The Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress affirmed: "Closely and effectively combine economy, culture, and society, ... with national defence and security" in order to successfully implement the two strategic tasks, namely to build and safeguard the Fatherland. It is also the content that the Party Committee and People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City have paid special attention to, focusing on thoroughly grasping and effectively implementing this guideline, with a number of synchronous and appropriate solutions.

Ho Chi Minh City is a special urban centre, a mega centre of economy, culture, education, and science and technology, a hub for international interaction and integration, and playing a role as the central link of the southern key economic region and the whole country. Being clearly aware of the City's role in the overall development of the country and in the light of the Party's resolutions and directives, with the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party at the core, the City’s Party Committee, its People Committee and its People’s Council have paid attention to leading and directing the comprehensive implementation of all aspects of work, taking economic development as the core, Party building as the key, and national defence and security as a regular and major work; in which, the task of closely combining socio-economic development with the enhancement of national defence and security in each locality and the whole city has been strictly grasped, methodically and closely implemented, and recorded practical outcomes.

Accordingly, the City Party Committee and its People's Committee have thoroughly grasped and seriously implemented the Resolution of the 8^th Central Committee (11^th tenure) on the Strategy to Safeguard the Fatherland in the new situation; the Resolution No. 16-NQ/TW, dated August 10^th, 2012 of the Politburo on orientations and tasks for the development of Ho Chi Minh City up to 2020. All plans, programs and projects, especially the foreign-invested and joint venture ones that are within the defensive areas, are examined and guided in accordance with regulations. The city has directed its departments, branches and localities to coordinate with government’s ministries and agencies in organising the master plan for socio-economic development of the southern key economic region to 2020, vision to 2030; and Socio-economic development master plan to 2020, vision to 2025. At the same time, importance has been attached to successfully implementing the Plan No. 821/KH-UBND-M, dated December 18, 2012 of the City People's Committee on the implementation of the Regulations on combining socio-economic development with the consolidation of national defence and security in the city's defensive area; in which, emphasis has been placed on labour distribution, population arrangement and development of dual-use industries, in order to promote socio-economic development, improve people's living standards, and be ready to serve the military – defence tasks when required.

With the proper guidelines and relevant solutions, over the years, despite facing many difficulties and challenges, the city has maintained its position as the economic locomotive of the country, and its economic growth has been sustained; gross domestic product in the period 2016 - 2020 increased by an average of 6.41%; economic proportion contributed over 22.2% of the national economy. In 2021, despite being heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, thanks to the successful implementation of the guideline of combining socio-economic development with the consolidation of national defence and security, the city's economy still recorded positive outcomes; total budget revenue reached more than 381 trillion VND, exceeding the estimate by 4.5%; import turnover increased by 12.9%; the amount of remittances was at around 6.6 billion USD, increased nearly 09% in comparison to 2020; creating new jobs for 300,437 people, about 100.1% of the initial plan; its socio-cultural activities were actively adjusted in line with disease prevention and control; social security, people's security, national defence and security, social order and safety were maintained. In 2022, on the basis of synchronously implementing solutions for socio-economic recovery and development after the Covid-19 pandemic, the city's socio-economic development recorded synchronous and comprehensive achievements; gross product growth rate increased by 9.03%; estimated total budget revenue was at 471,562 billion VND, exceeding and increasing by 23.6% in comparison to the previous year; a number of important transportation infrastructure projects were launched. Along with regaining the momentum of economic growth, the city’s potentials for defence and security were further enhanced, especially in building the key potentials of the city's defensive area.

Currently, with its scale of fourteen industrial parks, three export processing zones, one high-tech park, one high-tech agricultural zone, nearly 500,000 enterprises with a total capital of more than 9.2 million billion VND, the City has synchronously implemented many solutions to integrate socio-economic development programs and projects with the construction and operation of the city defensive zones at all levels. In which, the establishment of dual-use industrial manufactures that could be mobilised and transferred technology for defence production is the core one. National defence projects, transportation systems, military bases, logistics and technical facilities, etc. are all planned carefully and managed closely, forming an uninterrupted combat posture, ensuring readiness to change the situation from peacetime to wartime.

