Despite being still young, during the August Revolution in 1945, the predecessors of the Capital’s armed forces promoted their core role, together with Hanoi people, in revolting and firmly defending the revolutionary achievements. Continuing and promoting that tradition, the Capital’s armed forces have always raised their vigilance and sharpened the fighting morale to be determined to firmly protect the country’s “heart” and worthy of the trust of the Party Committee, authorities, and people of Hanoi and people nationwide.

Taking the revolutionary opportunities and implementing the General Uprising Order of the National Uprising Committee, under the leadership of the Tonkin Party Committee and Hanoi Party Committee, on the morning of August 19^th, 1945, the inner-city and suburban self-defense troops, equipped with weapons, with national flags and revolutionary banners in their hands, marched toward the Opera House. On the roads, tens of thousands of people from all over the city came to the city center with boiling spirit. At 11 o'clock, a large rally with hundreds of thousands of people was held at the Opera House then quickly turned into a demonstration. Taking advantage of that opportunity, the Capital’s self-defense troops were divided into two blocks and quickly took over the important organs of the enemy. Viet Minh Front sent a delegation to negotiate with the Japanese, forcing them to stay stationary and accept the revolutionary government for safety. On the evening of August 19^th, the important agencies of the Bao Dai Court in Hanoi were returned to the revolution, marking a complete victory in the Capital. Immediately after that, the Capital’s armed forces participated in protecting the absolute safety of the Party Central Committee, Uncle Ho, and the people on the National Day (September 2^nd, 1945), smashing all the sabotage conspiracies and actions of internal and external enemies, and firmly defending the young revolutionary government under the motto “Determined to sacrifice for the eternity of the Fatherland” to initiate the national resistance war to protect the independence and freedom of the nation.

The victory of the uprising to take power in Hanoi Capital showed the right leadership of the Party Central Committee, Tonkin Party Committee, and Hanoi Party Committee and the results of gathering and promoting the role and solidarity strength of the masses, of which especially the great role of the Capital’s armed forces. The victory of the uprising in Hanoi encouraged and spread the revolutionary spirit throughout the country and contributed to the victory of the August Revolution. That spirit has been followed and highly promoted by the Capital’s armed forces to make multiple glorious victories in the two resistance wars against the French colonialists and American imperialists as well as in the cause of Fatherland construction and protection to fulfill all assigned tasks, maintain a peaceful, stable, social order and safety environment, and create conditions for Hanoi to develop comprehensively, commensurate with the stature of a-thousand-year civilised Capital.

Currently, our people’s cause of Fatherland construction and defence under the leadership of the Party, in addition to favorable conditions and opportunities, faces many intertwined difficulties and challenges. Aware of the great honor and responsibility for the task of protecting the particularly important strategic area - the country’s “heart”, the Capital's armed forces continue to thoroughly grasp the military and defense guidelines of the Party and directives and resolutions of the Central Military Commission, Ministry of Defense, the Municipal Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee to focus on building the comprehensive strength, overall quality, and high combat power, really be a political force and a reliable and loyal fighting force of the Party Committee, government, people of the Capital and ready to receive and fulfill all assigned tasks.

Ensuring absolute safety for political events in the capital

To accomplish that goal, first of all, Hanoi Military Party Committee and High Command have well performed the function of advising the City’s Party Committee and People's Committee to lead and direct the comprehensive completion of local military and defense work. Thoroughly grasping the Party and State's directives and resolutions on military and defense tasks, Hanoi Military Party Committee and High Command have promoted the core role in presiding over the coordination with departments, agencies, and branches, with attention paid to advising the City Party Committee and People's Committee to issue and effectively implement resolutions, directives, action plans, plans, and guidance on local military and defense work. Importance has been attached to closely combining socio-economic development with strengthening of defense, security, and foreign affairs and improving the capacity of state management on defense to well implement socio-economic development plans to 2020, with a vision to 2030. They have also promoted the building of an all-people defense and all-people defense posture associated with the people's security posture and building the defensive area potentials and posture with a core in building “the people’s heart and mind posture” and planning and investing in building the defensive area posture more solid, in-depth, and in line with the requirements and tasks of defense and security of the Capital.

Secondly, to build the Capital’s armed forces strong, especially in term of politics with high combat readiness level and capacity to fulfill the tasks in all situations. The High Command and its subordinate agencies and units have advised the City’s Party Committee and government and localities to take care of building strong armed forces in  terms of politics, ideology, and organization and, at the same time, synchronously implement measures for regularity construction, discipline training, and improvement of combat readiness level and capacity and combat power of forces, including regular troops, reservists, and militia and self-defense forces to make the Capital’s armed forces “lean, compact, strong” acting as the core in advising and organizing the implementation of military and defense tasks and firmly protecting the Capital in all circumstances. Agencies and units have strengthened political education and ideological leadership to build strong political stuff and high determination for cadres and soldiers in performing their tasks. Importance has been attached to consolidating and improving leadership capacity and combat power of the Party committees and organizations and building typical clean and strong party organizations not to allow “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” internally. They also continue to well organize the learning and following of Ho Chi Minh thoughts, ethics, and style, the Determination-to-Win Emulation movement, and the drive entitled “Promoting tradition, dedicating talents, deserving Uncle Ho's Soldiers” in the new era.

Thirdly, to promote the role of “the working army” in the especially important strategic area in terms of defense and security. Being closely bonded with the people and wholeheartedly supported and helped by the people is a decisive factor for the growth and maturity of the Capital's armed forces. Continuing that good tradition, the Capital’s armed forces should promote the role of “the working army” to actively carry out the mass mobilization work, participate in building the grassroots political system, and safe areas, effectively implement local patriotic emulation movements and other movements such as “The Capital's soldiers and militia and self-defense join hands in building the new countryside and civilised city” and “repaying”, and helping the people in hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, in natural disaster response and recovery to build solid political and spiritual potential and a solid “people's heart-and-mind posture”. They also continue to promote education, fostering knowledge of defense and security for objects and the entire population and propagandize to raise awareness of all classes of people about partners, objects, conspiracies, and tricks of “Peaceful evolution” of hostile forces in the area and effectively fight against tricks to take advantage of “democracy”, “human rights”, and “religions” matters to sabotage, not to let complicated cases and hot spots happen in the area.

Finally, to actively coordinate with other forces and functional agencies in maintaining political security and social order and safety in the area. Hanoi Capital High Command has regularly coordinated closely with the City Public Security in the spirit of Decree No.03/2019/NĐ-CP issued on September 5^th, 2019 by the Government. In particular, it has proactively coordinated in grasping and accurately forecasting the situation to advise the City to have appropriate responses and develop plans for coordinating in protecting key areas and targets, prevention and control of terrorism, riot, overthrow, disruptive activities, and demonstrations and plans for fire and explosion prevention and fighting, natural disaster and incident recovery, search and rescue, etc. Thereby, it has proactively prevented and successfully handled situations, not to be passive and unexpected, protect the absolute safety of the headquarters of the Party and State and political, cultural, and foreign affair events of the country taking place in the Capital, and timely detect and resolutely struggle to defeat all conspiracies and tricks of “peaceful evolution” and overthrowing riots of hostile forces to firmly protect the Capital in all circumstances.

Promoting the spirit of the August Revolution and their heroic tradition, the Capital's armed forces continue to strive to fulfill all assigned tasks to be worthy of being reliable and loyal fighting and political forces to firmly protect the Capital - the country’s “heart”.

Major General NGUYEN QUOC DUYET

Commander of Hanoi Capital High Command