In adherence to the beloved Uncle Ho’s teaching that “Emulation is patriotism, and to be patriotic one must emulate...”, the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement of the General Department of Defence Industry has continually thrived, becoming a driving force that fosters a patriotic spirit, self-reliance, and resilience among its cadres and soldiers, enabling them to fulfil their assigned tasks effectively.

By thoroughly understanding and rigorously implementing the superiors’ directives and guidelines on emulation and commendation work and the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement, the Party Committee and Command of the General Department, party committees, political commissars, political officers, and commanders at all levels have established numerous appropriate leadership policies and measures. These have been executed creatively and meticulously, focusing intensively on grassroots units. To enhance the effectiveness of the emulation movement, the General Department has concretised the themes and objectives of the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement into specific emulation contents and targets suited to the conditions and characteristics of various agencies, units, and enterprises. Concurrently, efforts have been made to innovate the content, form, and methods of implementation; integrate and align the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement with the “Learning and following Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts, ethics, and lifestyle” campaign and the “Promoting tradition, dedicating talent, and being worthy of the title of Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” movement in the new era. This approach has created widespread resonance, encouraging and motivating all collectives and individuals to overcome difficulties and strive to perfect their qualities as revolutionary soldiers and exemplary cadres and employees. Through emulation, especially by learning and following Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts, ethics, and lifestyle, as well as implementing the Central Resolution 4 (12^th and 13^th Tenures) on Party building and rectification, party committees and organisations at all levels within the General Department have been strengthened and consolidated, with enhanced leadership capacity and combat strength. For many consecutive years, the General Department’s Party Committee has had no weak organisations. Through various emulation forms and measures, units have effectively built comprehensively strong units; safe units, safe perimeters, and safe areas; democracy has been promoted, discipline consciousness has been heightened, and the establishment of regularity, industrial civility, and corporate culture has been emphasised.

Leader of the General Department of Defence Industry speaks at the Determined-to-Win Emulation Congress (2019-2024 period) of Z219 Factory

Alongside this, the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement has served as a catalyst for the General Department to harness its proactive spirit in research, evaluation, and accurate forecasting of the situation, timely providing strategic advice to the Party, State, Central Military Commission, and Ministry of National Defence in formulating guidelines, mechanisms, and policies for the development of the defence industry in new conditions. Notably, the General Department has actively participated in the research and drafting of Resolution No.08/NQ-TW, dated 26 January 2022, of the Politburo (13^th Tenure) on promoting the development of the defence industry up to 2030 and beyond; advised the Central Military Commission to submit to the Politburo the issuance of Conclusion No.75-KL/TW, dated 24 April 2024, on the organisation and implementation of Project 51; summarised 12 years of implementing the Ordinance on Defence Industry; and drafted and submitted the Law on Defence Industry, Security, and Industrial Mobilisation to the National Assembly to institutionalise the Party and State’s resolutions and programmes on defence industry development, thereby laying the foundation for future growth.

Through the organisation of the emulation movement, the General Department has focused on three breakthrough areas: effectively implementing key projects, improving the quality of defence products, and boosting economic production. The major investment projects under the defence industry programme have been actively and correctly implemented with many projects that have been completed and have effectively utilised investments, creating clear and significant advancements in the capacity to produce and repair military weapons and equipment. Since 2019, the General Department has excellently fulfilled directives to produce and repair nearly 140 types of weapons, equipment, and ammunition for the infantry and various military explosives and propellants (TNT, Hexogen, propellants, pyrotechnics, etc.); manufactured and equipped various observation optics and sighting devices for different weapons; produced various types of equipment and materials; mastered the technology for designing, constructing, and commissioning over 130 types of military ships and boats; and possessed the capability to repair all surface ships and most weapons, equipment, and devices onboard military vessels, thus saving the state budget billions of dong compared to imports. The emulation movement has also strongly promoted scientific and technological research and the development of new weapons. From 2019 to 2024, the General Department has implemented 8,714 technical improvement initiatives, with estimated economic benefits exceeding 260 billion dong.

With a high political determined, the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement has focused on effectively implementing the General Department’s Party Committee Resolution No.426-NQ/ĐUTC on leading the mission to boost economic production and exports by 2030. Units have proactively sought partners, maintained stable production of traditional products, and invested in developing new high-value-added and technologically advanced products. This ensures employment and income for workers, contributing to socio-economic development. From 2019 to 2023, the General Department’s total revenue reached 127.243 billion VND, including 75.953 billion VND from economic activities (with export value of 12.690 billion VND), accounting for 59.69% of total revenue. Profits amounted to 3.983 billion VND, with 5.061 billion VND paid to the state budget. The average income was 13.45 million VND per person per month (in 2023 alone, revenue was 30.203 billion VND, with an average income of 16.380 million VND per person per month).

