Up to now, Vietnam has published four Defence White Papers, which clearly present the goal of creating and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for the construction and defence of the Motherland. However, adversary forces have always put a lot of effort to distort and deny the contents of these papers baselessly. Therefore, fighting to defeat plots and tricks against Vietnam's defense policy is an important task today.
Over the years, along with the viewpoints and principles on national security and defence, which are consistently manifested in the Party’s documents and resolutions, Vietnam also published its National Defence White Paper, which expressed the “Four Nos” policy. The paper demonstrates the openness and transparency of Vietnam’s defence policy, which is defensive and peaceful in nature. It also presents our consistent principle of solving any dispute and disagreement via peaceful means on the basis of international laws; and our approach of proactively preventing the threat of war and actively defending the Motherland early and from afar. At the sametime, the document express our willingness to promote defence cooperation with other countries to enhance our defence capability and handle common security challenges; increasing understanding and building trust among countries toward Vietnam.
However, despite these facts, adversary forces still attempt to use every trick possible to distort Vietnam’s defence policy. They believe that our defence policy in general and the "four nos" policy of the Party and State, in particular, are outdated and no longer suitable in the current situation; “No military alliance”, “no use of force or threat of force in international relations” means that Vietnam has “abandoned revolutionary violence in defending the country”, is “shooting itself in the leg”, "self-isolation", and going against the trend of globalisation and international integration, depriving us of the opportunity to cooperate with major countries to strengthen national defence and protect the Motherland. Especially, regarding the complicated developments in the world and the East Sea, they believe that, with the current defence policy, it is impossible for Vietnam to defend its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Therefore, only with a military alliance with major powers, can Vietnam defend its sovereignty and national interest.
It is necessary to clarify that the above arguments are completely baseless, blatantly distorting Vietnam’s defence policy. The consistent point of view of our Party and State is: “Defend the Motherland with the strength of the great national unity bloc, the national strength combined with the strength of the times. In particular, the internal strength of the country, the political regime, the economy and national potential is the decisive factor”. Article 4 of National Defence Law 2018 stipulates that: “Implement defence diplomacy in accordance with the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development; oppose war in all of its form; proactively and actively integrate and expand international cooperation, crating a favourable international environment for the cause of building and defending the Motherland”. In addition, Vietnam Defence White Paper 2019 states: “Vietnam does not accept defence cooperation under any imposed condition or pressure. Vietnam strengthen multilateral defence cooperation to ensure national defence and security and defend national sovereignty”. The 13th Party National Congress emphasised that: “We must strive to prevent conflicts and wars and settle disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international laws. Also, we must resolutely and persistently fight to firmly protect the independence, sovereignty, national unity, territorial integrity, airspace and waters of the Motherland.
In reality, Vietnam has always strived to strictly implement the set defence policy, and actively fulfilled its commitment to becoming a responsible member state in the international community, contributing to global and regional peace and stability. Up to now, Vietnam has established defence cooperation relations in many fields with more than 100 countries around the world, including 05 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and all major countries. In particular, the Vietnam People’s Army has sent more than 510 cadres with 03 field hospitals and the 1st Engineer Team to carry out missions in South Sudan, Central African Republic, Abyei region and the United Nations Headquarters. These missions were highly appreciated by the United Nations and the international community, enhancing our prestige and position, making Vietnam a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term with a very high number of votes (192/193 votes in favour). This is a clear demonstration of the wishes and goodwill of the Party, the State and the People of Vietnam in the implementation of a national defence policy that no adversary force can distort or deny.
