At the event, commanders of both sides affirmed that the annual joint patrols between the Dien Bien Provincial Border Guard and the Mengzi Regional Border Guard reflect close coordination and stand out as a highlight in border external affairs, contributing to building a borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.
Soldiers of the A Pa Chai Border Guard Station in Dien Bien patrol the border area. Photo: VNA
Delegations from Vietnam’s Dien Bien Provincial Border Guard and China’s Mengzi Regional Border Guard of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on March 20 jointly held a ceremony to launch the 2026 bilateral patrol at Border Marker No. 3 along the Vietnam–China border.
At the event, commanders of both sides affirmed that the annual joint patrols between the Dien Bien Provincial Border Guard and the Mengzi Regional Border Guard reflect close coordination and stand out as a highlight in border external affairs, contributing to building a borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.
After the ceremony, patrol forces from the A Pa Chai Border Guard Station under the Dien Bien Provincial Border Guard and the Jinping Meeting Point under the Mengzi Regional Border Guard coordinated to conduct a joint patrol along the section from Marker No. 3 to the tripoint where the borders of Vietnam, China and Laos meet.
During the patrol, officers and soldiers of both sides coordinated to clear patrol routes, clean and tidy up areas surrounding border markers, and promptly exchange information on the security and order situation in border areas. Inspection results showed that the borderline and marker system remained intact, with no signs of violations of border regulations, and that security in the area was stable.
At the end of the patrol, the two sides jointly carried out maintenance work on the tri-border marker of Vietnam, China and Laos, and held talks to review the outcomes. They agreed to continue maintaining effective information exchange via hotlines, while enhancing exchanges and coordination in border management and protection.
Both sides also stressed the need to strengthen cooperation in preventing and combating crimes such as illegal entry and exit, smuggling, human trafficking, and other violations of law, reaffirming their determination to jointly safeguard territorial sovereignty and border security for the peace and stability of people in border areas of the two countries./.