Victory in countering enemy’s naval blockade by naval mines and magnetic bombs in the North in the war of resistance against the US for national salvation is one of outstanding feats of arms of Viet Nam People’s Navy. The victory remains invaluable and needs to be further brought into play in all fields by naval soldiers in general, cadres and soldiers in the 1th Naval Zone in particular, especially in building soldiers’ political steadfastness and valiant spirit, regardless of sacrifice and hardship today.

In the war of aggression against Viet Nam, given the plot to break sea lines of communication, destroy our economic, defence potential, interdict supplies from the socialist countries to Viet Nam and from the Northern great rear to the Southern huge front line, and undermine our people’s willpower to fight and liberate the South for reunification, the American imperialists enforced naval blockades against our habours, waterways, and river mouths from Cua Tung (Quang Tri province) to Van Uc (Hai Phong). Between 1967 – 1968 and 1972 – 1973, the US military laid almost 75 thousand naval mines and magnetic bombs, and deployed warplanes and warships to raid these areas repeatedly. Nevertheless, with the resolution of “fighting the enemy to maneuver and clearing the passages to advance”, the Viet Nam People’s Navy tapped into its core role and worked closely with forces to research and develop devices and methods to detect and neutralise naval mines and magnetic bombs successfully, which helped to clear passages to maintain lines of communication and provision of aids to the Southern theatre of war, contributing to defeating the American aggressors. The Navy had completed this difficult task by 27 June 1973.

Fifty years has gone by but the victory against the American imperialists’ naval blockades leaves us many invaluable lessons, which should be studied and applied creatively to the new situation by generations of naval cadres and soldiers in general, those in the 1st Naval Zone in particular, especially to the building of the all-people national defence posture and people’s warfare at sea, creating overall power for defeating all assaults from the sea of the invaders.

Currently, the 1st Naval Zone is tasked with combat training, readiness, and patrolling, controlling, and protecting the Northern waters of the Fatherland in the context of complex, unforeseeable developments in the East Sea. Although the Naval Zone’s weapons, technical equipment, and facilities have drawn the attention and investment of the Party, State, and military, the Zone still confronts many difficulties. During task performance, the soldiers must stay at sea for a long time, cope with severe weather conditions, and regularly face complex situations relating to their safety of lives and hardship, and so on. These realities place high requirements on all spheres. Of particular note is to cultivate cadres’ and soldiers’ political steadfastness; to make them absolutely faithful to the Fatherland, Party, State, and people in any situations; to enable them to have high combat determination, good ethics, and skills on a par with assigned missions; to ensure that cadres and soldiers are ready to sacrifice for firmly defending the sacred sovereignty over waters and islands of the Fatherland. 

Combat training at the 1st Naval Region

To achieve the above-mentioned goals, the Naval Zone Party Committee and Command are committed to further application of the victory in countering the enemy’s naval blockades in the North in the war of resistance against the US for national salvation to building of a politically strong Naval Zone, laying the foundation for enhancing overall power and combat strength and successfully accomplishing all assigned missions. To do so, first and foremost, requires the Naval Zone Party Committee and Command focus leadership of reforming and improving quality and effectiveness of political education. The education should aim to make soldiers deeply grasp viewpoints, guidelines, and policies of the Party and State on military, defence missions and protection of the Fatherland, especially the Resolution of the 8th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (11th tenure) on the “Strategy to Safeguard the Fatherland in the New Situation”, Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW, dated 22 October 2018 on the “Strategy to Develop Maritime Economy of Viet Nam to 2030 with vision to 2045”, and so forth. During the implementation process, the Naval Zone put their efforts into reform and flexible application of educational forms, which match characteristics of missions as well as feelings and levels of awareness of cadres and soldiers. Attention is paid to regular popularisation of situations in order to guide soldiers’ awareness of regional, international situations, especially new developments in the waters and islands within their areas of responsibility; make them clearly understand hostile forces’ plots and acts of sabotage as well as the positions of our Party and State regarding resolution of disputes at sea, thereby raising soldiers’ awareness of object of cooperation, object of struggle, and missions of individuals and units, maintaining vigilance, and handling situations in line with direction of the Navy. 