However, to push back wrongful and distorted notions against current Vietnam’s defence policy, we need to effectively implement the following solutions:
First, promote propaganda and information dissemination work to improve the awareness and clarify the correctness of the current Vietnam’s defence policy. This is the most important issue that needs to be further promoted in various forms and with different methods; in which, we must focus on providing information about our defence and security policy, principles of national defence, National Defence Laws, and Vietnam Defence White Paper. In addition, it is necessary to clarify the scientific basis of these principles to affirm the righteousness, and the peaceful and self-defence nature of Vietnam’s defence policy. To effectively realise this, we need to promote the work of correctly studying, assessing and forecasting situations, providing objective and mainstream information on military and defence matters; and complicated and sensitive domestic, regional, and international issues to improve the awareness and understanding of the people, diasporas and the international community on Vietnam’s defence policy. Thereby, we will be able to enhance the trust of other countries in the peace-loving people and government of Vietnam. At the same time, it is necessary to improve the effectiveness of the 35 Steering Committee at all levels; uphold the role of various organisations and contingents, especially speacialised ones of agencies and units to form an extensive and strong network to defeat distorted views and sabotaging acts of adversary forces against Vietnam’s defence policy.
Second, strengthen the leadership of the Party, and the effectiveness of the State’s management in the work of national defence and security. In reality, one of the major objectives of adversary forces is to sabotage the independent foreign and defence policy of our Party and State; and to deny and downplay the leadership role of the Party and the management function of the State in military and defence matters, aiming to “depoliticise” our armed forces to create favourable conditions for regime change in Vietnam. To defeat this plot, first and foremost, we must: “Firmly maintain and strengthen the absolute, direct and comprehensive leadership of the party, the concentrated and unified management of the State over the People’s Army, the People’s Public Security Force and the work of national defence and security”. It is also necessary to further complement and perfect the Party’s leadership methods and mechanisms and the State’s legal systems on defence, security and foreign affairs to ensure the unity and coherence in these matters, establishing the legal corridor for the implementation of defence work and the expansion of international defence and security cooperation. At the same time, we must proactively act to defeat adversary forces’ plots to avocate for political pluralism, multi-partyism, and the “depoliticisation” of the armed forces.
Third, clarify the policy of mobilise all resources to strengthen our defence capability in order to meet all the demands of the cause of defending the Motherland in the new situation. Currently, adversary forces are focusing on our “four nos” defence policy and urging for a military alliance with a foreign power. However, history has shown that, we were able to defeat all foreign invaders and protect the Motherland because we knew how to promote the will of self-reliance and the internal strength of the entire nation. Therefore, to defeat these distorted notions, it is necessary to make the people understand the policy of strengthening our defence capability with the strength of the whole country, of the national unity bloc, and of the entire political system under the leadership of the Party and the unified management of the State; the combination between national strength and the epochal strength, and between the domestic strength and international drive. At the same time, we must build and promote “People’s hearts and minds battle array” in the all-people defence and security posture; build and firmly consolidate the all-people defence and security posture, creating a synergised power to defend the Motherland.
Fourth, step up international integration and defence diplomacy, create a peaceful and stable environment for national construction and development. This is an important task and a component of our strategy to defend the Motherland early from afar; at the same time, it is key in defeating the “self-isolation” notion spread by adversary forces. Therefore, it is necessary to continue to uphold the pioneering role of diplomacy in creating and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, and mobilising external resources to improve the prestige and position of our country. Additionally, we must proactively engage in international integration with flexible and principled foreign policy, aiming to increase partners and reduce opposing forces, creating aligning interests between us and other countries, especially major powers, neighbouring countries, and regional partners to avoid conflict and confrontation and prevent isolation and dependence. Besides, we should actively enhance international friendship and unity, and step up defence relations and cooperation to strengthen our capability to build a revolutionary, standardised, elite, and step-by-step modernised; and to contribute to the consolidation of strategic trust between Vietnam and other countries, improving the prestige and position of our country and our military in the eyes of the international community.
Vietnam’s defence policy clearly demonstrates our tradition of peace-loving, humanity and goodwill. It has not only contributed to the establishment and enhancement of trust and support of the international community toward Vietnam, but also defeated all of adversary forces’ distorted notions and sabotaging acts against our country.
Dr. BUI DING TIEP, Military Political Academy, Ministry of National Defence