Engineer Brigade 229 has been selected as a model of the Engineer Corps and the entire Military in terms of law dissemination and education for military youths in the period of 2021-2025. This is an honourable but very heavy task of the Brigade. The reason is that only after the Brigade becomes an “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong unit could it be a model of the entire Corps and Military in terms of discipline management. To well perform this task, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command have focused their leadership and direction on synchronously taking creative measures to realise models of law dissemination and education for the youth in accordance with the Brigade’s task requirements, thereby bringing into play the strengths of the core force and attracting the participation of a large number of cadres, youth union members, and young soldiers.

Law crossword at Company 5, Battalion 2

First of all, in order to effectively perform the work of law dissemination and education in general and realise models in particular, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command have promoted the role of party committees and organisations, commanders, political offices, and Law Dissemination and Education Council in leading, directing, and guiding the implementation process. Grasping higher echelons’ directives, resolutions, circulars, and guiding documents on law dissemination and education, particularly Guidance 4337/HD-CT, dated August 11^th, 2021 by the Corps’ Political Department on building model units in terms of law dissemination and education for the youth in the period of 2021-2025, the Brigade’s party committees and organisations, commanders, political offices, and Law Dissemination and Education Council have formulated guidelines and measures of leadership and direction relevant to the Brigade’s characteristics. Due attention has been paid to identifying viewpoints, goals, requirements, contents, and criteria for building model units and measures to raise the effectiveness of law dissemination and education for the youth. The Brigade’s Law Dissemination and Education Council has been frequently consolidated to ensure its organisational structure and operate under Regulations. It has proactively given advice to party committees and commands on contents and measures of law dissemination and education work, particularly the development of proper action plans, while promoting its members’ role in directing and inspecting this work.

Grounded on leadership and direction from party committees and organisations and higher echelons’ guidance, the Brigade’s youth unions have flexibly employed models in accordance with each group of troops and the Brigade’s particularities. Due regard has been paid to disseminating the fundamentals of the State’s laws, the Military’s discipline, and the Brigade’s regulations, such as the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Penal Code, the National Defence Law, the Military Service Law, the Road Traffic Law, the Cyber Security Law, the Law on Complaints and Denunciations, the Law on Professional Service Men and Women, National Defence Workers and Officials as well as relevant decrees and circulars. The Brigade’s youth unions have organised models with different requirements to attract the participation of cadres, youth union members, and young soldiers. The first model of law dissemination and education developed by the Brigade’s youth unions is: “Youth branch with no violation of law and discipline committed by youth union cadres, youth union members, and young soldiers.” This model requires close leadership and direction and especially self-consciousness of youth union members and young people. Thus, youth unions have asked all youth union cadres, youth union members, and young soldiers to write commitments not to violating discipline, social evils, and the Road Traffic Law, and not to deserting. Great value has been attached to promoting the role of leaderships, commands, and youth union executive committees in grasping the youth’s compliance with law and discipline to opportunely, effectively adopt measures of education, management, encouragement, and settlement. The second model is “well implementing one article of law on a weekly basis.” This model has been organised every Thursday evening by the Brigade’s youth unions. More specifically, on Thursday evenings, youth union cadres disseminate contents of laws for youth union members and young soldiers’ study, and they will inspect the outcome of troops’ study in the following week. The third model is “team of legal and psychological consultants for troops.” This model is aimed at improving youth union cadres, youth union members, and young soldiers’ life skills and knowledge of the State’s laws, the Military’s discipline, and units’ regulations. Adopting this model has allowed all-level party committees and commands to grasp troops’ ideology, law and discipline knowledge, and life skills to work towards measures of leadership and direction, minimise violations of discipline, and maintain stability within their units. Those teams have been established at company level and headed by company commissars under the direct leadership and direction from party committees, commanders, and commissars at this level. Via troops’ practical activities, when troops have negative ideological manifestations or needs for consultancy, those teams will provide direct, or team-based, or specialised consultancy. On a monthly basis, conferences have been organised to draw lessons and better the efficiency of law consultancy, propagation, and education. The fourth model is “law crossword.” This model is designed every week as a useful game aimed at improving youth union cadres, youth union members, and young soldiers’ legal awareness and knowledge. To organise such a game, youth union cadres have made elaborate preparations, carefully researched into legal documents, and designed crossword puzzles in accordance with youth union members and young soldiers’ educational background. The fifth model is “law bookcase,” which enables youth union cadres, youth union members, and young soldiers to quickly, easily get access to documents on law and discipline. At each Ho Chi Minh Hall or each assembly room, there have been at least 2 law bookcases for youth union cadres, youth union members, and young soldiers to study legal documents, directives, and regulations of the Military, the Corps, and the Brigade. It should be noted that amidst the complex developments of COVID-19, the Brigade Party Committee has focused its leadership on effectively realising the model of “standing shoulder to shoulder together.” This model has been designed to adapt to pandemic prevention and control. Each youth branch has established one propagation team including 4 or 5 troops tasked with developing plans and short plays or recording or filming situations (7 or 10 minutes) to release on the Brigade Youth column of the Brigade’s internal radio system once a month.

Additionally, the work of law dissemination and education has been closely combined with political education and ideological management. The Brigade has strictly maintained daily, weekly, and monthly regulations, particularly the Party’s Day, the Youth Union’s Day, the Political, Cultural, and Spiritual Day at grass-roots level, and the Legal Study Day. Law dissemination and education have been included in the Determination to Win Emulation Movement, the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle, the Campaign titled “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period, the Campaign entitled “managing and exploiting weapons and technical equipment effectively, sustainably, safely, economically, and ensuring traffic safety,” and other movements launched by sectors. As the Brigade has to perform different missions and its affiliates are scattered in a large area, it has directed its offices, units, and youth unions to regularly maintain law dissemination and education for young staff members, carefully introduce new, contingency missions, and closely examine new soldiers’ political profiles, ideology, educational background, health conditions, and aspirations. Affiliates of the Brigade have been required to promote their cadres and party members’ responsibility to set good examples in terms of observance of the State’s law, the Military’s discipline, and units’ regulations for youth union cadres, youth union members, and young soldiers to follow. Due regard has been paid to renewing work styles and methods, well managing troops’ relationships in work and daily life, improving troops’ material and mental life, and satisfying the youth’s legitimate aspirations.

In order to achieve a solid positive change in troops’ law-abiding awareness, the Brigade has required all-level leaderships and commands to closely combine law dissemination and education with administrative measures and strictly maintain military standard order building and discipline. Due attention has been paid to building comprehensively strong offices and units, a healthy, diverse cultural environment, and standard, green, clean, scenic barracks to facilitate troops’ training, work, and study. In days off and rest hours, offices and units of the Brigade have organised cultural, artistic, and sports activities in cooperation with local youth unions for troops. Besides, it has always well implemented Regulations on Democracy at Grass-Roots Level, enhanced dialogues between commands and soldiers, promoted democracy, created mutual understanding and trust, regularly drawn lessons on law dissemination and education, multiplied effective approaches, typical examples, and “good people, good deed” examples as an incentive for cadres, youth union members, and young soldiers to surmount difficulties, comply with the State’s laws and the Military’s discipline, and successfully fulfil their task.

The implementation of those above-mentioned models has helped produce a huge positive change in troops’ observance of the State’s laws and the Military’s discipline across the Brigade, laying an important foundation for the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command to continue stepping up law dissemination and education to contribute to building a legalistic and disciplined environment and enabling the Brigade to successfully fulfil all assigned missions.

Sr. Col. NGUYEN VAN NGHI, Deputy Commissar of the Brigade