Solders’ political steadfastness and willpower are not only confined to awareness and ideology but are manifested through their performance and fulfilment of assigned tasks. This is a lesson learnt from defeating the American imperialists’ naval blocks in the North. Accordingly, the Naval Zone Party Committee and Command seek to improve quality of training and combat readiness in order to deepen soldiers’ political steadfastness. On grasping the training motto of “basicness, concreteness, and firmness” as specified in Resolution No. 1659-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022 of the Central Military Commission (CMC) on enhancing training quality in the 2023 – 2030 period and beyond, Naval Zone actively renews training contents, programs, forms of delivery, and methodologies, ensuring suitability for training objectives, learners, and conditions. In addition, it makes good preparations, especially in terms of training cadres and facilities; steps up emulation movements and builds models in training. The Naval Zone also focuses on grasping and effectively operationalising documents and instructions of higher echelons on combat readiness; proactively collaborates with relevant units and forces, especially the Coast Guard, Fishery Surveillance, Border Guard Soldiers, etc., to strictly control and firmly defend sovereignty over waters and islands within its area of responsibility. Special importance is attached to daily training of soldiers on the training grounds and through patrols, search and rescue, disaster relief, integrated exercises, etc., thereby promoting soldiers’ political steadfastness, high determination, agility, and endurance, which enables them to respond to situation proactively, creatively, and effectively.

Victory in countering the American imperialists’ naval blockades by naval mines and magnetic bombs in the North has affirmed that the leadership of our Party is key to development and victories of the Naval Soldiers. Accordingly, the Naval Zone seeks to step up building strong, pure party organisations to promote their leadership capacity aimed to lead units to complete all assigned tasks. To do so, the Naval Zone requests its departments and units to enhance their capacity to concretise resolutions and directives of higher echelons into their own resolutions and care for making the corps of cadres and party members true centres of unity in departments and units. The party committees at all levels attach importance to increased quality of party meetings; enhanced examination and supervision to timely detect and prevent signs of discipline violation. The Naval Zone Party Committee requests its cadres and party members, especially the leading ones, to be good example for complying with the Platform, Regulation, and resolution of the Party, law of the State, military discipline, and regulations on the responsibility to set good examples; train themselves ceaselessly; and lead a healthy, honest life. Moreover, the Naval Zone Party Committee directs party committees and organisations at all levels to well carry out stepping up studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality, and style in connection with implementing the Campaign of promoting tradition, devoting talent, and deserving to be Uncle Ho’s Soldiers and naval soldiers in the new situation, regarding these as regular activities of each party organisation, cadre, party member, and soldier. It also has to thoroughly perceive evolution of cadres’ and party members’ feelings and aspirations in order to timely address emerging issues without being passive and surprised.

To create overall power to strengthen political steadfastness and fighting willpower, the Naval Zone Party Committee and commanders lead and direct strict maintenance of good order and discipline; pay attention to good implementation of policies aimed at improving soldiers’ material, spiritual life. Departments and units need to comprehend and seriously realise directives and regulations on building comprehensively strong units; strictly maintain regulations, especially those relating to patrol, guarding, and combat readiness; ramp up implementation of the Determined to win Emulation movement in key political tasks; associate emulation with praise and rewarding and creation of favourable environments for soldiers’ self-study and training. Furthermore, the Naval Zone Party Committee, commanders, departments, and units are to lead and direct good implementation of policies regarding soldiers. The material, spiritual life and policies regarding soldiers must draw appropriate attention and are carried out correctly. The Regulation on Grassroots Democracy must be seriously abided by through many effective, concrete activities, which aims to timely resolve problems and care for benefits of military personnel. It is necessary to encourage and help soldiers’ families with difficulty, contributing to increased awareness, responsibility, and love of comrades and companions. 

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the victory in countering the American imperialists’ naval blockades in the North, cadres and soldiers of the 1st Naval Zone heighten the pride and bring into play traditions of the previous generations to further strengthen their political steadfastness and strive for making the Zone comprehensively strong, capable of successfully completing the mission of controlling and firmly safeguarding sovereignty over waters and islands of the Fatherland.

Senior Colonel TRAN XUAN VAN, Commissar of the 1st Naval Zone