Vietnam Surveillance Tower Project: 20 Self-Supporting Towers for Border Security

In late 2025, we received a special order: a Vietnamese provincial border defense department needed to build 20 security surveillance towers along the Vietnam-China border for border patrol and illegal crossing detection. This is a typical "security + tower + AI integration" project. This article reviews the full process from requirement communication to delivery.

Project Background

Northern Vietnam's border terrain is complex, with dense mountain jungles. Traditional manual patrols are inefficient with limited coverage. The border defense department decided to build a multi-layered security system combining electronic fencing and surveillance towers. 20 towers were deployed along a 50-kilometer border, spaced approximately 2.5 km apart, requiring 24/7 continuous monitoring, AI automatic crossing detection, and real-time alarm push to the command center.

Requirements Analysis

After receiving the requirements, our engineering team conducted 3 rounds of technical communication with the Vietnamese side, clarifying the following key points:

• Tower height: 15-25 meters (adjusted based on line-of-sight obstruction at different terrains)
• Structure: Self-supporting (unmanned border areas make maintenance difficult, ruling out guyed towers)
• Load: Top PTZ camera + solar panel + equipment cabinet, total load approximately 200kg
• Power: Solar + battery (no grid power at the border)
• Communication: 4G/5G backhaul (some sites use satellite communication backup)
• Anti-corrosion: Tropical jungle climate, zinc layer thickened to 100μm+

Solution Design

Based on the requirements, we designed a 15-25m adjustable-height self-supporting surveillance tower with a four-leg angle steel lattice structure. The top features a 1.5m×1.5m equipment platform for the PTZ camera. A stainless steel equipment cabinet (IP65 rating) is mounted at mid-tower, housing the battery and communication equipment. Solar panel brackets are installed on the south side of the tower with adjustable tilt angles.

Production & Quality Inspection

The 20 towers were produced in two batches of 10 each. Production took 18 days, and quality inspection 3 days. Considering the tropical jungle environment, all bolts use 304 stainless steel, and flange connections are fitted with sealing rings to prevent rainwater ingress. Trial assembly verification passed completely, with 100% bolt pass-through rate.

Transport & Installation

Fumigation-free wooden crate packaging was used. Shipping from Tianjin Port to Haiphong Port took 12 days, after which the Vietnamese side arranged truck transport to the border province. Installation used staged hoisting: an excavator first prepared the concrete foundation (1.5m×1.5m×2m), and after 7 days of curing, a crane assembled the tower in sections. Total installation for all 20 towers took about 30 days.

AI Integration

The AI recognition system selected by the Vietnamese side supports: personnel crossing detection, vehicle recognition, thermal imaging night vision, and moving target tracking. The tower-top dual-spectrum PTZ camera (visible light + thermal) has an effective monitoring radius of 3 km during the day and 1.5 km at night via thermal imaging. Alarms are pushed to the command center's large display via 4G network and simultaneously sent to patrol personnel's mobile app.

Project Results

Six months after project delivery, the Vietnamese side reported: border illegal crossing incidents decreased 62% year-over-year, monitoring coverage increased from 35% to 85%, and nighttime monitoring capability went from "near zero" to "effective coverage." The project received high praise from the Vietnamese border defense department, which subsequently placed a second-phase order for 8 additional towers.