Over the past years, Hai Phong Municipal Border Guard (MBG) Command and its Party Committee have advised the Municipal Party Committee, People’s Council and People’s Committee on effectively holding the “all-people border defence day”, contributing to raising the public awareness and responsibility, managing and defending the Homeland’s sea and island sovereignty and security.

Hai Phong has a 126-km-long coastline, total sea area of 4,000 km², 336 islands, 2 key fishing grounds, namely Bach Long Vy and Nam Long Chau, and many sea ports, especially the largest international sea port in the North, with a large flow of people, particularly foreigners, and vehicles and goods. The city has 31 coastal communes, wards, and townships under 8 districts with a population of over 201,000 (accounting for over 10% of its total population); 60% of its people work as fishermen and aquaculture farmers; there is an increase on the number of people and vessels in the sea border areas.

Grasping the tasks and promoting a sense of responsibility and creativity, since 2009, the MBG Command and its Party Committee have counselled the Municipal Party Committee, People’s Council, and People’s Committee to formulate measures for effectively organizing and putting the “all-people border defence day” in order as the basis for building, managing and defending the sea, island border. The organization of “all-people border defence day” has been closely led by party committees and uniformly managed by the authorities at all levels with the involvement of all organizations and forces in which the MBG has played the core role. As a result, cadres, party members and the people’s awareness and responsibility towards the border defence work have been increasingly raised; socio-economic development and defence-security have been fostered and consolidated; the relationship between the people and the MBG has been ceaselessly cemented.

The situation in the East Sea now has the unpredictable developments. Hostile forces are stepping up their acts of sabotage, distortions, and tricks of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within. Crime of all types, smuggling, and trade frauds at sea tend to rise. Climate, natural disasters and accidents at sea continue to be complex. All of those factors directly impact the organization of the “all-people border defence day” and the tasks of managing and defending the sea border. Thus, the MBG Command and its Party Committee have decided to continue advising the Municipal Party Committee, People’s Council and People’s Committee on well realizing the 5 contents of the “all-people border defence day” under the Article 14, the Government’s Decree stipulating a number of articles of the National Border Law, with a focus on the basic measures as follows.

First, to promote the work of propagation to raise the public awareness towards the contents, goals and significance of the “all-people border defence day”. Playing the core, specialized role, the MBG has counselled all-level party committees and authorities to cooperate with forces in disseminating the Party’s guidelines and the State’s law and policy as well as the city’s guidelines and plans on building, managing and defending the national border. Focuses have been placed on the Resolution of the 11^th Party Central Committee’s 8^th Plenum on the Strategy for Homeland protection in the new situation, the 12^th Politburo’s Resolution 33-NQ/TW on the National Border Protection Strategy, the 11^th Politburo’s Directive 46-CT/TW on “enhancing the Party’s leadership over the work of maintaining security in the new situation”, the Prime Minister’s Directive 01/CT-TTg on “organizing the movement of the all people’s participation in defending national territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation”, the Hai Phong Municipal Party Committee’s Directive 28-CT/TU on “continuing to strengthen the Party’s leadership over the work of defending seas, islands, and sea ports in the new situation”. This work has been aimed at rendering the people fully aware of their obligation and responsibility for building and protecting the national border; promoting the synergy of the political system to maintain security and order in the sea border areas, boost the socio-economic development, and safeguard the sea, island border sovereignty and security. In the process, forces and authorities at all levels have flexibly diversified the forms of propagation in accord with each area and group of objects; encouraged the combined strength of all organizations, forces, and cultural institutions; attached importance to the special propagation work and forms of visual propagation.

