The experience of saluting the border markers

Saluting the border marker has recently become “keywords” attracting the interest of a number of tourists and travel companies when visiting the northern border area of Dong Nai province.

Tourists listen to an introduction to the border marker under the management of Loc Thinh Border Gate Border Guard Station, Loc Thanh commune. Photo: Ngoc Lien

After the administrative merger, in addition to possessing an expanded space for economic and cultural development, the new Dong Nai province also holds advantages for tourism development. Standing out among these is the development and promotion of border-area tourism products, offering experiences such as saluting the border markers, listening to border guard officers introduce the border region and their mission to safeguard national sovereignty, and visiting revolutionary relic sites near the border.

The sacred border markers

Dong Nai province currently shares a 258.939-kilometer border with Cambodia, marked by 28 main border markers and 353 auxiliary markers. These markers are distributed across eight border communes: Bu Gia Map, Dak O, Hung Phuoc, Thien Hung, Tan Tien, Loc Tan, Loc Thach, and Loc Thanh. Some markers are located within Bu Gia Map National Park, while others lie in adjacent areas with potential for linkage and development of “return-to-the-roots” tourism products, including experiences such as saluting the border marker to serve visitors. Each border marker is composed of two parts: the marker body and the base. The base is made of reinforced concrete, covering an area of 9 square meters and extending to a depth of 3 meters. The marker body is carved from a single block of granite, bearing the marker number and the year of construction commencement (2007).

Border marker 62 (2), located in Bu Gia Map National Park in Dak O commune, is managed by Dak O Border Guard Station. It is one of the markers most frequently visited by tourists, who come to perform the border marker-saluting ceremony. According to the guidance of the officers at the Dak O Border Guard Station, immediately behind border marker 62 lies the Dak Huyt River, and the deepest part of its channel marks the boundary line between Viet Nam and Cambodia.

Tourists take commemorative photos with officers and soldiers of the Border Guard at the Viet Nam - Cambodia border area.

Sharing information on the characteristics of the border markers and the mission of safeguarding national sovereignty over the years, a representative of Dak O Border Guard Station said that its officers and soldiers have undergone more than 20 years of building, combat, and growth. Throughout this period, they have consistently overcome hardships and shown resilience and dedication to successfully fulfill their assigned tasks. Addressing visitors who come to salute the border marker, the representative affirmed that the officers and soldiers of Dak O Border Guard Station remain united and determined to accomplish their duties and firmly safeguard national sovereignty and border security.

Do Truong Giang, Deputy Director of the Tourism Promotion and Conservation Rescue Center of Bu Gia Map National Park, said that the park had previously organized many forest exploration tours combined with border-marker saluting activities. To enable visitors to take part in the border-marker saluting ceremony, the park must coordinate and register with the relevant border guard stations (the units responsible for managing the border markers) to ensure that all activities are carried out in accordance with regulations.

According to Giang, visitors to Bu Gia Map National Park are particularly interested in forest exploration tours combined with checking in at border markers and taking part in the border marker-saluting activities. This linked tourism product not only diversifies tourism offerings but also adds value to visitors’ experiences, helping raise public awareness and a sense of responsibility for preserving and protecting border areas.

Proud of national border sovereignty

Border marker 78 (2), managed by Loc Thinh Border Gate Border Guard Station in Loc Thanh commune, Dong Nai province, is located right beside the Ta Vat iron bridge connecting Vietnam and Cambodia. Sharing insights into the mission of protecting national border markers, Major Dinh Ngoc Nam, Deputy Political Officer of Loc Thinh Border Gate Border Guard Station, said that the station is tasked with firmly safeguarding the border line and border marker system at marker 78 (2). This is a main border marker constructed in 2009. The unit regularly organizes outreach and briefing sessions for visiting groups at the marker, helping them better understand the duties of border guard officers and soldiers, as well as issues related to territorial sovereignty, national border security, and the history of the landmark.

Leaders of the provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion present commemorative gifts to Loc Thinh Border Gate Border Guard Station at border marker 78.

As a member of the 1990s generation who has experienced border tourism and saluting the border marker, Tran Thi Hoa, a resident of Phuoc An commune, Dong Nai province, shared that following the administrative merger, the new Dong Nai province has gained many new features. Among them, the national border line with its system of border markers stands out as a new hallmark of the province. For Hoa, visiting the national border for the first time, seeing the border marker up close, and taking part in the border marker-saluting ceremony was a deeply moving experience, accompanied by a strong sense of pride in national sovereignty that is firmly protected.

Hoa shared: “Standing before the border marker, I felt a deeper love for my homeland and a stronger sense of national pride, along with deep admiration for the officers and soldiers who work day and night to protect the border.”

Born in the 2000s, Tran Ngoc Thao, a resident of Tran Bien ward, Dong Nai province, shared a similar sentiment. Standing before the border marker, she said she clearly felt the significance of every sacred inch of land preserved by previous generations. Taking part in the border marker-saluting ceremony and listening to border guards explain the meaning of the marker, as well as its structure and geographic location, helped young people better understand the importance of safeguarding and protecting the nation’s borders.

The solemn activities held at the border markers have left a strong impression on visitors. They help foster their love for the homeland and the nation, while reinforcing the sense of responsibility of the younger generation in the cause of national development and defense.

“I feel proud and deeply moved when visiting the border marker. Through this trip, I have become more aware of the responsibility of the younger generation in safeguarding national sovereignty, while also contributing to the preservation and strengthening of friendship between Viet Nam and Cambodia,” Thao shared.

By Ngoc Lien – Translated by Huyen Trang, Thu Ha