Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle constitute our Party and nation’s priceless spiritual assets, and serve as an immortal symbol and a shining example for generations of Vietnamese people to follow. As for the Chemical Corps, studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s example is considered the yardstick of its staff members’ performance as well as a powerful motivator behind their single-minded determination to overcome challenges and fulfil their duties.

Studying and emulating Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle is part and parcel of all Party organisations and Party members’ self-cultivation and their dedication and service to the nation. For this reason, the Chemical Corps’ Party Committee and Command have regarded the implementation of the 13^th Politburo’s Conclusion 01-KL/TW, dated 18 May 2021, as the yardstick of staff members’ performance and a powerful motivator behind their painstaking efforts to continuously develop their political will, and professional competence, as well as their single-minded determination to perform assigned duties successfully.

Chemical Corps Command inspects Brigade 86’s training initiatives and models

To put Ho Chi Minh’s teachings into practice effectively and create a strong ripple effect, all Party organisations within the Chemical Corps have adhered to the principles of “superiors setting examples for subordinates to follow” and “learning combined with following”. Emphasis has been placed on the successful realisation of resolutions by  Party Congresses at all levels for the 2020 - 2025 term and the Central Military Commission’s Resolution 847-NQ/QUTW, dated 28 December 2021, on promoting the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” and decisively combating individualism in the current context. In implementing these goals, the Chemical Corps has directed its affiliates to regularly innovate content and methods, concentrating on challenging and breakthrough tasks and harnessing the proactive, creative spirit of its officers and soldiers. As a result, the Corps has achieved significant positive changes in political awareness, ethical conduct, and actions among all military personnel, building a unified strength that enables the Corps to excel in training, combat readiness, education, scientific research, and competitions (including international competitions). The practical benefits of studying and emulating Ho Chi Minh’s example have directly contributed to enhancing the quality of the Chemical Corps' staff work for the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, and the State regarding the building and strengthening of chemical defence capabilities for the armed forces and the public. This includes preparedness for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and environmental incidents. Furthermore, the Corps has excellently fulfilled its role as the Standing Body of the National Coordinating Agency for Preventing the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, thereby contributing to safeguarding the Fatherland early and from afar. The movement of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s example has also provided a strong motivation in officers and soldiers for excelling in critical missions, such as addressing the consequences of post-war chemical contamination, combating epidemics, and responding to chemical, radiological, and environmental emergencies. Through these efforts, the Corps has proudly upheld and brightened the qualities of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the new era.

Today, alongside the entire Military, the Chemical Corps is carrying out missions amid rapid, complex, and highly unpredictable global and regional changes. Hostile forces continue to intensify their efforts to undermine our revolution with increasingly sophisticated methods. Meanwhile, the Chemical Corps is implementing the Central Military Commission’s Resolution and the Ministry of National Defence’s plan concerning the restructuring of the Vietnam People’s Army between 2021 and 2030 and beyond. These significantly affect the morale and life of officers and soldiers. To successfully perform their assigned tasks, the Chemical Corps’ Party Committee and Command have implemented numerous leadership policies and measures. Chief among these is the ongoing promotion of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle with a central focus on the exemplary role of Party members and leaders, especially those in key managerial positions.

First, it is essential to actively promote Ho Chi Minh’s example to become a lifestyle, mindset, and working method for each officer and soldier. Based on higher echelons’ plans and guidelines, units are continuing to conduct annual thematic studies on following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle. Furthermore, widespread dissemination is conducted among the public through flexible methods, such as mass mobilisation work, cultural exchanges, and partnerships. These activities have enabled officers and soldiers to deeply internalise Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts, to fully understand the missions assigned to the Army, the Corps, and their units, to achieve consistency in actions and words, and to find ethical standards to strive for. At the same time, these have also helped to foster their strong political will, their absolute loyalty to revolutionary goals and ideals, their firm commitment to diligence, thrift, integrity, and selflessness and their unwavering dedication to the nation. All these have greatly contributed to making units across the Chemical Corps exemplary and comprehensively strong.

Second, it is important to enhance both “learning” and “following” with an emphasis on “following” by implementing specific, practical measures across all areas of work. The Chemical Corps’ Party Committee and Command require leaders at all levels to identify breakthrough areas and innovate the way they emulate Ho Chi Minh’s example, both collectively and individually, in parallel with the effective implementation of Party resolutions, directives, and regulations. The results of these efforts serve as criteria for evaluating Party organisations and Party members at year’s end. Concurrently, each unit is to develop appropriate models and role models that offer practical benefits and generate a strong ripple effect, enabling the Chemical Corps to excel in its political missions and to achieve its goal of becoming “lean, efficient, and strong” and proceeding into modernisation.

Third, it is essential to closely integrate studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s example with practising exemplary conduct. This is a critical component in effectively studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s example. Following President Ho Chi Minh’s teaching that “One living example is worth more than a hundred speeches”, the Chemical Corps’ Party Committee and Command emphasise the role of example setting by Party members, especially top-level leaders. Each officer and Party member is to fulfil their responsibilities as role models, exemplifying ethics, lifestyle, and work style. They are to strictly adhere to the Party’s resolutions, directives, regulations on Party building and rectification and the responsibility of example setting, and the regulations on prohibited behaviours for Party members. They are to promote a spirit of dedication, daring to think, daring to do, daring to take responsibility for the common good, embodying Ho Chi Minh’s teaching: “Whatever is beneficial to the people must be done with utmost effort, and whatever is harmful to the people must be avoided”.

Fourth, it is highly important to actively counter misconceptions and distortions of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle. Currently, hostile, reactionary forces and political opportunists are relentlessly attacking the ideological foundation of our Party. They employ various tactics to distort and slander the life, legacy, and ideology of President Ho Chi Minh, plotting to negate his immense contributions to our nation. These are most evident in their allegations against the Party's promotion of studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, ethics, and lifestyle. In response, the Chemical Corps is to strictly implement the 12^th Politburo’s Resolution 35-NQ/TW dated 22 October 2018 and is more astute to identify disinformation and to promptly guide public opinion with the motto of “pitting the good against the bad” and “pitting positives against negatives”. Party committees and commanders at all levels must effectively apply Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh's thought in ways relevant to real-world conditions. The Chemical Corps is also to leverage key, specialised forces on cyberspace and media platforms to counter misinformation and harmful contents. Doing so will help to foil hostile forces’ plots to “depoliticise” the Army and to incite “peaceful evolution”, thereby firmly protecting the Party’s ideological foundation within the Chemical Corps.

At the same time, Party committees and commanders at all levels are to intensify inspection and supervision in order for the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s example to yield tangible results and to promptly prevent and strictly handle violations.

Maj. Gen. TRINH THANH DONG

Political Commissar of the Chemical Corps