Provincial Border Guard: Improving border gate management capacity

In order to continuously improve the effectiveness of border gate and seaport management to meet the requirements in the new situation, the Party Committee and the Provincial Border Guard Command have been focusing on reforming military administrative procedures, digitizing border gate and seaport management, associated with building a regular, professional, and modern border gate force, which the unit has identified as a breakthrough.

Promoting digitalization of border gate management

The provincial Border Guard is assigned to manage and protect two land and sea borders, approximately 300km long; including 1 Mong Cai international border gate; 1 Hoanh Mo bilateral border gate (including Bac Phong Sinh customs clearance); 1 Ka Long sub-border gate; 2 border openings (Km3+4 and Po Hen); 3 port border gates (Van Gia, Cam Pha and Hon Gai). The border gates and seaports are all located in strategic areas of special importance in terms of economy, national defense, security, and foreign affairs, with vibrant activities in trade; import-export, tourism, etc.

The automatic immigration control system at Mong Cai international border gate helps shorten the check-in time for passengers.

In order to effectively carry out the assigned tasks, in recent years, the Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and Command have focused on advising superiors at all levels on policies, laws, building institutions, mechanisms and promoting administrative procedure reform, associated with promoting digitalization in management and control of people and vehicles entering and leaving the country through border gates and seaports. Notably, on April 12, 2022, the Provincial Border Guard Party Committee issued Resolution No. 16-NQ/ĐUBP, "On improving the quality of border gate work and building a strong, disciplined, professional and modern border gate force to meet the requirements of the 4.0 industrial revolution in the Quang Ninh Provincial Border Guard".

Colonel Nguyen Van Thiem, Commander of the Provincial Border Guard, said: The Provincial Border Guard Command has flexibly applied information technology, using technical equipment provided by the Ministry of National Defense and the Border Guard Command to effectively carry out administrative reform, digitization and automation in border gate management and immigration control. Thereby, creating convenience, reducing costs and time for immigration procedures for people and businesses, meeting the trend of international integration.

The breakthrough in digital transformation and information technology application of Quang Ninh Border Guard in recent times is the implementation of "electronic border" procedures in the form of level 3 and 4 public services at border gates and seaports; deploying digital signatures for border gates and seaports, connecting the Electronic Border Procedure Portal with the National Single Window and ASEAN Single Window Portals.

With the motto of openness but strictness, the units under the provincial Border Guard have directed professional departments to research and apply scientific and technical advances and information technology to control and circulate border gates. Currently, the Quang Ninh Border Guard has smoothly operated the automatic Immigration Control Gate with a surveillance camera system at the border gates. This system integrates modern technologies such as biometric identification by fingerprints and images, automating the steps in the immigration procedure process, helping to reduce the time for a passenger to only 5 to 10 seconds.

Agencies and units of the Quang Ninh Border Guard have also proactively coordinated with functional forces on duty at border gates and seaports to organize the settlement of administrative procedures for people and vehicles passing through border gates, ensuring compliance with legal procedures, creating favorable conditions for economic development and cultural exchange between Vietnam and China.

Passengers receive their luggage at the automatic baggage scanner at Mong Cai International Border Gate. — Automatic baggage scanner at Mong Cai International Border Gate.

In the context of increasing traffic of people, transit vehicles, import and export goods through border gates; crimes, especially drug crimes, human trafficking, explosives, smuggling, illegal immigration are increasingly complex and sophisticated, the provincial Border Guard has proactively coordinated with the forces managing and protecting the border and border gates on the Chinese side to effectively fight against all types of crimes.

The provincial Border Guard also focuses on doing a good job of grasping the internal and external situation to serve the work of forecasting and detecting early and remotely the plots, methods and tricks of sabotage and all kinds of crimes; using many modern equipments to detect weapons, drugs, prohibited goods...

Building a regular, professional and modern border gate force

Along with promoting the digitalization of border gate and seaport management, in recent times, the Provincial Party Committee and Border Guard Command have always paid attention to doing a good job of political education, propaganda, and dissemination of border gate work for officers and soldiers on duty at border gates and seaports. In particular, the focus is on thoroughly understanding the important position of border gate management, laws on entry, exit, import and export, and security and order protection at border gates and seaports... so that officers and soldiers can grasp and effectively implement them.

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien inspects the exit and entry procedures at Mong Cai international border gate. — Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defense, inspected the exit and entry procedures at Mong Cai international border gate.

The unit also focuses on building a team of officers working at border gates with sufficient quantity, good political and moral qualities, capacity and experience, considering this a key step, deciding the quality and effectiveness of border gate management work...

In particular, focusing on maintaining the training and professional development regime, delving into issues such as: Checking and controlling passports, specialized documents, principles and procedures for immigration work, behavior and working style; improving foreign language skills, information technology, management and exploitation of technical equipment at border gates.

The provincial Border Guard also strictly maintains discipline, regular meetings, and experience exchange among forces working at the border gates, avoiding loopholes and overlapping functions and tasks. Border gate management is linked with other border guard tasks and operations to meet the requirements and tasks of managing, protecting national border security and sovereignty and international integration.

Border guards regularly correct the posture, manners and attitudes of officers and soldiers on duty at border gates when interacting and working with foreigners, especially visitors and tourists entering Vietnam. All units on duty at border gates and seaports must maintain etiquette and manners, have a warm and enthusiastic attitude, and not allow foreign tourists and sailors to have any comments or complaints.

With many suitable solutions, although the number of people and vehicles passing through the border gate has increased recently, there has been basically no congestion. From 2024 to now, the Quang Ninh Border Guard has completed exit and entry procedures for nearly 6 million people and over 218,000 vehicles of all kinds... contributing significantly to promoting the border trade economy, creating a beautiful image of the green-uniformed soldiers in the hearts of people and tourists.

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