Soc Trang is a coastal province located downstream of the Hau river in the Mekong Delta; 60% of its communes and wards are key areas of defence and security; nearly 35% of its population are ethnic minorities (30.19% of them are Khmer people); it has 64 religious organisations with nearly 650,000 religious people and monks; there are differences in the intellectual standard among its people. This land is rich in historical, cultural, and revolutionary traditions; however, it is also an epicentre of hostile forces’ sabotage strategy especially when they take advantage of issues on “ethnicity”, “religion”, “democracy”, and “human rights” to undermine our national great unity. Besides, crime of various types, particularly hi-tech crime and black credit, tends to intensify and greatly impact on the province’s development process and performance of local military and defence tasks. Against that backdrop, the Provincial Military Command (PMC) has frequently given advice to the province on effectively performing all military and defence tasks, with a focus on improving the effectiveness of defence and security education in order to build great political and spiritual potentialities as the basis for Soc Trang’s rapid, sustainable development.

PMC Commander delivers a speech during a defence and security education course for cadres from the 3rd group in 2024

Effectiveness of defence and security education is determined by many factors, in which all-level local party committees and authorities’ leadership and direction act as the consistent foundation. To achieve uniformity in terms of ideology, awareness, and action, in its capacity as the Standing Agency of the Provincial Defence and Security Education Council, the PMC has given advice to the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People’s Committee on grasping resolutions, directives, and guidance regarding defence and security education. As a result, responsibility and awareness among all sectors and people have been improved; leadership by party committees and management by authorities and heads of offices towards defence and security education have been promoted as a solid foundation for performing this important task. Apparently, those good results have derived from leading, directing, and guiding documents designed by all-level party committees and authorities; those documents have contributed to mobilising the participation of the entire political system and raising state management of local military and defence work. Besides, all-level party committees and authorities have regularly conducted preliminary and final reviews to draw lessons, rectify wrongdoings, and deal with signs of “completely delegating” defence and security education to military and public security agencies.

Fully aware of the role of the subjects of defence and security education, the PMC has given advice on improving the quality of a contingent of lecturers, rapporteurs, and communicators. First of all, the PMC has collaborated with the Provincial Party Committee’s Information and Communication Commission, the Provincial Public Security Department, the Provincial Department of Education and Training, and localities in carrying out surveys and assessments of lecturers, rapporteurs, and communicators in charge of defence and security education. Due attention has been paid to both qualitatively and quantitatively consolidating this contingent at all levels (100 lecturers, 2 rapporteurs, 17 communicators at provincial level, 11 rapporteurs and 22 communicators at district level, 109 communicators at commune level). At the same time, plans for refresher courses have been made to improve and “standardise” this contingent’s knowledge. In those courses, emphasis has been placed on improving political qualities, knowledge and hands-on experience in terms of local military and defence work, and skills in combining modern teaching methods. As a result, lecturers, rapporteurs, and communicators have shown their willpower to overcome difficulties, heightening a sense of responsibility for self-study and self-improvement, effectively applying teaching methods integrated with information technology, successfully combining theoretical presentation with illustration to capture learners’ attention, thus achieving breakthroughs in performing this important task.

