The 5^th Defence – Economic Corps under Military Region 4, established on September 16^th, 2002, is tasked with conducting economic production together with military and defence tasks in the economic – defence zone of Muong Lat district, Thanh Hoa province; coordinating with party committees and local authorities to build residential clusters on the border line; helping local people in economic production, improving living conditions, and sustainable poverty reduction; well implementing policies on ethnicity, religion, mass mobilisation and special propaganda; building its area of operation strong in terms of political security; consolidating defence and security posture. Its project area has more than 100 km of border line with Laos, with high mountains and steep slopes, low quality soil, severe weather conditions with heavy rains and floods occurring on a large scale and suddenly. More than 90% of the population of this remote area is ethnic minorities, with illiteracy rate of over 37% and various social problems, such as: drugs, free migration, illegal evangelism, the sabotage of hostile forces,... which are difficulties and challenges that directly affect the task performance of the Corps. On thoroughly assessing the local situation, over the past years, the Party Committee and Commandant of the Corps have always actively and proactively implemented many synchronous measures to lead and direct its agencies and units to mobilise their cadres, employees, young intellectual volunteers to promote their advantages and overcome difficulties to fulfill their tasks. Programs and projects implemented by the Corps are finished in time with high quality and effectiveness, thereby promoting socio-economic development and contributing to reducing poverty rate in the project area from 71.4% (in 2016) to nearly 48% (in 2021); effectively preventing the free migration and deforestation; maintaining national defence, security, social order and safety; consolidating and strengthening the People's trust in the Party, State and the Army. This has been highly appreciated by the Ministry of National Defence and MR4’s Command.

Instructing the cultivation of fruit trees for people in Quang Trieu commune

To achieve that result, first of all, the Corps actively fosters socio-economic development, hunger eradication and poverty reduction in its project area. Thoroughly grasping and adhering to regulations on functions and tasks of defence-economic corps, especially Decree No. 22/2021/NĐ-CP, dated March 19, 2021 of the Government on Defence-Economic Zones, the corps coordinates with authorities to make plan for defence land use for the period of 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050 in accordance with the master plan of locality. In order to ensure the livelihoods for the people, realising the goal of "peaceful people, stability and development", the corps directs each of its departments and teams to help 02 poor households in each communes escape from poverty sustainably as role models for other households to follow; actively facilitates models of cultivation and husbandry in villages; directs production teams to showcase their process for local people to study, which has been spread and replicated. In addition, the corps deploys many working teams to villages and forests to provide technical guidance and mobilise people to participate in its project to improve their family income. Moreover, it actively coordinates with Thanh Hoa Provincial Youth Union and the local Party Committees and government to select 155 young intellectual volunteers majored in industry, agriculture, forestry, health, socio-economy, law, and education to participate in its task performance. This forces are pioneering in guiding people to build civilised lifestyle; illiteracy eradication; technical guidance on cultivation and husbandry; providing materials and seeds for people in the project area. In addition, the corps actively mobilises resources for infrastructure investment; implements the national target program on building new rural areas, contributing to narrowing the gap between lowland and highland areas, and promoting socio-economic development, consolidating and enhancing the potential and posture of national defence and security in the area.

Together with participating in poverty reduction, socio-economic development, and improving the living standards for the people, the Corps promotes propaganda and mobilise people to raise awareness and Fatherland construction and defence. Thoroughly grasping and implementing Resolution No. 488-NQ/ĐU, dated April 27, 2015 of MR4’s Party Committee on "strengthening the renewal of mass mobilisation work of MR4’s armed forces in the new situation", the Corps coordinates with the locality to well conduct propaganda and mobilisation so that people strictly observe the policies and laws on ethnicity and religion; Law on Military Service, Law on Marriage and Family, Law on Forest Protection; responsibility for protecting the Fatherland, national border security of citizens while clearly recognising the plots and tricks of hostile forces, etc. In particular, its working teams always stick to the people and the villages to build roads, build schools; eradicate illiteracy; participate in socio-economic development, poverty reduction, the construction of new countryside and programs and projects on farming to propagate and mobilise. Besides, it also coordinates with local authorities and armed forces to exchange and grasp the situation in its area of operation so as to draft suitable and effective plans for propagation and mobilisation. Responding to the movement of the armed forces joining hands in building new countrysides, joining hands for the poor, leaving no one behind, the Corps directed its agencies and units to develop plans to support and help the localities; encourage cadres, employees and young intellectuals to donate money, materials, means and thousands of working days for the construction of new countrysides, kindergartens, houses of gratitude, and accommodation renovation, etc. To date, communes in the project area of Muong Lat Defence - Economic Zone have achieved from 06 to 09 criteria, in which 14 villages have been recognised as new countrysides. In addition, the Corps held free medical examination and treatment, and provided free medicine for nearly 10,500 patients at the Military - Civil Medicine Clinic; deployed 04 medical field trips to examine and provide free medicine combined with propaganda on hygiene and disease prevention in communes, villages and hamlets; coordinated to hold 27 classes (3 months each) on reading, writing and calculation for nearly 1,000 learners; 15 training courses for reputable people, village elders, and village leaders; touch and helped weak students with difficult circumstances which was praised by the Party Committee, the government, the Department of Education and Training of the district. Most of the people are committed to their village, stay proactive in production and building healthy lifestyle, thereby creating a firm posture in protecting border lines and landmarks, maintaining security and order along the national border.

The Corps actively participated in consolidating strong local political systems, focusing on improving the comprehensive leadership capacity and combat strength of party organisations and party members. To do that, the Corps directed its working teams to hold thematic talks to raise awareness about the Party's lines and policies, and the process of conducting Party meetings for officials and party members in the village; hold experience exchanges on: exercising the principle of democratic centralism; management, cultivation and development of party members. The Corps regularly followed and helped local Party committees and authorities to select nominees for deputies to the People's Councils at all levels, the Party congresses and socio-political organisations, etc., contributing to making the grassroots political system increasingly strong. Along with the above measures, the Corps closely coordinated with Party committees, authorities and armed forces in the area according to Decree No. 03/2019/NĐ-CP, dated September 5, 2019 of the Prime Minister on coordination between the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defence in building safe areas and combat readiness; combating crime, maintaining social order and safety; promoting the movement of "all people participate in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation"; regularly grasps the areas with high risk of landslides, floods, and forest fires; and agrees on the plan to respond and overcome incidents, natural disasters, search and rescue, not to be made passive or surprised. The activities of the Corps have effectively promoted the potential and strengths of the locality, and greatly impacted its socio-economic development. They are done for the peaceful and prosperous life of the people - an important factor to socio-political security and stability, strengthening and consolidating the firm "people’s heart and mind posture" in the border areas, contributing to the successful implementation of the strategic task of firmly building and defending the Fatherland.

Senior Colonel HOANG VAN VO, Leader of the Corps