As a coastal province located in the southern key economic region, Ba Ria - Vung Tau holds many potentials for development. At the same time, it is the main seawards defensive line of Military Region 7, so it has an important position in terms of politics, economics, society, defence, security and foreign affairs. According to assessments of economic experts, currently, the province's oil and gas reserve accounts for about 93% of the total oil reserves and 16% of the total gas reserves of the country; in terms of energy, it accounts for 40% of the country's total electricity capacity and is the centre of seaports, traffic - marine transportation of the Southeast region and the entire Southern region, etc. Besides the advantages, the province also comes up with intertwined difficulties and challenges, especially in defence and security during the development process.

For the past years, officers, soldiers and people in the area have always complied with the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws seriously. They have also actively participated in production and economic development, etc. to improve people's lives. However, there still exist complications due to the adverse impacts of the market economy, the sabotage of opportunists and extremists in all areas of social life, illegal missionary activities, social evils, criminal violations, and illegal mineral resource exploitation. Meanwhile, the educational level, especially the legal knowledge of different classes of people, is not equal; most of the personnel conducting legal dissemination and education part-time, hence their experience and methods at times do not meet the requirements and tasks well; the standing militia units and self-defence forces mainly focus on their specialised tasks; facilities and resources allocated for this important work have yet to get due investments ,... directly affecting the lives, sense of legal and discipline obedience of officers, soldiers and people. Faced with that reality, the Provincial Military Party Committee and the Provincial Military Command have had many policies and solutions to promote legal dissemination and education, contributing to maintaining political security, social order and safety, and creating a favourable environment for the Province to develop quickly and sustainably.

Commandant of the Provincial Military Command speaks at the conference on law dissemination and education in 2023

In order to make this work effective, the Provincial Military Party Committee and the Provincial Military Command determine that continuing to promote the roles and responsibilities of party committees at all levels is the primary and important solution, and at the same time, it is the guiding principle throughout the implementation process. Deeply grasping the above directives and resolutions on legal dissemination and education, adhering to the guidance of the Provincial Council for Coordination in Legal Disseminating and Educating and the Military Region, the Provincial Military Party Committee developed a thematic resolution on "Strengthening leadership and direction of the strict obedience of military discipline and State law and ensuring safety in the Provincial armed forces". The Provincial Military Command advises the Provincial People's Committee to implement Plan No. 21/KH-UBND, dated 26 January 2022 on implementing the Project "Promoting the role of the People's Army participating in work of disseminating and educating the law, mobilising people to comply with the law at the grassroots level for the 2021 - 2027 period". At the same time, it directs political agencies at all levels to develop unified implementation plans within the Provincial armed forces. During implementation, it requires party committees and commanders at all levels to closely follow the resolutions and directives of the Provincial Military Party Committee, and include content and programmes of legal dissemination and education in their regular leadership resolutions, develop implementation plans, and coordinate with district-level justice departments. At the same time, it regularly strengthens the team of legal reporters and propagandists to make this staff sufficient in quantity, reasonable in structure and high capable; periodically inspects, summarises and reviews the implementation of action programmes of agencies, units and localities; pays attention to the material and spiritual life of officers, soldiers and people; links legal dissemination and education with political education, ideological management, disciplining; promotes the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, ethics, and style, and the Campaign of promoting traditions, dedicating talents, and deserving "Uncle Ho's Soldiers" in the new era. As a result, the awareness and sense of compliance with laws, orders, regulations of the Army and units among officers and soldiers have seen steady changes, contributing to reducing the rate of common violations of discipline, law, and unsafety in training and work. To raise the awareness of respect for the law of the people in the area, the Provincial Military Command regularly directs all levels to advise the Party Committee and authorities and coordinates closely with local departments, branches and unions in the performance of the work of legal dissemination to the people. At the same time, it mobilises people to comply with and seriously implement the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws and local regulations, to live and work in accordance with the Constitution and laws, and to contribute to building safe areas and consolidating great national unity.

Legal Day meeting at Long Dien Military Command

Based on the goals of the work of law dissemination and education, the Provincial Military Command directs agencies, units and localities to develop implementation plans in a way that ensures sufficient content and suitable for each subject. To fulfil this goal, its junior agencies, units and localities strictly implement plans for briefing and studying legal documents and newly amended and supplemented regulations with a focus on regulations directly related to national defence and security. Besides, it closely coordinates with party committees, authorities, local departments, branches and organisations to promote law dissemination and education. For servicemen, it focuses on the basic contents of the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and current legal documents. Moreover, emphasis is placed on legal knowledge and experience in performing tasks, in interacting with people and in social life. For the civilians, the Provincial Military Command coordinates with party committees and authorities at all levels to propagate and mobilise the people to well implement the Party's policies, the State's laws, especially the issues of ethnicity and religion, and local regulations. Attention is paid to the Law on Military Service; Marital Act; The Law on Complaints and Denunciations... At the same time, importance is attached to disseminating and raising awareness of law observance for young people, teenagers, etc. In order to make this work interesting, the Provincial Military Party Committee and the Provincial Military Command direct subordinate agencies, units and localities to apply flexible, creative and appropriate forms of education. As a result, the legal information spread to officers, soldiers and people is increasingly rich and profound, creating a positive and solid change in law observance of all walks of life, contributing to improving the strength of the Provincial armed forces, maintaining political security, social order and safety.

Along with the above solutions, the Military Party Committee and Military Command of the province focus on consolidating and maintaining the effectiveness of the coordination councils for law dissemination and education at all levels; direct the training and fostering of skills and expertise for the team of reporters and propagandists; closely combine propaganda, dissemination, and legal education with strengthening management and maintaining discipline, etc. making a strong change in awareness, sense of law observance, and self-disciplining of officials, soldiers and people. This is an important basis for the Provincial Military Party Committee and Military Command to continue to lead and direct the building of all-strong, "exemplary and typical" agencies and units, successfully completing their assigned tasks to play the core role in local defence and military work.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN THANH TRUNG, Political Commissar of the Provincial Military Command