Vietnam and Laos have completed a project to upgrade and increasetheir field border markers and a ceremony to celebrate this event willbe held at the Thanh Thuy ( Vietnam ’s Nghe An province) and Nam on (Laos ’ Bolikhamsai province) Border Gate on July 9.
On theoccasion, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has written an article on theupgrade and increase of border markers between Vietnam and Laos .Vietnam News Agency would like to introduce a translated excerpt of thearticle.
Vietnam and Laos share a border of more than2,000km running from north to south. This is the longest land borderlinethat Vietnam shares with a neighbouring country. With theborderline running along the two countries, Vietnam and Laos havedeveloped a traditional special friendship, solidarity and closeattachment with their people assisting each other through eithercountry’s history. During the fight for national liberation andindependence, even in the most difficult period, the two countriesalways stood side by side in the spirit of ‘sharing the same grain ofsalt and stem of vegetable’. During this difficult but glorious time,many sites along the shared border between the two nations becameimmortal, attached to brilliant feats of arms of the revolutionarysoldiers of Vietnam and Pathet Laos.
FollowingVietnam’s reunification and the Lao Revolution’s nationwide victory,despite economic difficulties and a full of work to restore thecountries after the wars, the two Parties, States and Governments stillpaid special attention to the territorial border task. On July 18, 1977,Vietnam and Laos signed the ‘Treaty on Delimitation of NationalBoundaries’, laying political and legal foundations for borderdemarcation and marker planting between the two countries.
In1987, after nine years of enormous efforts to overcome difficulties andhardships, Vietnam and Laos completed their field borderdemarcation and marker planting. The two countries planted 214 markersin 199 positions. On January 24, 1986, the Supplementary Treaty to the1976 Treaty on Boundary Delimitation and Protocol on Border Demarcationand Border Planting on the Field were signed and the SupplementaryProtocol to the Protocol on Field Border Demarcation and Border Plantingwas inked on October 16, 1987. With these results, the Vietnam-Laosborderline was demarcated, marked out and clearly shown in theVietnam-Laos national border map at a scale of 1/50,000 published in2003 using modern digital technology.
However, theborderline between the two countries together with a system of nationalborder markers were built at a time when the two countries facedeconomic difficulties. Consequently, the distances between markers wastoo long, in some sections it extended nearly 40km. Added to this, theirquality was not good enough to stand up to severe weatherconditions, affecting the terrain of the two countries’ borderline.These facts required the two nations to upgrade and consolidate thesystem.
In 2008, when economic conditions were wellenough, the two Governments agreed to ratify and implement a project toupgrade and increase border markers along the Vietnam-Laos borderline inorder to build an official and modern national border marker systemthat matches each country’s realities and meets border management andprotection requirements in the new context. The project aimed toincrease the number of markers and upgrade existing ones to clearlyidentify the borderline in the field, and complete legal documents onthe Vietnam-Laos borderline.
The Vietnam-Laos border areashave rough topography with high mountains and deep chasms, no roads andharsh weather. In many places, in order to build a border marker, tensof kilometres of public service roads to transport constructionmaterials and border pillars were required. To conduct field surveys andidentify the locations of markers, in some cases, the two countries’demarcation forces had to walk for ten days, passing many kilometres offorest road to reach the marker area. Particularly challenging markerareas were in Dien Bien and Quang Nam provinces and western Nghe Anprovince. To complete marker planting, those in charge had to get toeach location for building, checking and handing over. Most of thelocations for marker planting were in remote areas with socio-economicdifficulties, thus it was hard applying technology and mobilising humanresources. To transport the markers undamaged through difficult terrainwas really a challenge.
Thanks to the efforts of the twocountries’ joint committee on border marker planting, relevantministries, agencies and localities, especially those directly involvedin field border marker planting, Vietnam and Laos officiallycompleted the increase and upgrade of border markers along their border,positioning 835 border markers in 793 locations and 20 benchmarkpillars.
The project to upgrade and add new border markersalong the Vietnam-Laos shared border is important and significant interms of security, politics and socio-economics. It is a sensitive workrelating to territorial sovereignty and national interests that meetsboth immediate and long-term requirements. It is also a comprehensivetask involving the two countries’ various areas and forces from centralto local levels.
The accomplishment of the work in the fieldis a great victory of special significance, creating a premise for thenext stage of finalising legal documents so that the whole project maybe completed in 2014. Since now, the modern and clear border markersystem will create favourable conditions for the border management andprotection, trade and investment cooperation, people-to-people exchangeas well as cultural and tourism exchanges between the two countries’border areas. It will contribute to consolidating political security,social order and safety, border security and defence while boosting thefriendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two neighbours.
