The Naval Battalion 129 (aka Truong Sa Marine Products One Member Limited Liability Company) - an enterprise under the Military Port of Saigon, the Naval Command, was established on May 27^th, 1978 under the Decision 415/QĐ-BQP by the Ministry of National Defence. It is assigned to maintain combat readiness, conduct patrols and reconnaissance to safeguard the national sovereignty over seas and islands, protect petroleum exploration and exploitation and marine economic activities, and supervise fisheries. Moreover, it is tasked with taking part in search and rescue at sea, repairing vessels, the DK1 Platform, and marine works, undertaking production, providing general and fishery logistics services, developing fishing villages, giving assistance to fishers at sea, and performing other missions.

Acknowledging the achievements by the Naval Battalion 129’s generations of cadres, soldiers, and workers over the past 40 years, the State has presented the Battalion with the Third-Class Military Feat of Arms Order for two times and the First-Class, Second-Class, and Third-Class Fatherland Protection Orders. Over 1,000 collectives and individuals from the Naval Battalion have been given Orders and Medals of all types. In many consecutive years, the Battalion has been given the Emulation Flag by the Ministry of National Defence and the Naval Command. It has given the title of “best naval unit in charge of combat readiness and sea, island protection” for 5 times (2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018) and many other noble rewards by the Navy.

Combat training at sea

To gain those above-mentioned achievements, the Battalion’s Party Committee and Command have always taken various measures, with a focus on building cadres, soldiers, and workers’ political zeal and determination to surmount difficulties and challenges. That has laid a solid foundation for raising the Battalion’s synergy, combat power, and task performance. The Battalion’s Party Committee and Command have strengthened their leadership and direction over political, ideological education. They have introduced the task of sea and island defence, the complex situation in the East Sea, our strategy of struggle, the hostile forces’ “peaceful evolution” strategy and their tricks of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” to cadres, soldiers, and workers. Besides, due regard has been paid to improving staff members’ qualities, ethics, lifestyle, responsibility, professional competence, and working method to meet their task requirements.

In addition, the Battalion has promoted the role model-setting responsibility of cadres and party members and their role in forecasting, grasping, managing, orientating staff members’ ideology, dealing with ideological issues, and stabilising the situation to avoid passivity. Offices and units have well performed the work of internal political protection so as to prevent military information and secrets from being leaked. Offices and units within the Battalion have proactively prevented and fought against the hostile forces’ “peaceful evolution” strategy and their tricks of “depoliticising and civilising” our Military as well as the signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within. They have also stepped up the Determination to Win Emulation Movement, the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle, and the Campaign on promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers in the new period. Besides, they have strictly implemented the Regulation on Grass-Roots Level Democracy, maintained military discipline, ensured troops’ material and mental life, promoted the pioneering role of mass organisations and each soldier’s combat morale and responsibility to firmly protect the national sovereignty over seas and islands.

To meet the requirements set by the defence of national sovereignty over seas and islands, the Battalion has placed emphasis on raising its training quality and combat readiness capacity. Grounded on the Central Military Commission’s Resolution 765-NQ/QUTW and the Naval Party Committee’s Resolution 1050-NQ/ĐUQC on “raising the training quality in the period of 2013-2020 and beyond,” the Battalion’s Party Committee and Command have required units to follow the training motto of “basics, practicality, and thorough grasp,” attached great value to synchronous and intensive training, and provided training courses relevant to combat projects, objects of struggle, marine combat environment, and the existing weapons and technical equipment. Units have been asked to consider the defence of seas, islands, and continental shelf and the building of a “revolutionary, regular, modern, civilised, affectionate” Military Port of Saigon as the training target and achieve a breakthrough in mastering materiel and ensuring safety in training. The Battalion has provided sufficient training courses for all groups of units, including vessels, coastal units, and fishing villages, organised and taken part in exercises to improve coordination between its vessels and squadrons, between vessels and coastal units as well as forces of the Saigon Newport Corporation (SNC) and others both inside and outside the Navy.

