Border guard forces in An Giang Province have stepped up night patrols and control measures along border areas to prevent and suppress the illegal transport and storage of prohibited goods, particularly smuggled cigarettes.
As the year draws to a close, smuggling and the illegal storage of prohibited goods, particularly smuggled cigarettes, tend to increase in the border areas of An Giang Province. In response, border guard forces have intensified patrols, ambushes, and control measures, resolutely combating this type of crime amid increasingly audacious tactics by smugglers.
Late at night in mid-January 2026, the border area in Ha Tien Commune was enveloped in cold air. Frost blanketed narrow trails winding through a dense network of canals and ditches, seeping into the uniforms and skin of border guard soldiers on duty. In the stillness, broken only by insect calls, a command rang out from the Border Guard Post at Ha Tien International Border Gate. Nearly ten officers and soldiers, fully equipped, set out on a night patrol to prevent and suppress smuggling activities.
Gesturing toward the Cambodian border just 30 meters away, Corporal Duong Chi Khanh of the Border Guard Post explained that the area is considered an “open border,” characterized by numerous canals and thick mangrove and nipa palm vegetation. Smugglers frequently exploit this terrain to transport contraband, particularly between 11:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.
He revealed that regardless of darkness or severe weather, border guards remain vigilant at all times and never let the guard down.
The Border Guard Post conducts continuous night patrols lasting three to four hours per shift and maintains 17 fixed checkpoints along the border areas under its management.
According to Major Pham Xuan Nam, Deputy Head of Operations at the station, smuggled cigarettes, cosmetics, and sugar of unknown origin without labels are the main items trafficked across the land border. Smugglers often take advantage of nighttime conditions and the region’s open plains combined with a dense river and canal system to illegally transport goods into Vietnam.
Most recently, at around 3:00 a.m. on December 7, 2025, near checkpoint 35 in My Lo neighborhood in Ha Tien Ward, a border guard task force detected a suspect loading two sacks onto a motorbike. When ordered to stop for inspection, the suspect fled toward Cambodia. The unit coordinated with Cambodian authorities to pursue the case and subsequently seized the vehicle and evidence, including 2,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes, which were brought back to the station for investigation.
Earlier, in the early morning of August 27, 2025, near Dinh Duc Bridge in Ha Tien Commune, a joint task force discovered three individuals operating three motorboats carrying multiple suspicious cardboard boxes. When signaled to stop, the suspects refused to comply and attempted to flee. Taking advantage of heavy rain and rough conditions, they abandoned the goods to obstruct pursuit and escaped. Authorities later seized 30 cardboard boxes containing a total of 15,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes.
Lieutenant Colonel Ha Duc Hanh, Commander of the Giang Thanh Border Gate Border Guard Station, said smugglers typically coordinate with suppliers across the border via phone, arrange transfer points near border areas, and deploy lookouts during operations. Goods are often divided into smaller packages to facilitate transport and quick disposal when detected. “Smuggled cigarette shipments are usually kept below 1,500 packs to avoid criminal prosecution,” he noted.
Beyond the land border, smugglers also operate along sea and island routes, transporting gasoline, foreign cigarettes, liquor, and cosmetics. Converted fishing vessels and fuel-trading boats of unclear origin are commonly used to move goods offshore, while passenger and cargo ships traveling between the mainland and islands are exploited to conceal prohibited items among legally traded goods.
An Giang Province currently has more than 148 kilometers of land border, an extensive system of canals connecting to Cambodia, and a wide maritime and island area factors that pose significant risks for smuggling, particularly toward the end of the year.
To address the situation, the An Giang Provincial Border Guard Command has launched a high-intensity campaign targeting crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling, commercial fraud, and counterfeit goods before, during, and after the Lunar New Year.
According to Colonel Pham Van Thang, Commander of the An Giang Provincial Border Guard Command, units have been instructed to strengthen manpower and resources, enhance coordination with relevant forces, and proactively prevent and suppress criminal activity. The campaign focuses on dismantling smuggling networks, preventing the emergence of security hot spots, and maintaining order in border and maritime areas.
Colonel Pham Van Thang emphasized the need to tighten patrols and controls along borders, coastal waters, and islands, particularly on key routes and in high-risk areas. He also stressed the importance of combining routine patrols with surprise inspections, covert operations, and checkpoints at critical times and locations, alongside conducting thorough investigations to identify individuals and networks showing signs of criminal activity and to establish targeted operational plans.
)