The event will go into the history of both countries as a fruitof the Vietnam-Laos special cooperation, manifesting a high consensus,mutual trust and understanding between the two Parties, States andpeoples. It is a vivid symbol of the traditional friendship, specialsolidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries basedon the principle of respecting either side’s independence, sovereignty,territorial integrity and legitimate interests, as well as equality andcommon benefits for a border of peace, stability and cooperation formutual development and interests of the two peoples.
Theachievement is obtained thanks to the attention and close instruction ofthe two countries’ Party, State and Government leaders as well as thehigh resolve of their relevant ministries, branches and localities. Inparticular, officers and soldiers who have directly taken part in bordermarker planting have united and worked closely with each other toovercome various difficulties and dangers to fulfil their assignedtasks.
The successful project is also attributable to thevaluable contributions and support of ethnic groups residing in the twocountries’ border areas. Despite a range of difficulties, they havewholeheartedly backed the work, both materially and spiritually. Severalofficers and soldiers have laid down their lives while performing theirborder demarcation and marker planting tasks in the past as well asimplementing the project. Their blood has absorbed into the land,contributing to the present victory. In the joyful atmosphere, wecommemorate them and express our deep gratitude to their sacrifice.
With the modern and everlasting border marker system, the Vietnam-Laosborderline will be a venue of friendship and close cooperation foreverfor the prosperity of both countries, meeting their people’s aspirationsand the resolve of the two countries’ leaders.
In the comingtime, the two sides need to keep working closely and immediately joinhands to build legal documents acknowledging their achievements inincreasing and upgrading border markers, including the Protocol onBorder Demarcation and Marker Planting , the new Agreement on BorderManagement Regulations and the Vietnam-Laos Border Gates and Border GateManagement Regulations in order to satisfy border managementrequirements in the new situation. Special attention will be paid tobuilding and completing socio-economic infrastructure, facilitatingeconomic development and consolidating security and national defence inthe two countries’ border areas, contributing to enhancing the strategicrelations and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations. Webelieve that with the determination and efforts of the two Parties,States and peoples, the entire project will be completed by 2014,meeting every citizen’s aspirations.-VNA
On theoccasion, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has written an article on theupgrade and increase of border markers between Vietnam and Laos .Vietnam News Agency would like to introduce a translated excerpt of thearticle.
Vietnam and Laos share a border of more than2,000km running from north to south. This is the longest land borderlinethat Vietnam shares with a neighbouring country. With theborderline running along the two countries, Vietnam and Laos havedeveloped a traditional special friendship, solidarity and closeattachment with their people assisting each other through eithercountry’s history. During the fight for national liberation andindependence, even in the most difficult period, the two countriesalways stood side by side in the spirit of ‘sharing the same grain ofsalt and stem of vegetable’. During this difficult but glorious time,many sites along the shared border between the two nations becameimmortal, attached to brilliant feats of arms of the revolutionarysoldiers of Vietnam and Pathet Laos.
FollowingVietnam’s reunification and the Lao Revolution’s nationwide victory,despite economic difficulties and a full of work to restore thecountries after the wars, the two Parties, States and Governments stillpaid special attention to the territorial border task. On July 18, 1977,Vietnam and Laos signed the ‘Treaty on Delimitation of NationalBoundaries’, laying political and legal foundations for borderdemarcation and marker planting between the two countries.
In1987, after nine years of enormous efforts to overcome difficulties andhardships, Vietnam and Laos completed their field borderdemarcation and marker planting. The two countries planted 214 markersin 199 positions. On January 24, 1986, the Supplementary Treaty to the1976 Treaty on Boundary Delimitation and Protocol on Border Demarcationand Border Planting on the Field were signed and the SupplementaryProtocol to the Protocol on Field Border Demarcation and Border Plantingwas inked on October 16, 1987. With these results, the Vietnam-Laosborderline was demarcated, marked out and clearly shown in theVietnam-Laos national border map at a scale of 1/50,000 published in2003 using modern digital technology.
However, theborderline between the two countries together with a system of nationalborder markers were built at a time when the two countries facedeconomic difficulties. Consequently, the distances between markers wastoo long, in some sections it extended nearly 40km. Added to this, theirquality was not good enough to stand up to severe weatherconditions, affecting the terrain of the two countries’ borderline.These facts required the two nations to upgrade and consolidate thesystem.
