Firmly protecting and controlling the sovereignty and maintaining security in the border area is a sacred mission of strategic meaning to the cause of Fatherland construction and defence. Fully aware of this, over the past years, Thua Thien Hue Border Guard has advised the local party committees and authorities and implemented synchronously measures for border work for the firm protection and control of border sovereignty and security in the province. Thereby, the political security, social safety and order in the border areas of the province have always been kept stable; the all people’s border defence and the all people’s border posture associated with the people’s security posture have been strengthened; a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development has been established; the hostile forces’ acts and schemes of sabotages have been repelled.

To that end, first, the Provincial Border Guard has regularly grasped their missions and advised the local party committees and authorities to concretize the Party’s lines and the State’s policies and laws governing the control and protection of border’s sovereignty and security; considered this a mission of primary importance. Focal contents of propagation are “Strategy for National Border Protection”, “Strategy for Fatherland protection in the new situation”, “Strategy for Vietnam National Defence”, “Strategy for the sustainable development of Vietnam marine economy until 2030 with a vision to 2045”, the Law on National Border, the decrees of the Government on border, etc. Together with grasping the documents of upper levels, the Provincial Border Guard has also attached importance to grasping the border situation, enhancing the anticipation of land and sea situations as foundations for sound recommendations to the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee’s promulgation of the resolutions, directives, plans for enhancing efficacy and effectiveness of protection and control of border sovereignty and security relevant to the areas of operation. Especially, right after the Strategy for National Border Protection was issued, the Provincial Border Guard has opportunely advised the Provincial Party Committee to build the Action Plan No. 54-Ctr/TU, dated 31 May 2019 on the implementation of the Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW of the Politburo and build the Plan No. 248/KH-UBND, dated 27 September 2019 of the Provincial People’s Committee on the implementation of this Program. Thereby, a legal corridor has been created for the Provincial Border Guard to coordinate with other functional organs to carry out all aspects of border work, contributing to maintaining political security, social safety and order and firmly controlling and protecting the national sovereignty over border and seas.

Sr. Col. Nguyen Van Hien presents gift for needy people in border areas

Second, actively participate in the building of strong border areas as ground for the firm protection of border sovereignty and security. By different measures and models of propagation and education, the Provincial Border Guard has thoroughly conducted propagation to raise awareness and responsibility of cadres at all levels, sectors and people of the border sovereignty and the lines and policies of the Party and State on the protection and control of border sovereignty and security. In addition, the Provincial Border Guard has also selected and deployed 13 cadres of its border posts to border communes and participate in the local political system. In 2019, it assigned 286 party members to preside over 1,268 households. 100% of the border communes’ party cells have the participation of party members of border posts. Thereby, the quality of the political system has been increasingly enhanced; grassroots democracy has been promoted; people’s trust in the local governments and party committee has been consolidated.

As far as the socio-economic development is concerned, the Provincial Border Guard has advised the Province to tap into the potentials, integrate some investment programs into the development of infrastructure of some defence-economic zones in border and remote communes, such as: the Chan May – Lang Co urban and economic zone, the A Dot Border Gate economic zone, the upgradation and enlargement of Thuan An town, the construction of Viet – Lao border patrol road, the coastal defence road, etc. At the same time, it has also directed its units to facilitate and multiply the good models of socio-economic models to help the localities effectively exploit their potentials, improve people’s lives, build new style rural areas and civilised urban. Besides, the Provincial Border Guard has also promote the role of the military-civilian health clinics in providing healthcare for people and other social welfare movements to strengthen the solidarity between the border guards and the people, and build and firm all people’s border posture in border areas.

Annual talk with its Lao counterpart

Third, build the Provincial Border Guard strong, meeting the requirements and missions of border protection and control and defence diplomacy. Controlling and protection the national border is the crucial and permanent task of the entire Party, people, troops and political system, in which the armed forces are the core, the Border Guard is the specialised and pioneering force. Grasping this viewpoint, the Provincial Border Guard has issued the Resolution No. 1088-NQ/ĐU, dated 24 September 2019 on the “Developing the Provincial Border Guard officers on par with mission requirements in the new situation”; attached importance to leading and directing the serious implementation of the Decision No. 2222/QĐ-BTL, dated 01 June 2019 of the Border Guard High Command on “Regulations for the structure and staff of Thua Thien Hue Border Guard”. Annually, beside political and legal education and military and professional training as required, it has also held ethnic language courses for its officers and troops. The systems of operational documents have been opportunely adjusted and supplemented to make them relevant to the reality. Besides, it has also regularly practiced the plans for combat readiness, incidents and disaster prevention and control, search and rescue. Thereby, it has unceasingly enhanced its overall quality, combat strength; grasped the situation and had the opportune and effective settlement of the emerging incidents.

In addition, the Provincial Border Guard has also conducted defence diplomatic activities and coordinated with Lao counterparts to implement the Agreement on border and border gate control between Vietnam and Lao. During the 10-year span from 2009 to 2019, the border guards of the two sides conducted 159 joint patrols with the participation of 3,816 officers and soldiers; settled thousands of violations, thereby maintaining the status quo along the border, preventing and combating effectively illegal penetration, safeguarding the border of peace, friendship and development, creating favourable conditions for the localities to exploit and promote their potentials for socio-economic development.

Senior Colonel Nguyen Van Hien, Commander of the Provincial Border Guard Command