At the request of the revolution and the resistance war against the French colonialists, on December 27th, 1950, Division 312 - Chien Thang Corps, one of the first major divisions of the Vietnam People's Army was established. Right after its establishment, the Division overcame all difficulties and quickly stabilised its forces to carry out the dual task of training and combat readiness. During that period, the Division participated in seven major campaigns with hundreds of battles. In particular, in Dien Bien Phu Campaign, the Division involved in the opening battle and the decisive one to capture General De Castries and the entire enemy's General Staff to contribute to the “trans-continentally resounded and world-shaking” victory.

During the war against the US to save the country, along with the tasks of training, combat readiness, and participating in building the socialist North and protecting the strategic rear, the Division also fought all over the battlefields, from the Plain of Jars – Xiangkhoang, Quang Tri, ... to the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign and won several victories to contribute to the liberation of the South and reunification of the country. Entering the period of national construction and defence, the Division has always thoroughly grasped the Party's military and defence lines, closely observed the leadership and direction of the 1st Corps Party Committee and High Command, and promote its tradition of “Solidarity - Heroism - Victory” in building a comprehensively strong unit and fulfilling the assigned tasks. With such outstanding achievements, the Division and its seven subordinate collectives and eleven individuals have been awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces and other with noble awards by the State.

Troops of the Devision participate in the DT-20 Exercise

Currently, the task of building the Army and protecting the Fatherland in the new situation is challenging the units within the Army in general and the Division in particular with high requirements. The division is selected by the Ministry of National Defence and the Corps as a comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” pilot unit. To fulfill its responsibility of a core unit in the formation of the strategic mobile main corps, to be worthy of the title “Chien Thang Division”, the Division Party Committee and commanders have deployed drastically and synchronously a number of solutions for comprehensively leading all aspects of the work and improving the overall quality and combat power of the unit towards “elite, compact, and strong”.

First of all, attention is paid to building a politically strong unit to serve as a foundation for improving the overall quality and combat power. To do that, the Division Party Committee and commanders have focused on leading, directing, and strengthening the political and ideological education work, especially for units on duty of combat readiness or carrying out dispersed, independent activities. The education contents are comprehensive with focus on educating cadres and soldiers to firmly grasp the Party's military and defence lines, the situation of the Army and units’ tasks, and hostile forces’ conspiracies and tricks of “peaceful evolution” and promotion of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”. In implementing the scheme entitled “Renovating political education at the units in the new period”, the Division has directed its subordinates to promote the renovation of forms, contents, and methods of education to suit each object. Thanks to the combination between basic political education with other forms, the education work has not only helped soldiers understand the tradition of the units but also grasp and orient their thoughts and build their strong political stuff, spirit of revolutionary vigilance, and absolute faith in the leadership of the Party to be ready to receive and fulfill all assigned tasks.

Along with doing well the education work, the Division has also focused on leading the building of pure and strong Party organisations at all levels, in which importance has been attached to improving their leadership and fighting capacity and promoting the roles and responsibilities of the Party committees and commanders in managing, educating, and training cadres and Party members. Promoting the results of the Party congresses at all levels, the Division has continued overcoming the shortcomings and weakness after review, self-criticism, and criticism under the 4th Central Resolution (12th Tenure) in association with implementing Directive. No.05-CT/TW issued on May 15th, 2016 by the Politburo (12th Tenure) and Directive No.87-CT/QUTW issued on July 8th, 2016 by the Central Military Committee Standing Commission on promoting learning and following Ho Chi Minh thoughts, ethics, and style. Particularly, attention has been paid to educating and training revolutionary ethical qualities, fighting against individualism, and upholding the pioneering and exemplary role of cadres and Party members towards the goal of excellent fulfillment of all assigned tasks.

To meet the requirements and tasks in the new situation, the Division has promoted the innovation and improvement of training quality and maintained the combat readiness regime that has been determined as a breakthrough in enhancing the combat strength of the unit. Promoting the results in the implementation of Resolution No.765-NQ/QUTW issued on December 20th, 2012 by the Central Military Commission and the superiors’ training instructions and orders, the Division has continued strengthening its leadership and direction over Party committees and commanders at all levels in the training task and promoting the innovation of content, organisation, and methods of training, drills and assurance to create a strong change in this important work. Adhering to the basic training program, the target, and the combat area, the Division has directed subordinate units to attach importance to synchronous and in-depth training to be close to the combat plans and targets; closely combining training with regularity building and discipline and physical training to ensuring soldiers’ mastering of independent combat and synergistic warfare, etc. Besides, the Division has regularly updated the development of science and technology, applied scientific and technological advances to training practice, and promoted training to improve combat maneuverability under conditions that enemies use high-tech weapons and strong electronic pressure; and intensifying the organisation of practical and coordination drills with live-firing. Thereby, the results and quality of training, combat capabilities, and qualifications of commanders and detachments have been examined and assessed comprehensively and seriously.

Along with training, the Division has actively implemented measures to improve its combat readiness, including: Strictly maintaining the combat ready duty regime; regularly consolidating and supplementing all kinds of combat readiness documents and plans for natural disaster prevention and control and search and rescue, etc. It has also closely coordinated with agencies, units, and localities to organise exercises and drills to improve the ability to cope with all possible situations. Accordingly, the results of the Division's training and combat readiness have been remarkably improved. Since 2015, 100% of the training contents and sessions requirements have been rated satisfactory, in which 80% are good and very good. 70% - 80% of the companies and battalions and 100% of the regiments have met the standard of “Excellent training unit”. Facing the complicated developments of disciplinary and law violations within the Army and social evils in the stationing areas, to improve the overall quality and combat readiness, the Division has implemented solutions to create a steady change in building the regular order, discipline training and observance, and safety assurance. Thoroughly grasping and implementing the superiors’ directives, regulations, and instructions on regularity building and discipline training, the Division has reviewed and perfected the regulations and rules to ensure full compliance with characteristics, tasks, objects, and stationing areas for uniform implementation; promoted the role of organisations, especially the Committee for psychological, health, and legal consultation to grasp, consult, and orient the soldiers’ thoughts; and closely combined legal propagation and education of the soldiers with strict maintenance of order, daily and weekly regimes, and regimes and regulations on the implementation of the regular order towards “Working under responsibilities and acting under the Military Order”. In particular, the Division has well implemented the Grassroots Democracy Regulation, especially the “democratic dialogue” between unit leaders and commanders and cadres and soldiers and actively renewed and improved the effectiveness and efficiency of the inspection and supervision work to proactively detect and handle strictly and appropriately under the provisions of the Army and the laws of the State for all cases and fight resolutely against the wrongdoings to create consensus and within the unit.

Along with the above contents and solutions, the Division has also paid attention to doing well the logistics and technical work with multiple measures to ensure adequate, synchronous, and timely weapons, technical equipment, vehicles and machines for the tasks, especially training, combat readiness, and search and rescue; to closely combining the preservation, maintenance and repair of weapons and technical equipment as prescribed with research, improvement, upgrade, and to prolong the life-cycle of weapons and technical equipment. The Division’s logistics work has been renovated to adequately and timely assure for regular and unexpected tasks. The situation of production and cultivation has been promoted and achieved positive results which have clearly improved the life of the soldiers and practically contributed to raising the combat power of the unit.

Being excited and proud of their achievements, Division 312 cadres and soldiers continue promoting the tradition of “Solidarity - Heroism - Victory” to further improve the overall quality and combat power to be ready to receive and fulfill all assigned tasks and continue the golden history page in the new era.