Son La is a northwestern border province of the country, with an important strategic position in terms of economy, politics, national defense, security and foreign affairs; it is an important gateway for exchanges with Laos and the international community; the border line of Son La province has a length of 274.056 km of border, 125 locations (126 national border markers), 11 markers and 11 markers of typical border direction points (from marker 257 to marker 259) adjacent to Luang Prabang province and Hua Phan province, Lao People's Democratic Republic; the border area includes 06 districts (Sop Cop, Song Ma, Mai Son, Yen Chau, Moc Chau, Van Ho), the border area has 17 communes. Along the entire route, there are 10 Border Guard stations (including 02 main border gates, 02 secondary border gates, 07 Border Guard control stations).

Since the two countries completed the Master Plan for the thickening and upgrading of the Vietnam-Laos border marker system and the two governments signed the Agreement on the Regulations on Border Management and Border Gates on the Vietnam-Laos Land Border on March 16, 2016, the national territorial sovereignty, the border system, border markers, and border posts in Son La province have always been protected in their original state; political security and social order and safety in the border area have been stable; people on both sides of the border have basically complied with the provisions of the Agreement, trusted the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws, and actively participated in protecting the national territorial sovereignty and border security.

Son La province always pays attention to implementing the Agreement on Border Management Regulations and Border Gates on Land between Vietnam and Laos.

Immediately after the Agreement took effect, implementing Directive No. 36/CT-TTg dated September 13, 2017 of the Prime Minister on the implementation of the Protocol on border lines and border markers and the Agreement on the Regulations on border management and border gates of Vietnam - Laos, the People's Committee of Son La province issued Plan No. 24/KH-UBND dated January 14, 2018 to organize the implementation of Directive No. 36/CT-TTg dated September 13, 2017 of the Prime Minister. Directing departments, branches, units, People's Committees of border districts to develop and implement the plan based on the actual situation of agencies, units and the situation of the border area of ​​Son La province. Direct all levels and sectors to widely propagate to the masses in the province in general and especially the masses in the border area to implement the Protocol on the Vietnam - Laos border line and border markers, and strictly comply with the provisions of the Agreement.

Implementing the contents of the Agreement, the People's Committee of Son La province has directed the departments, branches, sectors of the province, relevant units, People's Committees of border districts according to their functions and tasks to do a good job of advising the People's Committee of the province in leading and directing the functional forces of the province to coordinate with the functional forces of Laos in managing and protecting territorial sovereignty on the border of the province. Annually, report on the results of the implementation of the contents of the Minutes of the Annual Border Meetings between the two Governments of Vietnam and Laos (from the 27th Meeting to the 31st Meeting); issue documents directing the implementation of the contents of the Minutes of the Annual Border Meetings between the Border Delegations of Vietnam and Laos; participate in the Annual Border Meetings between the two Governments of Vietnam and Laos (from the 27th Meeting to the 32nd Meeting). Successfully organize periodic border work meetings between Son La province and Hua Phan province.(from the 14th Meeting to the 19th Meeting)and between Son La province and Luang Prabang province(from the 7th Meeting to the 13th Meeting)Lao PDR; and at the same time implement the contents of the minutes of the above Meetings.

The Provincial People's Committee has directed relevant departments, branches, sectors, and People's Committees of border districts to organize propaganda and dissemination of the Agreement; the Law on National Borders, the Law on Vietnam Border Guards, Decree No. 34/2014/ND-CP dated April 29, 2014 of the Government on the Regulations on land border areas of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Decree No. 112/2014/ND-CP dated November 20, 2014 of the Government on land border gates, the Law on Handling of Administrative Violations; the Law on Marriage and Family; the Law on Civil Status and Nationality; the Law on Environmental Protection; the Law on Land; the Law on Forestry; Directive No. 01/CT-TTg dated January 9, 2015 of the Prime Minister "on organizing the movement of the entire people to participate in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation"... mobilizing people to comply with the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, actively developing household economy according to the province's programs, projects and plans. As a result, from September 2017 to present, the provincial Border Guard units have deployed more than 1,261 teams/4,784 officers and soldiers to patrol, control and monitor the border areas; Organized 1,929 times/44,182 people to participate in propaganda and mobilization to encourage people to comply with the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws and policies, comply with and implement the contents of the Agreement, stabilize their lives, not migrate freely, not participate in buying, selling, and transporting drugs.

Coordinate with the Vietnam - Laos National Border Expert Group to conduct surveys, agree on the location and organize the planting of markers to clarify the direction of the Vietnam - Laos national border from border marker No. 257 to border marker No. 259; survey landslide points on the border ridge near border marker No. 145 (Sop Cop district). Direct the Provincial Border Guard Command to coordinate with the Lao border protection force to organize patrol activities to protect the safety of the border and the border marker system from September 2017 to present, specifically: Bilateral patrols: 136 teams/3,264 officers and soldiers participating; unilateral patrols to protect the border markers: 733 teams/3,240 officers and soldiers; patrols to control the area: 3,247 teams/8,527 officers and soldiers.

The buying and selling of goods by border residents in Son La province still takes place regularly. The buying and selling of goods is carried out at the main border gates, secondary border gates, trails and markets in the border areas (border markets: Chieng Son commune, Moc Chau district; Phieng Khoai commune, Yen Chau district; Chieng Khuong commune, Song Ma district). The main goods are construction materials (bricks, cement, construction steel, etc.); production tools, agricultural machinery and supplies, plant varieties, etc., consumer goods: food; agricultural and forestry products (wood of all kinds, corn, rice, beans of all kinds, medicinal herbs) ... to serve the daily needs of the people. Currently, the economic life as well as the population density in the border areas of both sides are still low, the infrastructure serving commercial activities in the border areas is weak, so the trading and exchange of goods of the border residents on both sides are still limited. The trading of goods by residents is mainly still at the markets where business households are concentrated in the area near the border gates, border markets in the form of bartering goods for goods, or in cash at the exchange rate determined through self-negotiation.

Nhu Thuy