Vietnamese and Chinese border guards jointly inspect the national border marker No. 101(1) near the Lào Cai–Hekou international border gate as part of their joint field activities on Thursday. — Photo daibieunhandan.vn

LÀO CAI — Vietnamese and Chinese border guards staged a series of joint field activities on Thursday in the northern province of Lào Cai, including legal education for border residents and an inspection of national border marker No. 101.

At the Lào Cai–Hekou international border gate, the two sides ran a mobile legal awareness campaign and handed out leaflets to residents and cross-border travellers, aiming to raise public awareness and encourage voluntary compliance with border and border gate management agreements.

The two sides then jointly inspected national border marker No. 101(1), confirming it remains intact and secure.

The field activities were followed by their regular third-quarter 2026 talks in Hekou county of China's Yunnan Province.

The Vietnamese delegation, representing seven border guard stations in Lào Cai Province, was led by Lieutenant Colonel Đào Văn Ninh, commander of the Bản Lầu border guard station. The Chinese side was led by Major Yang Ronghua, head of the Hekou Area Meeting and Negotiation Station.

The two sides reviewed their border management and control coordination over the recent past and settled on five priority areas for future cooperation.

They agreed to strictly abide by the three legal documents governing the Việt Nam-China land border, along with the common perceptions reached by the two armies, to quickly address emerging issues quickly.

Both sides will ramp up legal education, uphold social security and order in border areas, and step up the fight against cross-border crime. They will also sharpen legal awareness among border residents and workers to head off violations.

They will also effectively keep up bilateral and joint patrol mechanisms, hold cultural and sports exchanges, and exchange commemorative gifts on major holidays to foster ties between their border guard forces.

The two sides will share information regularly via hotlines and correspondence, coordinate closely in professional operations, and run joint border inspections to keep the border area safe, stable and conducive to cooperation and development. — VNA/VNS