The 11^th Congress of the Military Party Committee for the period of 2020 – 2025 was convened from 27-30 September 2020 in Ha Noi Capital. General Secretary of the Communist Party, President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, and Secretary of the Central Military Commission Nguyen Phu Trong attended the meeting and made his remarks. The National Defence Journal has the honour to publish the full text of this important speech.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong delivers the speech at the Congress

The Presidium,

Distinguished guests,

Comrades,

Today, I am glad to participate in the 11^th Congress of the Military Party, a political event of significant importance to not only the armed forces but also people nationwide. On behalf of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat Committee, and the Central Military Commission, I would like to extend my warm welcome and best wishes to the honour guests, participants, officers, soldiers, defence workers and officials, military and self-defence forces in the whole country. I wish our Congress to be successful.

Comrades,

As I may know, preparations for the 11^th Congress of the Military Party have been made in a meticulous, serious, and responsible manner in accordance with Directive No. 35-CT/TW, Conclusion of the Politburo, and guiding documents of the Party Central Committee. The Politburo has also been briefed about preparations by the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission and given concrete instructions to complete draft documents and personnel plans for Party Congress.

Comrades,

Five years’ implementation of Resolution of the 10^th Military Party Committee Congress, also five years’ implementation of Resolution of the 12^th Party Congress, has taken place in the context of rapidly evolving, complex, unforeseeable international, regional situation. Although peace, cooperation, and development remain major trends, we are facing numerous obstacles and difficulties resulting from acute competition and conflict between nations and regions. Nontraditional security challenges become increasingly serious. The mission of defending the Homeland, especially the protection of sovereignty over seas and islands, is confronting many difficulties and challenges. Hostile forces and reactionaries are carrying out increasingly subtle, wicked, and direct acts of sabotage against our Party, State, regime, and military. It is within this context that the Military Party Committee has led and instructed the whole military to bring into play the revolutionary, united, proactive, creative tradition and make every effort to overcome difficulties and challenges to complete all missions and objectives set out at the 10^th Congress of the Military Party Committee, notably the following tasks.

First, the Military Party Committee has led the whole military to successfully perform the strategic advisory function for the Party and State in military and national defence issues to ensure proactive, effective response to situations without letting our country fall into passivity and surprise, contributing to firmly protecting the Homeland while maintaining a peaceful, stable environment for national development. You have studied, advised, promulgated, and effectively realised many important strategies, resolutions, conclusions, and projects, which contribute to improving and developing theoretical thinking, guidelines, and military art of Viet Nam, better meeting requirements and missions of national construction and defence both in the short term and long term. Facing complex evolution of situation, the military has constantly exercised steadfastness and served as the mainstay of the Party, State, and people. It has been the key force in building a strong all-people national defence posture and ensuring “peace at home and peace abroad.” This is an invaluable lesson that needs to be further leveraged in the coming time.

Second, the Military Party has led the whole military to successfully bring into play its key role in building a strong all-people national defence and all-people national defence posture in alignment with the people’s security posture. The military has collaborated closely with commissions, ministries, and agencies at the central and local levels to adjust strategic disposition of forces and mobilise resources for defence zones and consolidation of defence capabilities of the country. Officers and soldiers always have a strong attachment to people; actively participate in building strong political bases at localities; help people in hunger eradication and poverty alleviation; and collaborate with people to effectively deal with complex situations, especially those in strategic, key areas in terms of national defence and security. In addition, the military always plays the key role in prevention and response to natural disasters, epidemics, search and rescue, and environmental incidents, thereby further beautifying the virtue of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the new situation and affirming the roles of “an army for combat, an army for work, and an army for production.” More importantly, through their the past and on-going effort in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic, officers and soldiers of the whole military have been truly the mainstay of the Party, State, and people, deserving to be people’s army and an army in people’s hearts.

Third, the Military Party has strictly grasped and carried out the guideline of building a revolutionary, regular, highly-skilled, gradually modernised military, which takes political robustness and standards of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” as the foundation for promoting overall quality, combat power and readiness of the military, enabling it to better satisfy requirements and missions of safeguarding the Homeland in the new situation. You have actively adjusted the military organisation in an adept, lean, highly efficient direction with some services and arms advancing straight to modernity. Education and training have been reformed in the direction of standardisation and modernisation. Some large-scale military exercises have been conducted successfully, meeting the need of modern warfare. Vietnamese contingents participating in international military competitions have recorded excellent achievements, most notably the tank team at the Army Games 2020 in Russia. The establishment of good order and discipline in connection with the building of comprehensively strong, exemplary, representative units has witnessed many positive developments. New developments have also been seen in logistical, technical, financial work. The military has researched and developed some new, modern weapons and technical equipment, contributing to strengthening defence capability of the nation. Some military businesses have been reformed and able to affirm their prestige and trade brands both at home and abroad, for example the Military Industry and Telecommunications Group (Viettel), Sai Gon Newport Corporation, and so forth.