Leader of the General Department of Defence Industry speaks with the delegates of the Determined-to-Win Emulation Congress (2019-2024 period) of Z219 Factory

The achievements of the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement in the General Department have been recognised by the Party, State, and the Military. Since 2019, the General Department has seen one collective awarded the title Hero of the People’s Armed Forces during the resistance period (Warehouse K602); 40 collectives and 21 individuals received the Independence Medal, Military Merit Medal, Labour Medal, Fatherland Defence Medal, and various Bravery Medals; 5 collectives were awarded the Government’s Emulation Flag; 45 collectives received the Ministry of Defence’s Emulation Flag; 22 collectives and 23 individuals were awarded Certificates of Merit by the Prime Minister; 2 individuals were awarded the title National Emulation Soldier; and 174 individuals were awarded the title Army Emulation Soldier, among others.

In the coming years, the global and regional situation will continue to be complex, with potential instability. Despite advantages, the country will face many difficulties and challenges during integration, particularly with hostile forces increasing their efforts to undermine the Party and State, promote “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” internally, and depoliticise the Military with more insidious and cunning tactics. The military and defence tasks, protecting the Fatherland, and building an elite, streamlined, and strong Military pose higher goals and requirements, presenting numerous difficulties and challenges for the General Department of Defence Industry. To fulfil its entrusted responsibilities, it will implement vigorous and comprehensive measures, including continuing to elevate the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement to a new level, making it deeper, more practical, and effective. This will create spiritual motivation, encourage, and inspire all cadres, employees, soldiers, and workers to overcome difficulties and challenges and strive to excellently complete all tasks, deserving the trust of the Party, State, People, and the Military.

With that spirit, agencies and units within the General Department will further deepen their understanding of the directives and resolutions of the Party, State, Central Military Commission, and Ministry of National Defence regarding emulation, commendation work, and the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement. Consequently, they will enhance the leadership and direction of party committees, political commissars, political cadres, and commanders at all levels towards emulation and commendation work, especially at the grassroots level. Efforts will continue to promote education and propaganda to raise awareness, foster proper emulation motives, and stimulate the self-awareness, enthusiasm, and creativity of all collectives, cadres, and employees. Simultaneously, there will be a focus on identifying, criticising, and promptly addressing distorted perceptions, formalism, competition, and achievement-seeking in emulation, ensuring that the emulation movement develops in a substantive and sustainable manner. Additionally, emphasis will be placed on consolidating and enhancing the effectiveness of the Emulation and Commendation Councils at all levels; maximising the role of political cadres and agencies in advising, proposing, guiding, and organising emulation activities to meet the new requirements of emulation, commendation work, and the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement. In organising the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement, the General Department will continue to direct emulation content and objectives towards effectively implementing key political tasks, decisively resolving weaknesses and difficult issues. Focus will be on improving the advisory and state management capacity concerning defence industry; effectively implementing programmes and objectives for building and developing the defence industry in new conditions; enhancing the quality of defence products, research, manufacturing, and repairing new generation weapons and technical equipment; and improving the efficiency of integrating economic, cultural, and social development with defence and security, and vice versa, within the activities of the General Department. This will contribute to building comprehensively strong agencies and units and clean, strong party organisations.

To enhance the effectiveness and spread of the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement, it is essential to innovate and diversify the content, forms, and methods of emulation in agencies and units; overcome the phenomenon of following old routines; and focus on concretising content and targets that are feasible and suited to the specific characteristics of each unit. The movement will continue to be closely integrated with the patriotic emulation movements of localities, various sectors’ emulation movements and campaigns, and the active role of mass organisations will be promoted. Particularly, the movement will be closely linked with the learning and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts, ethics, and lifestyle. Good implementation will be ensured between launching emulation, enhancing supervision, inspection, guidance, and periodic reviews and summaries. The close combination of emulation and commendation will be valued; emphasis will be placed on building exemplary models, actively identifying, nurturing, and replicating advanced examples to drive the emulation movement to develop more extensively, uniformly, and solidly.

With a high sense of responsibility and political determined, along with significant encouragement from the achievements in the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement over the past years, the Party Committee and commanders of the General Department, and the party committees and commanders of agencies and units will uphold the tradition of “Unity - Self-Reliance - Proactivity - Scientific Approach”, the revolutionary offensive mindset, the “7 dares” spirit, and will contribute more effort, intellect, and talent to continue advancing the Determined-to-Win Emulation Movement to a new height. This will indeed serve as a crucial driving force and measure for the General Department to successfully fulfil all assigned tasks, practically contributing to building and developing the Vietnamese defence industry to meet the requirements of the cause of national construction and defence in the new era.

Lieutenant General NGUYEN MANH HUNG, Commissar of the General Department