So far, five out of seventeen border residential areas in An Giang province have twinned with their Cambodian counterparts. The twinning relations have been promoted with specific contents and in line with the conditions of each residential area as well as border people’s customs.
    |
 |
|
Border force of the two countries in a joint patrol |
Meeting the aspirations of people living in border areas, the twinning models have importantly contributed to building a borderline of peace and development.
In fact, the living standard of the people in Xuan Binh hamlet, Tinh Bien townlet, Tinh Bien district, An Giang province has been much improved after it established twinning relations with the hamlet of Ta Rung, Phnomdel commune, Kirivong district of the Cambodian province of Ta Keo. In Xuan Binh hamlet, more and more multi-storey houses, concrete roads, commercial districts, schools, and medical clinics have been built to meet the locals’ growing demands.
According to Duong Van Hoa, Chairman of Tinh Bien townlet’s People’s Committee, the twinning relations have helped facilitate visits and traveling of the twinned villagers, commercial activities, and consolidate unity between people living on the two sides of the shared border, thus actively contributing to developing each locality’s economy and improving local people’s living standards.
Regarding the close relationship between the two sides, Mr. Tien Sa Ret, chief of Phnomdel commune, said that people of the two sides often share both joys and sorrows and support each other in developing their household economy and healthcare.
He added that in 2014 and 2015, Vietnamese border guards instructed Cambodians how to plant wet rice and new rice varieties. As a result, the local people are now good at growing wet rice and know how to apply technologies to farming and husbandry to raise their living conditions.
Lives of the people in An Phu district, An Giang province have also improved much since it twinned with the Cambodian district of Kandal province. They have benefited much from the establishment of the Hai Thinh Phat complex, which provides various services, including export-import checks, bonded warehouse and logistics. Novpeng Chandara, governor of Kandal province, said that the effective operation of the complex is an evidence of the fruitful cooperation between the two provinces. This has helped boosting trade and cooperation between the two sides and contributed to the implementation of the cooperation agreements signed by the two provinces’ leaders.
It can be said that the twinning models of border residential areas have brought about happy and prosperous lives for people of both sides and contributed to maintaining peace and security along the shared border.
Major Le Ngoc Tuan, Deputy Commander of the Border Post of Long Binh Border Gate, said that with good coordination between the twinned localities of Vietnam and Cambodia, security and order along the shared border have been well maintained as the two sides teamed up to quickly investigate big smuggling and criminal cases.
Senior Colonel Nguyen Thuong Le, Chief of the An Giang provincial Border Guard Command, stressed that political organizations, the Party Committee and Chain-of-Command of the provincial border guard of An Giang have actively and proactively strengthened the relationship with authorities and border protection forces of the Cambodian provinces of Ta Keo and Kandal. They have also boosted solidarity and cooperation in crime prevention, thus maintaining political security along the borderline.
|
|
 |
|
Vietnamese and Cambodian border units signing twinning agreement |
The twinning relations have also boosted mutual understanding, trust and solidarity between the peoples of the twinned localities, creating favorable conditions for management and protection of national sovereignty, border security of each country and for the effective crime prevention and control as well as for the maintenance of a peaceful, friendly, comprehensively cooperative and sustainably developing borderline.
Translated by Mai Huong