To maintain cadres and soldiers’ fitness, the Battalion has increased physical training, invested in facilities for sports and gymnastics, and frequently provided medical examination for troops, particularly those working on vessels. Annually, offices and units within the Battalion all hold and participate in military contests at all levels with good results, being highly appreciated by the Navy. Over the past years, the Battalion has organised sufficient training courses and exercises for all groups of troops. It has held joint combat training “HL-19,” the exercise “TK-19,” and the exercise “KN-19,” taken part in the field exercise “LS-19” by forces of the Naval Zone 2, and organised live-firing tests of BM weapons, with good results and absolute safety. It has made 85 safe voyages (45-75 days per voyage) with a total of 131,055 nautical miles while its vessels at sea have observed and identified 2,314 targets of all types. It has successfully fought to protect the national sovereignty at the blocks of 6.1, 129 - 132 and 146 - 157 and the sea of DKI. In 2019, it has actively taken measures for raising its combat readiness capacity. A part from grasping higher echelons’ directives, commands, and plans and raising a sense of vigilance and combat readiness level, the Battalion has directed units to strictly maintain the order, regulations, forces, and means for combat readiness, frequently study, supplement and complete long-term and short-term combat documents, and proactively cooperate with other forces (Coast Guard, Border Guard, Air Defence - Air Force, and Fisheries Resources Surveillance) in grasping and opportunely, effectively handling  situations in the air, at sea, and in the area to avoid passivity.

The launch of the Programme entitled “the Vietnam People’s Navy provides assistance for fishers in their work at sea”

Adhering to the Central Military Commission’s Resolution 520-NQ/QUTW, dated September 25^th, 2012 on “leadership over the combination of economic development and national defence within the Military towards 2020,” the Battalion has always well performed the task of production, business, and marine economic development as the basis for fishers to work at sea. Grounded on the policy of “harmonious development, sustainable growth” and the three mainstays of its business, namely repair of vessels and marine works, petroleum services, port and logistics services, the Battalion has focused on developing production and business synchronously, effectively in line with the national defence task. It has stringently observed the State’s law, the Military’s discipline, and the Navy’s regulations on ensuring safety and protecting the environment. It has also proactively integrated into the SNC’s production and business, developed traditional handicraft villages, invested in equipment and means, and established a business connection with other member companies of the SNC via investments in projects and business networks.

Doing so has enabled the Battalion to increase its competitiveness, expand its investment, maintain effective business and sustainable development, and boost its turnover. The Battalion’s annual turnover has increased by 20.11%, its pre-tax profit has risen by 23.15%, and its payment to the state budget has increased by 16.2%. In 2019 alone, its revenue was 334.704 billion VND, its pre-tax profit was 24.246 billion VND, its payment to the State budget was 8.896 billion VND, and its per capita income was 23.15 million/month. The Battalion has received, managed, and run 2 Locks, the Logistics Technical Service Centre on the island of Sinh Ton, Truong Sa Archipelago and the fishing villages of Toc Tan and Nui Le safely, effectively. Besides, it has given instructions on fisheries to over 1,500 fishing vessels.

Executing the Programme entitled “the Vietnam People’s Navy provides assistance for fishers in their work at sea,” since 2016, the Locks and fishing villages under the Battalion’s management have offered shelter from storms for 947 fishing vessels, rescued 6 vessels and 97 fishers at sea, repaired 85 fishing vessels, presented fishers with 1,000 cubic metres of fresh water, 330 life jackets, 200 medicine cabinets, and 2,570 national flags, and delivered 35,289 leaflets about the country’s seas and islands. At the same time, it has cooperated with the Brigade 146 (the Naval Zone 4) in supplying food for islands of the Truong Sa Archipelago. Furthermore, units of the Battalion have disseminated the Prime Minister’s Directive 45/CT-TTg, dated December, 2017 on “several urgent tasks and measures in response to the European Union’s warning about illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing,” while propagating the activities of Truong Sa and Sinh Ton Locks, Toc Tan and Nui Le fishing villages. Doing so has helped the Battalion bolster the image of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers - naval soldiers” among locals and fishers in coastal provinces, build a “firm posture of people’s hearts and minds” at sea,  well perform the  Saigon Military Port’s military-defence task and marine economic development, and make itself capable of undertaking and successfully fulfilling all assigned tasks, thus enhancing its glorious tradition of “maintaining unity to deal with difficulties and persistently remaining strong at sea to both well perform the national defence task and facilitate marine economic development.”

Captain NGUYEN TUAN ANH, Commander of the Naval Battalion 129