The provincial Border Affairs Steering Committee reviews first-half performance

At the conference, the Department of Foreign affairs presented a report on the outcomes of border affairs work in the first half of the year and outlined directions and tasks for the second half of 2025. According to the report, during the first six months of 2025, member agencies of the Steering Committee, relevant professional bodies, local authorities, and mass organizations in the province intensified communication and dissemination of laws, Party guidelines, State policies, and the two legal documents on border affairs signed by the governments of the two countries; mobilized the local population to actively participate in socio-economic development and poverty reduction efforts under various provincial programs, schemes, and plans.

Delegates attending the conference.

The borderlines and boundary markers within the province have been safely protected and maintained in their original condition; People on both sides of the border have generally complied with the provisions of the Agreement on the Border and Border gate management regulations on the Vietnam–Laos land border, as well as with the respective Party guidelines, policies, and laws of the two countries. The political security and social order in the province’s border areas remain stable. However, criminal activity—particularly drug-related crimes—continues to develop in complex ways. Other legal violations also persist, posing potential risks that hostile forces and bad actors could exploit to disrupt security and public order in the region.

The Provincial border guard command and the People’s Committees of border districts have regularly coordinated with law enforcement agencies in Houaphanh and Luang Prabang provinces (Laos) to conduct bilateral and unilateral patrols aimed at safeguarding the borderlines and markers in accordance with the agreement. Joint border patrols were conducted 21 times, with 460 participants. Unilateral patrols were carried out 146 times, involving 1,050 participants. Local area patrols and inspections were conducted 568 times with the participation of 2,351 personnel. At the border gates, immigration procedures were processed for 13,198 entries and 13,056 exits.

Member agencies of the Steering Committee have continued to implement various programs, projects, and plans related to population settlement, and the development of transportation, information, healthcare, and clean water infrastructure—contributing gradually to the socio-economic development of border areas.

Ms. Trang Thi Xuan delivered remarks at the conference.

In her remarks at the conference, Ms. Trang Thi Xuan requested that the Border Affairs Steering Committee continue to maintain strict control over all immigration and cross-border import-export activities along the provincial border. She emphasized the need to strengthen both unilateral and bilateral patrols and inspections to protect borderlines, boundary markers, and other border infrastructure. She also called for continued efforts in territorial management, with proactive coordination among provincial forces in accordance with Government Decree No. 03/2019/NĐ-CP dated September 5, 2019, as well as close collaboration with the specialized forces of the Lao side to monitor developments and promptly implement preventive measures and effectively combat various types of crimes and subversive activities by hostile forces. Ms. Xuan also stressed the importance of promoting the grassroots movement for national security protection and ensuring public order in border areas. She urged continued maintenance of communication channels and coordination mechanisms with corresponding authorities in Houaphanh and Luang Prabang provinces.

Continue to strengthen advisory efforts to monitor the socio-economic conditions in ethnic minority areas and provide timely recommendations for supporting impoverished households facing difficulties, with the goal of stabilizing their livelihoods. Further coordination and direction are needed among relevant agencies to implement effective measures to fully address landslide issues in areas near the border markers. Efforts must also continue in carrying out the outcomes of the 33rd annual meeting between the Vietnamese and Lao border delegations, as outlined in the official minutes. In addition, other emerging tasks related to border affairs must be implemented in accordance with the directives of competent central authorities and the Son La provincial government.

Diep Huong

Translated by Huyen Vu