Fourth, international integration and defence diplomacy have witnessed many reforms and innovations, developed into depth at both bilateral and multilateral dimensions, gained practical outcomes, and become one of the main pillars of the Party’s foreign relations, State’s foreign affairs, and people’s diplomacy, contributing to safeguarding the Homeland from afar. Defence diplomacy has contributed to deepening our relations with neighbouring countries, balancing the relationships with major powers, and preserving relations with traditional friends. Viet Nam has participated in multilateral military, defence forums; organised border defence friendship exchanges; and actively participated in UN peacekeeping missions, contributing to promoting prestige and status of our country and military in the international arena, especially in ASEAN.

Fifth, special attention has been paid to building a politically, ideologically, organisationally, and morally strong Military Party Committee, increasingly close-knit relations, increasingly strengthened organising principles and regulations governing party activities, and increasingly enhanced leadership capacity, combat power of party committees and organisations, as well as pioneering, exemplary role of cadres and party members of the whole Party Committee. You have constantly taken initiative in protecting the ideological foundation and consolidating the ideological battlefield of the Party in the military; struggled to reject false, hostile viewpoints; resolutely and persistently realised Resolutions of the 4^th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (11^th and 12^th tenures) on Party building in connection with Directive No. 05 of the Politburo (12^th tenure) on studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality, and style through creative, suitable models and ways. Cadre work has been done according to principles, regulations, and processes, ensuring democracy and openness to achieve complete unity and high consensus. Inspection, supervision, discipline enforcement, power control, and corruption prevention have been strictly carried out to punish wrongdoings appropriately without “no-go areas” or exceptions, contributing to strengthening people’s confidence in the Party, State, and military.

Outcomes gained by the Military Party Committee in the past term are great and crucial, which contribute to accomplishment of the Resolution of the 12^th Party Congress and great achievements of historic significance in the cause of reform that enables our country to possess current capabilities, status, and prestige. On behalf of leaders of the Party and State, I would like to congratulate and commend the Military Party Committee and the whole military for your achievements during the past five years.

Beside the prominent strengths, there remain shortcomings and weaknesses in leadership as specified in the Political Report to the Congress. I would like to request you to discuss the report further in the spirit of self-criticism and criticism, straightforwardness, sincerity, and receptiveness in order to gain further insight into shortcomings and weaknesses and continue to remedy and prevent these shortcomings. You are absolutely not allowed to be subjective and self-satisfied.

Comrades,

The international and regional situation is likely to witness new complex developments in the coming years. In addition to the main trend for peace and cooperation for development, strategic rivalry and local, ethnic, religious conflicts take place more fiercely. The global economic recession could last a long time, triggering crises because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The global non-traditional security challenges continue to witness complex developments. After 35 years’ reform, the position, force, overall power, and international prestige of our country are increasingly enhanced. International integration is promoted in both depth and width. However, four dangers specified by our Party still exist and some even become more acute. Protection of independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, maintenance of a peaceful, stable environment, and adaptation to climate change are great challenges, which have direct influence on our country in the coming years.

The above-mentioned situation directly and seriously affects the military and defence missions, which requires us to pay constant attention to strengthening defence capability and building people’s armed forces and People’s Army and closely combine the two strategic tasks of building socialism and firmly defending socialist Vietnamese Homeland.

As for the Military Party Committee, the Political Report has defined correctly and sensibly directions, missions, and goals for the period of 2020-2025, especially the building of a modern military from 2030 onwards. The most important thing is how to lead the implementation in order to achieve the best results. I would like to propose several issues for further discussion as follows.

First, it is necessary to thoroughly grasp advantages, special positions and roles of the military and Military Party, which specify that our army is an army of the people, by the people, for the people, and under the absolute, direct leadership of the Party in very aspect. Consequently, the military must be absolutely faithful to the Party and Homeland and have a strong attachment to people. In fact, since its foundation, our military has always been “faithful to the Party, dutiful to the people, ready to fight and sacrifice for independence, freedom of the Homeland, and for socialism. It has completed every task, overcome every difficulty, and defeated every enemy.” Our military possesses extremely glorious tradition both in combat, work, and production, which has been appreciated by the people and conferred the title of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers.” This is a precious award. The military is strictly organised and disciplined force. The Military Party is a major one, whose cadres and party members are selected and undergo basic, regular training and education, and have an exceedingly high party nature, courage in fighting, immense prestige, and so on. These are core values, advantages and fundamental momentum for the Military Party Committee and the whole military to accomplish their assigned tasks. Our responsibility is to further strengthen, preserve, and bring into play these values in order to make our military more robust and have higher prestige, and the quality of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” finer and more pervasive.

