Being imbued with President Ho Chi Minh's teaching about Party building in his sacred testament, over the past 50 years, the Military Party has been ceaselessly made strong in terms of politics, ideology, organisation, and morality. These are both sentiments and responsibilities of Viet Nam People's Army (VPA) to the beloved leader of Vietnamese people, the dear father of the armed forces, and the key, decisive factor to ensure our military a reliable political force and faithful combat force to the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV), State, and people.

Gen. Luong Cuong headed the Military delegation's visit to Uncle Ho's Mausoleum on 30 August 2019 (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Given his role in the foundation and training of the CPV, President Ho Chi Minh attached special importance to Party building and education of cadres and party members so as to make our Party "both virtuous and civilised," truly pure and solid, and worthy of people's leader and loyal servant. According to Uncle Ho, "A strong Party leads to success of the revolution." Therefore, before his decease, he had placed the content "about the Party" right at the beginning of his sacred testament. His devoted teachings always serve as the guidelines for our Party to apply in the building and development process, leading the revolution to surmount difficulties and challenges so as to gain great victories. These are also the directions and goals to make the Military Party politically, ideologically, and morally robust, capable of leading the whole military to successfully undertake its assigned functions and missions, determined to fight and determined to win in any situations.

Being instilled with Uncle Ho's ideology and teachings about Party building, in recent years, the Military Party Committee has set forth many measures to lead and direct the building of a strong party in both politics, ideology, organisation, and morality. Notably, the Military Committee has always been in the vanguard of strictly and effectively grasping and realising resolutions of the Central Executive Committee, Politburo, and Secretariat on Party building, especially resolutions of the 4th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (Tenures XI and XII) on Party building, Directive 03-CT/TW of the Politburo (Tenure XI) and Directive 05-CT/TW of the Politburo (Tenure XII) on stepping up the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh's thought, morality, and style. Thus, the Party's ideological front in the VPA is firmly preserved and instilled in the ideology and actions of all party organisations, people, and the whole Party Committee. Most of the VPA's officers and party members possess political steadfastness and firmly defend and bring into play the qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" and traditions of a heroic military, pure, healthy lifestyle and ethics. They are also consistent in Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh's thought, and the goals of national independence and socialism, and have an absolute confidence in the Party's leadership. In addition, most of the VPA's officers and party members are well aware of their combat goals without worrying and shrinking from difficulties and challenges, and actively and proactively struggle against false, distorted ideologies and actions aimed at denying revolutionary achievements and sabotaging the CPV, State, and socialism. These are the bases and premises for improving combat power of party organisations, ensuring that the Military Party Committee leads the whole military to successfully accomplish their assigned functions and missions.

In the coming time, there remain potential complex, unforeseeable developments in the region and the world. At the same time, national defence faces new, tough requirements. In order to continue to make the Military Party politically, ideologically, organisationally, and morally solid as depicted in President Ho Chi Minh's testament, it is necessary to bring into play achievements while seriously addressing shortcomings and weaknesses with a focus on the following solutions:

First, promoting education to raise the awareness and responsibilities of cadres, party members, and the masses according to President Ho Chi Minh's last teaching. First of all, party organisations and members of the Military Party need to study, perceive, and have a deeper understanding of President Ho Chi Minh's inner wishes and requirements for Party building work expressed in his Testament. Additionally, they have to firmly grasp the CPV's resolutions on the military and defence work, particularly resolutions of the 8th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (Tenures IX and XI) on the Strategy to Safeguard the Homeland in the new situation, Viet Nam's Defence Strategy, Viet Nam's Military Strategy, Strategy to Safeguard National Borders, Strategy to Safeguard the Homeland in the Cyberspace, and some projects to secure national defence in strategic areas, borders, seas, and islands, thereby enabling the whole military to develop a uniform awareness of the necessity to firmly maintain the CPV's absolute, direct, all-round leadership over the VPA and the cause of national defence; to heighten responsibilities of cadres and party members for self-cultivating their political steadfastness, virtues, and lifestyles; and to firmly uphold solidarity and oneness in the spirit of seriously complying with principles and rules. On the basis of correct awareness, there needs to promote comprehensive leadership, first and foremost, the strategic studies to grasp and correctly forecast situations so as to advise and recommend the CPV and State to issue guidelines, policies, and laws on military and national defence, Party work and political work. In addition, it is important to work out responses to address flexibly and sensibly sensitive issues in international relations and complex defence and security situations, especially the East Sea issue, without falling into passivity and surprise.

