The General Political Department of the Vietnam People’s Army - the strategic advisory body for the Party, Government, Central Military Commission, and Ministry of National Defence in building a politically strong Army; directly guides the implementation of party and political work across the military. Founded and developed alongside the establishment and growth of the Army, under the leadership of the Party and the direct, regular leadership of the Central Military Commission, over the past 80 years, the General Political Department of the Vietnam People’s Army has remained steadfastly loyal to revolutionary goals, ideals, and guidelines. It has proactively researched, evaluated, and accurately forecasted the situation, being sensitive and sharp, well performing the functions of advising, directing, guiding, and organising to synchronously implement measures to enhance the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of party and political work, maintaining and strengthening the Party’s leadership over the Army, building a politically robust Army as the foundation for enhancing the overall quality and combat strength of the military; ensuring that the Army remains absolutely loyal to the nation, the Party, the Government, and the People, “ready to fight and sacrifice for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland and for socialism. Completing every task, overcoming every difficulty, and defeating every enemy”. The outstanding achievements of the General Political Department of the Vietnam People’s Army have made significant contributions to the cause of national liberation, fulfilling international obligations, and building and defending the socialist Republic of Vietnam.

In the coming years, the global and regional situations are expected to evolve rapidly and become increasingly complicated; traditional and non-traditional security threats will intensify; local conflicts growing more intricate, causing serious impacts that threaten the stability and sustainable development of the world, the region, and our nation. Domestically, despite major favourable conditions, numerous difficulties and challenges exist, significantly affecting socio-economic development, national defence, security, and the construction of the Party and the political system; a part of cadres and Party members show signs of waning ideals, diminished combat morale, and degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle, with expressions toward “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, etc. Hostile and reactionary forces are constantly seeking ways to undermine the Party, the Government, and the Army, especially during the preparation and organisation of party congresses at all levels, leading up to the 14th National Party Congress.

Outstanding individuals of the General Political Department in the Determined to win Emulation movement for the 2019-2024 period visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Resolution No. 05-NQ/TW, dated 17 January 2022, issued by the Political Bureau (13th tenure) on organising the Vietnam People’s Army for the 2021–2030 period and subsequent years determined: by 2025, basically build a strong, compact, and elite Army as a firm foundation to strive toward constructing a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern Vietnam People’s Army by 2030. To successfully achieve the goals specified, the prerequisite is to maintain and strengthen the Party’s absolute and direct leadership over the Army. Therefore, building an “exemplariy and typically” clean and strong Party Committee of the General Political Department must be a regular and critical mission, serving as the key factor in the new situation in order to lead the General Political Department to grow stronger, aligning with its role, position, and functions as the strategic advisory and directive body for the Party and political work throughout the military, excellently fulfill assigned missions. In particular, it is necessary to focus on the following key tasks: 

Firstly, continue to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement the Party’s guidelines and viewpoints on building the Army, leading the military and national defence tasks; proactively conduct research and enhance the quality of strategic advisory efforts to the Party and the Central Military Commission in building a politically strong Army and firmly safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation. This is a top priority issue and a decisive factor in fulfilling the General Political Department’s political mission; a factor to ensure the building of an “exemplary, typically” clean and strong Party Committee of the General Political Department to meet the requirements of tasks in the new situation. The Party Committee of the General Political Department continues to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the guidelines, policies, and directions for building the Army according to the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress, the Resolution of the 8th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (13th tenure) on the Strategy for safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation, the Resolution of the 11th Congress of the Army Party Committee, and other resolutions and directives related to military and national defence tasks, particularly Party’s new viewpoints, strategic thinking, and long-term vision on safeguarding the Fatherland proactively and from afar. Lead and direct Agency to effectively perform strategic research; proactively coordinate with relevant forces to firm grasp, forecast, and accurately assess the situation, especially in preparation for important events, new and challenging tasks to provide timely and precise advisory to the Party and the Central Military Commission regarding the Party’s leadership over the Army and the building of a politically strong Army. Simultaneously, participate in research and advice to the Party and the Government to plan guidelines, mechanisms, policies and laws on military, national defence and national protection; enhance the quality and effectiveness of the work of direction, guidance, and inspection of Party and political work across the Army. Party committees and organisations at all levels must thoroughly understand and firmly grasp their functions and missions of agencies and units while improving their capacity to concretise and apply them appropriately to practical conditions; being flexible, sensitive, proactive, and promptly handling arising complex situations, avoiding passivity or surprises. Additionally, stay closely aligned with the realities of training, combat readiness, production activities, and disaster prevention of units within the Army to provide advisory and directive efforts in Party and political work that are accurate, timely, and practical.

