Located in the far Northwest of the province, Sín Thầu commune holds a particularly important position in national defense and security, bordering both Laos and China. The total length of the border running through the commune exceeds 69 kilometers, including 40.861 kilometers along the Vietnam - China border with 17 markers, and 28.213 kilometers along the Vietnam - Laos border with 10 markers. Despite its vast area, rugged terrain, and scattered population, Sín Thầu brings together key elements of national defense and security, foreign relations, and border culture.

Nguyễn Văn Thắng, Chairman of the Sín Thầu commune People’s Committee, said: “Clearly identifying border sovereignty and security protection as a central, long term task, in recent years the commune’s Party Committee, authorities, and socio-political organizations have worked closely with A Pa Chải and Sen Thượng Border Posts to effectively carry out public communication and mobilize local residents to take part in protecting borderlines and markers. The consistent approach is to harness the strength of the people, linking responsibility for border protection with the rights and livelihoods of residents right from the grassroots level.”

A notable feature of Sín Thầu’s approach is that communication content is closely aligned with reality, firmly grounded in border-related agreements and legal documents, and tailored to the demographic characteristics and customs of each village. Public outreach is closely integrated with efforts to promote production, reduce poverty, and improve living standards, while emphasizing vigilance against schemes that spread propaganda, incite division among ethnic groups, or lure residents into illegal activities, including unlawful border crossings.

During the 2020-2025 period, the Sín Thầu commune Fatherland Front coordinated the organization of 25 outreach sessions across 14 villages, attracting more than 4,400 participants, and distributed over 2,100 legal information leaflets. These efforts have helped raise awareness and a sense of responsibility among both officials and residents regarding the protection of national border sovereignty and security.

Implementing Directive No. 01/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on the movement of all people participating in safeguarding territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation, Sín Thầu commune conducted comprehensive reviews and surveys of its area, borderlines, and markers; compiled statistics on households living and farming within the border belt; and organized the signing of commitments while proposing recognition for collectives and individuals engaged in self-management.

To date, the commune has mobilized 16 households and individuals to take responsibility for self-managing 27 border markers and the entire 69.074 kilometers of border along both the Vietnam - China and Vietnam - Laos lines. Local forces and residents have conducted 376 patrols involving more than 2,600 participants and provided 400 information tips to authorities and border guards, of which 256 proved valuable, enabling timely handling of emerging issues and maintaining stability in the area.

In the border commune of Mường Nhà, efforts to promote the role of residents in maintaining public order and border sovereignty have been closely linked with grassroots emulation movements. Colonel Vì Văn Tiên, Deputy Political Commissar of Huổi Puốc Border Gate Border Post, said that as the core force, the Border Guard has worked closely with local authorities and socio-political organizations in implementing border defense tasks. The focus has been on legal education and the promotion of movements to protect national and border security.

“The spirit of community self-management is growing stronger. Many villages have now developed and effectively implemented conventions and regulations that align with the law and local customs. At present, the unit has established and maintained eight collectives, 36 households, and 15 individuals registered to self-manage the entire 41.833 kilometers of border and 16 national boundary markers under its responsibility”, Colonel Vì Văn Tiên noted.

For many years, the Border Guard has played a central role, proactively and comprehensively deploying border defense measures, while coordinating closely with local authorities and functional forces to raise awareness and mobilize residents to protect borderlines and markers.

From 2015 to 2025, the provincial Border Guard coordinated the organization of more than 5,100 patrols with nearly 40,000 participants, conducted nearly 4,800 unilateral patrols and over 400 bilateral patrols. In 2025 alone, Border Guard units across the province organized 4,344 centralized communication sessions for more than 199,000 attendees; broadcast nearly 9,000 hours via loudspeaker systems; maintained 145 “For border sovereignty and security” features in provincial newspapers, radio, and television; distributed more than 10,000 legal information leaflets; and installed 148 reporting mailboxes in villages.

By promoting the role of local people, the province now has 104 collectives, 616 households, and 345 individuals registered to self-manage nearly 396 kilometers of border, 146 national boundary markers, and 10 border-related facilities. A total of 303 self-management groups with 1,230 members have been officially recognized by local authorities. Residents have worked alongside the Border Guard, police, and military forces to carry out more than 1,500 patrols and provided over 2,400 information tips related to public security, contributing to timely and effective handling of incidents on the ground.

Practice shows that safeguarding the nation’s border sovereignty is not solely the responsibility of the armed forces, but a shared cause of the entire population. When people understand, trust, and actively participate, each border village becomes a solid “living rampart”. A strong people-centered posture is the fundamental and long term foundation for maintaining national border sovereignty and security under all circumstances.