“People represent a huge force. Mass mobilisation, hence, is very important. Bad mass mobilisation makes things terrible. Good mobilisation makes everything successful". Being imbued with Uncle Ho's teachings, the Border Guards of Dien Bien province have actively promoted mass mobilisation with many synchronous and effective policies and solutions, in order to promote the synergy of the Party and the government, levels, branches, forces and the entire people for firmly protecting territorial sovereignty and border security of the country.

The Border Guards of Dien Bien province are responsible for managing and protecting 455,573 km of the national border line and 176 landmarks in the wide border area and difficult terrain. Furthermore, people’s living standards here are still low with a high rate of poor households which accounted for 34.45% in 2022. Meanwhile, hostile forces thoroughly take advantage of the issues of "ethnicity", "religion", "democracy", and "human rights" to step up their sabotage against us, especially the illegal evangelism, calling for the foundation of a "separate state". To make the situation worse, free migration, criminal activities, especially drug-related crimes, are seeing complications, etc. Faced with the situation, the Party Committee and Command of the Provincial Border Guard have taken many guidelines and measures to maintain the sovereignty and security of the national border. In particular, following Uncle Ho's teachings on mass mobilisation is identified as a key task and a basic and fundamental measure to successfully carry out the tasks of border guard work.

Bearing in mind President Ho Chi Minh's instructions on mass mobilisation, the Provincial Border Guard has actively consulted with the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Council, and the Provincial People's Committee to lead, direct, and implement mass mobilisation for the protection of sovereignty and border security. As the standing body of the Provincial Steering Committee to implement Directive No. 01/CT-TTg, dated 9 January 2015 of the Prime Minister on "Launching the movement of all people participating in the protection of national territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation", the Provincial Border Guard has promoted its key role in advising and presiding over the development and effective implementation of regulations and programs for coordination with Party committees, governments, departments, branches, mass organisations and Fatherland Fronts at all levels. At the same time, it has asked the Border Guard posts to supplement and sign the programmes of cooperation with the Party committees, authorities, departments and branches of border districts and communes which clearly define the content, requirements, scope, responsibility and authority for each object and concretise it into plans close to the local situations and characteristics. As a result, this has created a consensus, earned the care, attention and support in all aspects of Party committees, authorities, unions and people in border areas during implementation. Every year, on the traditional day of the Border Guard (March 3), all Border Guard posts actively advise and coordinate with 29 border communes to conduct preliminary reviews of the implementation of Directive No. 01/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister, creating an exciting and cheerful atmosphere, motivating people of all ethnic groups in the area and officers and soldiers of the Provincial Border Guard in performing the tasks of management and protection of national bounder, maintaining political security, social order and safety in border areas. In addition, implementing the policy of the Border Guard Command and the Dien Bien Provincial Party Committee, the units have advised the localities to effectively deploy the twinning model among residential clusters on two sides of the border. To date, there have been 9 pairs of communes and villages on the two sides of the borders being twinned, including 01 pair along the Vietnam - China border line and 08 pairs along the Vietnam - Laos border line. This contributes to tightening solidarity between people on both sides of the borders, actively coordinating in prevention and fighting to prevent and effectively handle all problems occurring on the border areas along the border lines.

As most of the Provincial border areas are inhabited by ethnic minorities whose education levels are low, hostile and reactionary forces thoroughly take advantage of the issues of "ethnicity" and "religion" to distort, incite, manipulate, cause internal disunity, undermine the military-civilian unity, and people's confidence in the Party, the State, the Army and local party committees and governments. To cope with this situation, the Provincial Border Guard has promoted propaganda to raise awareness and a sense of responsibility for all classes of people. Propaganda contents are focused on the Party's undertakings and lines, the State's policies and laws, the agreements, treaties, and regulations on border, the laws on: crime prevention and control; the prevention and combat against drug trafficking, smuggling, commercial fraud, social evils; residence management; and regulations on Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control, etc. In propaganda, the units try to innovate forms and methods, closely related to the process of performing border guard work and building the area with comprehensible and memorable visual methods and models, relevant to the conditions, characteristics and people's intellectual levels and demographic features in the localities. To make it effective, Border Guard posts and mass mobilisation task forces work closely with local departments, agencies and mass organisations; promote the role of village elders, village leaders and dignitaries to improve the quality and effectiveness of propaganda; closely link with the implementation of the Project of "Strengthening legal dissemination and education for officials and people in border, sea and island areas". Simultaneously, they have also coordinated with local and central press agencies to conduct propaganda about the results of the movement of all people participating in the protection of national territorial sovereignty and border security together with activities of the annual "All people's Border Guard Day". As a result, people's awareness of national borders and territorial sovereignty has been continuously improved; thereby upholding their vigilance and responsibility in participating in the protection of sovereignty and border security.

It has been shown in practice that the firmness and stability of national territorial sovereignty and border security are always associated with the all-round strength of the border areas. Therefore, the Provincial Border Guard actively cooperates with local Party committees and authorities to participate in consolidating and building strong and comprehensive political bases; actively participates in socio-economic development, and improves the material and spiritual life of the people. In order to implement this content successfully, the Party Committee and Command of the Provincial Border Guard proactively coordinate with the party committees, authorities, departments, branches and unions of localities in border areas and military units stationed in the border areas to grasp the situation, promptly advise the local Party committees and authorities to propose policies and solutions to strengthen, consolidate and improve the quality of organisations in the grassroots political system. At the same time, they actively deploy border guard officers for border communes; assign party members to supervise households in border areas. The deployed Party members have adhered to the motto of "eating together, living together, working together, and speaking the ethnic languages" and "sticking to the people, sticking to the locality", to stay close to the people and firmly grasp their opinions, thoughts and aspirations, and the situation of political security, social order and safety in the area; promptly propagate, explain and persuade the people to implement the lines of the Party, policies and laws of the State; actively advise the locality in party work and administration work. As a result, the political systems at the grassroots level have been gradually consolidated and enhanced with increasing effectiveness and operational efficiency.

Engraved with Uncle Ho's words that those doing mass mobilisation work must be thorough-minded and act according to what they say, and adhering to the motto: "Respecting the people, staying close to the people, understanding the people, studying the people and being responsible to the people", officers and soldiers of the Provincial Border Guard have always lived and worked together with the people; they always listen to the people, talk to the people to make them understand and believe; help with the people, especially in participating in economic, cultural and social development, hunger elimination and poverty reduction, and new rural development. Its units have actively coordinated with the provincial departments, agencies, sectors and unions; especially, the Agriculture and Rural Development Department, Farmers' Associations at all levels to open training courses, experience sharing to help people with agricultural development, ... contributing to helping people eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, improve their living standards and prosper right on the border land.

Moreover, the Provincial Border Guard has also actively persuaded the ethnic minorities to build new cultural lifestyles, abandon inappropriate customs, preserve and promote cultural identities through cultural exchanges and artistic performances. Besides, it replicates and effectively implement the ongoing programs, models and tasks, such as: "Help with children’s schooling - Adoptees of Border Guard stations", "Accompanying with border women", "Soldiers' rice jar", "Border guard’s spring brings happiness to the villagers", etc. This is really a strong momentum for Dien Bien provincial border guards to continue to perform well their tasks of mass mobilisation in the border area to build a solid "people's heart and mind posture", contributing to maintaining national territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN THANH DIU, Political Commissar of the Provincial Border Guard Command