Frontier life

Returning to the borderland of Tinh Bien (An Giang province) in the last days of the year, when the flood water in the fields has not yet receded, when boats still go up and down the Vinh Te canal and small traders are busy trading every day, we clearly feel the peaceful life of the border area in the southwest of the Fatherland. Somewhere, the silhouettes of soldiers are still silently guarding the sovereignty of the border, contributing to the peace of this land.

Tinh Bien border market.

Border markets attract visitors from afar

In late November 2025, Tinh Bien border market (Tinh Bien market) was not too busy, but the stalls were still full of consumer goods, shoes, cosmetics, candies, and soft drinks.

Ms. Le Thi Phuong, a trader who has been with the market since its inception.

At her small shoe stall, Ms. Le Thi Phuong, who has been at the market since 2002, is busy arranging pairs of sandals. “I sell Vietnamese and Thai products at very affordable prices,” Ms. Phuong said.

Tourists visit Tinh Bien market.

According to Ms. Phuong, Tinh Bien market today is not as bustling as before, when goods sources are increasingly abundant everywhere. But after nearly 25 years of working there, she has never thought of changing jobs.

“Thanks to this market, I was able to raise two children to study properly. In the last months of the year, there were few customers and sales were slow, but during the Sam Mountain Lady Festival, many people visited Tinh Bien market, and I was able to make up for it. Many people just stopped by to look around and didn’t buy anything, but I still happily welcomed them. Thanks to that friendliness and enthusiasm, they came back to buy more as gifts,” Ms. Phuong shared.

Tinh Bien market is where Ms. Nguyen Thi Lieu and hundreds of other traders make a living.

A few stalls away, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lieu happily welcomed visitors to her candy stall. She said the market is busiest from January to April of the lunar calendar - the season when tourists make pilgrimages to the Ba Chua Xu Temple on Sam Mountain. "Here, there are both Thai and Vietnamese candy. I have been selling for the shop owner for 10 years, with a salary of 6 million/month, enough to support my family," Ms. Lieu said.

Fish sauce stall of Ms. Nguyen Thi An Vy.

What attracts tourists the most is the distinctive fish sauce smell spreading from the stall of Ms. Nguyen Thi An Vy, with the brand name Ba Giao Huong fish sauce. “My family has been making fish sauce for four generations. The most popular fish sauces are snakehead fish sauce, linh fish sauce, sac fish sauce, tre fish sauce, ba khia fish sauce, Thai fish sauce... During the tourist season, there are many customers, 300-400 customers come to buy every day, selling for tens of millions of dong,” Ms. Vy said.

In addition to selling directly, Ms. An Vy also opened a sales channel via Zalo, accepting deliveries everywhere. "Customers enjoy the food and order more, I continuously send goods. Thanks to that, even when the market is quiet, business is still stable." Every day, she hires 3 workers, paying 250,000 VND/person.

The fragrant fish sauce stalls attract tourists.

Snakehead fish sauce is famous far and wide.

Tinh Bien border market was built in 1999, operating since February 3, 2002, located along Vinh Te canal, with an area of ​​15,414m², of which more than 6,000m² is a covered area, with 605 kiosks and stalls. Currently, there are more than 200 regular business households.

Vice Chairman of Tinh Bien Ward People's Committee Tong Thanh Giang said that the Ward People's Committee regularly coordinates with functional forces to inspect and handle cases of sidewalk encroachment, maintain order in the area around the market and ensure fire prevention and fighting. At the same time, it regularly propagates to traders to comply with regulations, clearly post prices, and behave civilly in buying and selling.

In the first 9 months of 2025, Tinh Bien border market welcomed more than 252,000 visitors, with sales reaching 235 billion VND. Most of the visitors to Tinh Bien market are from Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta provinces and Cambodian border residents, contributing to the unique and vibrant trade of the border area.

Boat trips carrying rice from Cambodia to Tinh Bien.

Peaceful border strip

Leaving the border market, going along Vinh Te canal, we encountered a familiar image of the fence area: Boats carrying rice from Cambodia continuously docked, people busily unloaded, milled and then exported back to the neighboring country. Along with that, goods, candies, agricultural products also bustling back and forth across the border following the typical trade flow here.

At noon, we arrived at Tinh Bien International Border Gate. Although it was past 11 am, the number of tourists and vehicles passing through was still steady. In the 10 months of 2025, the import-export turnover through the border gate reached more than 353 million USD, of which exports were more than 234 million USD, an increase of 73.11% compared to the whole year of 2024.

Tinh Bien International Border Gate.

Following the officers of the Tinh Bien International Border Gate Border Guard Station, we met Captain Chau Vanh Na, a border gate officer, who was enthusiastically guiding Cambodian people through the procedures in Khmer. His serious but friendly manner made every passerby smile and thank him.

“The border gate operates from 6am to 6pm. Around 5am, the officers are already there to prepare. During peak season, many groups of tourists travel at noon, so we have to take turns eating and drinking to ensure the fastest processing for people,” Captain Na shared.

Border guards on patrol routes.

Leaving the border gate, we followed the border patrol route under construction, next to the fields still flooded with floodwater. On the other side of Tinh Bien ward is Phnum Den commune, Kirivong district, Takeo province (Kingdom of Cambodia). On each patrol route, the footprints of the border guards are firm and steadfast, contributing to keeping the peace so that people on both sides can work, live and trade with peace of mind.

Peaceful scenery in the border strip of Tinh Bien.

They told clearly and distinctly about the 9.94km long border with 4 main markers, 8 secondary markers and 5 markers. Where each marker is located, how many fields you have to cross to reach it, how many times you have to wade through flood water during the flood season... they know it like the back of their hands. Along with that are the memories of the peak patrol nights to prevent and fight crime, stop smuggling, and illegal entry and exit. There are also unforgettable moments - welcoming the New Year right next to the sovereignty marker.

On the border roads, we clearly felt that Tinh Bien land was not noisy, but full of peace. The commercial life blended with the silence of the soldiers who guarded the fence day and night, creating a very unique color of the land of love.

Article and photos: THU OANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/nhip-song-bien-thuy-a469675.html