Over the past years, the 1^st Naval Region has promoted the implementation of Directive No.05-CT/TW of the Politburo (the 10^th Session) on promoting the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s spirit, ethics, and style and achieved significant results. This has created a positive and comprehensive change in the performance of political tasks and the construction of a transparent, solid Party Committee and a comprehensively strong Region.

In order to effectively implement Directive No.05, the 1^st Naval Region Party Committee and High Command have deployed several leading and directive guidelines and measures appropriate and close to the characteristics of the Region, making the learning and following Uncle Ho become a regular job of cadres, party members, and soldiers.

First of all, the Party Committee and the High Command have focused on leading and directing the preparation of plan for striving to study and follow Uncle Ho with importance attached to overcoming shortcomings. In two current years, to meet the requirements on protecting the sea and island sovereignty, the Region has had new developments in terms of organizational structure and staffing. There are, however, some limitations and weaknesses, especially those in the management of disciplining, regularity building, or safety assurance, etc. Consequently, in 2016, the Region failed to be recognized as a comprehensively strong unit. From this issue, when implementing Directive No.05 of the Politburo and Directive No.87 the Central Military Commission, the Party Committee and the High Command have identified and determined to make basic changes in perception and responsibilities of cadres and party members. The Party Committee has issued a thematic resolution on "Leadership in strengthening regularity, disciplining, ensuring safety and meeting the requirements of new tasks". Constraints and their causes have been identified, and responsibilities of each level have been clarified to map out appropriate measures for each agency or unit. The High Command has reviewed all existing documents and regulations and promulgated new ones in order to uniformly implement and tighten the disciplines and working order as well as strengthen political and ideological education with prominence given to the role and responsibilities of the party committees and commanders at all levels and putting all activities into order.

In the preparation of implementation plans, the Region’s Party Committee and the subordinate party committees have selected the core contents to break through into the shortcomings and make clear changes in learning and following. Specific responsibilities have been assigned, which helps overcome gimmicky and ineffective performance. The Region has always attached the implementation of Directive No.05 with that of the Campaign "Promoting traditions, devoting talents to be worthy of Uncle Ho’s soldiers and Naval soldiers", the Determine to Win Emulation Movement, and other campaigns of all levels and sectors. To implement uniformly and efficiently, the Region has organized training courses to enhance knowledge, capacity, and responsibility for the Party committees and political cadres at all levels. It has also promoted the work of inspection and supervision and attached the inspection conducted by specialized field inspection with promoting the role of inspection committees at all levels in examining party members and party organizations that show signs of violation. Grassroots democracy has been also promoted through renewing the forms of dialogue, comment mailboxes, questionnaire surveys, and investigations. Thanks to positive measures and high determination, the Region has gradually overcome weaknesses and made progressive changes in all working fields. More specifically, law and discipline observance of officers and soldiers have been improved without serious cases of disciplinary offenses, and common breaches have decreased from 0.3% in 2016 to 0.14% in 2017.

Rear Admiral Pham Van Quang awarding outstanding contestants at the Political Teaching Contest of the Region (Photo: baohaiquanvietnam.vn)

In addition, the Region has strengthened propagation and education to raise awareness and responsibility for cadres, party members, and the masses in the implementation of tasks. Agencies and units have focused on disseminating and thoroughly grasping the resolutions and directives of the superiors and clarifying the contents, new issues, and core of Directive No.05 so that all cadres, party members, and the masses are aware of the basic contents and values ​​of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics, and style. Importance has been attached to the propagation of his ideas, ethics, and style in various forms and measures. Additionally, other activities have also been performed such as preliminary summing-ups, meetings, honoring, and commending the role models during three years of implementation of the campaign "Promoting traditions, devoting talents to be worthy of Uncle Ho’s soldiers"; compilation of in the book "Role models of Uncle’s Army - