Lang Son Province Border Guard is responsible for managing and protecting 231.74 km of the national land border adjoining the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. This border section includes 474 border landmarks, 2 international border gates, 1 principal (bilateral) gate, 7 auxiliary gates, 2 customs clearance points, and 2 dedicated freight transport routes within the Huu Nghi International Border Gate area.

In recent years, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic was brought under control, cross-border travel, trade, and import-export activities have resumed and grown significantly. This has placed considerable pressure on border and border-gate management forces, especially as traditional control methods increasingly reveal limitations and shortcomings. Recognising this reality, the Provincial Border Guard Command has focused on synchronously and comprehensively implementing border work measures to improve the quality and effectiveness of border and border gate management. In this effort, administrative reform and digital transformation have been identified as key breakthrough areas.

The 9th Vietnam - China Border Defence Friendship Exchange

To achieve this goal, the Lang Son Province Border Guard Command has thoroughly absorbed and implemented key directives and guidelines, notably the Prime Minister’s Decision No.15/2019/QĐ-TTg, dated 28 March 2019, on the implementation of electronic border procedures at border gates managed by the Ministry of National Defence; Decision No.03/2025/QĐ-TTg, dated 12 February 2025, amending and supplementing certain articles of Decision No.15/2019/QĐ-TTg; the Ministry of National Defence’s Decision No.1920/QĐ-BQP, dated 15 May 2019, on publishing new electronic border procedures within the Ministry’s remit for border management; and Central Military Commission Resolution No.3488-NQ/QUTW, dated 29 January 2025, on breakthroughs in developing science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation within the Army. On this basis, the Provincial Border Guard has advised and proposed that the Province issue a comprehensive system of leadership and directive documents to implement electronic border procedure reform. These documents specify a clear roadmap, evaluation criteria, and monitoring and inspection mechanisms to ensure implementation remains practical and suited to the specific conditions of the land border area. Responsibilities have been clearly assigned to party committees and unit commanders for organising and directing administrative reform and digital transformation efforts at each border post and checkpoint. Commanders, political commissars, and leaders of border stations and checkpoints directly participate in this work, taking on dual roles as both leaders and organisers responsible for implementing, inspecting, and guiding these reforms.

To ensure effectiveness, the Provincial Border Guard has established a Steering Committee for Administrative Reform and Digital Transformation. This body serves as the central coordinating authority within the unit, directly advising and proposing solutions to the superiors and local authorities to address difficulties and promote new digital transformation models. Since 2021, the Steering Committee has held dozens of regular and specialised meetings to review progress, assign responsibility, and adjust plans to fit actual conditions. As a result, many aspects of administrative procedure reform have been concretely implemented. For example, procedures have been streamlined to reduce the stamping requirement for border residents crossing through border gates to once every ten days, and border control processing times have been cut from 40 seconds to just 10-15 seconds per traveller thanks to barcode scanning systems and automated control gates. In parallel, the unit has carried out regular, widespread efforts to promote awareness and understanding of the purpose, significance, and content of administrative reform and digital transformation among all personnel. Party committees and cells have incorporated this content into their regular meetings, making it one of the criteria for evaluating the monthly, quarterly, and annual performance of cadres, Party members, and units. This has been a key factor in fostering responsibility and encouraging initiative and creativity in implementing reforms.

At the same time, the Provincial Border Guard Command has prioritised providing sound advice to local party committees, authorities, and the Border Guard High Command while establishing robust coordination mechanisms with relevant forces from the planning stage through implementation. Given Lang Son’s status as a vital hub of international trade and economic integration, the workload for the Provincial Border Guard is immense, with high demands for effective control over entry, exit, import, and export while ensuring a safe, modern, and streamlined environment. Recognising this, the Provincial Border Guard has proactively advised the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Committee, and Border Guard High Command on effectively managing defence, security, and foreign affairs, and has taken the lead in coordinating with provincial departments, agencies, local border authorities, and related forces to maintain security, order, and safety in border areas and at border gates. Following the established plans and action programmes, the Provincial Border Guard has directed agencies and units to review, develop, and refine the legal framework relating to border management and protection, entry and exit control, and to amend and supplement the working regulations of the Command and its subordinate units. Responsibilities for managing local areas have been clearly assigned among border posts, with formal coordination regulations and plans signed with functional agencies and forces such as the Public Security and Customs. Effective coordination has helped resolve early challenges, such as duplicate declarations between the digital border gate system and the customs system, through recommendations for harmonising procedures and integrating data platforms.