In 2008, when economic conditions were wellenough, the two Governments agreed to ratify and implement a project toupgrade and increase border markers along the Vietnam-Laos borderline inorder to build an official and modern national border marker systemthat matches each country’s realities and meets border management andprotection requirements in the new context. The project aimed toincrease the number of markers and upgrade existing ones to clearlyidentify the borderline in the field, and complete legal documents onthe Vietnam-Laos borderline.
The Vietnam-Laos border areashave rough topography with high mountains and deep chasms, no roads andharsh weather. In many places, in order to build a border marker, tensof kilometres of public service roads to transport constructionmaterials and border pillars were required. To conduct field surveys andidentify the locations of markers, in some cases, the two countries’demarcation forces had to walk for ten days, passing many kilometres offorest road to reach the marker area. Particularly challenging markerareas were in Dien Bien and Quang Nam provinces and western Nghe Anprovince. To complete marker planting, those in charge had to get toeach location for building, checking and handing over. Most of thelocations for marker planting were in remote areas with socio-economicdifficulties, thus it was hard applying technology and mobilising humanresources. To transport the markers undamaged through difficult terrainwas really a challenge.
Thanks to the efforts of the twocountries’ joint committee on border marker planting, relevantministries, agencies and localities, especially those directly involvedin field border marker planting, Vietnam and Laos officiallycompleted the increase and upgrade of border markers along their border,positioning 835 border markers in 793 locations and 20 benchmarkpillars.
The project to upgrade and add new border markersalong the Vietnam-Laos shared border is important and significant interms of security, politics and socio-economics. It is a sensitive workrelating to territorial sovereignty and national interests that meetsboth immediate and long-term requirements. It is also a comprehensivetask involving the two countries’ various areas and forces from centralto local levels.
The accomplishment of the work in the fieldis a great victory of special significance, creating a premise for thenext stage of finalising legal documents so that the whole project maybe completed in 2014. Since now, the modern and clear border markersystem will create favourable conditions for the border management andprotection, trade and investment cooperation, people-to-people exchangeas well as cultural and tourism exchanges between the two countries’border areas. It will contribute to consolidating political security,social order and safety, border security and defence while boosting thefriendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two neighbours.
The event will go into the history of both countries as a fruitof the Vietnam-Laos special cooperation, manifesting a high consensus,mutual trust and understanding between the two Parties, States andpeoples. It is a vivid symbol of the traditional friendship, specialsolidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries basedon the principle of respecting either side’s independence, sovereignty,territorial integrity and legitimate interests, as well as equality andcommon benefits for a border of peace, stability and cooperation formutual development and interests of the two peoples.
Theachievement is obtained thanks to the attention and close instruction ofthe two countries’ Party, State and Government leaders as well as thehigh resolve of their relevant ministries, branches and localities. Inparticular, officers and soldiers who have directly taken part in bordermarker planting have united and worked closely with each other toovercome various difficulties and dangers to fulfil their assignedtasks.
The successful project is also attributable to thevaluable contributions and support of ethnic groups residing in the twocountries’ border areas. Despite a range of difficulties, they havewholeheartedly backed the work, both materially and spiritually. Severalofficers and soldiers have laid down their lives while performing theirborder demarcation and marker planting tasks in the past as well asimplementing the project. Their blood has absorbed into the land,contributing to the present victory. In the joyful atmosphere, wecommemorate them and express our deep gratitude to their sacrifice.
With the modern and everlasting border marker system, the Vietnam-Laosborderline will be a venue of friendship and close cooperation foreverfor the prosperity of both countries, meeting their people’s aspirationsand the resolve of the two countries’ leaders.
In the comingtime, the two sides need to keep working closely and immediately joinhands to build legal documents acknowledging their achievements inincreasing and upgrading border markers, including the Protocol onBorder Demarcation and Marker Planting , the new Agreement on BorderManagement Regulations and the Vietnam-Laos Border Gates and Border GateManagement Regulations in order to satisfy border managementrequirements in the new situation. Special attention will be paid tobuilding and completing socio-economic infrastructure, facilitatingeconomic development and consolidating security and national defence inthe two countries’ border areas, contributing to enhancing the strategicrelations and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations. Webelieve that with the determination and efforts of the two Parties,States and peoples, the entire project will be completed by 2014,meeting every citizen’s aspirations.-VNA
