Deeply ingrained with the words of President Ho Chi Minh, "A living example is worth more than a hundred speeches," Brigade 87's Party Committee and Command focus their leadership and direction on heightening the example-setting responsibility among its officers and Party members, especially the key ones. The practice of setting examples is encouraged at all times and in all places in order to create a profound and widespread influence, serving as an unspoken command that inspires officers and soldiers to follow.

Brigade 87 (Chemical Corps) is tasked with training, combat readiness, and chemical operations for the infantry. It participates in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts, as well as the mitigation of post-war chemical, radioactive, and environmental pollution incidents in southern provinces. Additionally, it is prepared to undertake disaster relief, search and rescue missions, and other emergency tasks.

During the execution of its missions, the Brigade encounters numerous challenges, especially demanding tasks. Over 90% of the Brigade’s officers have families residing in distant areas, (primarily in North Vietnam), while its soldiers come from different regions and cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, it faces opposition from hostile forces and the negative impacts of market economic trends.

To successfully fulfill tasks, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command implement comprehensive strategies and solutions, with emphasis placed on learning and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle, "heightening the example-setting responsibility of officers and Party members". These play a central role in driving positive transformations, solidifying progress in all aspects of tasks and enhancing overall combat strength.

Brigade commander directly directs and guides a training course for cadres

First of all, the Brigade regularly grasps and educates the basics of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle; conclusions of the Politburo, regulations of the Party Central  Committee, and resolutions of the Central Military Commission on setting examples. Accordingly, all-level Party committees and leadership proactively develop and implement comprehensive programs and plans for education through diverse and practical forms, such as studying and thoroughly understanding resolutions, Party meetings, political education, officers retraining, internal communication systems, and practical leadership, command, and management of officers and Party members. As a result, officers and Party members, especially the leadership at all levels, grasp firmly the ideology of President Ho Chi Minh, viewpoints, principles, and resolutions, directives, and regulations of the Party and the Party Committee of the Chemical Corps regarding example setting. This is a scientific, intellectual, and humane leadership method to make the Party worthy of being "ethical and civilised" as President Ho Chi Minh desired. Through exemplary actions, officers and the Party members could persuade the masses to trust in and follow the Party, which is an unspoken order for the armed forces. Furthermore, example setting is a process of self-cultivation, self-training in all aspects to become both "red” and “expert” officers and Party members. In the process, officers and Party members actively engage in self-study, self-improvement, unafraid of difficulties, proactive, creative to maximise their sense of responsibility and serve as role models in life and work, deserving to be the nucleus of unity, leadership, and command of their unit to successfully fulfil assigned political tasks, contributing to enhancing the leadership capacity, combat readiness of the Party, building a strong and pure Party Organisation and "exemplarily, typically" comprehensively strong units.

Under the multifaceted impacts of social life, especially from the downside of the current market economy, the Brigade especially attaches importance to upholding the responsibility of setting ethical examples among its cadres and party members, following the teachings of Uncle Ho: "Revolutionaries must have revolutionary ethics as the foundation in order to successfully fulfil glorious revolutionary tasks," to serve as examples for subordinates to follow. Embracing these teachings, the Brigade's leadership directs all-level Party committees to accurately and promptly forecast and evaluate negative impacts in order to propose measures to detect and prevent lack of moral improvement among officers and Party members. Additionally, the Brigade recognises, commends, rewards, and propagates exemplary models to inspire the spirit of fostering revolutionary ethics among officers, Party members, and the masses throughout the Party organisation. Also, the Brigade requires each cadre and Party member to develop a specific and practical plan and strive to implement it, avoid addiction to achievements, eliminate individualism in thought and action through commitments and registrations to fulfil duties and tasks, continuously improve personalities, and enhance consciousness and revolutionary qualities. In the process, one must be serious, self-conscious, not relying on sanctions or regulations but consider self-fostering as daily necessities, as Uncle Ho taught: "Revolutionary ethics do not fall from the sky. They are developed and consolidated through persistent daily struggles and training," to foster political ideology, moral qualities, and lifestyles, truly upholding and practicing revolutionary moral standards, self-adjusting behavior and conduct in daily work, building the image and reputation of officers and Party members. Thankfully, all officers and Party members of the Brigade possess solid political courage, infinite loyalty to the Party, the Fatherland, and the people; strictly adhere to the Party's prohibitions; show no signs of deterioration in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle; "self-evolution," or "self-transformation". Under any circumstances do officers uphold and spread the qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers."