Second, comprehending the spirit of "keeping our Party truly pure" according to Uncle Ho's Testament and focusing on building pure, strong party executive committees and party organisations in the Military Party. To do so requires party executive committees and party organisations at all levels to continue grasp and strictly abide by Regulation 104-QD/QUTW, dated 16 February 2017, of the Central Military Commission (CMC) on "Some fundamental issues regarding the implementation of the democratic centralism principle in the VPA's party organisations," Conclusion 38-KL/TW, dated 13 November 2018, of the Politburo and Conclusion 111-KL/QUTW, dated 12 February 2019, of the CMC's Standing Committee on continuing to strengthen leadership capabilities and combat power of party organisations, and the quality of corps of cadres and party members, and Directive 35-CT/TW, dated 30 May 2019, of the Politburo on holding party congresses at all levels in the Military Party. Additionally, they have to successfully strengthen party organisations in accordance with adjustments to the structure and manpower of departments and units, ensuring adeptness, compactness, robustness, and competence for successfully leading task execution. The party executive committees and party organisations at all echelons base themselves on established functions, missions, and authorities to promulgate specific regulations and rules regarding the realisation of principle of collective leadership, individual accountability and leveraging the roles and responsibilities of cadres and party members, especially the leading ones. At the same time, they have to seriously maintain regulations on the participation in Party activities and on Party administrative procedures, bringing into play the roles of mass organisations (Youth Union, Women's Union, Defence Trade Union, Military Personnel's Council) in Party building. In Party activities, cadres and party members need to correctly implement the principle of democratic centralism, making the most of collective wisdom and heightening their responsibilities in the development of leadership measures. The whole Military Party have to be in the vanguard of implementing Resolution of the 4th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (Tenure XII) and Directive 05 of the Politburo (Tenure XII), and firmly grasp manifestations of degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle, "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" pointed out by the CPV so as to self-criticise and criticise in the spirit of comradeship, straightness, sincerity, solidarity, and constructiveness while refraining from exploiting criticism to undermine prestige of each other. This is "the best way to strengthen and foster the Party's solidarity and unity" as taught by Uncle Ho, contributing to building pure, strong party organisations, which truly serve as the core force to lead units to successfully fulfil their assigned tasks.

Third, firmly preserving the CPV's ideological front in the VPA while resolutely struggling to defeat the hostile forces' "Peaceful Evolution Strategy" and "depoliticisation," ensuring that, under any circumstances, the VPA is always an elite force in politics and absolutely faithful to the CPV, Homeland, and people. Currently, hardships come not only from readiness to sacrifice when the Homeland and people are put at risk, but also from each individual's willpower, attitude, and steadfastness in the face of complex, multidimensional impacts from the society and hostile forces' drastic, subtle sabotage, particularly that in the ideological, cultural fields. Consequently, all party executive committees, agencies, and units need to actively reform to improve the quality and effectiveness of political, ideological education, making every party member, cadre, and soldier deeply imbued with the scientific, revolutionary nature of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh's Thought, absolutely believe in the CPV's lines and standpoints, steadfast in national independence and socialism, and thoroughly perceive functions, missions, and demands of national defence in the new situation. Political and theoretical studies are to be seriously and fully carried out because the manifestations of fear of political study and research have been defined as the manifestations of degradation in political ideology by our Party. The whole Party Committee strictly grasp and successfully realise Resolution 35-NQ/TW of the Politburo (Tenure XII) on "strengthening the protection of the CPV's ideological foundation, struggling to oppose false, hostile positions in the new situation" and Directive 823-CT/QUTW, dated 10 September 2017, of the CMC's Standing Committee on "strengthening the leadership and instruction on the prevention and response to "peaceful evolution" in ideological, cultural fields in the VPA," proactively providing positive information to timely guide ideology against the backdrop of complex, sensitive issues, contributing to raising the resistance power of cadres, party members, and the masses. At the same time, it is necessary to leverage the overall power of organisations, forces, and instruments, particularly the key forces in media agencies, newspapers, and publishing houses while actively applying technologies and technical solutions to improve the effectiveness of the struggle against false, hostile standpoints on the Internet and social networks. Leaders and commanders at all levels have to regularly perceive soldiers' ideological evolution so as to timely deal with emerging matters without being taken by surprise, especially in the context of adjusting organisation and staffing and holding party congresses at all levels ahead of the 13th National Party Congress.

