Under the Party’s strategic guidelines on combining economy with defence, effectively exploiting resources for its sustainable development and international integration, over the years, Thai Son Group has devoted effort to stepping up its production and business to contribute to increasing defence potential and facilitating socio-economic development.

 Thai Son Group is an economic-defence unit. Its forerunner was the Tropical Scientific-Technological Application Company (Tropico) under the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre, founded on April 22^nd, 1991. Over the past 30 years of construction and development, the Group has served as a typical example of combination between economy and defence under the Party’s strategy. When it was established, it had nearly 10 cadres and performed the only task of technological application and transfer. Up to now, the Group has 19 member units and affiliated companies together with over 5,000 cadres, employees and workers, while operating in a variety of fields, such as import, technological transfer, national defence construction, bomb and mine clearance, industrial and civil construction, and vocational training.

During the process of construction and development, in spite of difficulties and challenges, under the direct leadership and direction by the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence, thanks to the dynamics and creativity of the Group’s Party Committee and Board of Directors as well as the unity amongst staff members and the political zeal of soldiers on the “production” front, the Group has achieved rapid development and integrated into the world more widely and deeply. The Group has made impressive progress in its capacity, competitiveness and business efficiency. Its average annual growth has been between 5% and 8% as one of the highest rates amongst military businesses. It has always fulfilled its duty of payment for the State and Military budgets. Besides, employment and income of its cadres, employees and workers have always been stabilised. In 2020, although the COVID-19 pandemic seriously impacted on all aspects of the socio-economic life, the Group reached the growth rate of 4% with nearly 4,000 billion VND and its staff members’ per capita income was over 10 million VND per month. The trademark of Thai Son has been increasingly strengthened in the domestic and international market, while being trusted and highly appreciated by other businesses and its partners.

Fostering cooperation with partners

To adhere to the development strategy and effectively integrate into the world in the conditions of a market economy, first of all, the Group has thoroughly grasped the Party’s guidelines on combining economy with defence as well as resolutions and directives on this issue. At the same time, significance has been attached to enhancing party organisations and committee’s leadership role and combativeness and placing all production and business activities under the comprehensive, close leadership and direction from the Group’s Party Committee and Board of Directors. Due attention has been paid to well carrying out the work of political education and ideological management to render all cadres, employees and workers fully aware of the task of a military business in the new period. In addition, the Group has proactively formulated its Development Strategy to ensure the harmony between economy and national defence. In each period, the Group’s Party Committee and Board of Directors have drawn up each plan for production and business in line with the socio-economic development strategy to achieve the goal of increasing national defence potential. Considering national defence as its political central task, the Group has proactively sought for partners to sign contracts and closely cooperated with military offices and units in transferring technologies and importing military equipment to upgrade technical facilities for the Military’s modernisation. Besides, the Group has actively taken part in construction projects, such as the border patrol road in the Central Highlands and the Southwest, the Headquarters of the Army Academy and the Army Corps 4, constructions at the Naval Zones 2 and 5, and border guard posts in the provinces of Quang Binh, Soc Trang, An Giang, and Tra Vinh and on the island of Phu Quoc as well, thereby making contributions to building the national defence posture in the border, sea, island areas. It has collaborated with domestic and international organisations in clearing post-war bombs, mines, explosives, and chemical toxics to revive tens of thousands of hectares of land, protect the environment, and foster socio-economic development.

Increasing the competitiveness via productivity and product quality based on technological advancement and creativity represents a short cut to international integration and rapid, sustainable development. Advocating that standpoint, the Group has actively, persistently developed high-calibre human resources as one of its central missions and breakthroughs. Due regard has been paid to training and using staff members properly to meet the development requirements. The Group has frequently organised short-term refresher courses to improve leading and managerial cadres’ capabilities in management and operation and update them on international business law and modern business administration. Managers, engineers, and technicians have been dispatched to attend courses both at home and abroad so as to develop a contingent of professional cadres and top experts. Moreover, the Group has directed its units to improve their workers’ skills, discipline-abiding awareness, and industrial style and train them to master machines, equipment, and technological assembly lines. Greater importance has been attached to training staff members via practice, holding on-the-spot training courses as a key solution, and combining on-the-spot training with intensive training. Additionally, the Group has regularly ensured its staff members’ mental and material life, gradually completed a preferential treatment policy to attract and recruit high-quality human resources, and provided sufficient remuneration policies and entitlements so that its labourers would bring into play their ability and keep their mind on their work.

In order to boost its competitiveness within a market economy, the Group has proactively restructured its resources. It has consolidated the management apparatus relevant to each business’ particularities in a compact, efficient manner. Consideration has been given to perfecting the mechanism for management, linkage and cooperation between the Group and its members so as to increase the competitiveness and satisfy the requirements set by large-scale projects. Implementing the Central Military Commission’s Resolution 425-NQ/QUTW, dated May 18^th, 2017 on “rearranging, renewing, and improving military enterprises towards 2020 and beyond,” the Group has reviewed and inspected the business operations of its joint stock companies, joint ventures, and affiliates, adopted measures for financial return from inefficient projects, and resolutely divested its investments in joint stock companies with the only task of economic development and the poor task performance. It has also enhanced the management of finance and assets, while conforming to financial regulations and law during its business and production operations. Besides, its resources have been maximised to realise key projects.

To foster development and international integration amidst the intense competition, the Group has exploited its competitive advantages to expand its fields of production and business, while bringing into play its human resources and modern equipment in construction. Emphasis has been placed on taking part in bidding for large-scale national and civil construction projects and ensuring the progress and quality of construction according to investors’ requirements. The Group has continued making investments in its traditional fields and maintaining cooperation with its foreign partners and major corporations to attract high-value projects. Besides, it has enhanced investment and trade cooperation with its traditional partners from Russia, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Serbia, while seeking for new partners in South Korea and Japan to expand its market, increase its production and business efficiency, and maintain its national defence production capacity. Also, it has combined international economic integration with military diplomacy under the Party’s guidelines to make contributions to maintaining a peaceful, stable environment for the country’s development.

Under the Resolutions of the 13^th National Party Congress and the 11^th Military Party Congress, in the upcoming years, the tasks of socio-economic development and national defence consolidation will be more demanding. As an economic-defence unit, the Group will have opportunities and face a lot of challenges. It will also have to reach the goal of becoming a top enterprise of the Military and the State. To that end, the Group’s Party Committee and Board of Directors will well implement several measures as follows. First, the Group will regularly maintain and strengthen all-level party organisations and committees’ leadership over production and business. Second, it will grasp the situation and design a sustainable, flexible, feasible development strategy, while proactively participating in economic integration and production chains brought by new-generation free trade agreements. It will make more investments in production and business to establish domestic linked chains and develop the domestic market. Third, it will strictly execute the guidelines by the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence on rearranging and restructuring military enterprises. Fourth, it will take advantage of the achievements in the 4^th industrial revolution to modernise its facilities, raise its competitiveness, and facilitate its international integration. Fifth, it will develop high-calibre human resources to meet its task requirements. Sixth, it will accelerate the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle, while effectively executing the Campaign entitled “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period as the basis for building the corporate culture of Thai Son.

There will be numerous difficulties ahead faced by the Group. However, with its will, determination, political zeal, and tradition in the past 30 years of construction and development, Thai Son Group will keep successfully fulfilling all assigned missions for the sake of sustainable development and international integration.

Sr. Col. PHAM GAP, PhD, Chairman of the Board of Directors, General Director of the Group