Second, continuing to concentrate on making the Military Party Committee truly pure, strong, “exemplary, representative,” on a par with confidence and expectation of the whole Party, people, and military. It is important to build a strong Military Party Committee in terms of politics, ideology, organisation, and ethics; promote comprehensive leadership capacity and combat power of party committees and organisations. The vanguard, exemplary role of cadres and party members must be spilt over into the whole military and society. There needs to step up Party building according to the spirit of Resolutions of the 4^th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (11^th and 12^th tenures) in connection with Directive No. 05 and the campaign of promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the new situation. Discipline is the strength of the military. Thus, it is necessary to strengthen inspection, supervision, and enforcement of discipline in the Military Party Committee and the whole military. Attention should be paid to cultivating the corps of cadres, especially those at the strategic, operational levels. There must be policies to attract, develop, and use talented people in order to satisfy demand of building and protecting the Homeland in the new situation.

Third, special importance should be attached to making the military politically strong, which lays the foundation for enhancing the overall quality and combat power of the whole military. “Military without politics is like trees without roots, which is not only useless but also harmful,” said President Ho Chi Minh. Therefore, the military needs to be regularly educated in Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s thought, national tradition and culture, its class nature, subject of struggle and subject of cooperation in the new situation to ensure that the military is always an absolutely loyal and reliable political force and fighting force of the Party, State, and people and possesses high willpower and resolution to get over hardship and sacrifice to accomplish every mission.

The military is to further promote quality and effectiveness of the mass mobilisation, deepen its close-knit relationship with people to contribute to strengthening people’s close relationship with the Party; well fulfil its functions as “an army for combat, an army for work, and an army for production.” At the same time, it must proactively and resolutely struggle to protect the Party’s ideological foundation and defeat the schemes of “peaceful evolution,” “self-evolution,” “self-transformation,” and “depoliticisation” of the military, firmly upholding the Party’s ideological battlefield in the military. Facing requirements of the new situation, given its conditions and capacity, the military must lead the way in further opposing false, hostile viewpoints in the newspapers, within its organisation, and in the society. There are absolutely no false viewpoints appearing and existing in the military.

Fourth, continuing to perceive and implement seriously and effectively Resolution of the 8^th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (11^th tenure) on the Strategy to Safeguard the Homeland in the new situation, projects and strategies in terms of military and national defence, Resolution of the 13^th Party Congress, and resolutions of the Party Central Committee. The military must take initiative in researching, understanding, and correctly foresee situations to timely advise the Party and State on military and defence policies; respond effectively to situations without letting the country fall into passivity and surprise; prepare general solutions to neutralise the threats of war and conflict from afar, preserving a peaceful, stable environment for national development. It is necessary to promote efficiency and effectiveness of the Party’s leadership and State’s management in military and national defence; take initiative in and be prepared to respond effectively to nontraditional security challenges in the new situation.

Fifth, the military needs to collaborate closely with commissions, ministries, agencies, and localities to well leverage its key role in building the all-people national defence, the all-people national defence posture in connection with the people’s security posture; further enhance the quality of building and operation of defence zones within the strategic disposition of the whole country. Defence capabilities and national power are to be strengthened and mobilised to effectively respond to defence and security situations. It is important to closely combine national defence, security with economy, culture, and diplomacy and vice versa; establish a strong “people’s hearts-and-minds posture” in the cause of national construction and defence. The military is requested to further collaborate with the Public Security and other forces to maintain political security, social order and safety in all areas nationwide.

Sixth, synchronous measures are to be taken to build a regular, highly skilled, gradually modern military with some services, arms, and forces advancing straight to modernity, laying firm foundation for building a modern military from 2030 onwards. The organisation and staffing continue to be adjusted to become more adept, leaner, and more highly efficient. It is necessary to regularly reform and improve quality of training and education; step up research, development, and application of science and technology to military activities; lead the logistical, technical work; develop the defence industry in a self-reliant, resilient, modern, dual-use direction, meeting the requirements of military building and socio-economic development. There needs to effectively combine economic activities with national defence; strict control of military enterprises and defence land used for economic operations; attach importance to drawing on experience in the management and use of defence land in recent years to prevent shortcomings, which may undermine the prestige and honour of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers.”

International integration and defence diplomacy need to be enhanced further in order to improve the prestige and status of our military and country in the international arena, proactively protecting the Homeland and national interests from afar. It is necessary to promote bilateral cooperation and multilateral foreign relations; give priorities to developing relationships with neighbouring countries and ASEAN; balance the relationships with major powers; broaden and deepen relations with potential countries; and increase intertwined strategic interests with nations.

Comrades,

Given the spirit of “unity, intelligence, steadfastness, democracy, discipline,” I strongly believe that our 11^th Military Party Congress will be successful, marking a major milestone in the process of bringing the military to a new period of development and making a vital contribution to success of the 13^th National Party Congress.

Thank you very much for your attention!

NGUYEN PHU TRONG, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Secretary of the Central Military Commission.