Ho Chi Minh Municipal Border Guard is responsible for managing and protecting sovereignty, security, social order, and safety on the city's sea border and seaport border gates. This is an important area with a sea border of 23.5 km long and water area of 1,755 km2 which is favourable for farming, plantation, fishing, seafood exploitation, and the seaport system with the country’s largest flow of imports and exports, handling about 50% of the total bulk cargo volume and 65% of the containers of the country. The city’s port area has large volume of vessels anchoring, mooring, loading, and unloading goods with tens of thousands of workers, including a large number of shipmen. Specially, vessels anchoring and transporting goods in a large area with complicated ocean currents, hence are difficult to control. Given the complicated situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, the area is highly vulnerable to the pathogens brought from foreign countries.

In performing the "dual" task, the City Border Guard  Party Committee and Command have effectively implemented the superiors’ resolutions, directives, and plans on military and defence work;  thoroughly grasped the resolutions and plans on Covid-19 prevention and control of the City People's Committee and the Border Guard Party Committee. Based on their assigned functions and tasks, it has issued Resolution No.828-NQ/ĐU, dated March 27^th, 2020 on the leadership in performing the task under the spirit of "fighting the pandemic like fighting the enemy" and considering pandemic prevention and control a “combat task in peacetime". Accordingly, Party committees and commanders at all levels have mapped out policies and measures to lead and direct drastically and specifically to well perform their tasks in the new normal conditions.

Thoroughly grasping, forecasting, and properly assessing the situation, the City Border Guard Party Committee and Command have actively advised and proposed to the City Party Committee and People's Committee to lead and direct the state management over national borders in sea border area and at port border gates. Emphasis is placed on implementing the Action Plan and the Plan for implementation of Resolution No.33-NQ/TW issued on September 28^th, 2018 by the Politburo on the Strategy for National Border Protection. Appropriate and effective policies and measures are chosen for each period to promptly solve problems occurring in border areas and seaports, especially in the increasingly complicated situation of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, they have advised the local Party committees and authorities to effectively implement Decree No.130/2015/NĐ-CP issued on December 18^th, 2015 by the Government on mobilising human resources, vessels, and means of transport to participate in protecting the sovereignty and sovereign rights over the seas. They have closely cooperated with the Provincial Border Guards of Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Tien Giang, Border Guard Squadron No.18, Naval Region 2, and Coast Guard Region 3 in the development of the plan for coordination in protecting sovereignty and security over the sea. They have also well performed the tasks of combat readiness, regularly organised exercises and rehearsals of combat plans for protecting the area's safety, and taken the initiative in forces and means to be ready to participate in the prevention and control of natural disasters, pandemics, and search and rescue.

Entry check at a border gate

Facing the increasingly complicated developments of the Covid-19 pandemic, the City Border Guard has deployed 29 checkpoints to carry out round-the-clock patrol, control, and supervision in areas where foreign vessels anchor. It has also sent troops to Tay Ninh Provincial Border Guard to participate in border management and protection and Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control under the superior’s plan. In such conditions, to perform the "dual" task, the City Border Guard Command has promoted the all-people border guard posture and all-people strength in the cause of protecting the Fatherland and preventing and controlling the Covid-19 pandemic. Agencies and units have stepped up mobilisation, propagation, and education to raise awareness and sense of responsibility for cadres, Party members, and people about the Party's guidelines and viewpoints and the State’s policies and laws about protecting national borders and preventing and controlling the Covid-19 pandemic. To improve efficiency, the City Border Guard Command has promoted the role of the specialised force and party members in charge of households in the sea border area in actively propagating, meeting, and discussing directly with owners of ships and boats and people of island communes and in the port area on observing the provisions of law on actively participating in the protection of security, social order, and safety, regulations of the Ministry of Health, and legal documents of the City People's Committee on Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control. Since the beginning of 2021, the City Border Guard has coordinated with relevant authorities in propagating on the mass media with hundreds of news articles, distributing 4,000 leaflets and video discs to the people about the regulations on management and protection of security and order in the port area and regulations and rules on pandemic prevention and control, etc. The Border Guard posts and stations have actively advised local authorities, closely coordinated with socio-political mass organisations in promoting the implementation of Directive No.01/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on "Organising the movement of all people participating in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation” and "All People's Border Guard Day", and advising localities to launch the movement entitled "All people participate in the prevention and control of Covid-19 pandemic and illegal entry and exit", ... in various forms and creative, effective and practical models. It has actively participated in building of strong grassroots Party committees and authorities, socio-economic and cultural development, and mass mobilisation to make important contributions to consolidating "the people's heart-and-mind posture" and raising awareness and sense of responsibility of all levels, branches, and people for border guard work and  building a strong all-people’s border guard posture.

Along with drastically preventing and controlling the Covid-19 pandemic, the Border Guard has also stepped up the fight against crimes and effectively handled non-traditional security challenges to manage and maintain political security and social order and safety in sea border areas and port border gates. Attention has been paid to leading and directing to improve basic skills, professionalism, and expertise for functional forces; promoting the leading role in ensuring security and safety in sea border areas and port border gates; coordinating with the City Public Security in effectively implementing Decree No.03/2019/NĐ-CP issued on September 5^th, 2019 by the Government on managing, preventing, controlling, and combating against crimes; and stepping up the formulation of special projects on fighting against crimes, especially drug trafficking, smuggling, commercial fraud, and illegal sand mining and transportation. In 2020, the City Border Guard detected and handled 134 cases with 267 objects and 123 vehicles. Those results have affirmed the core role of the Border Guard in managing and firmly protecting the sovereignty, political security, social order, and safety in the sea border area and port border gates of the city to contribute to creating a favourable environment for sustainable socio-economic development.

Focusing on administrative procedure reform in combination with application of science and technology to the management and control of exit and entry in the context of Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control is a measure focused by the City Border Guard. Implementing the Prime Minister's Decision on performing electronic border gate procedures at seaports and border gates under the national and ASEAN single-stop mechanism, the City Border Guard Command has closely coordinated with functional agencies in reviewing, adjusting, and strictly implementing the process of inspection and control of entry and exit in accordance with the provisions of law and international practices. It has focused on investing in human resources, equipment, and modern technical means, developing information technology systems, and building the electronic portal for entry and exit declarations. So far, 100% of enterprises and agents operating in import and export activities have declared and handled electronic border guard procedures. As a result, entry and exit procedures that previously consisted of 9 types of papers has reduced to 5, while check-in time for a train is reduced from 4 hours to 1, and procedures for issuing permits to board ships and go ashore for crew members are reduced to just a few minutes. These jobs have not only saved time and costs for enterprises and maximize the functions of the piers and ports but also limit direct contact to ensure the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic, promote the city's economic development, maintain the leading position in the country, and accelerate the process of international integration.

In performing the "dual" task, the City Border Guard is overcoming difficulties and adhering to the sea borders and port border gate, ... to contribute to the fine tradition of "Uncle Ho's Soldiers" in the new period, which has been highly appreciated by the local Party committees, authorities, and people. That is also the basis and motivation for the City Border Guard to continue promoting the task of management and protection of sovereignty, political security, order, and safety and the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic to creating a safe and favourable environment for the City’s quick and sustainable economic development in the new normal condition.

Senior Colonel TO DANH UT, Member of the City Party Committee, Deputy Secretary of the City Border Guard Party Committee, Commander of Ho Chi Minh Municipal Border Guard Command