Recent heavy rains have made the patrol route along the border in Phieng Pan commune even more slippery and treacherous. Walking swiftly alongside the border guards is Song A Chu, a member of the Ta Luc hamlet’s self-managed security and order team. Familiar with every rocky crevice and trail, Chu said that accompanying the border guards on patrols and helping protect the sacred border markers is a source of pride for local residents. “Whether going about our daily lives or working in the fields, whenever we spot strangers or anything unusual along the border, we immediately report it to the Border Guard Station,” he said.

The Phieng Pan Border Guard Station is responsible for a 6.79km section of the national border and four border markers in Phieng Pan commune. The vast and rugged border area, by numerous trails and informal crossings, is vulnerable to drug trafficking, the smuggling of prohibited goods and illegal border crossings.

Major Colonel Le Van Ngu, head of the Phieng Pan Border Guard Control Post, said drug traffickers often take advantage of the rugged terrain to operate. Therefore, border guards need to be proficient in professional skills and, importantly, rely on information provided by local people to promptly detect and crack down on violations.

Thanks to timely reports from local residents and coordinated professional measures, the unit has detected and arrested six people involved in two law-violating cases since 2025. Alongside crime prevention and combat, the Phieng Pan Border Guard Station considers mass mobilisation an essential and long-term solution to maintaining security and stability in the border area. Since the beginning of the year, it has coordinated in organising 12 law dissemination sessions for 1,421 participants, assigned 17 Party members to attend activities at 17 border-adjacent hamlet Party cells and assist 46 poor households, and effectively maintained four self-managed teams for border and marker protection involving 183 households.

The grassroots-oriented approach has helped bring about significant changes in local people’s awareness and behaviour. Lu Ba Thong, from Den Hamlet, once intended to illegally crossing into Laos in search of work after falling on hard times and being influenced by bad advice. Having grasped the situation, the border guard, who is a Party member in charge of the hamlet, together with the hamlet Party cell, visited his home and patiently explained the relevant laws and the potentially serious consequences of illegal border crossings, persuading him to give up the plan.

Border guard officers also taught him techniques for raising breeding cattle and provided seedlings to help develop his household economy. Thong said he now understands the risks involved, and has advised his relatives not to violate the law.

Changes in people’s awareness and actions have directly contributed to a more peaceful life in border communities. Luong Van Phong, head of Na Ot hamlet, said regular legal education by border guard officers has helped local residents gain a much better understanding of the law.

Cases of alcohol-related disturbances and early marriage, which were once common, have decreased significantly. In particular, whenever residents spot strangers or suspicious signs along the border, they proactively report them to the hamlet management board and the Border Guard Station so that the matter can be handled promptly, he said.

Chairman of the commune People’s Committee Lo Duc Ngoc highlighted the close coordination between the Phieng Pan Border Guard Station and the commune Party Committee and authorities, saying it has brought positive changes to the locality.

Bringing the law to every household has helped maintain security and order and gradually eliminate outdated practices. This has created a solid foundation for the locality to implement national target programmes, promote socio-economic development and improve people’s living standards, Ngoc said.

Through concrete, sustained and responsible actions, border guards in Phieng Pan continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with local residents day and night to keep the border peaceful. The solidarity and close bond between the people and border guards provide a firm foundation for the Phieng Pan Border Guard Station to safeguard national border sovereignty./.