The armed forces of Tra Vinh province, in company with the entire Party, people and military, are speeding up the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics and lifestyle via practical, specific deeds. Accordingly, dramatic changes have been made in cadres and troops’ awareness and responsibility towards the implementation of tasks as well as in their self-improvement and working method and style.

Presenting the training aids to leaders and commanders

Fully aware of the significance and value of the implementation of the 12^th Politburo’s Directive 05-CT/TW on “enhancing the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics and lifestyle”, the Provincial Military Command and its Party Committee have taken practical measures in accordance with its particularities and tasks. It is noted that the implementation of the Directive No.5 has been closely combined with that of the Party’s Central Resolution 4 (12^th tenure) on Party building, the Campaign “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers” and the “Determined to Win” Emulation Movement, thereby creating a strong motive for the enhanced quality and task performance, unit building, and the improved political zeal, morality, lifestyle, responsibility and leadership style of cadres, party members and troops, especially key cadres at all levels.

Grounded on higher echelons’ directives, plans and guiding documents, the Provincial Military Command and its Party Committee have focused on directing the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought ethics and lifestyle as a great political event. This is among the most important steps which will create a sense of unity between awareness and actions among all collectives and individuals. At the same time, it is a consistent factor that decides the success of studying and following Uncle Ho’s thought, ethics and lifestyle. All-level party committees have grasped and seriously implemented the Politburo’s Directive No.5, the Central Military Commission Standing Committee’s Directive 87-CT/QUTW, guiding documents and plans by the General Department of Politics, Tra Vinh Provincial Party Committee, Provincial Military Command and its Party Committee as well as special topics set by higher echelons in accordance with groups of troops and stated plans. Party committees at all levels have been asked to formulate proper education programs based on particularities and tasks of each office and unit with great importance attached to diversifying methods and forms of education and to including the study and following Uncle Ho’s thought, ethics and lifestyle in activities and meetings, such as the Party’s Day, the Youth Union’s Day, unit assembly, conferences, political and spiritual Day, cultural activities, art performances, sports activities, field training, training courses for the militia and self-defence forces and the reserve forces. 

Due attention has been paid to raising a sense of responsibility and self-reliance, and promoting the vanguard, exemplary role of cadres and party members, particularly key cadres. Accordingly, each cadre must develop plans and supplement criteria for self-improvement according to the Directive No.5 seriously, which must be approved by their party committee and cell. Significance should be attached to the motto “superiors first, inferiors later” and the “following” via practical, specific deeds. In addition to 6 common moral standards, 6 moral standards for key military cadres and 5 points set for deserving to be Uncle’s soldiers in the new era, party committee members and key cadres have been required to implement the criteria related to role, obligations, qualities, and capability to perform tasks of offices and units; to be the core of unity within party committee, command and unit; to be examples of morality and lifestyle, to stay close to the masses and inferiors; to be exemplary in the implementation of task, the practice of thrift, and the prevention of corruption and wastefulness; to posses the spirit of self-criticism and criticism. On a periodical basis, party committees and cells have carried out inspection and supervision of party members’ implementation of registered contents, while taking the results of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics and lifestyle as one of the criteria for emulation and commendation, evaluation and classification of collectives and individuals as well as annual appointment and promotion of cadres. As a result, positive changes in awareness and responsibility of cadres and party members, particularly key cadres, have been made, thereby creating the spillover and inducing the masses to follow, while there hasn’t been degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle or signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” among cadres and party members.

Being imbued with President Ho Chi Minh’s teachings: “each cadre and party member must practise self-review, self-criticism and self-improvement like washing their face daily”, the Provincial Military Party Committee has directed party committees and organizations at all levels to heighten a sense of criticism and self-criticism during Party meetings, and to seriously implement the Resolution of the Party Central Committee’s 4^th Plenum (12^th tenure). Accordingly, party committees at all levels, particularly those of commune-level military offices have focused on building pure, strong party organizations; on ceaselessly enhancing the leadership capability and combativeness, maintaining the order for meetings, study and Party meetings, particularly the principle of self-criticism and criticism; on renovating contents of resolutions and methods to issues them in order to ensure comprehensive, focalized leadership; on overcoming weaknesses of each office and unit. All operations of party committees have been carried out under the principle of collective leadership and individual accountability. The work of party member management has been conducted closely in terms of human, ideology and social relationships, while party committees and cells’ management has been associated with cadres and party members’ self-management. On a monthly basis, during meetings, each cadre and party member have reported their study and self-improvement and presented their plan for the following month. Party organizations have seriously received opinions of the masses in units and localities towards party organizations, cadres and party members, while reporting the results of inspection and supervision carried out by party committees and mass organizations to every party organization, cadre and party member.

In addition, the Provincial Military Party Committee has regularly directed the multiplication of typical examples of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics and lifestyle in association with the Campaign “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers”. Party committees and commanders at all levels have stayed close to every operation of troops and successfully conducted the work of reviewing, praising and rewarding collectives and individuals with brilliant performance on a periodical and unscheduled basis. Moreover, it is necessary to complete criteria for typical collectives and individuals as the basis for assessment of emulation and commendation as well as cadre assessment, planning and appointment. During the course of implementation of the Directive No.5, party committees and commanders have been required to attach great significance to praising and multiplying typical examples and good, effective, creative models in line with the result of performing political task by each person, office and unit. Implementing the Plan 55-KH/TU by the Provincial Party Executive Committee, the Provincial Military Party Committee has successfully organized the Contest to study Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics and lifestyle, while selecting typical examples of studying and following Uncle Ho to multiply. Consequently, cadres and troops’ awareness and responsibility have been raised; spillover effects of implementing the Directive No.5 within the Party Committee have been created. 30 models have been presented in the Contest, including effective ones, such as “self-criticism, criticism and correction” by the Staff Office’s Party Committee, “Saving money for Mom” by the Signal Company’s Party Cell, “military-civilian rice jar” by the Technical Office’s Party Cell, “supporting studious children of members of the militia and reserve forces” by the Provincial Military School’s Party Committee, and so on. Those specific, effective models and deeds have been multiplied and gradually become acts of routine of each organization, cadre, party member and the masses.

Results of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics and lifestyle have provided important basis for the Provincial Military Party Committee to be given the title of strong party committee by Tra Vinh Provincial Party Committee. In 2017, 60% of the party organizations under the Provincial Military Party Committee were assessed as pure, strong ones; 88.77% of its party members successfully fulfilled the task. The provincial armed forces were given the certificate of credit “Unit successfully fulfils military-defence tasks” by the Prime Minister. Those achievements serve as a source of encouragement for cadres and troops of the province’s armed forces to continue to strive in the upcoming time, contributing to building strong organization and staff, and effectively implementing the military-defence tasks in the area.

Sr. Col. Vu Duy Thanh, Commissar of the Provincial Military Command