Secondly, strengthen political education, ideological leadership and uphold the Party’s ideological stronghold within the Party Committee and the General Political Department. The Party Committee of the General Political Department, along with its subordinate party committees and key cadres at all level, focus on leading and directing effective ideological work and education for cadres and soldiers to deeply understand the Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh thought, and steadfast to the goals of national independence and socialism, absolute trust in the Party’s policies and guidelines, firmly grasp the functions, missions, and the requirements for safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation. The entire Party Committee must maintain a unified block of thought, will, and action, ensuring that under any circumstances or situations, it fulfills its responsibilities and missions entrusted by the Party, the Government, and the Central Military Commission. Proactively and sensitively in fighting to protect the Party’s ideological foundation, countering false and hostile viewpoints, combating against schemes and activities of “peaceful evolution” and “depoliticise” the Army; avoid any ambiguity, subjectivity, or negligence, thereby contributing to the firm maintenance of the Party’s ideological stronghold within the Army. Enhance internal political protection, prevent and address signs of degradation in political ideology, moral, and lifestyle as well as manifestations of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”. Party committees, organisations, and leading cadres at all levels must intensify political education and ideological management; integrating ideological work with organisational and policy work. Proactively conduct research, forecast, and assess the ideological situation and developments among cadres, Party members, and soldiers, particularly when facing new, complex, and sensitive issues; address arising challenges promptly and effectively to avoid passivity or surprises; maintain unity within party committees, organisations, and the internal structures of agencies and units. Focus on building and promoting the roles of mass organisations and military councils. Enhance the quality of building a healthy military cultural environment.

Thirdly, enhance the quality of building and implementing resolutions; actively innovate leadership styles; strengthen the management, education, and training of Party members. The Party Committee of the General Political Department, along with its subordinate party committees and organisations, and directly the party committee secretaries, must place great importance on understanding, concretising resolutions and directives from higher levels, political missions of the General Political Department, agencies, and units; carefully preparing draft resolutions for their respective levels, ensuring comprehensive leadership, focusing on key points, addressing weak points, challenges, and newly emerging issues; promptly proposing breakthrough policies and measures that meet the requirements of each phase and each specific task. The leadership resolutions must be concise, specific, easy to remember, and ensure feasibility and leadership effectiveness. On the basis of strictly adhering to the regulations and regimes on party meetings, party committees and organisations within the Party Committee of the General Political Department must actively innovate and enhance the quality of meetings in the direction of  promoting democracy and valuing collective intelligence in discussing and giving decisions regarding leadership policies and measures; implement resolutions meticulously, with high determination and decisive actions; proactively identifying and promptly resolving arising issues; regularly inspect and correct deviations, doing short reviews, comprehensive reviews and drawing lessons.

Constantly innovate the leadership style of collective party committees and each party committee member towards a scientific, grassroots-oriented approach; identify this as a crucial factor to significantly enhance the leadership capacity and combat effectiveness of party committees and organisations. Each party committee and its members must ensure alignment between principles and dynamism, creativity, and sensitivity to new ideas; between revolutionary enthusiasm and a thorough understanding of tasks, honesty, objectivity, and science; between democratic, collective working style and decisiveness with a high sense of personal responsibility; between theoretical understanding and practical activities; words must be matched with actions, maintain close ties with grassroots levels, and foster strong connections with subordinates and the masses. 

Strengthen the management, education, and training of party members, with a focus on monitoring social relationships and maintaining connections with party organisations and the people in residential areas; emphasise the  pioneering and exemplary role of leading cadres and leaders of agencies and units in their work, study, and training. Strictly and truly implement the annual review, assessment, and quality classification of party organisations, party members, and cadres; effectively implement the job of developing and rewarding party members and party organisations promptly and in accordance with regulations.

Fourthly, focus on building a strong team of cadres within the General Political Department, particularly cadres at the campaign and strategic levels, as well as leading cadres and commanders at subordinate units of the General Political Department, to meet the demands of the missions. Determining cadres and cadre work always hold a particularly important position and role, serving as the “key of the key” in building Party committees and organisations that are “exemplarily and typically” clean and strong. The objective is to develop a team of cadres, especially cadres at the campaign and strategic levels; key leading cadres and commanders at the General Political Department’s subordinate units with a strong political stance, absolutely loyal to the Fatherland, the Party, the Government, the People and the socialist regime; exhibit exemplary moral qualities, strict organisational discipline; with comprehensive knowledge and capabilities; dare to think, dare to speak, dare to act, dare to take responsibility, dare to innovate, face difficulties and challenges, and dare to act for the common good, with high credibility, health, and appropriate age; with reasonable quantity and structure; ensuring a solid transition between generations, meeting the requirements according to responsibilities and organisational needs.

