Implementing the Strategy on developing the marine economy, Thai Binh province has been working on many large and breaking projects. This is a chance for coastal areas to develop, but also shows potential risks for political security, social order and safety. Thoroughly understanding this problem, the Provincial Border Guard’s Party Committee and Command have made drastic and synchronous solutions on border guard, brought into play their key roles in protecting the sovereignty, security and safety over the sea border, creating favourable conditions for the fast and sustainable development of the Province.

Being located near the Gulf of Tonkin, and in the triangle of the Red River Delta, Thai Binh province has a coastline of 54km, with 5 large river mouths, an intertidal area of over 16,000 hectares and a sea border of 14 communes and towns in Tien Hai and Thai Thuy districts. In recent years, thanks to the concerns from the Party and State, together with the effort of the provincial Party Committee, government, armed forces and the whole people in the province, the political security of the sea border in the province has been kept stable; the socio-economy has been developed; the defence and security have been strengthened, especially the solutions for border work have been highly proven, gaining many important results. Especially, the Provincial Border Guard has proactively held the situation, made timely advice and seriously and effectively implemented policies and solutions for managing and protecting the sovereignty and security over sea border. The combat readiness, patrol, control and management of entrance and exit have been done synchronously, strictly and effectively and so has the establishment of investigations into criminals, etc. In 2023, the Provincial Border Guard carried out hundreds of border patrol; kept control of nearly 14,000 vehicles; deployed dozens of investigations into criminals, which made an important contribution to the security, order and safety in the border areas. However, the security in the sea border of the Province has contained several shortcomings, especially the invasion of foreign vessels, illegal entrance and exit, drug trafficking, smuggling, trading frauds, conflicts of fishing grounds, etc. have been complicatedly happening.

Cua Lan Border Post practice training

In next time, as it is forecast that there will be complicated situations in the East Sea, the province is enhancing the implementation of resolutions and decisions on developing the socio-economy, focusing on developing the marine economy with many large and breaking projects. This will create opportunities for coastal localities to drastically develop, but also show potential dangers of political security, social order and safety. In this situation, to firmly protect the sovereignty, security and safety over sea border, the Provincial Border Guard’s Party Committee and Command have led and directed the implementation of several contents and solutions as follows:

Firstly, frequently holding the situation, proactively advising the Province to lead, direct and deploy comprehensively and effectively the management and protection of the sovereignty and security over sea border. Immediately, the Provincial Border Guard Command has closely coordinated with departments, agencies and industries, especially the Military Command and the Public Security Department to advise the Provincial Border Guard’s Party Committee and the Provincial People’s Committee to check and complete the Action Program on implementing Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW, dated 28 August 2018 by the Politburo on “Strategies of protecting the national borders”; Plan on implementing the Direction No. 01/CT-TTg, dated 09 January 2015 by the Prime Minister on “Launching the movement of the whole people joining hands to protect the territorial sovereignty, border security in the new situation” in the 2020-2025 period, especially, advise the Province on the specific activities being suitable with the localities in implementing the 8^th Central Resolution (13^th tenure) on the Strategies of protecting the Fatherland in the new situation; besides, made research and proposed to improve the effectiveness in implementing projects on organising the in-depth training, propaganda and dissemination of the Law on Vietnam Border Guard and other detailed documents in the 2021-2025 period; the whole people joining hands to prevent criminals, maintain the political security, social order and safety in the sea borders, etc.; improving the responsibility of levels, agencies, forces and the whole people in protecting the sovereignty and security over sea border. Together, the Border Guard has brought into play the key roles in advising the Province and other localities to effectively improve the propaganda and mobilisation of the whole people to protect the sovereignty over sea border; well implement the policies on ethnics, religions and strengthening the unity bloc; build the all-people national defence combined with the people’s security and the strong all-people border guard; build the “elite, compact, strong” Provincial Border Guard and make solutions for violations of sovereignty and security over sea border in accordance with the Party’s policies and guidelines.

Secondly, bringing into play the key roles and closely coordinating with the local governments and other forces in protecting the sovereignty and security over sea border. The reality has shown that there has been an increase of criminals’ activities on the sea border in general, within the Province in particular with more complicated, cunning and spontaneous methods. More noticeably, smugglers and trading fraudsters have frequently taken advantage of the areas sharing borders with other provinces and at the high sea in the Gulf of Tonkin to avoid the control by the functional forces. Consequently, renovating drastically and comprehensively the border work has played an essential part in the task accomplishment. Accordingly, the Provincial Border Guard has directed the functional forces and border posts in Diem Dien and Cua Lan gates, and checkpoints along the river mouths to actively reform the process of their professional work; enhanced the research and evaluation, and accurately forecast the situation; proactively built and effectively implemented programmes and plans on managing and protecting the borders; actively applied the information technology especially into declaration, inspection, entrance and exit control in ports and river mouths, at the same time, deployed groups and teams to strengthen the mobile patrol and control, timely discover and punish any cases of violation.

