Construction of economic-defence zones in strategic, border, sea, island areas is a strategic policy of our Party and State. In recent years, those economic zones have been promoting their potential and strengths in the Homeland’s strategic regions. Therefore, it is necessary for authorities, sectors, the Military, and localities to join hands in building economic-defence zones and encouraging their roles to meet the requirements of national construction and protection in the new situation.

Under Prime Minister’s Decision 277/2000/QĐ-TTg, dated March 31st, 2000 and Prime Minister’s Decision 43/2002/QĐ-TTg, dated March 21st, 2002 on approving the supplemented Master Plan for economic-defence zones, the Government’s Decision 164/2018/NĐ-CP, dated December 21st, 2018 on combining national defence with socio-economic development and vice versa, Prime Minister’s Decision 49/QĐ-TTg, dated June 24th, 2020 on adjusting the planning of economic-defence zones towards 2025, and other relevant legal normative documents, up to now, the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) has promoted its core role in building and developing economic-defence zones in the strategic, border, sea, island areas, thus producing practical, encouraging results. Doing so has contributed to combining economic development with defence-security consolidation, creating new political, socio-economic advantages, and maintaining political security and social order and safety within the strategic, border, sea, island areas.

Economic-defence corps have proactively cooperated with localities in conducting surveys, investing in socio-economic infrastructural development, re-arranging residential areas, and gradually forming villages, hamlets, and large-scale residential clusters on border belts as a corridor for defending national sovereignty. It should be noted that in recent years, our Party has decided to develop economic-defence zones at sea and on islands in line with safeguarding national maritime sovereignty. As a result, many economic-defence corps have been established and tasked with exploiting and processing seafood; they have also provided support for fishermen’s fishing activity and aquaculture at sea. Economic-defence corps and zones have implemented agriculture, forestry, and fishing promotion programmes to help the people develop production and stabilise their life and deal with free immigration. Up to now, a favourable condition has been created to assist 100,000 households in inhabiting economic-defence zones, thereby forming more than 500 new villages, hamlets, and large-scale residential areas with 32,000 households. Besides, executing the military-civil medicine programme, economic-defence corps have provided medical examination and treatment for troops and citizens, while cooperating with localities and the Border Guard Force (BGF) in consolidating political bases, national defence, and national security. Since 1999, the BGF has deployed thousands of its staff members to border communes and communes in extreme difficulty to provide support for border localities’ socio-economic development and defence-security consolidation at grass-roots level.

However, there have been weaknesses in the building of economic-defence zones; therefore, we have yet to be able to promote their roles in socio-economic development associated with defence-security consolidation in the strategic, border, sea, island areas. The progress of construction of several economic-defence zones has still been slow, while investments from those projects have yet to be really appropriate. A number of new models of production and processing have yet to bring into play their potential. The implementation of projects to help the people with socio-economic development, hunger eradication, and poverty reduction in some economic-defence zones has yet to be effective.

To opportunely settle shortcomings, accelerate the construction of economic-defence zones in the strategic, border, sea, island areas, and promote their roles in the upcoming time, this article puts forward several recommendations and solutions as follows.

First, continue reviewing master plans, invest more effort in allocating funding, and mobilise all available resources to build and develop economic-defence zones. While identifying the areas of strategic importance to national defence and security and conducting surveys of their natural and socio-economic conditions and resources, the Ministry of National Defence (MND) should closely collaborate with relevant committees, ministries, and sectors in reviewing and adjusting detailed plans for economic-defence zones. Great value should be attached to correctly evaluating the efficacy of each project and programme, resolutely rectifying, suspending, or scrapping the projects which prove ineffective in facilitating socio-economic development associated with defence-security consolidation. In addition to budget allocated by the State, it is possible to mobilise credits from Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and Vietnam Bank for Social Policies, exploit savings from the people, and encourage investments from the Government’s programmes on hunger eradication, poverty reduction, and reforestation. Projects and programmes for building economic-defence zones must be approved under regulations by the State and the MND. It is necessary to concentrate resources on completely carrying out projects approved by the Government and the MND to avoid spreading investments or prolonging the implementation of those projects. In residential areas, it is important to establish people’s credit funds managed by economic-defence corps or local authorities in order to mobilise idle finance for development. Via mechanisms of macroeconomic management, competent offices should closely inspect and supervise the progress and effectiveness of construction items, while opportunely handling issues that impact on the construction and efficacy of economic-defence zones.