Fourth, being imbued with Uncle Ho's teaching: "Each party member and cadre has to be truly imbued with revolutionary ethic," party executive committees and organisations at various levels are to pay regular attention to cultivating cadres and party members' revolutionary ethic. Revolutionary ethic is the fundamental, core quality to establish and develop military personnel's dignity. It is also the most important element to build the Military Party Committee in terms of morality. Thus, party executive committees and organisations need to actively propagandise and educate to raise all cadres, party members, and masses' awareness and consciousness of preserving and bringing into play the moral values and standards of "Uncle Ho's soldiers," as well as the character of "faithfulness to the country, piousness to the people," which has been carefully looked after by generations of the VPA's officers and soldiers. Party executive committees and organisations have to cultivate their cadres and party members' virtues of "diligence, thrift, integrity, uprightness, public-mindedness, selflessness," encouraging them to dedicate themselves to their work, lead honest, straightforward lives, avoid corruption, wastefulness, selfishness, individualism, and so on. In addition, it is important to continue to comprehend and strictly implement Directive 855-CT/QUTW, dated 12 August 2019, of the CMC's Standing Committee on stepping up the campaign “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho's soldiers in the new situation," ensuring that the campaign becomes a reality, has a drastic, vivid, effective pervasion, and well suits the needs of cultivating cadres, party members, and the masses' revolutionary ethic.

Fifth, the corps of cadres and party members, especially the leading ones at all echelons, are to heighten their exemplary roles in lives and activities. First of all, there needs to grasp and seriously carry out Regulation 47-QD/TW on things that party members are not allowed to do, Regulation 101-QD/TW on the responsibility to set bright examples of cadres and party members, especially the leading ones at all levels, Regulation 55-QD/TW on "Some urgent tasks for strengthening the exemplary roles of cadres and party members," Regualtion 08-QD/TW on the responsibility to set bright examples of cadres and party members, first and foremost the members of the Politburo, members of the Secretariat, and members of the Party Central Committee, and other regulations of the CMC on the responsibility to set shining examples of military officers and soldiers. On such bases, cadres and party members are to actively and voluntarily train themselves according to established criteria for goals, ideals, and ethics; truly attach themselves to units to develop close relationships with the masses and their juniors; impartially settle issues and harmonise relations; and match words with deeds as well as awareness with action. Meanwhile, they have to set examples of implementing the CPV's resolutions and regulations, are not degraded in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle, show no sign of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation," properly deal with relationships, firmly preserve solidarity and unity, and pay attention to improving soldiers' material and spiritual lives." Each cadre and party member must voluntarily develop their correct drivers of advancement, ceaselessly study to enhance their capacity, competence, working methods and styles, strictly comply with discipline, practise internal solidarity and close attachment to people, heighten self-respect and national pride, be strict with themselves, set examples of working, put the collective interest first, have no desire for fame, interest, and money, and not envy other people.

Sixth, strengthening the examination and supervision of the CPV's discipline implementation. Party executive committees and discipline inspection commissions at all levels must strictly realise regulations and principles of discipline inspection and supervision, especially Regulation 102-QD/TW, dated 15 November 2017, of the Party Central Committee on disciplining party members for their violations, Regulation 01-QD/TW, dated 10 May 2018, of the Central Executive Committee on the responsibilities and authorities of discipline inspection commissions over corruption prevention and response, and so forth. On such bases, they heighten the awareness, responsibilities, capabilities, and methods to perform inspection and supervision work, ensuring "extensive supervision, intensive inspection," comprehensiveness, openness, democracy, carefulness, closeness, and accuracy, combining discipline inspection and supervision with taking disciplinary action, and taking prevention of discipline violation as the key. Party executive committees and discipline inspection commissions at all levels also have to attach importance to inspecting and supervising chiefs of party executive committees, party organisations, and units regarding their fulfilment of duties and missions, their compliance with the principle of democratic centralism and working regulations, and their preservation of morality, lifestyle, and working style. There needs to enhance inspection and supervision of party organisations and members with signs of discipline violation and disunity, and of party organisations in units of strategic importance, independence operations, in charge of managing material facilities and economic, financial aspects, thus discovering violations right at the grass-roots level so as to foster complete settlement of letters of denunciation, resolutely punishing those with discipline violations, and ensuring straightforwardness, accuracy, right people, right offences without any exceptions in order to generate high consensus and strictly uphold Party discipline.

50 years of implementation of President Ho Chi Minh's Testament is also the period the Military Party has been made politically, ideologically, organisationally, and morally strong. Thereby, under any conditions and circumstances, the CPV's absolute leadership over the VPA is firmly maintained, contributing to firmly upholding the CPV's ideological front in the VPA, enabling the VPA to bring into play its steadfastness, wisdom, and competence to lead the whole military to successfully accomplish the mission of safeguarding the Homeland in any situations.

General Luong Cuong, Secretary of the Party Central Committee,

Member of the Central Military Commission's Standing Committee,

Chief of the General Political Department, Viet Nam People's Army