(VOVWORLD) - With the COVID-19 pandemic surging in Laos, border guards in Vietnam’s Son La province are working hard to prevent illegal entry.
 A COVID-19 checkpoint (Photo: Huu Quyet/VNA) |
Officers and soldiers of the border guard station at Chieng Khuong border gate have organized regular patrols to ensure the disease does not enter Vietnam. Lieutenant Nguyen Van Khanh, deputy head of the station, said, “The border has many trails and paths over complex terrain making enforcement difficult. But we are doing everything possible. We have learned local ethnic languages so we can work with the ethnic people to combat COVID-19.”
Chieng Khuong commune has more than 20 km of border with Laos. Day or night, officers and soldiers at the border guard station at Chieng Khuong border gate are determined to stop the virus from entering Vietnam. Lieutenant Colonel Quang Van Xom said, “Our border guard station maintains 3 COVID-19 checkpoints. Each checkpoint has 5 officers and soldiers, who take turns patrolling the border.”
The Son La border force maintains 31 fixed and mobile teams to defend the national border and control people entering Vietnam. Colonel Vu Duc Tu, Deputy Political Commissar of the Border Guard Command of Son La, said, “At the beginning of this year, the Border Guard of Son La province hosted a conference on defending Vietnam’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, while fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. We give priority to key areas and take care of soldiers who are on duty in border areas.”