At present, sustainable development and green growth have become a common trend; the Fourth Industrial Revolution has developed vigorously, impacting all aspects of social life, bringing about both new opportunities and challenges for all economies. For our country in general, and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, after more than 35 years of renovation, the posture and momentum have grown, and experience in leadership, management and administration of social-economic development has been learnt. However, the city holds an important and strategic position in terms of national defence and security; where hostile forces, reactionary groups, and political opportunists both at home and abroad have targeted, aiming at sabotaging and conducting their plots of "peaceful evolution", fostering riots and subversion, promoting "self-evolution", "self-transformation" in all aspects. In respond, on the basis of thoroughly grasping the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress, the Resolution of the 11th City Party Congress, 2020 – 2025 tenure, the City has managed to carry on the policy of: "Effectively mobilising all resources and taking advantage of the opportunities brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, maintaining socio-political stability, ensuring national defence and security; building a smart city with vigorous and sustainable development”. To accomplish that goals, the City has attached importance to implementing a number of solutions as follows:

Firstly, continuing to thoroughly and broadly promulgate to cadres, party members and people about the orientation and goals of the city’s socio-economic development in association with the maintenance of national defence and security in the city, in line with the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress, the 11^th City Party Congress. In particular, attention should be paid to thoroughly grasping the 8^th Resolution of the Party  Central Committee (11^th tenure) on the Strategy to safeguard the Fatherland in the new situation; the Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW of the Politburo (10^th tenure) on continuing to build provinces and centrally-run cities into firmly defensive zones in the new situation, the Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW , dated October 7^th, 2022 of the Politburo (13^th tenure) on socio-economic development and assurance of national defence and security in the Southeastern region to 2030, vision to 2045, the Resolution No. 31- NQ/TW, dated December 30^th, 2022 of the Politburo (13^th tenure) on orientations and tasks for the development of Ho Chi Minh City up to 2030, with a vision to 2045, and the Resolution No. 32/NQ-CP, dated December 6^th, 2018 of the Government on the implementation of the Vietnam National Defence Strategy, etc. Thereby, a unity of awareness and action has been acquired, promoting the synergy of the political system, branches, economic sectors and the entire people of the City in closely combining development socio-economic development with the enhancement of national defence and security in the new period.

Secondly, promoting propaganda and education for cadres, party members, armed forces personnel and the entire people to grasp the guidelines and policies of the Party and State laws on defence and security. The focus is on propagating the policy on the construction and operation of the defensive area, the tasks of building and safeguarding the Fatherland, the revolutionary tradition of the Party Committee and the city's armed forces; helping them to clearly aware the nature of sabotage plots and riots of hostile forces. On that basis, their understanding, political stance and patriotism are consolidated, the trust in the leadership of the Party, the management and administration of the government are enhanced, helping to build up the city’s defensive area and be ready to effectively handle all defence and security contingencies.

Thirdly, to lead and direct the implementation of closely combining socio-economic development with the consolidation of national defence and security in each socio-economic development plan, project, and program. In the coming time, attention should be paid to completing the Ho Chi Minh City Master Plan for the 2021-2030 period, vision towards 2050, and reviewing and adjusting the City General Plan to 2040, vision towards 2060. At the same time, emphasis should be placed on leading and directing the development of industrial and technological parks, urban areas, commercial squares and services, and national defence and security posture, ensuring their  uniformity, modernity, smoothness, high mobility, and that they can easily and quickly converse.

Fourthly, mobilising resources for the city's armed forces in accordance with the Decree No. 165/2016/ND-CP, dated December 24, 2016 of the Government; in which, priorities are given to building strong Army and Police forces, focusing on leading the construction of the City into a strong defensive area in terms of potential, posture and force; constantly improving the quality of training and exercises at all levels so that the city's armed forces are really the core force to protect the city in all situations.

Fifthly, strengthening the work of understanding and assessing the situation and making early strategic forecasts on national defence and security. The city's functional agencies and forces should strengthen their information collection and analysis to clearly understand situation, especially the sabotage plots and tricks hostile forces in the area; closely coordinating different forces in collecting and analysing information from different sources, especially the one from the people; effectively handling and resolving potential problems and risks of political instability; proactively making early forecast on developments of the internal, regional and international situations, then, carefully preparing plans to respond. In addition, it is necessary to conduct “proactive prevention”, timely and effective response to non-traditional security threats.

Combining socio-economic development with the consolidation of national defence and security is a strategic policy of our Party and State, and a regular and urgent task of each locality, including Ho Chi Minh city. It requires all levels, agencies, localities, forces, and the whole people to really make drastic changes in awareness and action; setting out specific steps, roadmap, and a system of basic and synchronous solutions, in order to build Ho Chi Minh City into a mega centre in different aspects; being a smart, fast and sustainable development centre of the whole country, and for the whole country and for the happiness of the people, making a great contribution to the cause of national construction and defence.

PHAN VAN MAI, Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the City People's Committee