction, and raising the living standards of ethnic minority people. Plans for socio-economic development have been formulated to improve people's lives, raise people's intellectual standards, and directly help them to implement models of household economic development; change their farming habits. These plans have also been aimed at raising people's intellectual standards, organizing medical examination and treatment, and providing free-of-charge medicines to the people. Local health establishments have been coordinated in epidemic prevention, vaccination, and health activities in border areas. Mercy classes have been held, and programs such as primary education popularization, "House floor consolidation", or "Raising Children to School" have been effectively implemented. All of the aforementioned activities have helped the image of the Border Guards shine in the hearts of the people. With right perception, high sense of responsibility, and scientific implementation in line with reality, the Border Guard has synchronously implemented the guidelines and solutions to build the "people's heart and mind posture" in the border areas. As a result, the awareness and responsibility of the political system and the people in the border areas on enhancing the " people's heart and mind posture", creating integrated strength, managing and firmly defending the territorial sovereignty and national border security  have been increasingly enhanced.

Maj Gen Do Danh Vuong giving presents to poor households in Ha Giang province (Photo: bienphong.com.vn

At present, the cause of protecting the national sovereignty and border security has new requirements which are both favorable and difficult. Therefore, in order to strengthen the " people's heart and mind posture" in the border areas, the party committees and commanders of all levels among the Border Guard should focus on implementing the basic contents and solutions as follows:

Firstly, the Border Guard should be aware more of the position, meaning, and importance of the task of building the "people's heart and mind posture" in the border areas.  The party committees and commanders of the units should strengthen the coordination with organizations and forces to further improve the quality of education and propagation, making the subjects recognize that building the "people's heart and mind posture" is to build the foundation, potentials, and synergy for the construction, management, and protection of the national border sovereignty. They also needs to continue to advise and propose to the local party committees and authorities and closely coordinate with the other branches and forces in the border areas in well performing the propagation and mobilization of the people and transferring all guidelines of the Party, policies and laws of the State to the local people, especially the revolutionary traditions of the Party, of the nation, and of the Homeland as well as policies on ethnicity and religion,  legal regulations on national borders, and other border treaties, agreements, and regulations. These activities are aimed at arousing national pride, national consciousness, national self-determination, and self-respecting spirit so that the people in the border area are able to participate in building, managing, and protecting the national borders .

Secondly, actively participate in building, consolidating, and improving the quality of operation of the grassroots political system. The Border Guard units are required to better advise and assist the party committees and administrations of border communes and wards in studying, thoroughly grasping, and concretizing the Party's and State's undertakings and policies into solutions to suit with the local conditions, and directing and organizing the people to implement. Besides, it is important to continue to review, consolidate, train, and improve the quality and promote the role of officials assigned to border communes in taking initiative in consulting and proposing measures to maintain the order and raise the quality of activities of the party cells, village administrations, and socio-political organizations. Moreover, they need to take responsibility to well perform the task of detecting and introducing elites to the party committees and organizations for fostering and admission, and well implementing the work of developing party members among duty soldiers to create resources for the grassroots political system.

Thirdly, actively participate in socio-economic development, poverty reduction, and improvement of the material and spiritual life for the local people. Practice shows that when their life is wealthy and happy, people’s confidence towards the Party, the State, and the Army in general and the Border Guard in particular will be strengthened, and the "people’s heart and mind posture" will be solid. Therefore, the Border Guard should actively participate in helping localities build new rural areas, guiding people to change their livestock, crops, household economic production methods, and cooperative economy. At the same time, the force should study, advise, and propose to the local Party committees and authorities to formulate socio-economic development programs and projects in combination with enhancing national defense and security and managing and protecting the border. The administrative procedures should be reformed to well perform the management, inspection, and control of the border and border gates, ensuring openness and quickness and creating favorable conditions for exchanges and cooperation activities in both sides of the border. Importance should be attached to the implementation of coordinated programs with localities and specialized forces of the neighboring countries. The Border Guard needs to mobilize and effectively organize activities aimed at border and islands and improve the effectiveness of models and occupational and social security programs such as: "Shelter for the Poor in the Border Areas", "Raising Children to School", "Tet for Villagers", and friendship between hamlets and border stations in two sides of the border.

Finally, continue to involve people in the management and protection of national border security and sovereignty under the motto of "Every border people is a Border soldier." The party committees and commanders of the units should advise the local party committees, administrations, the Fatherland Front, and other mass organizations to thoroughly implement Directive No.01/CT-TTg issued by the Prime Minister on 09/01/2015 on organizing the movement of the entire people participating in protection of territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation. Particularly, importance should be attached to building and organizing forms of self-management in every family, village, and hamlet to promote the role of religious dignitaries, and local officials. Sections of borderlines and national landmarks should be assigned to households and collectives to manage and protect. Concurrently, the local people should be mobilized to abide to the regulations on border, security, and order of each hamlet and village to create the "people’s heart and mind posture" in management and protection of national border security sovereignty at the grassroots level.

Well implementing the above-said contents and solutions will contribute to building a firm " people’s heart and mind posture" in the border areas and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for the country’s sustainable development.

Major General Do Danh Vuong, Commissar of the Border Guards