Thoroughly grasping and strictly implementing the leadership and direction of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, the General Staff, and the General Political Department over the management, education, discipline observance, and safety assurance in the Vietnam People's Army, particularly Directive No.07/CT-TM issued on March 10^th, 2020 by the General Staff on implementing “Disciplinary Year 2020” within the Army, Party committees, commissars, political officers, commanders, and political agencies at all levels in the entire Army have paid attention to leading and directing the Youth organisations to develop plans and organise the implementation on a regular basis. At the same time, they have flexibly applied and diversified the contents, forms, and methods of implementation to make it relevant to practice and requirements of tasks and attracted a large number of Youth Union members with practical effects. The sense of self-discipline in observing the State laws, the Army disciplines, and the units’ regulations of cadres and Youth Union members has been changed positively, that has contributed to building comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” agencies and units to well complete the assigned tasks.

However, the progressive change in observance of disciplines, laws, regularity building, and safety assurance at a number of agencies and units has yet to be steady as violations, even serious ones, are still the case, affecting the nature, tradition, and prestige of the Army and the image of “Uncle Ho's Soldiers”. The causes are both objective and subjective but mainly due to the Party committees and commanders’ lack of attention paid to leading, directing, and promoting the role of the Youth organisations in ideological and discipline education and management over the youth at a number of units. Some Youth organisations lack the initiative and acumen to advise, propose, and organise the implementation of Youth activities in discipline training, regularity building, and safety assurance. A few young cadres and officers, especially those at the platoon and company levels, lack the enthusiasm and skills in management and handling of ideological situation and discipline. There are still Youth Union members and young soldiers who have improper motivation and limited efforts in self-cultivation and self-training, etc.

To promote the role of the Youth Union members and young soldiers in discipline observance to contribute to preventing and minimising violations of the State laws and the Army's disciplines and creating strong and solid changes in thoughts, disciplines, and safe unit building, in the coming time, the following solutions should be implemented:

First of all, to strengthen the leadership and direction of the Party committees, commissars, political officers, commanders, and political agencies at all levels in legal dissemination and education for Youth Union members and young soldiers. This work should be identified as a central and regular content in leadership resolutions of the Party committees and organisations and concretised into the units’ action plans. In the immediate future, all levels should continue leading and directing the Youth organisations to effectively implement the Project on “Strengthening the legal dissemination and education to raise legal consciousness for the Army's youths in the 2010 - 2015 period” to 2020; proactively reviewing, inspecting, and urging the Youth organisations to implement the proposed action programs, legal propagation, dissemination, and education models; and ensuring 100% of cadres, Youth Union members, and young soldiers to be propagated, disseminated, and provided with knowledge of policies, laws, and disciplines to voluntarily study and strictly abide by the State laws, the Army disciplines, and units’ regulations. At the same time, the results of implementation should be taken as criteria for annual classification and assessment of the Youth organisations, cadres, Youth Union members, and young soldiers.

MilitaryYouth Board inspect legal education at the Army Officer College No.1

Secondly, to promote the role and sense of responsibility of the Youth organisations, Youth Union cadres, and cadres in charge of the Youth affairs at all levels in advising and implementing the legal dissemination and education work. The focus should be on closely following the leadership resolutions of the Party committees, the units’ operation plans, and the guidance of political agencies and superior Youth organisations. Based on the functions, tasks, characteristics, and situation of the units’ Youth Union members and young soldiers, to actively develop plans, determine the appropriate contents, forms, and measures of legal dissemination and education, and advise and propose to leaders and commanders of agencies and units to organise the implementation in a creative manner to achieve practical results. The units should focus on fostering and training Youth Union cadres and cadres in charge of youth affairs to improve skills in conducting different forms of education suitable for the youth, such as forums, seminars, and exams on laws and Military regulations and organising emulation movements on disciplinary training and observance. Along with that, the units should pay attention to fostering and improving basic skills and professions for the contingent in forecasting, grasping, managing, orientating, and handling ideological situation, mood, public opinions among Youth Union members, young soldiers, ... in association with fostering and raising awareness and sense of responsibility to set examples of ethics, lifestyle, and discipline observance for the Youth Union members and young soldiers to learn and follow. To improve the sense of responsibility, pay regular attention to material and spiritual life, report to the Party committees and commanders, and participate in properly handling the legitimate aspirations of the Youth Union members and young soldiers. To actively exchange, learn, and replicate the Youth Union's good experiences and creative ways in law and discipline education.

Thirdly, to determine the appropriate contents, actively renew methods, and diversify the forms of law dissemination and education and discipline observance to make it diversified, attractive, and relevant to the characteristics and psychology of the Youth Union members and young soldiers. Along with successfully completing the political education programs for the Youth Union members and young soldiers in accordance with the regulations, the Youth Union organisations should promote educating and disseminating legal documents, directives, and regulations of the State, the Ministry of National Defence, the General Staff, the General Political Department, Party committees, and commanders at all levels on ideological education and management, disciplinary observance, and safety assurance, particularly Conclusion No.1249-KL/QUTW issued on November 27^th, 2019 by the Central Military Commission on the situation of discipline observance of the entire Army, Directive No.103/CT-BQP issued on November 28^th, 2019 by the Ministry of National Defence on continuing strengthening disciplinary observance, management and education and safety assurance in the Vietnam People's Army, Official Dispatch No.1740/CT-TH issued on September 1^st, 2020 by the General Political Department on strengthening the leadership and direction over the ideological education and management to prevent legal and serious discipline violations and suicides in military units, ... in association with the implementation of the “Disciplinary Year  2020” and building comprehensively strong,  “exemplary and typical units”. To proactively determine the contents and compile thematic documents to propagate, disseminate, and educate the Youth Union members and young soldiers to meet the requirements of tasks.

Finally, to improve the efficiency of disciplinary management, practice, and observance among the Youth Union members and young soldiers. Along with the commanding system’s  discipline management and maintenance, the Youth Union organisations at all levels should promote their pioneering and creative role in strict maintenance of regular order and activity, learning, working regimes of Youth Union members and young soldiers, especially during breaks and holidays, to form a high sense of self-awareness and habits of discipline and law observance; to focus on managing relationships, ideological developments, emotions, behavioral attitudes, ... of the Youth Union members and young soldiers; and to promptly grasp, prevent, and early handle situations without being passive and unexpected. Upon the Youth Union members and young soldiers’ violations, to promptly report and strictly handling without concealing defects.

To continue conduct review and replicate typical models and good practices in legal and disciplinary propagation, dissemination, and education for the Youth Union members and young soldiers, such as: “The Youth Union Cell without any case of violation”, “The Youth with Law”, “Military Regulation Month and Week”, “The Youth Union Cell without deserter”, the Drive entitled “The Army Youth with the traffic culture”, and “The Army Youth with the traffic culture” Festival, ... to manage and train the Youth Union members and young soldiers.

Under the leadership, direction, and facilitation of the Central Military Commission, Ministry of National Defence, Heads of the Political General Department, Party committees and commanders at all levels, and the efforts of cadres, Youth Union members, and young soldiers in the entire Army, the promotion of the Army Youth's pioneering role in discipline observance will achieve practical results to contribute to fulfilling the “Disciplinary Year 2020” in the Army.

Colonel TRAN VIET NANG, Head of the Military Youth Board