Delegation of the Ministry of National Defence work with Lang Son Border Guard Command

Notably, since February 2022, Lang Son was selected by the National Committee for Digital Transformation to pilot the “Digital Border Gate” platform at Huu Nghi International Border Gate and Tan Thanh clearance point. The Provincial Border Guard Command directed its agencies and units to digitise all enterprise declarations in advance of vehicles and goods arriving at the border, using an online system. To date, 100% of enterprises have submitted online declarations via the “Digital Border Gate” platform, covering over 6,000 vehicles and more than 2,000 registered companies. Over 250 accounts have been issued to functional forces, with declaration times reduced to just 2-5 minutes per vehicle or shipment. This has significantly saved time and costs for businesses while enhancing state management effectiveness at border gates.

To meet the demands of administrative reform and digital transformation, the Provincial Border Guard has focused on training and upskilling its workforce to shift all traditional control activities to smart management systems. Training programmes have been deployed comprehensively, tailored to the responsibilities and skill levels of each group. Monthly and quarterly, the Provincial Border Guard organises specialised courses on using immigration management software, processing data on the “Digital Border Gate” platform, operating electronic surveillance equipment, and integrates these contents into the annual training plan. At the pilot border posts (Huu Nghi, Chi Ma, Tan Thanh), in addition to sending operators for intensive training, the province has also strengthened on-the-spot instruction through a “hands-on” approach to ensure that its staff can operate the systems proficiently on the field. Attention is also paid to selecting and assigning personnel to the right roles, prioritising those with quick technological adaptability and a high sense of responsibility to take up key positions such as smart traffic coordination, system monitoring, and digital incident management at the border gates. Notably, to foster creativity among its cadres, the Provincial Border Guard has promoted a movement for technical innovation and initiatives to improve border and border gate management quality. Through this movement, many initiatives and research projects have been practically applied with significant results. Examples include the Chi Ma Border Post team’s development of software to manage vehicle entry and exit at border zones and immigration checkpoints, and Bac Xa Border Post’s completion of the “Digital Frontier Information” model.

Given its unique dual mission - both managing and protecting national border sovereignty and security while contributing to socio-economic development and building an all-people defence posture - the Provincial Border Guard has actively linked administrative reform and digital transformation with public engagement and border diplomacy, creating combined strength in fulfilling its duties. To that end, the Provincial Border Guard has incorporated digital platform usage instructions into legal education sessions and village meetings, organising initiatives such as “Volunteer Saturdays” and “Border Classroom” sessions to help residents become familiar with QR codes, online declarations, and accessing e-government service portals. This work has created a synergy between technology and public mobilisation, helping residents gradually become familiar with, and eventually master, digital transformation, directly participating in border and checkpoint management. In foreign affairs, through regular meetings, joint patrols, and twinning of borderland communities on both sides of the border, the Provincial Border Guard has closely coordinated with China’s border management forces to share border control data, standardise electronic encryption procedures, and implement vehicle identification systems across the border. These measures have contributed to maintaining peace and stability in border areas, building trust, and enhancing the prestige and image of Vietnam’s Border Guard in international cooperation.

With strong political will and a comprehensive set of solutions, Lang Son Provincial Border Guard has achieved a breakthrough in administrative reform and digital transformation, significantly improving the effectiveness of border and checkpoint management while facilitating trade and firmly safeguarding national border sovereignty and security in the new era.

Senior Colonel DAO QUOC THAO, Deputy Commander of the Provincial Military Command,
Commander of the Provincial Border Guard Command