Vietnam - Laos border area to become strategic home front

Reporter: Could you please give a brief on some key contents of two legal documents, signed between Vietnam and Laos and which took effect from September 5, 2017, and the implementation of these documents, Mr. Deputy Minister?

Deputy Minister Le Hoai Trung: The Protocol on Vietnam-Laos borderline and national border markers, signed on March 16, 2016, is a State-level legal document listing all of the border settlement between the two countries, including the results of the border planning and marker planting in the 1977-1987 period, the settlement of remaining border lines and disagreements and differences in borderline and border marker after the previous activities of border demarcation and border marker planting, and, remarkably, the implementation of the project on national border marker increase and upgrade between the two countries in the 2008-2016 period.

This protocol describes accurately the location of 1,002 national border markers and signs whose coordinates were measured by dual frequency GPS receivers, showing in details the direction of the borderline and the terrain that the borderline runs from the North to the South. Moreover, the protocol has four indexes, including the Vietnam-Laos national borderline map, scale of 1:50,000, showing all of the results of the border settlement between the two countries.

Another document, the Vietnam-Laos Agreement on Border and Border Gate Management, consists of articles that provide detailed border regulations, and cooperation and coordination mechanisms among relevant forces of the two countries relating to Vietnam-Laos border management and protection, national border marker system, settlement of border issues, and border gate management to maintain security and social order and safety in the border areas in order to facilitate socio-economic development and exchange between the two countries.

Reporter: What are the targets and solutions to build the Vietnam-Laos borderline of peace, friendship, and cooperation for mutual development in the time to come, Mr. Deputy Minister?

Deputy Minister Le Hoai Trung: All line ministries, branches, and localities should embrace the contents of making the Vietnam-Laos borderline of peace, friendship, stability, cooperation and sustainable development, especially the good implementation of the legal documents signed between the two countries, focusing on the following contents:

First, close cooperation with Laos on maintaining border security and order; remaining vigilant to fight trans-border crimes, especially drugs, weapons, human  trafficking, smuggling and trade frauds; directing border protection agencies to work together to settle emerging issues to prevent and foil the plots to attack the two countries by hostile forces, and firmly maintain border stability.

Second, establishing mechanisms and policies to further attract investment in different ways to soon improve technical infrastructure, especially transport; develop border economy, trade, culture, and tourism; promote socio-economic development; ensure border defense and security; continuously improve material and spiritual life of the people living in the border areas; and narrow the development gap between the mountainous, remote, and ethnic areas and the relatively developed groups or regions of the country.

Third, promoting education and communication for the people, cadres, and soldiers to raise their awareness and knowledge of the law in general and the implementation of the Vietnam-Laos agreement on border and border gate management in particular. At the same time, cooperation with the Lao side should be promoted to manage and protect the borderline and border markers, and well implement the agreement’s contents.

Fourth, further cooperating closely with the Lao side on settling remaining issues in border management with a focus on:

- Implementing effectively the Government-level agreement on settlement of uncontrolled migration and unregistered marriages in the two countries’ border areas to contribute to consolidating the Vietnam-Laos traditional friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation; and,

- Preparing and implementing well the Project of “Vietnam-Laos border gate system development plan to 2025, with a vision to 2035” to facilitate border exchange activities; promoting the strengths of border trade economy to increase state budget; attracting investment to build and develop border gate economic zones; and contributing to maintaining security and order along the borderline.

Fifth, localities should pay more attention to cooperating with their Lao partners on effectively implementing border agreements signed by the two countries; promoting economic, cultural, and social cooperation, especially investment in socio-economic development and improvement of the life of people living in the border areas; creating policies to encourage businesses and people to develop border economy and trade; and at the same time, continuously cooperating with Laos to further build transnational roads and well implement plans agreed by the two countries to open and upgrade border gates to build the border areas at the strategic rear of the two countries’ revolution.

Reporter: Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Minister.

Translated by Nam Long