A diode-pumped $Nd:YVO_4$ laser is developed. The laser has a closely folded resonator. The laser beam in two arms of the folded resonator passes the same acousto-optic modulator. The laser output power and pulsewidth dependence on a Q-switching frequency were measured. It is found that the newly proposed geometry provides an effective means for reducing the pulsewidth while maintaining almost the same output power compared with the usual folded resonator, where the beam in one arm of the resonator passes the acousto-optic modulator.