Yen Binh is a mountainous district, located in the Eastern part and acting as the gateway of Yen Bai province. Though, the area is modest, it has complicated geographic features and contains 16,000 hectares of Thac Ba lake which is not only an important reservoir for supplementing power for the country, but also the water resource for hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops of the province and the region. Therefore, Yen Binh plays an important role in a number of aspects, especially in national defence and security of Yen Bai province and bordering areas.

Acknowledging this, over the past years, together with fostering socio-economic development, importance has also been attached to defence and military work as an important factor in stabilizing political security situation, social order and safety, creating favorable conditions for the sustainable development of the district. In fact, Yen Binh district has always brought into full play its potential and strengths and created a number of integrated resources for the successful implementation of this important task. In 2017, the district’s armed forces were awarded the Flag of the leading Unit in the Determined to win emulation movement by the Military Region 2. For many consecutive years, the District Military Party Committee (DMPC) has been assessed as typical clean and strong while the District Military Command (DMC) has been rated comprehensively strong. The above-mentioned achievements are results of numerous efforts made by the entire local Party Committee, authority and people. Particularly, great attention has been paid to the promotion of the core role of the local armed forces, both in counselling and performing the task, with a number of policies and relevant, creative solutions as follows.

The signing of commitment for emulation at the opening ceremony of the training season

First and foremost, to focus on the core role in giving advice and proposing initiatives to the district’s Party Committee and People's Committee to lead and direct the defence and military work. This is a content of importance in order to mobilize the participation of the party committees, the administrations, the whole political system and the entire people, thereby creating the synergy in the implementation of defence and military work. Therefore, this work has always been implemented seriously and seen as the decisive factor in fulfilling its political work by the DMC.

On the basis of thoroughly grasping the directives and resolutions of the senior levels on defence and military work and the practical characteristics and conditions of the area, the DMC has actively provided information for the District Party Committee and its People's Committee to work out resolutions, directives and plans on defence and military work. To provide timely and accurate information, the district armed forces have proactively gathered information of the area, reviewed the situation to identify key issues for proposing solutions. Together with giving advice on the implementation of regular defence and military work, the DMC has focused on advising the Party committees and administrations at all levels on planning the military posture of the defensive area; on the plan to ensure the safety of hydroelectricity and irrigation lakes and dams in the area; on the plan to remove of local people out of areas which are in danger of being attacked by floods, flash floods, and landslides, etc. as well as on the plan to prevent and control natural calamities, fire and explosion, forest fire. It has also taken part in the appraisal and close supervision of socio-economic development projects in conformity with requirements and tasks of national defence and security, while carrying out dual-used projects and works so as to be ready to serve combat operations when being changed from peacetime to wartime.

In 2017, with the counselling of the DMC and related departments and agencies, the District’s Party Committee and People's Committee adjusted the master plan for socio-economic development to 2020, vision to 2030 and completed the master plan for defence and security arrangement in combination with socio-economic development to 2020, vision to 2030.

Secondly, to bring into full play the core role in educating and improving knowledge on national defense and security for different subjects and the entire people. Due to its complicated, divided terrain and the difficulties in transportation, etc. attention has been paid to renewing contents and educational methods to provide knowledge on defence and security which is relevant to different subjects and localities. Accordingly, in addition to closely cooperating with other departments, branches and local mass organizations in reviewing and classifying subjects for different classes, conducting propagation and dissemination of security and defence information via the mass media, the district has also deployed working teams to remote areas, especially in the eastern part of Thac Ba lake – where a majority of ethnic minorities live and work – to both conduct mass mobilization and assist the people in eradicating hunger, reducing poverty, and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters. In the face of insufficient number and limited capability of the instructors, the DMC has advised the Party committees and administrations at all levels to regularly consolidate and renew the operational methods of the National Defence Education Council, meeting the task requirements; combine on-site training with invitation of instructors from the Military School of the Military Region 2 to deliver lessons on several subjects. In addition, the DMC has regularly monitored and directed 4 local high schools in the course of studying and examining the subjects of national defence and security education in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training. In 2017, the district opened 8 training courses on defence and security knowledge for 575 cadres and 45 dignitaries and religious officials; provided national defence and security knowledge for more than 3,000 high school students; deployed 4 delegations to remote communes to conduct mass mobilization in combination with propagation and dissemination of defence and security knowledge to the people, etc. As a result, the task of national defence and security education of the district has been effectively maintained with practical results, thereby creating fundamental improvements in the awareness and responsibility of the cadres, Party members and people, especially the ethnic minorities, towards defence and military work.

Thirdly, to improve the quality of training and combat readiness for the armed forces of the district, laying the foundation for promotion of their key role in the implementation of defence and military work. This is considered the most important solution to improve the comprehensive quality and strength of the local armed forces, providing the foundation for promotion of their core role in performing the national defence and military tasks. On the basis of thoroughly grasping and strictly implementing the upper levels’ resolutions and directives on the training, especially of the Military Region 2 Commander and the provincial military commander, annually, the DMPC has issued a resolution on the leadership of the training and strictly requested its officers and soldiers to follow. In which, specific objectives, and requirements for training and combat readiness, as well as the advantages, disadvantages, weaknesses, causes and measures to improve quality of this work have been identified. Before each training season, attention is paid to making elaborate preparations, from developing training plans to organizing training courses for cadres, and preparing lesson plans, training fields and aids etc. During the training process, the DMC directs the communes, towns and units to apply training forms and mantras suitable to each subject, geographic feature, and the task requirements. To the active force, along with the implementation of training plan, due regard is paid to mastering the staff work and conducting operations in different terrains. For reserve forces, significance is attached to training basic infantry tactics, and combined arms skills in combat.

In training the militia and self-defence forces, along with individual, team, and squad tactics training, great value is attached to the contents of defensive operations, and skills in conducting search and rescue, etc. Over the past 5 years of implementation of the Resolution No. 765-NQ / QUTW, dated December 20, 2012, by the Central Military Commission on "Improving the quality of training for the period of 2013-2020 and subsequent years", the district armed forces completed 100% of the active force training program; 98.5% of the military personnel participated in training courses; 100% of them passed the exam, with 80% being credit and distinction.

In particular, in 2017, the district’s armed forces uphold their core role in the district’s defensive zone exercise which witnessed many renewals in command and control, encouraged the creativity and initiatives of each section, and was highly appreciated by the Provincial Military Command and the Military Region.

With the outcomes recorded, in the coming time, the district’s armed forces will strive to better fulfill their assigned functions and tasks, promoting their key role in the implementation of defence and military work, joining hand with the district’s administration and its people in making Yen Binh district politically stable, socially and economically developed, and strong in defence and security terms, contributing to the successful completion of two strategic tasks of building and firmly protecting the Fatherland in each area and nationwide.

Col. Hoang Minh Dung, Standing Member of the District’s Party Committee

Commander of the DMC