Hanoi (VNA) – The Border Guard High Command held aceremony in Hanoi on March 1 in the presence of President Vo Van Thuong toreceive a second-class Feat Order and celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Border Guard’s traditional day (March 3, 1959 - 2024) andthe 35th anniversary of the All People’s Border Defence Day (March3, 1989 - 2024).

Lt.Gen. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Political Commissar of the Border Guard,said that under the direction of the Party Central Committee and President HoChi Minh, on March 3, 1959, the Prime Minister issued Decree No. 100/TTg on the establishment of the people’s armedpublic security force, which is now the border guard force. Since then, thedate March 3 became the traditional day of the Border Guard.

He added that at its third session, the 11th-tenureNational Assembly adopted the Law on National Borders, which designated March 3as the All People’s Border Defence Day, he noted.

At the ceremony, President Thuong presented the second-classFeat Order to the Border Guard in recognition of the force’s remarkableachievements in preventing and combating the illegal production, trading,trafficking, and storage of military weapons, helping guarantee political securityand social order and safety.

Inhis speech, the State leader affirmed that under the Party’s leadership, overthe last 65 years, the force has stayed absolutely loyal to the Party anddevoted to the people; weathered every difficulty and hardship to excellently fulfillall assigned tasks; and actively engaged in the building and consolidation of the grassroots political system, the development of socio-economic aspects, andthe formation of strong all-people border defence, thus helping to safeguard everyinch of the country’s sacred land.

He applauded the force’s performance in giving advice to theParty and State; cracking down on a number of cases of drug and humantrafficking, illegal trade of weapons and explosive materials, smuggling, andtrade fraud, along with complex security and order incidents in border areas;promoting external relations; and assisting residents in border and maritimeareas.

Meanwhile,President Thuong added, over the last 35 years, the All People’s Border DefenceDay has become a true festival for enhancing all people’s sense ofresponsibility towards border safeguarding; the Border Guard’s solidarity withpeople and other forces; and friendship with border residents of neighbouringcountries.

National borders hold a strategic position of specialimportance to the national defence, security, economy, and external relations, heaffirmed, underlining the Party’s viewpoint that protecting national borders isa crucial and frequent task of the entire Party, the people, the army, the politicalsystem, and the whole country.

The President also assigned tasks to theBorder Guard, administrations at all levels, sectors, and border localities to betterprotect the Fatherland, borders, seas, and islands in the new context./.