President Ho Chi Minh, who founded, led, and trained the Military, always emphasised the role of the people and considered them as a source of strength for the Military. On the unity between the Military and the people, he said that “the Military and the people are like fish and water; they unite as one and learn from and help each other.” Consolidating the unity between the Military and the people is an inevitable demand and a core point of our Party’s guidelines on building the Military.

Comrade Truong Thi Mai visiting the Border Guard Command of Nghe An province on December 15th, 2019

1. The relationship between the Military and the people has been a red thread throughout the construction and development process of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA)

Right in the inception of the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army Team, when assigning the task to comrade Vo Nguyen Giap, leader Ho Chi Minh said that “when an armed team is placed under a party cell’s leadership and relies on the people, no enemy could annihilate it.” That instruction is imbued with the ideology on “taking the people as the root,” representing our Party’s consistent policy on training and building the Military into a new-style army according to Marxism-Leninism, proving that ours is an army of the people, by the people, and for the people while keeping its absolute loyalty to the Party, Homeland, and people. Thus, when he was alive, Ho Chi Minh paid special attention to training and requiring the Military’s cadres and soldiers to preserve the relationship between the Military and the people.

The relationship between the Military and the people is demonstrated most clearly by the building and organisation of the armed forces as instructed by President Ho Chi Minh that “ours is the people’s army, originated by the people, and fights for the people.” He pointed out that supplies and materiel for the Military are all traded by the people’s sweat, tears, and taxation. The people devoted their material resources and efforts to building roads and transporting materiel for the Military. For the sake of development and victories, it is certain that the Military must rely on the people.

Being originated, nurtured, and sheltered by the people, the Military must always be “pious to the people.” To that end, cadres and soldiers of the Military should express their dedication to serving the people. Ho Chi Minh always reminded cadres and soldiers that “we fight the enemy for the people, we are not the people’s saviour, and we must be responsible for the people.” He also required that “you need to improve revolutionary ethics, lead a simple life, stay humble and close to the masses, and set a good example in all aspects. In any position, we have to deserve to be loyal and dedicated servants of the people.” Being pious to the people means respect for the people. And respect for the people must be expressed by words and specific practical deeds. According to President Ho Chi Minh, “the Military must respect the people. There are many ways to express respect for the people, not merely greetings or politeness. You must not waste the people’s human and material resources. You should mobilize a moderate amount of the people’s resources. And you need to cleverly avoid detriment to the people’s life. Knowing how to help the people means respect for them.” In addition to piety and respect for the people, the Military must make them believe and love it. That is responsibility, duty, and command from the heart for all cadres and soldiers of the Military. To do so, troops must actively help and protect the people. In the relationship with the people, troops must remember three things, namely “respecting the people, helping the people, and protecting the people,” and three rules, namely “do not take the people’s possessions, do not threaten the people, and do not disturb the people.” Only by doing so, could we build up and gain the people’s trust and support.

Over the past 75 years of construction, combat, and development, the VPA has always considered the people as its source of strength and remained pious to the people as instructed by President Ho Chi Minh. The Military has been originated by the people, fought for the people, and won victories thanks to the people’s support. Thus, maintaining the close-knit bond between the Military and the people is core to all revolutionary periods.

2. The Party’s mass mobilisation work within the Military helps cement the unity between the Military and the people

Being imbued with Uncle Ho’s teachings: “without the people, there will be no army,” over the past 75 years, under the Party’s leadership, our Military has always relied on the people and stood shoulder to shoulder with people to well perform the function as an army ready for work, thereby contributing to consolidating the national great unity block, the unity between the Military and the people, and the “people’s hearts and minds” posture. Cementing the close-knit bond between the Military and the people and promoting the image of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period represent a prime target of the mass mobilisation work, a routine political task of the Military, and a basic point of the building of a politically strong VPA. Our Military’s achievements in the mass mobilisation work in each revolutionary period have proved that the relationship between the Military and the people has been increasingly consolidated, developed, and effectuated movements within the Military. President Ho Chi Minh clearly explained that the name of the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army Team means politics is more important than the military work. According to him, a propaganda team must have plans for mass mobilisation, enemy agitprop, secret protection, and infiltration prevention to ensure the initial victory. In fact, the mass mobilisation work played a role of paramount importance to the success of the August Revolution and the wars against the French Colonialists and the US Imperialists. It helped educate cadres and soldiers to overcome hardships and challenges, mobilise and promote the whole Military and people’s strength with the spirit of “sacrificing everything for the Homeland” to gain numerous victories in our revolution.

