As a coastal province, located in the key economic region of the Southern Central and tasked with managing a vast maritime territory, including Ly Son Island and traditional fishing grounds in the Paracel and Spratly Islands, Quang Ngai plays an important role in socio-economic development and defence and security assurance in the Central coastal region. In that context, over the past years, Quang Ngai Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and Command have always focused on leading, directing, and comprehensively implementing all aspects of the Border Guard work, among which importance has been attached to measures for firmly protecting the sovereignty of the assigned waters and islands and achieved multiple positive results. Awareness and sense of responsibility of the cadres, Party members, and people in the province for the task of protecting sovereignty over sea and islands have been raised. Meanwhile, the all-people border guard posture has been built firmly, and the movement of the entire people to participate in protecting the sovereignty over sea and islands has been promoted. The Provincial Border Guard has closely coordinated with relevant forces in strengthening the patrol, control, management, and protection of the sovereignty of assigned waters and islands that has created favorable conditions for the province to promote socio-economic development and improvement of the people's life.

These achievements rooted in the Provincial Border Guard’s comprehensive implementation of all aspects of the Border Guard work with focus on the following main contents:

Firstly, to advise the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and Provincial People's Committee to focus on propagation and education to raise awareness and sense of responsibility for cadres, Party members, and people on the task of protecting sovereignty over sea and islands, especially leading cadres and key officials at all levels and branches. Deeply grasping the superiors’ resolutions and directives, directly the resolutions of the Border Guard High Command Party Committee, the Provincial Border Guard Command has actively coordinated with other departments and branches in advising the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and Provincial People's Committee to issue resolutions and directives on the protection of sovereignty over sea and islands. At the same time, to concretise these resolutions and directives into plans and programs suitable to the characteristics of the locality, tasks, and objects; and to organise the propagation and education to make cadres, Party members, and people aware of the role, importance, and the need to protect sovereignty over sea and islands, thereby to define responsibility in the implementation process. The propagation and education contents are comprehensive and in-depth with focus on Resolution No.09-NQ/TW issued on February 9^th , 2007 by the Central Executive Party Committee (the 10^th Tenure) on “Vietnam Marine Strategy to 2020”; Resolution No.36-NQ/TW issued on October 22^nd, 2018 by the Central Executive Party Committee (the 12^th Tenure) on “the Strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy to 2030 with a vision to 2045”; National Border Law; Vietnam Maritime Law ​​; directives and decrees on the protection of territorial sovereignty, national border security, management of activities of people and transport means in the country’s waters and hostile forces’ sabotage conspiracies and tricks, etc.

Persuading the fishermen not to participate in illegal fishing

Secondly, to promote the overall power of the entire political system and people in performing the task of protecting sovereignty over sea and islands. The Provincial Border Guard has actively advised the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial People's Committees to direct the Party committees and authorities at all levels, sectors, and coastal localities to effectively implement the superiors’ circulars, directives, and instructions on the protection of sovereignty over sea and islands, especially Directive No.01/CT-TTg issued on January 9^th, 2015 by the Prime Minister on “Organising the movement of the entire people to participate in protecting the territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation” and other movements entitled “All people unite to build the new countryside and civilised cities”  and “The whole country joins hands for the poor - Leaving no one behind”, etc. Thereby, to create a unity of awareness and action in performing the task of protecting sovereignty over sea and islands to contribute to building strong all-people defence, people security, and all-people border postures.

Thirdly, to closely coordinate with other forces in doing well the patrol, control, registration for entry and exit, and crime prevention work. The Provincial Border Guards has regularly coordinated closely with the Provincial Military Command and the Provincial Public Security in strictly implementing Decree No.03/2019/NĐ-CP issued on September 5^th, 2019 on the coordination between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Public Security and relevant forces, especially the Customs, in the patrol, control, registration, verification, and exit and entry for people and vehicles, customs clearance, and port transfer in strict accordance with the provisions of Vietnamese and international laws. At the same time, to strictly implement plans for combat readiness coordination, case handling, and joint patrol of sea and islands with the Border Guards of Quang Nam and Binh Dinh provinces; to closely coordinate with the Naval Region 3, the Coast Guard Region 2, the 48^th Squadron, and the Fisheries Surveillance Force in firmly grasping the situation, patrolling, protecting, detecting, and promptly and effectively handling the acts of infringing upon national maritime border sovereignty and search and rescue, rescue, response to natural disasters, oil spills, etc. to actively renovate and improve the quality of border control towards administrative procedure reform to create open and favorable conditions for fishermen and businesses to operate in coastal areas.

To promote the role and responsibility of the people in protecting sovereignty and security in waters and islands, the Provincial Border Guard has advised the Provincial People's Committee to direct coastal localities to promote the movement of the mass to participate in protecting security and order in maritime border areas; establish safe ship and boat self-management groups, coastal security and order self-management groups, security and order groups at ports, yards, etc. To coordinate with other forces in handling complicated political security cases in the maritime border areas; to instruct fishermen in detecting acts of infringing national maritime border sovereignty and handling situations at sea in accordance with policies and strategies and in a flexible, creative, and practical manner. To direct border posts, specialised forces, and self-governing squads to struggle against, detect, and denounce crimes to contribute to maintaining political security, social order, and safety in coastal areas and facilitate for fishermen to go offshore, adhere to the sea, and produce in combination with protecting sovereignty and national sovereignty rights at sea.

Finally, to build comprehensively strong agencies and units and promote their core and specialised role in managing and protecting sovereignty over sea and islands. Facing the increasingly high requirement of the task of protecting sovereignty over sea and islands, the Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and Command have focused on leading and directing the building of clean and strong Party committees and comprehensively strong units. To promote the learning and following of Ho Chi Minh thoughts, ethics, style and Uncle Ho’ teachings of towards the Border Guard; the drive entitled “Promoting traditions dedicating talents, deserving “Uncle Ho's soldiers” in the new period; emulation movements, especially the movement entitled “Quang Ngai Provincial Border Guard join hands to build new countryside”, etc. to focus on improving the overall quality of border work aspects; to renovate contents and measures to mobilize the masses to participate in the management, construction, and protection of sovereignty over sea and islands; to improve the effectiveness of State management over sovereignty and security at maritime areas, struggle against crimes; combat readiness, natural disaster prevention, and search and rescue, meeting the requirement of the task of firmly protecting sovereignty over sea and islands. The Provincial Border Guards has also coordinated with the Party Committee and local authorities in visiting, presenting gifts, and encouraging the families of cadres and soldiers on duty in Ly Son Island, and border posts and stations; to focus on consolidating, managing and effectively using defensive works along the coastal line and on Ly Son Island, such as: Ly Son Search and Rescue Station, ship docks, Border Control station. At the same time, to advise the Provincial People's Committee to pay attention and support funding for construction of defence works, purchase and repair of professional vehicles, support tools, etc.

The above solutions have been effectively implemented by Quang Ngai Provincial Border Guard to strive to work together with the Party Committee, authorities, and people to build up Quang Ngai province politically firm, rich, and strong in defence and security to contribute to firmly protecting the sovereignty over sacred waters and islands of the Fatherland.

Senior Colonel DO NGOC NAM, Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Commander of the Provincial Border Guard Command