One of the most notable initiatives — and a key pillar of the foreign affairs work conducted by the Nghe An Provincial Border Guard Command — is the twinning programme between Vietnamese border guard stations and their counterparts responsible for safeguarding the Laos–Viet Nam border.
Promptly handling cross-border incidents
After 12 years of executing the twinning programme, Thanh Thuy Border Gate Border Guard Station and Border Company 252 under the Military Command of Bolikhamxay Province have maintained an effective coordination mechanism, becoming a model of cooperation between the border protection forces of the two countries. Their partnership has helped safeguard territorial sovereignty, preserve security and public order in border areas, and further strengthen the special friendship, solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Viet Nam and Laos. The two units regularly exchange information, hold both scheduled and ad hoc meetings, closely monitor developments along the border, and collaborate to respond promptly to emerging incidents.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Minh, Commander of Thanh Thuy Border Gate Border Guard Station, since 2014 the two sides have conducted 35 joint border patrols involving 664 officers and soldiers. They have also advised and successfully organised provincial-level joint patrols, advancing the effective management and protection of the border line and national boundary markers.
Through this close cooperation, the station has led or coordinated investigations into 42 cases involving 50 suspects, seizing 67 blocks of heroin, 179.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, and thousands of synthetic drug tablets. Notably, five of these cases stemmed from intelligence shared by Border Company 252, demonstrating the practical effectiveness of the cooperation mechanism between the two units.
Alongside their border management and protection duties, Thanh Thuy Border Gate Border Guard Station and Border Company 252 have also collaborated with local authorities on both sides to promote twinning activities between neighbouring border communities. A notable example is the partnership between Thuy Phong Village in Kim Bang Commune (Nghe An Province) and Xop Tong Village in Nam On Commune, Xaychamphone District, Bolikhamxay Province.
According to Nguyen Duy Lam, Secretary of the Party Cell of Thuy Phong Village, delegations from both communities exchange visits during traditional festivals and national holidays of the two countries despite the considerable distance between the two villages. Although many of the 357 households in Thuy Phong still endure economic hardship, they have consistently shared resources with the 135 households in Xop Tong Village by providing essential goods, donating tea seedlings and chicks, and sharing cultivation and livestock-raising techniques.
According to the Nghe An Provincial Border Guard Command, after 12 years of executing the twinning initiative, 10 border guard stations in Nghe An have established twinning relationships with nine Lao border companies and one Lao border checkpoint police station. The partners continue to hold regular coordination meetings, conduct joint patrols, and promptly address incidents arising along the border, fostering lasting stability in the border region.
Strengthening the enduring friendship
A conference reviewing the 12-year implementation of the 2014–2026 twinning programme between Thanh Thuy Border Gate Border Guard Station and Border Company 252 recently convened in Kim Bang Commune, Nghe An Province.
Speaking at the event, Colonel Channy Sisouk, Political Commissar of the Military Command of Bolikhamxay Province, commended the achievements made by the two units over the past 12 years, particularly their effective cooperation in border management and protection, crime prevention and control, and the maintenance of security and public order in border areas.
Commending the officers and soldiers of both units for their achievements, Colonel Tran Quang Trung, Political Commissar of the Nghe An Provincial Border Guard Command, emphasised that, amid increasingly complex regional and global developments, building a peaceful, friendly, and stable border between the two countries has become more important than ever.
To further enhance the effectiveness of the twinning programme, he urged both units to strengthen information sharing, improve early monitoring and assessment of border developments, enhance the quality of joint patrols, and intensify coordinated efforts to combat transnational crime.
He also urged the two sides to sustain exchanges, share professional experience, provide joint training, and strengthen public awareness campaigns encouraging border residents to comply with the law and work together to build a border area characterised by peace, friendship, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development.