Party committees, organisations, and leading cadres in the General Political Department must closely adhere to the Party’s policies and guidelines on cadre work and the evolving situation of the missions; require enhancing the quality and effectiveness of Party and political work across various missions to promote accountability in building the cadre corps. First and foremost, continue to concentrate on thoroughly grasping and strictly implementing Resolution No. 109-NQ/QUTW, dated 11 February 2019, by the Central Military Commission on developing the military’s cadre corps, particularly cadres at campaign and strategic levels, to meet the mission requirements in the new situation; Resolution No. 79-NQ/DU, dated 17 June 2019, by the Party Committee of the General Political Department on building cadre corps within the General Political Department, especially campaign and strategic level cadres, leading cadres and commanders in subordinate agencies and units, to meet the requirements of a new era; Circular No. 07/2019/TT-BQP, issued on 24 February 2019, by the Minister of National Defence, stipulating the standards for positions and titles of cadres within the General Political Department and Regulation No. 163-QĐ/QUTW, dated 21 December 2022, on cadre rotation in the Vietnam People’s Army; and Regulation No. 144-QĐ/TW, dated 9 May 2024, by the Political Bureau (13th tenure) on revolutionary ethical standards for cadres and party members in the new era. Focus on training and enhancing the strategic research and advisory capabilities, building a team of cadres, leading specialists, particularly in agencies tasked with the mission of directing the entire military; effectively carry out midterm votes of confidence for party committee members and commanding cadres in accordance with regulations and rules on the authority and responsibility of leaders in cadre work and management. Resolutely adjust, dismiss, or relieve from duty those cadres who lack a sense of responsibility, fail to fulfill their duties, with low credibility and inadequate capability. Continue to pay attention to improving the living conditions and implementing housing policies for cadres, in accordance with the General Political Department’s capacity and the Ministry of National Defence’s regulations.

Fifthly, strengthening party inspection, supervision, and party discipline; resolutely combating against the degradation in political ideology, ethics, and lifestyle, manifestations of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” within the Party. Inspection and supervision are essential leadership functions of the Party, playing a crucial role in the work of building the Party in terms of politics, ideology, ethics, organisation, and personnel. Party committees and inspection committees at all levels within the Party Committee of the General Political Department must continue to innovate and improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of inspection and supervision work. Raising awareness, responsibility, and actions of party committees, party organisations, party members, particularly key leaders, in the work of inspection, supervision, and party disciplinary activities. Fully and timely issue resolutions, directives, regulations, and statutes regarding inspection, supervision, and party disciplinary activities. Conduct inspection and supervision according to the motto that supervision must be broad in scope, inspections must be targeted on key priorities, focus on leading, directing, and organising the implementation of Party resolutions, directives, and conclusions; pay attention to the inspection of party organisations and party members in in critical areas, sensitive fields, and those showing signs of violations or prone to negative behaviour. Additionally, focus on inspecting and supervising the leadership of political tasks and the implementation of Conclusion No. 21-KL/TW, dated 25 October 2021, by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (13th tenure), Conclusion No. 01-KL/TW, dated 18 May 2021, by the Political Bureau (13th tenure), Regulation No. 37-KL/TW, dated 25 October 2021, by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (13th tenure), Regulation No. 144-QĐ/TW, by the Political Bureau (13th tenure), and Resolution No. 847-NQ/QUTW, dated 28 December 2021 by the Central Military Party Commission, linked with the implementation of the Movement Promoting tradition, contributing talent, being worthy of the title of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the new period.

Building an “exemplarily and typically” clean and strong Party Committee of the General Political Department is a particularly important mission in the current context, requiring a synchronised, comprehensive, and unified implementation with various policies and solutions. Effectively implementing the key tasks outlined above will enhance the leadership capacity and combat strength of the Party, ensuring that the General Political Department fulfills its assigned tasks excellently; be worthy of the position and role as the strategic advisory and leadership body of the Party within the military; serving as the core of leadership and unity, contribute to maintaining and strengthening the absolute and direct leadership of the Party over the military, successfully carrying out the two strategic tasks of building and defending the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the new situation.

Senior Lieutenant General LE QUANG MINH, Deputy Director of the General Political Department of the Vietnam People’s Army, Secretary of the Party Committee of the General Political Department.