Alongside the mission of protecting sovereignty and maintaining security in the border area, officers and soldiers remain attached to the villages, staying close to the people to perform effective mass mobilization and build a solid people’s border defense posture. With a national border stretching over 455km adjacent to Laos and China, Điện Biên province has long harbored complex security factors and the activities of cross-border criminals, particularly regarding drug trafficking. By proactively preventing threats from afar, the provincial border guard forces have strengthened their presence in local areas, maintained patrols, and implemented professional measures to promptly detect and handle legal violations.

A typical example occurred around 7:00PM on March 14, 2026, when a task force from the Si Pa Phìn Border Post, in coordination with the professional department of the provincial border guards, was on duty in Nậm Đích village, Mường Chà commune. They discovered two young men on a motorbike acting suspiciously and proceeded to conduct a search. The authorities found compressed white powder weighing approximately 37g and 29 pink tablets marked with the WY symbol hidden in the jacket pocket of the passenger.

At the investigation agency, the subjects were identified as Cà Văn Kiên, born in 2004 and residing in Bó Lanh subdivision, Thuận Châu, and Cà Văn Bình, born in 2005 and residing in Mỏ A village, Nậm Lầu, both in Sơn La. Kiên and Bình admitted that the white powder was heroin and the pink tablets were synthetic drugs, which they had pooled money to buy for personal use and for resale in small portions for profit.

Previously, on March 8, 2026, the provincial border guards coordinated with functional forces to intercept a large-scale illegal transport of synthetic drugs. Around 7:00PM that day, while on duty in Púng Giắt village, Mường Pồn commune, the task force signaled a suspicious young man on a motorbike to stop for inspection. However, the individual failed to comply and accelerated in an attempt to escape. Using professional measures, the forces quickly subdued and successfully arrested the subject, identified as Thào A Dia, born in 2002 and residing in Pú Chả village, Mường Pồn commune.

A search at the scene revealed a nylon bag in his hand containing 18,000 pink tablets marked with the WY symbol. During the interrogation, Dia confessed that the tablets were synthetic drugs he was transporting for an unidentified man to be delivered at Km 145+200 on National Highway 12 in Púng Giắt village, Mường Pồn commune, for a fee of VND 5,000,000. The case is currently being expanded for further investigation.

With a spirit of resourcefulness and responsibility, the provincial border guard forces have resolutely struck hard at drug criminal rings. In 2025, the provincial forces dismantled 103 cases and arrested 113 subjects, seizing 22.173kg of heroin, 239,380 synthetic drug pills, nearly 2kg of opium resin, and various related documents and evidence. Deeply imbued with the ideology of Hồ Chí Minh regarding mass mobilization, which emphasizes that skillful mobilization leads to success while poor mobilization leads to failure, the provincial border guard forces have evoked the power of great national unity. Over the past two years, they have contributed more than 5,000 workdays to help people with production, repaired 100km of village roads and 500km of irrigation canals, and supported the repair or construction of dozens of houses for poor households and families in difficulty.

Furthermore, the various border posts frequently coordinate with local party committees and governments to organize activities such as visiting and giving gifts to village elders, heads, reputable individuals, and policy families during holidays and festivals. This fosters a strong people’s border defense posture in the local community.

Colonel Nguyễn Văn Ngô, Commander of the Border Post of the Huổi Puốc Border Gate located in Mường Nhà commune, stated that the unit manages over 41.8km of the border with Laos. Alongside protecting sovereignty, the unit proactively collaborates with local authorities to intensify legal dissemination and mobilize the people not to participate in or assist criminals. This approach also maximizes the role of reputable community leaders in maintaining security in the border region.