Border guard and police officers in An Giang Province enhance patrols in landmark areas. — VNA/VNS Photo

AN GIANG — The An Giang Provincial Border Guard Command identifies inter-agency coordination as a key factor in transforming the area and combating crime along the border.

Implementing this part of the strategy aims to ensure security and order at the southwestern gateway of the country.

By carrying out their mobilisation work and protecting national security, the forces have built a solid 'shield of public support', contributing to the firm protection of national sovereignty and security in this strategic region.

Close coordination mechanism

After the administrative reorganisation, southern An Giang Province now has both a nearly 150km long land border and a coastline of 200km facing the Gulf of Thailand.

This means extremely stringent requirements for the security management teams.

In response to the demands of protecting territorial sovereignty and national security in the new situation, with the spirit of 'proactive action from early on and from afar', the border guard, police, customs and local authorities have established a comprehensive co-ordination mechanism, ensuring that there is no unexpected situation in any circumstance.

Lieutenant Colonel Võ Huy Hoàng, head of Vĩnh Ngươn Border Station, said the unit manages a border line over 14km long, bordering Takeo Province of Cambodia, with six main and 23 auxiliary markers.

With the complex and rugged terrain, cross-border goods smuggling activities have been popular and complicated, especially at the peak time before, during and after the Lunar New Year (Tết).

The main items illegally transported are granulated sugar, cigarettes, gold and foreign currency bank notes.

Patrols on trails, open passages and border marker areas have been enhanced to detect and prevent smuggling, illegal entry and exit.

Hoàng said: “Units have proactively shared with others data and information on methods and tactics of criminal networks to promptly prevent and decisively handle 'hot spots' of smuggling and illegal immigration, preventing the formation of complex centres of commercial fraud."

Lieutenant Colonel Lê Trung Dựng, head of the police station of Châu Đốc Ward said that the coordination among the police, border guard and military forces has been effectively implemented for many years.

Alongside the activities, forces have also enhanced information dissemination to the people in border areas to comply with the State and Government policies and not to participate in, assist or abet smuggling, Dựng said.

As a result, the awareness of the people has been increasingly raised, contributing to ensuring security and order along the border, he said.

A report last year by the Command of the An Giang Border Guard found that the unit independently and in coordination detected and handled 442 cases involving 1,144 individuals including 13 drug-related cases with the seizure of more than 22kg of various types of drugs, 83 cases of smuggling and trade fraud, three cases of buying, selling, transportation, storage and use of weapons, explosives and fireworks with 445kg of fireworks seized and 255 cases of illegally entering or exiting the country.

In addition, the criminal proceedings began in 14 cases involving drug, cross-border goods transporting, organising illegal entry and exit for others and handled administrative violations in 397 cases involving over 1,100 individuals, imposing fines on 843 individuals totalling more than VNĐ9 billion (US$344,000).

Border guards patrol on river to detect cross-border smuggling and illegal immigration. — VNA/VNS Photo

Building a strong 'people’s border'

Identifying the people as the effective supporting force, public information dissemination work has been strongly promoted by the An Giang Border Guard Command through a variety of forms tailored to the specific conditions of each locality.

The border guard officers and local authorities have directly 'gone door to door, household to household' to mobilise residents to strictly comply with the Law on National Borders and regulations on the prevention of smuggling and illegal entry and exit.

In addition, the 'crime denunciation mailbox' model has become an extended arm of the functional forces, enabling people to proactively provide information and promptly prevent newly emerging 'hot spots' along the border.

Colonel Nguyễn Văn Hiệp, Deputy Political Commissar of the Provincial Military Command and Political Commissar of the An Giang Border Guard Command, said that a strong border must also be a prosperous one.

To help people from all walks of life better understand the importance of national borders, the 'All-People Border Guard Day' is organised every year, Hiệp said.

According to the colonel, in 2025 the An Giang Border Guard participated in movements, programmes and models supporting economic, cultural and social development in border areas, with a total budget of more than VNĐ7.9 billion ($300,000).

In addition, the unit organised visits and presented gifts to Khmer and Chăm ethnic people, policy beneficiary families and disadvantaged households in border areas, as well as to authorities, armed forces and people in neighbouring areas of Cambodia dủing festivals and public holidays.

Grassroots youth and mass organisations also co-ordinated with local groups to carry out many meaningful activities such as 'Notebooks of Love', 'Supporting Children’s Journey to School', Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations with gifts for disadvantaged pupils, and the 'Warm Porridge of Compassion' programme.

Each time Tết approaches, the An Giang Border Guard mobilises social resources to care for policy beneficiary families, poor and near-poor households and families in difficult circumstances in border areas, helping people enjoy spring and welcome the Lunar New Year.

“When every home in border areas is filled with the warmth of spring and military–civilian bonds are nurtured by the dedication of Border Guard soldiers, each local resident will voluntarily become a 'living marker', forming a solid 'shield' at the nation’s frontier,” Hiệp said. — VNS