Since the country’s renewal cause, the Military’s mass mobilisation work has continued to prove its role to the Party and people in strengthening the unity between the Military and the people with the outstanding outcomes as follows.

First, the Military has actively conducted propagation to raise the awareness of the people and its staff members towards the Party’s guidelines and the State’s law and policy via various proper forms and methods which have helped encourage the participation of a large number of the people. It has raised the people’s vigilance and persuaded them to actively take part in the fight against the hostile forces’ plots and artifices, the defence of border, sea, and island sovereignty, and the struggle against crimes of all types and social evils.

Second, the Military’s mass mobilisation has contributed to consolidating the relationship between the Party and the people. The VPA’s staff members are affectionately given the title of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” by the people. That title has been attributed to sacrifice, sweat, and blood of generations of cadres and soldiers over the past 75 years, while clearly expressing the political zeal and qualities of revolutionary soldiers who are always absolutely loyal to the Party and the country, pious to the people, and ready to sacrifice their life to defend the national independence and sovereignty, the Party, the regime, and the people’s peaceful life. The Military has helped the people to execute the programs for hunger eradication, poverty reduction, socio-economic development, living standard improvement, and public health care. At the same, it has played a core role in preventing and controlling natural disasters, conducting search and rescue operations, providing free food and medicine, and helping the people to stabilize their life and develop their production. The images of “green-badge teachers,” green-badge doctors,” and Naval, Coast Guard, and Border Guard soldiers have contributed to consolidating the people’s faith in “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” and the Party’s leadership as well as cementing the unity the Party and the people.

Third, the Military’s mass mobilisation has made contributions to making the grass-roots level political system strong. Military units have frequently cooperated with local party committees and authorities in building grass-roots level political bases, particularly in the remote, isolated, ethnic minority inhabited, border, sea, and island areas. Cadres of the Border Guard Force have joined commune-level party committees and authorities. New members who are ethnic soldiers have been initiated into the Party. Young intellectuals have been encouraged to work in the remote, isolated communes. All of things mentioned above have contributed to making villages and hamlets no longer devoid of party members and cells and enabling grass-roots level party organisations, authorities, and politico-social organisations to improve the quality of their operation.

 Fourth, making contributions to building the all-people national defence and the all-people national defence posture associated with the people’s security posture, safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and political stability. The Military has acted as the core fore in building solid defensive zones, forming a firm posture to protect the Homeland, maintaining revolutionary vigilance, and mobilising resources from the people with the “four-together and four-follow” motto. At the same time, it has proactively grasped the situation, cooperated with local party committees and authorities in carrying out the mass mobilisation work, taken part in opportunely, effectively settling complex incidents, particularly in the Northwest, Central Highlands, and Southwest, and prevented and foiled the hostile forces’ “peaceful evolution” strategy.

Fifth, the Military has closely, effectively cooperated with sectors, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and politico-social organisations in stepping up the emulation movement of “clever mass mobilisation” within itself, thereby effectuating thousands of models and typical examples of “clever mass mobilisation” which have helped enhance the masses’ movements and create a sense of consensus within the society. Military training marches associated with mass mobilisation and the movements, such as “the Military joins hands in building new-style countryside,” “Gratitude,” “Homes for the poor in the border, sea, and island area,” “reducing hungry and poor households,” “Spring of Border Defence for mountainous villagers,” and “coast guard supporting fishers at sea” with many creative, effective approaches have aroused the patriotic tradition and promoted the people’s responsibility for making the all-people national defence and the people’s security posture strong.