The Provincial Border Guards coordinate with the Coast Guards to conduct legal dissemination for fishermen

The Provincial Border Guard has continuously coordinated with the Military Command, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Province and in the districts of Tien Hai, Thai Thuy to closely register and manage the civilian manpower, vessels and vehicles, readily joining hands to protect the sovereignty, sovereign rights over the seas; enhanced the coordinated activities with the Border Guard in Hai Phong City and Nam Dinh province, 1^st Coast Guard Zone Command, the Anti-Drug Special Task Unit No.1, etc. to exchange information and situation reports, coordinately patrol, control and struggle against the illegal seafood exploitation by foreign vessels; prevent smugglers and trading fraudsters, and strictly manage all vessels fishing at sea in order to timely discover and prevent the illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). The Provincial Border Guard has regularly directed the units to promote the political and ideological education; give further training on professional knowledge; strictly maintain the discipline, law and daily regulations, etc. to improve the political spirit and working competence for cadres and soldiers, and build the comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” units, at the same time, actively joined the exercises of provincial and district defence zones, defence exercises at the communal level, commune group level, etc. to continuously improve the ability of coordinating and combining with other forces to prevent and solve situations of national defence, security and prevention of criminals; coordinated with the party committees, governments, police and military forces in Tien Hai and  Thai Thuy districts to enhance the construction of the marine militia and self-defence forces, contributing to the management and protection of sovereignty and security over sea border; directed the border posts to coordinate with communes and towns to check the dikes routes and identify any potential spots of landslide to build plans and methods for readily solving any situations of rescue, etc.

Thirdly, building the all-people border guard combined with the stable all-people national defence and people’s security, bringing into play the overall power of the whole political system and the people in doing the border work. Implementing the target of economic development, focusing on the projects of developing the Thai Binh economic zone and building the coastal road system – one of the key traffic routes having a strategic role in developing the coastal economy of the Province and the coastal economic corridor in the North, the Province has cleared the grounds and exploited 04 sand mines in the districts of Thai Thuy and Tien Hai. However, in the implementation, there were many difficulties because parts of residents did not fully understand these policies. In this situation, the Provincial Border Guard has brought into play the roles of cadres and party members increased to the localities in their advising and coordinating with the Fatherland Front, local agencies and unions to conduct phases of propaganda and campaigns with the motto of “listening and understanding what the people say, making the people understand, believe and support”. Due to this, after a short time, 100% of households have supported and agreed to implement the Province’s guidelines, created favourable conditions for the implementation of projects in the localities. Bringing into play these results and experience, the Provincial Border Guard’s Party Committee and Command have continually coordinated with the local agencies, departments, party committees and governments to advise the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to check and implement the plans on building the industrial zones, marine economic zones; plans on exploiting and using natural resources, protecting the environment, programmes on the socio-economic development in the sea borders, etc., ensuring each phase of economic development being each phase of defence and security reinforcement; promoted the implementation of Conclusion No. 68-KL/TW, dated 05 February 2020 on increasing the members who are cadres of border posts in border district and communal party committees; selected and suggested competent cadres to the district and communal party committees, and appointed the party member of the border posts to manage households and hold the situations; well implemented the Direction No. 01/CT -TTg by the Prime Minister on “launching the movement of the whole people protecting the territorial sovereignty and security of national borders in the new situation”, brought into play the roles of the self-managed models of the people in maintaining security and order in the residential areas and protecting the sovereignty over sea border; actively coordinated with the localities to implement the “All-people’s Border Guard Day”, programmes of “Helping children to schools – adopted children of border posts”, “Spring in border posts – warming villagers’ heart”, etc., through which, to contribute to building the all-people border guard posture, developing the socio-economy and strengthening the defence and security in the sea borders, creating the new strength and position to build the strong all-people border guard in the localities.

Being well aware of its honour and responsibility, Thai Binh Provincial Border Guard has continuously brought into play its key roles, closely coordinated with the local party committees and governments, and mobilised the whole people’s power to stably manage and protect the sovereignty over sea border in the new situation.

Senior Colonel TONG THANH SON, Commander of the Provincial Border Guard