Being founded to reinforce our main force’s operations in the resistance war against the U.S., for national salvation, over the past 60 years, Infantry Regiment 2, the first main unit of our Military at regimental level on the Southeastern battlefield has always maintained internal unity and kept devoting effort to successfully fulfilling all assigned tasks and building an “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong unit to deserve the tradition of “heroic Dong Xoai Unit.”

Infantry Regiment 2, whose forerunner was C58 of Q762 under Infantry Division 9 of Army Corps 4, was founded on December 22nd, 1961 in Xuan Mai, Ha Tay province (present-day Hanoi). Immediately after being established, the Regiment moved to the South for combat. In the resistance war against the U.S., for national salvation, the Regiment engaged in most of our major battles and strategic campaigns, developed itself rapidly, and achieved a lot of brilliant feats of arms as an indispensable part of the history of our Military and Vietnamese revolution. The Regiment’s contributions laid a foundation for the Central Military Commission and the Command of the Liberation Army of South Vietnam to formulate new strategies and combat methods against types of warfare and tactics of the U.S. and Saigon puppet regime on the Southeastern battlefield. It should be noted that in the spring of 1975, the Regiment greatly contributed to making up the great victory in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, completely liberating the South, and unifying the country.

After our country had been unified, efforts to heal the wounds of war and foster socio-economic development were gradually made; however, the Southwest border defence war broke out. The Regiment took part in defeating the enemy’s attacks to defend our border, while joining other units of our Military and Cambodia’s revolutionary armed forces and people in toppling the reactionary force Pol Pot - Ieng Sary, liberating the land of temples from genocide, and protecting Cambodia’s revolutionary fruits, thereby gloriously fulfilling its international mission. In November 1987, the Regiment came back to our beloved Homeland in the formation of Division 9 in Southeast to continue performing the task of training and combat readiness.

With its resounding military exploits, the Regiment was honoured with the title of “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces” twice together with 4 First-Class Feat-of-Arms Orders, 5 Second-Class Military Exploit Orders, and 18 Third-Class Military Exploit Orders by our State; it was given Angkor Wat Order by the State of Cambodia. Bringing into play its tradition, in the period of national renewal, the Regiment has always successfully fulfilled all assigned missions. Hence, it was presented with Second-Class Feat-of-Arms Order in 2001 and Third-Class Homeland Protection Order in 2011 by our State. To obtain those achievements, the Regiment has always promoted its heroic tradition and developed itself into a revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modern unit. Great value has been attached to building an “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong Regiment capable of fulfilling its assigned task. In the process, the Regiment has drawn a lot of valuable lessons and applied them as effective measures.

Maintaining soldiers’ military etiquette

First of all, the Regiment has focused on making itself politically strong as the basis for raising its synergy and combat power. This is a measure of paramount importance to the Regiment’s performance of the political task. This measure becomes more important for a fully staffed unit tasked with training, combat readiness, and manoeuvre for missions like the Regiment. Therefore, in addition to educating troops on Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, and the Party’s guidelines, the Regiment has rendered its cadres and soldiers fully aware of the Party’s military-defence policies and Homeland protection strategies as well as senior party committees’ resolutions and directives on defending the Homeland in the new situation. At the same time, due attention has been paid to raising cadres and soldiers’ political knowledge and building up troops’ political zeal and absolute faith in the Party’s national renewal policy. Emphasis has been placed on clarifying the task requirements set by the Homeland defence in line with the Regiment’s task and each individual’s responsibilities, unmasking hostile forces’ plots and artifices, particularly in cyberspace, making troops better understand non-traditional security challenges, and identifying measures to prevent and combat the hostile forces’ “peaceful evolution” strategy. In the process, the Regiment has closely combined political education with ideological orientation, while flexibly employing forms and methods of education in accordance with each group of troops. At the same time, it has encouraged “the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle” in tandem with the Campaign titled “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period in order to improve its staff members’ revolutionary moral qualities. Moreover, the Regiment’s Party Committee and Command have drastically exercised their leadership and direction on the building of strong Party organisations, unions, and mass organisations at all levels. As a result, the majority of cadres and soldiers across the Regiment have shown their political zeal and determinedly surmounted all difficulties and challenges to fulfil all assigned missions, thereby being highly appreciated by the Division and the Corps.

