Son La is a border province in the Northwest of Vietnam, holding a strategically important position in terms of economy, politics, national defense, security, and foreign relations. It serves as an important gateway for exchange with Laos and the international community. The Son La provincial border has a length of 274.056 km, with 125 border markers (126 national border markers), 11 boundary posts, and 11 markers indicating the characteristic direction of the border (from marker 257 to marker 259) bordering Luang Prabang and Hua Phan provinces of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The border region comprises 6 districts (Sop Cop, Song Ma, Mai Son, Yen Chau, Moc Chau, Van Ho), with 17 communes. Along the entire border line, there are 10 border guard posts (including 2 main border gates, 2 secondary border gates, and 7 border control stations).

Since the completion of the Master Plan for the Deployment and Renovation of the Vietnam-Laos National Border Marker System and the signing of the Agreement on the Management Regulations of the Vietnam-Laos Land Border and Border Gates on March 16, 2016, the national territorial sovereignty, border system, national border markers, and border posts in Son La province have been protected in their original state; political security and social order in the border region are stable; the people on both sides of the border have generally complied well with the provisions of the Agreement, trusted in the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws, and actively participated in protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security.

Son La province has always been committed to implementing the Agreement on the Regulations for Border Management and Land Border Gates between Vietnam and Laos.

Immediately after the Agreement came into effect, in accordance with Directive No. 36/CT-TTg dated September 13, 2017, of the Prime Minister on organizing the implementation of the Protocol on the border line and border markers and the Agreement on the Regulations for managing the border and border gates between Vietnam and 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. It directed departments, agencies, units, and the People's Committees of border districts to develop and implement plans that closely reflect the actual situation of their respective agencies and units, and the situation in the border areas of Son La province. Directing all levels and sectors to organize extensive propaganda for the general public in the province, and especially for the people in border areas, to implement the Protocol on the Vietnam-Laos border and border markers, and to strictly comply with the provisions of the Agreement.

In implementing the Agreement, the People's Committee of Son La province has directed the provincial departments, agencies, and relevant units, as well as the People's Committees of border districts, to effectively advise the Provincial People's Committee on leading and directing the province's functional forces to coordinate with their Lao counterparts in managing and protecting territorial sovereignty along the province's border. Annually, they report on the implementation of the Minutes of the Annual Border Meetings between the Governments of Vietnam and Laos (from the 27th to the 31st meeting); issue directives to implement the Minutes of the Annual Meetings between the border delegations of Vietnam and Laos; and participate in the Annual Border Meetings between the Governments of Vietnam and Laos (from the 27th to the 32nd meeting). They have also successfully organized regular border work meetings between Son La province and Hua Phan province.(from the 14th to the 19th Session)and between Son La province and Luang Prabang province(from the 7th to the 13th Session)the Lao People's Democratic Republic; and simultaneously implement the contents of the minutes of the aforementioned meetings.

The Provincial People's Committee has directed relevant departments, agencies, and the People's Committees of border districts to organize the dissemination and promotion of the Agreement; the Law on National Borders, the Law on Vietnam Border Guard, Government Decree No. 34/2014/ND-CP dated April 29, 2014, on the Regulations for the Land Border Area of ​​the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Government Decree No. 112/2014/ND-CP dated November 20, 2014, on regulations concerning land border gates; the Law on Handling Administrative Violations; the Law on Marriage and Family; the Law on Civil Status and Nationality; the Law on Environmental Protection; the Law on Land; and the Law on Forestry. Prime Minister's Directive No. 01/CT-TTg dated January 9, 2015, "on organizing the nationwide movement to participate in protecting national territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation"... mobilizes the people to comply with the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws and regulations, and actively develop household economies according to the province's programs, projects, and plans. As a result, from September 2017 to the present, the Border Guard units of the province have deployed more than 1,261 teams/4,784 officers and soldiers to patrol, control, and monitor the border areas; The organization conducted 1,929 events with 44,182 participants to disseminate information and encourage people to comply with the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws and regulations, and the contents of the Agreement, to stabilize their lives, to avoid illegal migration, and to refrain from participating in the buying, selling, and transporting of narcotic substances.

In coordination with the Vietnam-Laos National Border Expert Team, we conducted surveys, agreed on the locations for placing markers, and erected boundary posts to clarify the direction of the Vietnam-Laos national border from border marker No. 257 to border marker No. 259; and surveyed landslide points along the border near border marker No. 145 (Sop Cop district). We directed the Provincial Border Guard Command to coordinate with the Lao border protection forces to organize border patrol activities to ensure the safety of the border and the system of border markers from September 2017 to the present. Specifically, we have organized: 136 bilateral patrols with 3,264 officers and soldiers participating; 733 unilateral patrols to protect the border and border markers with 3,240 officers and soldiers participating; and 3,247 patrols to control the area with 8,527 officers and soldiers participating.

The buying and selling of goods by border residents in Son La province continues regularly. This activity takes place at main border crossings, secondary border gates, trails and unofficial entry points, and markets in border areas (border markets in Chieng Son commune, Moc Chau district; Phieng Khoai commune, Yen Chau district; and Chieng Khuong commune, Song Ma district). The main goods traded are construction materials (bricks, cement, construction steel, etc.); production tools, machinery, agricultural supplies, plant seeds, etc.; consumer goods: food; agricultural and forestry products (various types of wood, corn, rice, beans, medicinal herbs, etc.) to meet the needs of the people. Currently, the economic conditions and population density in the border areas of both sides are low, and the infrastructure serving commercial activities in these areas is weak. Therefore, the buying and selling of goods between border residents is still limited. The majority of goods transactions take place at local markets near border crossings, primarily through bartering or cash transactions at a predetermined exchange rate agreed upon privately.

Nhu Thuy