Comprehending directives and guiding documents by higher echelons, particularly the Military Region 4’s Political Department, Tank Brigade 206’s Party Committee and Command have led and directed the implementation of the Campaign “Building fine, healthy, diverse military cultural environment” (hereafter the Campaign) in line with the Movement “All people unite to build cultural life”, achieving significant results, being really a “shining cultural example” in the area.

Exhibition of initiatives and products at the “Determined to Win” Emulation Congress during 2012-2020 period

Noticeably, it has created a healthy environment leading troops to build, develop and complete the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” with strong political zeal and united, exemplary lifestyle. Thanks to the implementation of the Campaign, violations of discipline have been reduced; the Unit’s barracks have been built “standard, green, clean, scenic”; bans on smoking and drinking in working hours have seriously followed; disunity, loan with high interest rates, drug addiction, gambling and superstition have been opportunely prevented. The Campaign has made huge changes in the Brigade’s troops’ awareness and responsibility towards the implementation of tasks and the enjoyment of national cultural values. Relationships between commanders, superiors and inferiors, individual and organization, as well as comrades have been harmoniously managed in accordance with the military regulations and Vietnamese good morals and customs. The Brigade has really become a “cultural unit”, a place for “Nurturing cadres and troops who strive for the criteria for new Vietnamese and home to every soldier which directly build their political willpower, morality, style and lifestyle of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new era. The Campaign has been closely combined with the Movement “All people unite to build cultural life” and other major campaigns in the Military and the country via different forms and diverse content, contributing to making soldiers’ families “Cultural Families” and the Brigade a “Brilliant Cultural Example” in the area. With those achievements, the Brigade was given noble awards by the State, the Government, the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, the Military Region 4’s Party Committee and High Command as well as local party committees and authorities. In 25 years (1992-2017) of implementing the Campaign and 15 years of implementing the Movement “All people unite to build cultural life”, the Brigade has drawn lessons as follows.

First, attaching importance to education and propagation to create a sense of unity between awareness and action within command and troops towards the significance, role, goal and content of the Campaign in line with the Movement “All people unite to build cultural life”. The work of propagation and education has promoted the combined strength of every organization and cultural institution within the Unit. It has employed different methods and forms of education, while closely combining regular education with specialized education in accordance with each group of troops. Focuses of education have been on directives and guiding documents by higher echelons, particularly the Military Region’s Party Committee and High Command, as well as content and goals of the Campaign. Accordingly, it has made its troops fully aware that building new cultural environment represents an important task set in the Party’s strategy to build culture and new Vietnamese, and acts as an organic part of the class struggle and the national struggle in today’s ideological and cultural fields. Thus, successfully implementing the Campaign is the task of every organization and individual in the Unit, first and foremost party committees, commissars and commanders at all level. The implementation of the Campaign must be closely combined with the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics and lifestyle, the Party building and rectification according to the Party’s Central Resolution 4 (12^th tenure), the Movement “the Military joins hand in building new-type rural area”, the Campaign “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers”, and especially the Movement “All people unite to build new rural area and civilized urban area” launched by the Central Committee of the Vietnam’s Father Front.

Second, stepping up the building of cultural environment, striving to achieve goals set by the Campaign, ceaselessly improving troops’ cultural-spiritual life. The Brigade has concretized the model of “Cultural Unit” in accordance with its function and task, and organized mass cultural and artistic activities relevant to troops’ life. At the same time, it has consolidated its cultural institutions to convey cultural values to its troops. Operations of cultural institutions, particularly teams for cultural propagation, museums, traditional houses, libraries, have been closely led and directed while their content and operating forms have been renewed. It has regularly reviewed and completed procedure and mechanisms for collaboration; combined the building of criteria for new Vietnamese and “Cultural Unit” with the implementation of the “Determined to Win” movement and the building of typical examples; the improvement of political will with the building of cultural life, barracks landscape, regularity building and discipline management.

Third, regularly renewing forms and methods of operation in accordance with the unit’s condition and troops’ mentality; increasing cultural exchanges with localities. In addition to the building of cultural environment, the Brigade has established models of operation on days off and time off; organized cultural, artistic, and sports exchanges with the people and units stationed in the area. It has studied and built cultural institutions which could be employed by both troops and people in the area, with the mode in which authority, unit and people all engage in and take advantage of support of organizations and enterprises in the area for cultural and sports activities. Moreover, it has strengthened the work of mass mobilization, strived to earn and maintain the title “Unit good at mass mobilization”, proactively cooperated with forces in the area in advising local party committees, authorities and people on socioeconomic development, hunger alleviation and poverty reduction as well as removal of “undeveloped culture zone” and the building of progressive, civilized cultural environment for residential areas. At the same time, it has directed its affiliates to strengthen cooperation with communes and villages in exploiting companies’ Ho Chi Minh halls and meeting rooms, and localities’ libraries, reading rooms, film-showing teams, propagation teams, community houses, culture-sports centres to serve the people and troops.

Fourth, resolutely combating wrongful, hostile viewpoints and signs of degradation in morality and lifestyle within the unit. This is among important elements of the Campaign and a task of routine and urgency today. In addition to seriously implementing the Military Regulations and other regulations on internal political protection, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command have requested commanders at all levels to keep a close eye on their unit and area to grasp the situation, coordinate and implement the movements of “skillful mass mobilization” and “all people unite to build new rural area and civilized urban area”. It has promoted the role of organizations and forces, particularly key forces in combating distortions by hostile forces, preventing and countering hostile culture and negative cultural trends. Besides, it has actively cooperated with local party committees and authorities in propagation to eradicate unsound customs and backwardness. Units’ party committees and key cadres have boosted the work of political and ideological education, unmasking plots and artifices of the “Peaceful Evolution” Strategy by hostile forces in the ideological and cultural fields, thereby building healthy cultural environment to prevent evil culture from penetrating into the unit.

Fifth, promoting the combined strength of organizations and forces to implement the Directive. The Brigade’s Party Committee and Command has considered this as a regular task, while strengthening the work of inspection to opportunely rectify shortcomings. The Brigade’s Political Office has assisted commanders in building mechanisms to coordinate and operate programs and goals of the cultural institutions employed by the Brigade and local authorities via mobilization of the existing institution in association with supplementation and construction of new ones. Mass organizations with the Youth Union as the core have prepared plans and action programs, being the vanguard of building new, cultural lifestyle among youth union members and young people, actively taking part in building and consolidating “green, clean, beautiful” landscape of offices and units’ barracks.

Promoting the recorded results, the Brigade 206 will continue to accelerate the implementation of the Campaign “Building fine, healthy, diverse military cultural environment” in association with the Movement “All people unite to build new-type rural area and civilized urban area”, ensuring that troops live, train and work in a pure military cultural environment imbued with comradeship and military-civilian bond, perpetuating the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new condition.

Sr. Col. Nguyen Huu Thanh, Commissar of the Brigade 206