Improving combat readiness capacity and especially manoeuvrability to meet the task requirements plays a major role in the Regiment’s performance of the political task. Grounded on areas and targets of responsibility as well as combat readiness and combat projects designed in advance, the Regiment’s Party Committee and Command have required affiliated units to grasp and seriously execute Directive 14/CL-BQP, dated March 28th, 2017 by Minister of National Defence on combat readiness and others by higher echelons. Due regard has been paid to frequently reviewing and sufficiently supplementing combat readiness documents and plans, and selecting good cadres and soldiers to staff units tasked with combat readiness. To ensure a high level of combat readiness, the Regiment has proactively developed and practised projects on combat readiness and fire, explosion, and natural disaster prevention and control as well as search and rescue in a close, scientific manner. At the same time, it has imposed very strict requirements for practising shifting combat readiness states and manoeuvring forces and means into evacuation zones under its preset projects. Significance has been attached to improving troops’ manoeuvrability by motor vehicles and on foot across various types of terrains, under complex weather conditions, and in both daytime and night-time. Additionally, the Regiment has stringently maintained regulations on command, headquarters, combat readiness, and air defence duty at all levels, thereby opportunely manoeuvring forces and means to effectively deal with situations and avoid falling into passivity.

Being fully aware of the importance of the training work to raising synergy and combat power of a unit, the Regiment’s Party Committee and Command have focused their leadership and direction on achieving a breakthrough in the training quality of each office and unit. The Regiment has directed all-level party committees and commands to grasp the Central Military Commission’s Resolution 765-NQ/QUTW on improving the quality of training in the period of 2013-2020 and beyond, Corps Commander’s military work directives, and training plans by the Division and the Regiment to develop their own specialised resolutions and action plans with specific targets in accordance with each group of troops. Emulation movements have been launched to encourage individuals and collectives’ enthusiasm for taking part in preparatory work and training courses. Great weight has been added to preparing training plans and timetables, consolidating and constructing training grounds, and ensuring sufficient training materials. Lesson plans and lectures have been designed and approved at all levels. Training courses for cadres have been organised in a close, focalised way, with priority given to new, important contents.

In the training process, the Regiment has required all-level commanders to directly take charge of training their units. Affiliates of the Regiment have been asked to adhere to the training motto of “basics, practicality, and thorough grasp,” focus on “synchronous and intensive” training, and organise training courses from low to high levels. Significance has been attached to bettering troops’ skills and tactics and combining combat training with physical training to improve troops’ fitness and manoeuvrability on all terrains and in all weather conditions. Besides, the Regiment has placed emphasis on objectively assessing training outcomes, fighting against merit-driven disease in the training process, and aligning training outcomes with individual and collective task performance as the basis for commendation. As a result, the quality of training within the Regiment has been unceasingly raised. It was given the flag of “good training unit” by the Ministry of National Defence in 2016, 2018, and 2019. For many consecutive years, it has been presented with the emulation flag by the Corps and the Division.

Furthermore, the Regiment has made a solid change in military standard order building and discipline management. Being fully aware that discipline is a source of strength of the Military, the Regiment has directed its offices and units to focus on grasping and strictly following the State’s law and the Military’s troop management regulations. It has drastically, stringently adhered to regulations on study, work, military standard order building, and military etiquette. It has required its offices and units to grasp cadres and soldiers’ observance of the State’s law and the Military’s discipline to opportunely rectify violations. At the same time, great value has been attached to publicly, transparently handling deliberate violations of law and discipline with serious consequences. The Regiment has regarded the outcome of discipline management as an important yardstick for assessing its affiliates’ task performance and the building of pure, strong party organisations and comprehensively strong units. Thanks to those synchronous, drastic measures, over the years, the Regiment has achieved a huge positive change in military standard order building and discipline management. Doing so has significantly contributed to building an “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong Regiment and improving its synergy and combat power to meet the task requirements in the new situation.

Col. LE DINH HUAN, Commander of the Regiment