The achievements in the mass mobilisation work during our Military’s process of construction and development have contributed to cementing the close-knit bond between the Military and the people, consolidating the people’s faith in the Party and the State, and bolstering the image of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period.

3. Continuing to renew the Military’s mass mobilisation work to enhance the close-knit bond between the Military and the people in the new situation

In the period of national industrialisation and modernisation, the 4^th industrial revolution has witnessed rapid developments, the people’s intellectual level and right to mastery have been increasingly raised, and means of communications and social networks have greatly impacted on the people’s awareness. Meanwhile, the hostile forces continue to step up their sabotage plan. Corruption and negative practices have still been complex. The aforementioned things have created many chances and posed challenges for mobilising and encouraging all resources from the people in the movements of national construction and protection. Thus, it is necessary to keep raising the effectiveness of the Party’s mass mobilisation work. The Party Central Committee’s Resolution 25-NQ/TW on “enhancing and renewing the Party’s leadership over the mass mobilisation work in the new situation” and the Party Central Secretariat’s Conclusion 43-KL/TW on continuing to execute the Resolution 25-NQ/TW have set out viewpoints, tasks, and measures for this work. Those documents have provided a solid foundation for authorities and the Military to stepping up the mass mobilisation work and creating the synergy of the relationship between the Military and the people for the Homeland construction and defence, with a focus on the following.

First, it is important that units within the Military should effectively execute the Party Central Committee’s Resolution 25-NQ/TW, the Party Central Secretariat’s Conclusion 43-KL/TW, the Program for cooperation in the mass mobilisation work between the Central Mass Mobilisation Commission and the VPA General Political Department in the period of 2016-2021, and the Central Military Commission’s documents on the mass mobilisation work. They should well perform the function as “an army ready for work,” make the Military strong politically, ideologically, and organizationally, promote the tradition of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers,” and cement the unity between the Military and the people as well as the close-knit bond between the Party and the State and the people, while defending the national independence, sovereignty, unification, and territorial integrity.

Second, due regard should be paid to effectively executing the 12^th Party Central Committee’s Resolution No.4 and the Politburo’s Directive 05-CT/TW on studying and emulating Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle, building strong, pure party organisations within the Military, fighting against the hostile forces’ distortions and plots to undermine the national great unity block, and strengthening the people’s faith in the Party’s leadership.

Third, further renewing the content and method of the Party’s mass mobilisation work within the Military to meet the task requirements in the new situation. Units across the Military should enhance the work of propagation and education to raise cadres and soldiers’ awareness of the mass mobilisation work’s role. They should take advantage of channels and means of communications to disseminate our Party and State’s guidelines and policies on ethnicity, religion, defence, and security. Moreover, they should effectively execute the Determination to Win Emulation Movement in line with the movement of “clever mass mobilisation” and the revolutionary action movements.

Fourth, significance should be attached to carrying out the mass mobilisation work in the key, remote, isolated, ethnic minority inhabited areas. Each offices and unit within the Military should proactively propose a reform in the mechanism for cooperation with local party committees and authorities, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and politico-social organisations in conducting the work of mass mobilisation.

Fifth, enhancing the emulation movement of “clever mass mobilisation,” building “good mass mobilisation units,” implementing the Regulations on Democracy at Grass-Roots Level, and raising cadres and soldiers’ responsibility. Consideration should be given to consolidating a contingent of cadres in charge of mass mobilisation, organising refresher courses for those cadres, conducting reviews of mass mobilisation on a regular basis, and opportunely detecting, commending, and multiplying models and typical examples of “clever mass mobilisation” across the Military.

Promoting its 75-year tradition of construction, combat, and development as well as its achievements, the Military will certainly always maintain the close-knit bond with the people, preserve the people’s faith and affection, and deserve President Ho Chi Minh’s compliments: “our Military is loyal to the Party, pious to the people, and ready to fight and sacrifice for the national independence and freedom and for socialism. It will fulfil any mission, overcome any hardship, and defeat any enemy.”

Truong Thi Mai, Member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Party Central Committee

Head of the Central Mass Mobilisation Commission