To continue to raise the quality of defence and security education in the new situation, the PMC has advised the Provincial Defence and Security Education Council on directing district-level defence and security education councils to effectively execute decrees by the Government, circulars by the Ministry of National Defence (MND), and directives by the Provincial Defence and Security Education Council and Military Region 9’s Defence and Security Education Council. Great weight has been added to conducting surveys and reviews, designing and implementing plans for defence and security education in a uniform way to avoid overlaps or missing out learners. In the process, while giving advice to the Provincial Defence and Security Education Council on deploying cadres from the 1^st and 2^nd groups to courses held by higher echelons, the PMC has developed plans on defence and security education courses for cadres from the 3^rd and 4^th groups, religious dignitaries, enterprise owners under the Government’s Decree 139/2020/NĐ-CP, dated 27 November 2020. At the same time, the PMC has organised defence and security education courses for cadres from the 3^rd and 4^th groups under Circular 24/2014/TT-BQP, dated 15 May 2014, by Minister of National Defence in accordance with each period. Those courses have been centred on the Strategy for Fatherland Protection in the New Situation, responsibilities of cadres and citizens for socio-economic development, defence and security consolidation, and area protection, hostile forces’ nature, plots, and artifices, issues on “ethnicity”, “religion”, “democracy”, and “human rights”, our Party and State’s policies for religions, and revolutionary traditions of the armed forces and localities. During defence and security courses for cadres from the 3^rd group, learners have had a chance to observe district-level defensive zone exercises; in the end of those courses, cadres have been required to play roles in an exercise to better grasp mechanisms during defensive operations. As for religious dignitaries, fishing householders, and enterprise owners in the key areas of defence and security, the areas mainly inhabited by religious people, and fishing villages, a part from defence and security education courses, the PMC has given advice on establishing communicator groups to deliver specialised topics of defence and security.

Defence and security education contest for high school students in 2024

To obtain good results in defence and security education for students and pupils, the PMC has closely collaborated with the Department of Education and Training to effectively implement Joint Circular 123/2015/TTLT-BQP-BGD&ĐT-BLĐTB&XH, dated 5 November 2015, by the MND, the Ministry of Education and Training, and the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids, and Social Affairs. It has proactively given advice to the Provincial Defence and Security Education Council on directing Soc Trang Community College and Soc Trang Vocational College to closely cooperate with Military Region 9’s Military School in offering defence and security education subject for students. As for other schools, particularly high schools, the province has required them to frequently acquire new knowledge of defence and security and sufficiently deliver specialised topics under regulations. Schools have also been asked to organise extra-curricular activities, such as visits to houses of traditional history, military and defence constructions, and historical sites, in order to improve students’ knowledge and arouse their love for their country and hometown. In 2024 alone, the province provided defence and security education for 32,231 college students, high school students, and learners from schools under the management of State agencies and political - social organisations, which has been highly appreciated by Military Region 9’s Command.

Amid the requirements of building political and spiritual potentialities for defensive zones, dissemination of knowledge of defence and security among all people plays a role of utmost importance. Grounded on yearly plans, the PMC has closely collaborated with the Information and Education Commission and the Department of Information and Communications in directing press agencies at provincial and district levels to maintain specialised columns and pages in accordance with each group of citizens, particularly in the remote, ethnic minority, and religious areas. The Provincial Radio and Television has regularly maintained its “All-People National Defence” Program, while offices, units, and localities have conducted propagation on defence and security during major political events of the country and their training sessions in tandem with emulation movements, campaigns, and mass organisations’ activities. In the process, emphasis has been placed on disseminating the Party’s lines on Fatherland protection, the State’s policies on “ethnicity” and “religion”, responsibilities of citizens for socio-economic development and defence and security consolidation, localities’ revolutionary tradition, and hostile forces’ plots and artifices. In 2024 alone, there were 30 specialised programs, with over 100 pieces of news and reports on the Provincial Television, 304 specialised programs with nearly 2,000 pieces of news and reports on the Provincial Radio, and 51 specialised columns with 231 pieces of news and articles on Soc Trang Provincial Newspaper. Consequently, public awareness of Fatherland protection has been raised as the basis for fostering socio-economic development and maintaining political security and social order and safety.

Synchronously taking those above-mentioned measures, consolidating all-level defence and security education councils both qualitatively and quantitatively, and building the Provincial Defence and Security Education Centre (which will be active in March 2026) will lay a solid foundation for defence and security education work across Soc Trang province to be developed widely and deeply to contribute to building great political and spiritual potentialities within defensive zones, making all-people national defence increasingly strong, and fostering the province’s rapid, sustainable development.

Sr. Col. TRAN QUOC KHOI

Commander of Soc Trang PMC