Second, to be active in building political bases and fostering socio-economic development in the sea border areas. grasping the Guidance 1692/HD-CCT, dated October 17^th 2017, by the Political Bureau under the Border Guard High Command on organizing the emulation movement entitled “the whole country joins hands for the poor - no one is left behind”, the MBG Command developed and issued the Plan 1992/KH-BCH to carry out this movement with specific contents, targets and measures. To that end, the MBG Command sponsored the island district of Bach Long Vi; each border post and sea port border gate, and the Flotilla 2 sponsored more than 1 commune; by 2020, localities under the MBG’s sponsor will have fulfilled and exceeded the targets for reducing the number of poor people and households set by the Government. Following the Border Guard Party Committee’s Directive 681-CT/ĐU, dated October 8^th 2018 on assigning party members of the border posts to be in charge of households in the border areas, the MBG Party Committee issued the Resolution 794-NQ/ĐUBP, and the MBG Command promulgated the Plan 2342/KH-BCH on assigning party members of the border posts to be in charge of households in the sea, island border areas. The border posts released the special resolutions and developed the action plans, reviewed the areas, and assigned their party members to take charge of households under the plans. At the same time, the MBG has proactively counselled and coordinated the building of “united vessels”, self-management security groups, and models of “integrated maintenance of security in the sea border areas” under the Prime Minister’s Directive 01/CT-TTg on “organizing the movement of all people’s participation in defending the national border sovereignty and security in the new situation. Yearly, the MBG sponsor students in difficult circumstances under the Program entitled “supporting children’s schooling”, while maintaining the models and other programs, such as “military-civilian medical services” and “helping the women in the frontier areas”.  On the occasions of major events and Tet holiday, the MBG gives presents to families under the preferential treatment policy, those in extreme difficulties, and excellent poor students, while successfully carrying out the National Target Program on new rural development, social welfare, people’s intellectual level in order to strengthen the people’s faith and keep their mind on building and managing the national border.

Third, to continue building strong MBG comprehensively to deserve to be the specialized force in managing and defending the national border sovereignty and security. Grasping the 12^th Politburo’s Resolution on the National Border Protection Strategy, the MBG has focused on making itself revolutionary, regular, seasoned, gradually modern and building a strong MBG politically, ideologically and morally as the basis for building other factors. At the same time, it has adopted measures to stabilize its organizational structure and acquire modern equipment in a bid to make itself compact, strong, highly mobile, and effective. The MBG’s cadres and soldiers have always grasped the Party’s guidelines and the State’s law and policy. They all have political stuff, good morality, comprehensive, deep knowledge, a sense of discipline, fitness, and good professional competence and working method. Besides, the MBG has concentrated on implementing the Projects on “organizing the MBG in the 2017-2021 period and beyond” and “setting up the system of border posts and stations until 2021 and beyond”. Significance has been attached to investing in equipment, building and upgrading facilities of the border posts and stations and units stationed in the sea border areas, making them capable of successfully fulfilling the assigned tasks. At the same time, the MBG has encouraged the effectiveness of the movement entitled “all people take part in safeguarding the national territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation”, building a firm posture of all-people border defence associated with the posture of people’s security.

Fourth, to continue renewing and enhancing the effectiveness of the programs for cooperation and twinning activities. The MBG has proactively advised all-level party committees and authorities and cooperated with socio-political organizations and localities in integrating the national border management and protection and the “all-people border defence day” into the annual program for legal dissemination and education. It has launched movements to encourage offices, organizations, units and the people to give material and spiritual support to the people, cadres and soldiers in the sea, island border areas. At the same time, it has promoted the synergy and employed proper measures to fight against violations of the Homeland’s sea and island sovereignty, advised all-level party committees and authorities on building the coastal militia force and developing groups of high-powered fishing vessels for the task of protecting the sea and island sovereignty. Yearly, on March 3^rd, localities, organizations and forces review the implementation of the movement of “all people’s participation in defending the national territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation” and the organization of the “all-people border defence day”, pointing out the results, weaknesses, and causes, formulating the measures for the implementation process, opportunely commending and rewarding collectives and persons with outstanding achievements in the national territorial sovereignty and border security protection.

Adopting the above-mentioned measures, the MBG of Hai Phong has successfully performed the border defence work and effectively organized the “all-people border defence day”, thereby deserving the trust and affection of the Municipal Party Committee, authorities and people, contributing to safeguarding the Homeland’s sea border sovereignty.

Sr. Col., Associate Prof. Dang Van Trong, PhD

Commissar of the MBG