Customs officials in the southern An Giang province review the number of confiscated smuggled tobacco (Photo: VNA)
An Giang (VNS/VNA)- Smuggling has long been a pressing issue in southern provinces that sharehundreds of kilometres of border with Cambodia and Thailand.
With many rivers, paddy fields and thousands of easily-crossed trails, AnGiang, Kien Giang and Dong Thap provinces are ripe for the illegal trade ofgoods between the two foreign countries and Vietnam, theonline dantri.com.vn reported.
“Goods smuggling and trade fraud happens most frequently in An Giang provinceduring the flood season,” Colonel Ly Ke Tung, deputy commander of An Giangborder guard was quoted as saying.
The province’s hotspots for smuggling are An Phu district’s Long Binh Town, TinhBien district’s Tinh Bien town, and Tan Chau town’s Vinh Xuong commune, hesaid.
Tobacco is the most common smuggled good from Thailand to the province. Some500,000 illegally traded packs of cigarettes were seized in the province in thefirst half of this year, a 10 percent increase compared to the same period oflast year.
Sugar smugglers use the Binh Di River between Vietnam and Cambodia in theprovince’s An Phu district to sneak sugar from Thailand to Vietnam, accordingto leaders of the customs office of the district’s Khanh Binh border gate. Some400 tonnes of Thai sugar were smuggled into the country during the first halfof this year.
Smuggled tobacco, sugar and cosmetics worth hundreds of millions of dong havebeen seized in Kien Giang province since the beginning of this year, accordingto customs officials of the province’s Ha Tien border gate.
Some 50 smuggling cases were discovered during the first half of this year inDong Thap province’s Hong Ngu district, from which packs of cigarette and threetonnes of Thailand sugar were confiscated, said customs officials of theprovince’s Cau Muong border station.
The smugglers’ tricks to slip under the authorities’ radar have become moreadvanced, according to customs officials.
Smuggled goods are gathered near the border and then divided into smallerpackages or placed together with legally traded goods, they said.
Smugglers take advantage of local residents’ unemployment, their skills withmotorboats and fishing vessels and their knowledge of local topography to hirethem to deliver smuggled goods.
Instead of keeping the illegally traded tobacco at their homes or in warehouseslike in the past, smugglers now hide them in vast areas and assign localsliving in the neighbourhoods to watch the goods.
These watchmen are told to abandon the goods and run if discovered, making itdifficult for authorities to seize them and the goods.-VNA
Fuel smuggling is on the rise in Vietnamese waters bordering Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand recently, partly due to the discrepancy between selling prices in Vietnam and neighbouring countries.
Chief of the Office of the National Steering Committee 389 has named authorities’ asynchronous coordination and loopholes in mechanisms and policies as shortcomings in the fight against smuggling.
Ho Chi Minh City plans to step up enforcement against smuggling and trade fraud to cope with the increasing number of violations, especially at Cat Lai Port.
The programmes have brought about positive changes to rural infrastructure, comprehensively improved the material and spiritual lives of farmers, and contributed to Vietnam's economic restructuring, said PM Pham Minh Chinh.
The festival highlighted the contributions and robust development of Vietnam's revolutionary press over the past century while promoting press products and showcasing the creativity of Vietnamese journalists.
The programme on sustainable poverty reduction has achieved its annual targets for reducing the poverty rate as assigned by the National Assembly and the Government. It has fulfilled five specific objectives and five five-year goals, and met nine out of 12 indicators related to addressing basic social service shortages.
UNICEF stands ready to support the Government in implementing this important law and in continuing to invest in teachers as the cornerstone of a resilient, inclusive, and high-quality education system for all children.
PM Pham Minh Chinh highlighted how Vietnam's revolutionary press has continuously evolved and strengthened over the past century, affirming its role as a sharp and vital political, cultural, and ideological weapon serving the Fatherland and the people in the glorious revolutionary cause of the Party.
Vietnamese Consul General in Fukuoka Vu Chi Mai highlighted the growing demand for Vietnamese workers in Kyushu, especially in Fukuoka, Oita, and Saga prefectures. Currently, the region employs about 35,000 Vietnamese manual workers and over 5,000 IT engineers.
In Vietnam’s case, she said, President Ho Chi Minh demonstrated his strategic vision by founding the revolutionary press a century ago. The late leader understood the press's role not only as a means to reflect the country’s realities but also as a powerful tool to strengthen national unity and inspire the resistance wars and national construction process.
In recent interviews granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s reporters in Mexico, prominent figures reflected on the press’s legacy and its global influence.
VietnamPlus e-newspaper of the VNA clinched an A prize in the “Outstanding Press Product” category for its immersive 3D multimedia project, “Epic of Reunification,” a groundbreaking blend of storytelling and technology. The VNA won another A prize for its eye-catching exhibition booth.
Today, the press for foreign service has evolved into a distinct, irreplaceable force, bridging Vietnam with the world and portraying a nation that is stable, peace-loving, and fully integrated into the international community.
At a review conference held on June 21, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Sinh praised the province’s scientific, coordinated, and flexible approach. He noted that the early completion reflects the strong commitment of local authorities, the business community, philanthropists, and residents in improving housing conditions for disadvantaged groups.
The VNA delegation, led by General Director Vu Viet Trang, actively participated in the event, engaging in both professional and diplomatic activities.
In the context where AI dominates and produces vast volumes of content, the only sustainable path forward for journalism is to focus on high-quality content and core values. Journalism must redefine its mission - not to report the fastest, but to provide the most profound and trustworthy value.
Granma and the VNA have great potential for cooperation, especially in sharing content regularly, so that VNA products are published on Granma platforms and vice versa, thereby helping Cuban and Vietnamese people access true information and gain a deep understanding of each other's country and people.
During his stay in China’s Guangzhou city from 1924 to 1927 to prepare for the establishment of a Communist Party to lead Vietnam’s revolution, President Ho Chi Minh founded “Thanh nien” newspaper and released its first issue on June 21, 1925.
Vietnam and Cambodia are hoped to strengthen their robust collaboration across various sectors, particularly in resolving remaining border issues to transform the border area into a zone of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development.
The strategic product, managed and operated by the Vietnam News Agency Digital Media Centre (VNA Media), is an official channel for popularising the Party and State’s information and documents as well as delivering mainstream and trustworthy news to both domestic and international audiences through various kinds of multimedia formats.
Since President Ho Chi Minh founded Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper in 1925, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has become the voice of the people. During the resistance war against the colonialists, journalists took great personal risks to inspire patriotism and the will of rising up against foreign invaders.
The total investment exceeded 319 billion VND (12.2 million USD), including over 261 billion VND from the state budget and 57.5 billion VND mobilised from businesses, organisations, and individuals.
Customs officials in the southern An Giang province review the number of confiscated smuggled tobacco (Photo: VNA) 
