Kien Giang is the southernmost province of Vietnam with a total area of 6,245km² and a population of nearly 2 million. Unlike other provinces in the Mekong Delta region, Kien Giang has plain, mountains, sea and islands. Notably, its has a 60-km-long land border, a 200-km-long coastline, and a sea of 63,000km² with 140 islands, bordering Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Those natural conditions have enabled Kien Giang to promote its socio-economic development and become a strategic area within the Southwestern defensive posture of the Military Region 9 and the country.

Fully aware of its strategic position, over the past years, in addition to socio-economic development, the province has attached importance to strengthening defence and security with synchronous measures. Among those measures, improving the quality of defence and security education for the whole political system, social organizations and people has been seen as a basic one.

Closing Ceremony of defence and security education course intended for cadres of the group 2 in 2019

First of all, the province focuses on consolidating the Defence and Security Education Councils at all levels with proper structure under the regulations. As members of the councils hold more than one position, the province directs their offices to create a favourable condition for them to fulfil their assigned task. Military offices at all levels give sound advice to the councils and play a core role in providing defence and security education. Annually, the councils at all levels cooperate with relevant departments, committees and sectors in reviewing and grasping the number of objects of education and developing feasible plans in accordance with reality. In 2018, the councils counselled the people’s committees at the same level to issue 99 documents on leading and directing the work of defence and security education. The province steps up the building of a contingent of teachers, lecturers, and communicators of defence and security education while promoting the role of the Provincial Military School, Provincial Political School, and district-level centres for political education in providing defence and security education, thereby contributing to encouraging the whole political system’s synergy and ensuring the effectiveness and practicality of this work. In addition, the province well carries out the work of inspection, investigation and review at each level to assess the task performance, opportunely multiply typical examples, and rectify weaknesses in the process. In 2018, the Military Region 9’s Defence and Security Education Council inspected and highly appreciated the province’s defence and security education work at three levels (province, district, and commune).

As defence and security knowledge is a compulsory criterion for the appointment of cadres, the province closely leads and directs the work of defence and security education for cadres, particularly the key cadres of offices and sectors. Yearly, the Provincial People’s Committee sets the targets so that localities and offices proactively facilitate their cadres’ participation in the courses. While deploying cadres of groups 1 and 2 to attend the courses held by the Ministry of National Defence and Military Region 9 as planned, the province holds training courses for cadres of groups 3 and 4 at each level. To create a favourable condition for its cadres, the province has cooperated with the Military Region 9’s Military School in opening training courses in localities. In addition to the training program according to the regulations, the province actively supplements some other topics, such as the 12^th Politburo’s Resolution 33-NQ/TW on the National Border Defence Strategy and the 12^th Party Central Committee’s Resolution 36-NQ/TW on the Strategy for the sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy towards 2030, with a vision towards 2045 in accordance with reality of localities and groups of learners. As for cadres and leaders who serve two consecutive terms of office, the province updates them on the defence and security knowledge under the Guiding Document 175/HD-HĐGDQPANTW by the Central Defence and Security Education Council. In 2018, while deploying 84 cadres of groups 1 and 2 to attend the training courses held by Central offices and the Military Region 9, the province provided defence and security education for 285 cadres, and its districts held training courses for 2,581 cadres of group 4. Moreover, localities cooperate with competent offices in holding tens of training courses for thousands of people who are religious dignitaries, vessel owners, fisherman householders, entrepreneurs. By doing so, local party committees and authorities’ capability in leadership, direction, and operation as well as sectors’ advisory capacity towards the defence and security work have been raised while the combination of socio-economic development and defence and security consolidation, particularly in key localities, such as Rach Gia and Ha Tien cities, border district of Giang Thanh, and island district of Phu Quoc has brought about the practical effectiveness.

Today, in the province’s area, there are 63 schools and educational establishments with nearly 48,500 students. To effectively provide defence and security education for students, the Provincial Defence and Security Education Council directs the Department of Education and Training to advise the Provincial People’s Committee on consolidating and standardizing teachers of defence and security education. Prior to each school year, district-level military offices cooperate with schools in their areas in opening refresher courses for this staff. Following the province’s direction, high schools organize defence and security education courses under the program while vocational schools and colleges launch full-time training courses. Besides, schools actively renew the method of teaching and apply information technology to the lectures. To prepare for this subject, in 2018, the Provincial People’s Committee invested over 1 billion VND from the province’s budget in acquiring materials and training aids and equipment for high schools in the area. Up to now, 100% of high schools have provided adequate facilities for defence and security education. Also, due attention is paid to organizing extracurricular activities, such as “Military Semester”, visits to historical sites, and talks about historical tradition. As a result, students have been equipped with necessary military knowledge and skills, built up the love for their hometown and country as well as aspirations for devotion, and maintained readiness for military service and Homeland defence. Thanks to those measures, the quality of defence and security education for students has unceasingly improved while 100% of students have satisfied the requirements for defence and security education.

To further the work of defence and security education for all people, the Provincial Defence and Security Education Council cooperates with relevant offices in developing propagation plans/programs via mass media. Weekly, Kien Giang Provincial Newspapers and Radio-Television broadcast and write the columns of “All-People National Defence” and “For the Homeland’s Security”. Consequently, the Party and State’s guidelines and policies, particularly their policies on Vietnam’s sovereignty and sovereign right in the East Sea, the National Border Protection Strategy, the military and defence, political security, and social safety situation in the area have been updated to meet the demands of the people from all walks of life. As for the coastal people and especially fishermen working at sea and those on remote islands, the province promotes the role of the coastal militia and self-defence force and propagandists in cooperation with competent forces in conducting propagation for each vessel and household and delivering legal leaflets and CDs to make fishermen to clearly understand the regulations and difficulties in the task of sea and island sovereignty protection, thereby strongly confirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over Truong Sa and Hoang Sa Islands, as well as fighting against wrong viewpoints and distortions by the hostile forces. Moreover, the province flexibly employs various forms of propagation, such as cultural, artistic and sport programs, and political organizations’ meetings. By doing so, the province has built up and consolidated the people’s faith in the Party, State, and socialist regime, while encouraging their responsibility for taking part in making the all-people national defence and people’s security strong.

The rapid development of Kien Giang has imposed new, higher requirements on the work of defence and security education. Thus, authorities and sectors continue stepping up the work of propagation and education to raise the awareness of all people, particularly the all-level key cadres and leaders towards the role of defence and security education in the new situation. Doing so will help encourage the involvement of the whole political system and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of leadership and direction from party committees and authorities as well as heads of offices over this important task. Amidst the development of the Homeland defence task, the all-level defence and security education councils quickly adjust, supplement and renew the defence and security education programs in accordance with each group of learners, promote the role of military offices as the Councils’ standing agencies, and closely cooperate with committees, sectors and organizations in counselling and performing the work of defence and security education.

Well implementing the above-mentioned measures will provide the basis for Kien Giang to build a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds”, make its defensive zone strong, create a favourable condition and promote its potential for its comprehensive, rapid, and sustainable development.

Sr. Col. Dam Kien Thuc, Commander of the Provincial Military Command

Deputy Head of the Provincial Defence and Security Education Council