Binh Phuoc is a border and mountainous province which is located in the Southern key economic region, connecting the Southeast and the Central Highlands provinces. It also has a strategic position in terms of socio-economics, defense, security, and external relations of the Military Region 7. In recent years, the province's economic, cultural, and societal situations have seen positive developments, while its defense and security have been increasingly strengthened. In 2019, the province's economy grew by 7.8%, of which 24 basic socio-economic targets were met and exceeded the plan. The material and spiritual lives of the people were improved, narrowing the gap between urban and rural and ethnic minority areas and between the inland and border areas. The rate of poor households according to the new standards decreased by 0.5% compared to 2018. Its average annual per capita income reached VND 62.5 million. Such results are the fruits of efforts of the Party Committee, the authorities, the people and the armed forces of the province. In particular, the provincial armed forces have made important contributions to advising, directing, guiding, and organizing the implementation of national defense and security education, contributing to building solid political and spiritual potentials and creating a favorable foundation and environment for the Province to develop comprehensively and sustainably.

As the standing body of the Council for National Defense and Security Education, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Military Command have taken the initiative in advising the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee to lead and direct the implementation of the national defense and security education. On the basis of thoroughly grasping the National Defense and Security Education Law, the directives and instructions of the Council for National Defense and Security Education of the Military Region, the Provincial Military Command has advised the Province to issue multiple resolutions and directives on national defense and security education; consolidate and maintain order and improve the operational efficiency of the Council for National Defense and Security Education at all levels; and preside over the coordination with departments and branches in promoting the propaganda and education on the National Defense and Security Education Law, etc. Thereby, it has created unity in leadership and direction of the Party Committee and authorities and the awareness and sense of responsibility of cadres, the Party members, and people on this important work. Annually, the Provincial Military Command has directed military agencies at all levels to review subjects and formulate plans on fostering defense and security knowledge; coordinate with departments, branches, unions, and localities in organizing the implementation in accordance with the decentralization; and do well the work of inspecting, urging, drawing experience, and timely detecting and rectifying the limitations to gradually improve the quality and efficiency of this work.

Implementing the National Defense and Security Education Law, the Province has fostered the national defense and security knowledge for subjects in a serious, comprehensive, and unified manner. For key cadres at all levels and branches, the Province has set targets to strive to, by the end of the term of the Party committees and the People's Councils, have 100% of the content and program of national defense and security knowledge fostering completed. In 2019, the Province sent 10 cadres of Subject 2 to participate in fostering courses in the Military Region; organized 6 training courses on national defense and security knowledge for more than 500 cadres of Subject 3; and directed districts, towns, and cities to organize 39 fostering courses on national defense and security knowledge for nearly 4,000 officials of Subject 4. To improve the fostering quality, the Province has paid great attention to the preparation work, especially selection of instructors and reporters and actively updated and renovated the fostering contents. In addition to the prescribed topics, the Province has also supplemented additional topics that are close to the local socio-economic situation and national defense and security tasks and updated new information on border, sea, and island situation; prevention of “peaceful evolution” on cyberspace; and the issues of peoples, religions, democracy, and human rights in the fostering program. In order to link theory with practice, the localities have also organized for participants to observe the defensive zone drills; forest fire prevention and protection drills; and search and rescue. Together with organizing training courses, the Provincial Military Command has also advised the Province to integrate the fostering on national defense and security knowledge for officials and employees with the annual professional training of departments. Thereby, it has contributed to raising awareness, sense of responsibility, and capacity of management and operation of local military and defense work for key officials at all levels in the area.

As a locality with religious people accounting for over 23% of the population, the Province has focused on fostering national defense and security knowledge for religious dignitaries and officials. Since 2015, the Province has opened 25 fostering courses on national defense and security knowledge for nearly 1,500 dignitaries and monks with positive results. The Provincial Military Command has advised the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee to visit, present gifts, and encourage religious dignitaries on festivals of religious people in combination with announcing the situation and propagandizing undertakings and policies on local socio-economic development to raise awareness and sense of responsibility for religious dignitaries, serving as a basis for propaganda and mobilization of religious people to believe in the Party's leadership and administration of the authorities and actively participate in the patriotic emulation movements in the locality, especially the Drive entitled “All people unite to build the new rural areas and a civilized cities” or “Living a good and beautiful religious life” to maintain local political security and social order, contributing to the Province's socio-economic development.

In order to improve the quality of national defense and security education for students, the Province has implemented the Project on training defense and security education instructors, aiming to standardize this contingent. Before each school year, leaders of high schools and of national defense and security education teachers are trained to update knowledge and improve capacity and methods of teaching. In the school year 2018-2019, more than 33,000 students in the Province studied the national defense and security education subject. In addition to the contents under the general program, the Province has directed to integrate the contents of the local revolutionary tradition and strengthen the organization of national defense and security festivals for high school students. The Provincial Military Command has coordinated with the Provincial Youth Union in organizing the program of “Military Semester with activities on visiting historical relics, such as: Phu Rieng Do, Ta Thiet historical relics, etc. Thereby, they have not only been equipped with necessary military knowledge and skills, but also directly trained and built up with personality, collective lifestyle, and sense of discipline in activities and learning of students and fostering love for the homeland, the country and the sense of readiness to fulfill civic obligations and protection of the Fatherland and fulfill the goal of comprehensive education for the younger generation.

The propaganda and dissemination of national defense and security knowledge to the entire people has been led and directed closely by the Province. Every year, the Provincial Military Command coordinates with the Public Security, the Provincial Border Guard Command, the Provincial Party Commission Propaganda and Education Council, Binh Phuoc Radio - Television and Binh Phuoc Newspaper, Military Region 7 Newspaper - Television, and Army Television in setting up plans and programs and opening pages and columns on national defense and security. At the same time, the contents and forms of propaganda on national defense and security education have been integrated in the activities of the armed forces, artistic and cultural activities, physical training, and sports and traditional festivals , military recruitment, etc.

As a border and mountainous province with a large number of ethnic minorities (accounting for nearly 20% of the population), the level of education of the people is not equal, especially for the ethnic minorities, the Province has always focused on building appropriate contents and methods of propaganda to ease people to understand, remember, and follow. Along with promoting the strength of the mass media, the Province has attached great importance to oral propaganda methods through the contingent of reporters and propagandists in each locality and prestigious people among ethnic groups, families, village elders, chiefs, dignitaries, religious officials, etc. Following the motto of sticking to grassroots and areas and “eating, staying, working, and speaking ethnic languages together”, the Provincial armed forces have actively participated in strengthening of the grassroots political system, hunger eradication and poverty reduction, new rural construction; organized activities of “Paying debt of gratitude”; and helped people in prevention of natural disasters and search and rescue, propagandized and mobilized people to abide by the Party's guidelines and policies and the State's policies and laws. Thereby, it has made people believe in the leadership and direction of the Party committees and authorities, strengthened the military-people solidarity, and built a solid “people’s heart and mind posture” right from the grassroots.

Promoting the results and experience gained, Binh Phuoc Province’s armed forces continue to act as the core in advising, coordinating, and organizing the better implementation of national defense and security education, contributing to building up strong political and spiritual potentials and creating a foundation for the Province’s socio-economic development, strengthening of the national defense and security, and in association with the whole country to successfully build and defend the Fatherland.

Senior Colonel Vu Tien Dien, Political Commissar of the Provincial Military Command