Building a strong all-people border guard posture represents a major policy of our Party and State, aiming to create comprehensive strength and ensure the firm protection of national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and border security. As the core and specialised force, Lai Chau Provincial Border Guards have been resolutely and synchronously implementing measures to build a strong all-people border guard posture.

Lai Chau is a mountainous province located in the northwestern region of the country, bordering China with over 265 kilometers of border line. Its terrain is rugged and challenging, with underdeveloped infrastructure and difficult transportation. Its poverty rate is above the national average, and the educational levels of the population vary. The quality and effectiveness of the local grassroots political system are still limited, and various bureaucratic practices persist. With a clear understanding of these characteristics, in recent years, Lai Chau Provincial Border Guards have closely adhered to their functions and tasks and actively coordinated with departments, agencies, and forces to advise the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee to implement numerous leadership and direction measures for economic, cultural, social, and foreign affairs development, while enhancing defence and security in the border area. They have mobilised the entire population to participate in safeguarding the border lines and border landmarks and building a strong local political foundation to create comprehensive strength in managing, protecting, and developing a peaceful, friendly, cooperative border area. It is noteworthy that during China's construction of border fences, the Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and Command took proactive measures to advise the province in mobilising forces and people to expand visibility, inspect border landmarks, develop special propaganda plans, and effectively monitor and fight against any violations to firmly protect national sovereignty and border security.

The 60th anniversary of foundation of Lai Chau Provincial Border Guards

Despite achieving significant results, various violations of agreements and regulations regarding the border still occur in the provincial border area. Hostile forces and reactionary elements exploit issues related to “ethnicity,” “religion,” “democracy,” and “human rights” to carry out subversive propaganda. Complicated situations such as drug crimes, illegal border crossings, human trafficking, and others have a significant impact on the political security, order, and social safety in the region. In light of these circumstances, in addition to comprehensive deployment in all aspects of work, the Provincial Border Guards continue to play a core role and mobilise the participation of the entire political system and the people to build a strong all-people border guard posture with resolute and synchronous solutions.

First and foremost, proactively advise and assist the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee in strengthening leadership and direction in border guard work. Adhering closely to the characteristics of the local area, the Provincial Border Guard Command, in coordination with departments and agencies, have provided advice to the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee to issue resolutions, directives, and guidelines aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of leadership and direction in border guard work, particularly the Action Program of the Provincial Party Committee for the implementation of Resolution No.33-NQ/TW, dated September 28^th, 2018, of the Politburo (the 12^th Tenure) on the strategy for protecting the national borders; the Plan for implementing three legal documents on the land border between Vietnam and China; and Directive No.01/CT-TTg, dated January 9^th, 2015, of the Prime Minister on organising the movement of the entire people to protect sovereignty, territorial integrity, and border security in new circumstances. Additionally, they have proactively proposed and participated in the development of new plans and projects, as well as the extension and improvement of the effectiveness of existing ones. These include engaging the entire population in combating illegal border crossings, COVID-19 prevention and control, crime prevention, and maintaining political security, public order, and social safety in the border area. Efforts have also been made to address the complex situation of crime and drug-related issues in the areas of border communes during the period between 2021 and 2025, establishing a legal basis and enhancing the responsibility of all levels, sectors, forces, and the entire population in safeguarding sovereignty and border security. The Border Guard have fulfiled their core role in closely interacting with the local population and territory to conduct accurate analysis and timely forecasting, providing appropriate advice as a basis for the province to formulate strategies and measures to improve the effectiveness of mobilising and propagating the participation of the entire population in border protection. They have effectively implemented ethnic and religious policies, strengthened national unity, built border defence areas, and developed appropriate approaches in addressing violations of sovereignty and border security.

Secondly, intensify propaganda and education to enhance the awareness and sense of responsibility of sectors, localities, and the entire population in building a strong all-people border guard posture. Based on a comprehensive understanding of various aspects, particularly the awareness and customs of ethnic minority groups, the Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and Command have directed subordinate agencies and units to actively coordinate with local functional agencies in developing appropriate plans and outlines for propaganda targeting specific groups and areas. These include expanding the scope of subjects for national defence and security knowledge fostering through the effective implementation of the projects entitled “Leveraging the role of the People's Army in disseminating and educating law and mobilising the people to abide by the law at the grassroots level in the 2021-2027 period” and “Organising in-depth training and disseminating and publicising the Vietnam Border Guard Law and detailed regulations in the 2021-2025 period”. The border guard posts’ mass mobilisation teams and squads have actively followed the principle of “4-togethers” with the local population in mass mobilisation and propaganda. Close coordination has been maintained with bordering localities in organising meaningful and practical “National Border Guard Day” activities and maintaining high-quality sections on “Protecting Sovereignty and Border Security” and a “People's Border Guard” column in local media outlets. Special emphasis has been placed on “special propaganda” measures. Meanwhile, the role of village elders, village chiefs, and influential figures in communities has been maximised to propagate, mobilise, and gather the active participation of the population in managing and protecting the border. This has contributed to establishing a fundamental and solid transformation in national consciousness, national borders, and sense of responsibility of all levels, sectors, armed forces, and the people in the construction and defence of the provincial border.

