Promoting the glorious tradition and achievements of the Vietnam People's Army and the Heroic Naval soldiers, the Navy is stepping up building "revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern" and constantly improving the overall quality and combat strength to act as the core to firmly defend the sovereignty over seas and islands of the Fatherland.

The date of May 7^th, 1955 marked a new development of our Army on the road of building, fighting, and maturing with the birth of the Vietnam People's Navy. Under the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, and thanks to the nurturing of the people and support of units throughout the Army, the Vietnam People's Navy continuously developed, grew, and successfully completed the assigned tasks. After nearly 10 years of construction, the Navy won the first battles on August 2^nd and August 5^th, 1964, continuing the tradition of "invincibility" of the Vietnam People's Army and continually made resounding victories, making worthy contribution to the glorious achievements of the Army. During the resistance war against the US, the Navy fought hundreds of battles, including sinking, damaging, and firing hundreds of warships and aircrafts; destroying enemy’s war potentials; defeating the enemy’s plot of sea blockade; opening Ho Chi Minh trail on sea to effective support for the southern battlefield; bravely, daringly, and timely attacked to liberate and take control of the Spratly Islands; ... that contributed to liberating the South and reunifying the country. In the cause of construction and protection of the Fatherland, the Navy has constantly promoted its experience and tradition and fulfilled its responsibility as a core force to firmly defend national sovereignty and sovereign rights and jurisdiction, and, at the same time, maintain a peaceful and stable environment on the sea for national development.

Naval troops practise seaborne landing

Currently, the complicated and unpredictable developments of the international and regional situations, especially the situation on the East Sea, have posed to the Navy heavy tasks and requirements on strengthening the building of revolution, regularity, elite, and modernity. In order to achieve that goal, the Navy Party Committee and High Command have been drastically and synchronously implementing many guidelines and solutions, focusing on three core elements: human resources, structure, and weapons and technical equipment.

First of all, focusing on building a politically strong Navy as a basis to improve the overall quality and combat power. This is the most important issue that ensures the Navy be always successful in completing all assigned tasks. Accordingly, the Navy has promoted political education, ideological leadership, and traditional education and made its soldiers thoroughly grasp the Party's views and policies on military, defense, and national defense tasks in the new situation, especially the 8^th Central Resolution (11^th Tenure) on the "Strategy for Fatherland protection in the new situation" and the 8^th Central Resolution (12^th Tenure) on the "Strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy by 2030 with a vision to 2045" to build the soldiers with a strong political will and absolute loyalty to the Party, Fatherland and the People; high morale and self-confidence; deep awareness of the situation, tasks, adversaries and partners; ideological direction, motto, and maritime policies of the Party and the State; and readiness to fight and sacrifice for the sovereignty over sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Along with that, the Navy has paid attention to building the Party committees and organizations at all levels strong in politics, ideology, organization, and ethics with comprehensive leadership ability and high combativeness, to be truly a loyal and reliable fighting force of the Party, State, and People. It has also continued to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the 4^th Central Resolution (12^th Tenure) on Party building and rectification; Directive 05-CT/TW of the Politburo (12^th Tenure) on promoting learning and following Ho Chi Minh thought, ethics, and style, and the Drive entitled "Promoting traditions, dedicating talents, deserving to be Uncle Ho's Soldiers - Naval Soldiers".

Secondly, stepping up the construction and development of the Naval force in association with building a strong all-people defense posture and a strong marine people’s security posture. Sticking to the views and policies of the Party and the State on the construction of the Army, the Navy has speeded up the review and consolidation of the organization and staffing of forces in the direction of "fineness, compactness, strength, mobility, and flexibility", synchronized on people, weapons, technical equipment, and assurance facilities. It has focused on building local forces and mobile forces to enhance the ability of patrol, control, and management of the sea in peacetime and defense, reinforcements, and combat operations to protect seas and islands during wartime. In the immediate future, the Navy will study and propose some adjustments in the order of battle of the Naval forces on the sea and islands to ensure the ability to flexibly transform its combat disposition and closely coordinate with other forces, so that it can participate in both joint and coordinated combat, but when necessary, it can conduct independent operation without being isolated, especially in key waters and islands.

Thirdly, continuing to innovate and improve the quality of training, combat readiness, and training of high-quality human resources. The Navy has continued to thoroughly grasp and promote the implementation of Resolution No/765-NQ/QUTW issued by the Central Military Commission, Resolution No.1050-NQ/ĐUQC issued by the Navy Party Committee on improving the training quality in the period of 2013-2020 and beyond. In particular, it has focused on renewing the leadership, direction, administration, and content, organization, and methods of training and drills. Promoting the achieved results, the Navy has instructed units to focus on training according to the motto "basic, practicality, and solidity", close to plans, operational objects, missions, battlefields, organizations staffing, and weapons and technical equipment. Offshore training and training on cruises and in complex weather conditions have been enhanced. In addition, the Navy has strengthened the application of information technology and simulations in training and drills to verify and improve the quality of training and adjust and supplement practical combat tactics.

In order to build high-quality human resources, the academy and schools of the Navy have promoted innovation and improvement of the quality of education and training and expanded domestic and international training cooperation in combination with employing the talented civilians to the Navy. In particular, attention has been paid to training a contingent of officers who are good at naval combat arts, knowledgeable in technology, and have teamwork skills, enduring health, good foreign language skills,... to meet requirements of international integration. Importance has been attached to training a contingent of professional soldiers and technicians who play the role of the "backbone" of the Navy, being capable of mastering, intensive, and professional in the exploitation and use of weapons and technical equipment arts, especially modern weapons and equipment.

Finally, attaching importance to the research and development of military art and science and Naval military technology. Engraved Uncle Ho's words: "Our Navy must learn from modern combat experience, but we must not forget the ancient fighting traditions of our ancestors ...", the Navy has focused on promoting the special features of naval tactics, reviewed the lessons of naval warfare of ​​the nation; the campaigns, battles, combat operations of the Navy in the liberation wars and the practice of protecting the sovereignty over sea and islands, serving as a basis for perfecting the theory on naval tactics. At the same time, it has studied, applied, and promoted the art of people’s war in the new conditions to be suitable to the development of the situation, tasks, staffing, weapons and technical equipment of the Navy, and combat objects, meeting combat requirements in the conditions of a high-tech war and different theatres, including: air, ground, surface, submarine ​​and electromagnetic environment, and hydroelectricity environments.

Facing the strong impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the fields of military and defense, the Navy has promoted research and mastering of science and modern technology, especially preservation and maintenance technology, improving and upgrading old weapons and equipment, and mastering modern ones. At the same time, domestic technology and autonomous technology have been researched and applied in manufacturing spare parts, accessories, and technical materials, proceeding to manufacture special weapons and technical equipment and improve the autonomy in supplying technical equipment, and reducing dependence on foreign partners. In addition, the Navy has strengthened international cooperation on scientific research, technology transfer, equipment acquisition, professional training, and experience sharing to narrow the level of development with the navies of advanced countries.

The heroic tradition and the 75-year victories of our Army and 64 years of the Vietnam People's Navy will be the foundation and great spiritual motivation to build the revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern Navy and enhance the overall quality and combat power to be worthy of the core force in firmly defending the sovereignty over seas and islands of the Fatherland.

Vice Admiral Pham Hoai Nam, Member of the Party Central Committee, Commander of the Navy