In addition, the Brigade focuses on promoting a sense of responsibility in daily life and work of each officer and Party member, following Uncle Ho's teachings: "Party members take the lead for the masses to follow." To achieve effectiveness, the Brigade advocates implementing the "4 together’s’" and "3 first’s’, 2 later’s’" principles for troops and the "4 clear’s’" process in its task execution. In the implementation of the "4 together’s’," the Brigade requires officers to be wholeheartedly dedicated to their work, deeply attached to the unit, intimately involved in troops’ activities in all tasks, situations, and conditions. Wherever there are soldiers, there are officers to inspect, guide, and work alongside them. Officers at all levels, especially platoon and company-level ones, must genuinely care for their comrades, share joy and sorrow on a daily basis, assist each other in life and work, become closely bonded, create a united, open, close, affectionate, and responsible environment, build units with a good, healthy cultural environment as the second home for every officer and soldier.

In the implementation of the "3 first’s’, 2 later’s’" principle for troops, the Brigade instructs Party committees and commands at all levels to thoroughly grasp and strictly enforce the exemplary conduct of officers and Party members in daily life and work. Officers and Party members must always take a leading role in performing tasks and place the interests of the unit above their own. To improve the quality of implementing the "4 clear’s’" process, the Brigade requires every officer and Party member to develop a scientific, specific, meticulous working method and style. In each task, it is essential to clearly identify who is responsible, their capabilities, qualifications, methods, work styles, strengths, what task to perform, how to proceed, and what responsibilities are involved. Each task needs to be assigned and implemented clearly, specifically, transparently and promote the creativity, autonomy, and active research of each officer and Party member in the implementation process. Particularly in leadership and direction, it is crucial to achieve a consensus from assignment to implementation together with meticulous assignment of responsibilities to ensure those who are appropriate for the job. As a result, in recent years, the quality of task execution throughout the unit has been increasingly improved, with 100% of officers and soldiers successfully and excellently completing all tasks.

The importance of self-criticism and criticism has been highly valued and considered as one of the decisive solutions to address the deterioration in political ideology, ethics, and lifestyle among officers, Party members, and the masses. This is also a practical action in accordance with the teachings of President Ho Chi Minh: "strict self-criticism and criticism are the best ways to strengthen and develop the solidarity and unity of the Party." To this end, the Brigade regularly educates every officer and Party member to deeply understand the position and significance of self-criticism and criticism to Party building work; reinforced unity and solidarity within the Party will lay a foundation for each officer and Party member to firmly uphold the principle of democratic centralism, devote their intelligence and creativity to the construction of resolutions and leadership over the implementation of resolutions issued by the Party and Party cells. In practice, it is necessary to promote a positive attitude, actively engage in self-criticism and criticism with a pure, sincere motive, without arrogance, evasion, or covering up flaws; encourage superiors to set good examples and actively get involved in self-criticism and criticism for subordinates to follow. As a result, the spirit of self-criticism and criticism of officers, Party members, and the masses is widely promoted, thereby effectively preventing deterioration in morality and lifestyles, correcting misconceptions and laxity among officers, Party members, and the masses.

The effectiveness of learning and following Uncle Ho's teachings in Brigade 87 lays a solid foundation for improving the quality of officers and Party members, turning them into typical examples for the masses to follow, contributing to building a pure and strong Party Organisation and a “typically, exemplarily” comprehensively strong Brigade capable of successfully fulfilling its assigned tasks.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN ANH TAN

Commissar of Brigade 87