Finally, actively participate in building strong grassroots political systems, economic and cultural development, and social development while enhancing national defence and border security. The Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and Command have thoroughly implemented directives on seconding border guard personnel to border districts and communes. They have selected and deployed working groups and dispatched personnel to border areas, as well as developed coordination regulations. These include determining the responsibilities, tasks, and methods of operation for seconded personnel with key contents areas such as participating in the construction and consolidation of a strong political foundation, contributing to universal primary education and illiteracy eradication, and raising the intellectual level of ethnic minority communities. They have also participated in combined military-civilian medical programs, implemented programs to disseminate cultural information at the grassroots level, taken part in socio-economic development projects related to national defence and security in border areas, among others. The personnel seconded to districts and communes and party members participating in activities at village and hamlet party cells have demonstrated a sense of responsibility and actively provided recommendations to party committees and local authorities to maintain and improve the quality of activities, implement resolutions, develop party members, implement economic, cultural, and social development policies, poverty alleviation, and timely address incidents occurring in the area. However, currently, due to the increasing demands and tasks, the seconded personnel in districts and communes need to have higher and more comprehensive qualifications, particularly in advisory capacities for party building and economic and cultural development. To meet these requirements, the Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and Command have closely coordinated with the district party committees of the four border districts in reviewing and assessing the quality of the seconded personnel and establishing criteria for border guard personnel to participate in commune and district-level party committees and authorities. Based on these criteria, they have selected cadres with sufficient qualifications and capabilities for deployment, in conjunction with regular training and capacity building for this contingent. Additionally, they have focused on building and developing a contingent of party members and cadres from ethnic minority groups to supplement to the teams and squads stationed at border posts in party activities at village and hamlet party cells. Furthermore, the Provincial Border Guard have continued to provide recommendations to the Provincial People's Council and People's Committee to prioritise the implementation of socio-economic development and poverty alleviation projects in border districts, coupled with planning, arrangement, and stable resettlement of the population to ensure long-term stability for the residents. In the short term, efforts have been concentrated on replicating effective production models, coordinating with the local party committees and authorities in strengthening the implementation of programs and projects for building new rural areas, stabilising livelihoods, and production and socio-economic development, such as Shelters for the poor in border areas; Accompanying border women; Supporting education for children - Border guard posts’ adoptive children. They have also actively participated in planning and utilising defence land, evaluating economic development projects related to the construction of combat facilities in the defence area, assuring infrastructure, transportation, information, and healthcare,… to create favourable conditions and conducive environment for the population to live comfortably in the region, effectively building the “people's hearts and minds” front, “people's hearts and minds” border landmarks, and solid border area.

Along with the aforementioned contents and solutions, the Province has placed emphasis on building a strong and widely specialised core force. In the immediate future, the Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and Command will concentrate on leading and directing the comprehensive consolidation of organisation and structure and development of the force towards being “efficient, compact, strong, effective, and efficient”. The focal point is to build a strong foundation in politics and ideology, excel in military affairs, understand the law, and be proficient in professional tasks. The force members should possess knowledge of the ethnic language, customs, and practices of the local population in order to regularly “stay rooted with the people and the locality”, “eat, live, work, and speak the ethnic language together with the people”, and protect the people and the border. Additionally, they will actively organise and participate in provincial and district-level defence exercises, communal-level defence combat simulations, and cluster-level exercises. These efforts aim to continuously improve coordination and cooperation among forces in the struggle for national defence and security, as well as in crime prevention and control. They will also closely coordinate with party committees, local authorities, military units, and police in border districts in building strong, extensive self-defence forces and reservists and establishing robust people's security teams to create comprehensive strength and accomplish the tasks of managing and safeguarding territorial sovereignty and national border security.

Senior Colonel TRIEU QUOC NGUAY, Commander of the Provincial Border Guard Command