Second, create a legal corridor and a favourable condition for economic-defence corps to implement medium- and small-scale projects in accordance with their operating areas and assist local production activities. The State and the MND should continue building and completing the legal system and opportunely release policies for the building of economic-defence zones. Legal normative documents aimed at facilitating the State’s management of economic-defence zones will enable economic-defence corps to well function under the State’s laws and the MND’s regulations. Besides, the system of legal documents of the State will create a favourable condition for economic-defence corps to perform their missions, maximise their potential and strengths, formulate proper production plans, and foster socio-economic infrastructural development and the planning of residential areas under the requirements of production, national defence, and national security in both long and short term. Therefore, it is essential to complete legal formalities and especially land-related policies as the basis for the operation of economic-defence corps. Competent offices of the MND should cooperate with agencies of relevant ministries, sectors, and localities in implementing national target and agriculture, industry, forestry, and fishing promotion programmes and projects, establishing large-scale specialised farming zones, and assigning programmes and projects to economic-defence corps practically, effectively. Moreover, it is vital to combine economic development with national defence in a creative, flexible manner so as to maintain readiness for defending national sovereignty over border, seas, and islands.

Third, keep building and developing economic-defence corps in accordance with each region’s particularities. To that end, economic-defence corps could be formed with or without large-scale production. As for the corps without large-scale production, it is necessary for them to better provide two-way services for the people. Each corps must have at least one plant to offer production services and assistance for the household economy. Additionally, due attention should be paid to encouraging a connection between economic-defence corps, scientists, enterprises, and households. Currently, there are some effective models. In more detail, Corps B27 under Military Region 3 lends the people breeding cows, Tan Hong Economic-Defence Corps provides two-way services in the province of Dong Thap, and Corps B38 under Military Region 1 is tasked with fruit plantations. Regarding the corps with large-scale production, consideration should be given to developing the household economy, assigning agriculture land and forests to the people, and organising fishing activities in order to raise the effectiveness of economic management and gradually turn those corps into units that provide support for production and manage investments.

Fourth, strengthen cooperation with local authorities, sufficiently staff economic-defence corps, and complete their organisational structure. Building and developing economic-defence zones are aimed at fostering socio-economic development, stabilising production, improving local citizens’ life, and consolidating defence and security within localities. To fulfil missions and goals of each project, economic-defence corps should proactively maintain coordination with localities in their stationed areas to complete necessary legal formalities, establish administrative units, take part in building electricity grids, roads, schools, health stations, and markets, deal with ethnic and religious issues, and develop mechanisms for mobilising finance and forces and re-arranging residential areas. Besides, cooperation should be encouraged to conduct surveys relating to local land, climate, population, and resources, identify proper crops, livestock, and economic sectors, and create a favourable condition for development. It is essential to deploy managerial cadres and technical employees with both military and economic knowledge to economic-defence corps. Due regard should be paid to renewing working style and method of staff members of economic-defence corps and improving their knowledge of ethnic languages and customs so that they will respect the people, stay close to the people, understand the people, learn from the people, and match their words with action. At the same time, it is important to implement a preferential treatment policy for cadres, soldiers, and employees of economic-defence corps in order that they will always keep their mind on their work.

The building of economic-defence zones is a sound policy of our Party and State aimed at boosting socio-economic development in association with defence-security consolidation within the strategic, border, sea, island areas in the new situation. Hence, we should keep formulating more appropriate guidelines and solutions to promote the roles of economic-defence zones to meet the requirements set by the Homeland construction and protection.

Sr. Col., D.Sc TRINH VAN BINH^*

Lt. Col. TRAN VAN NGUYEN^**, MSc

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* National Defence Academy

** Military Logistics Academy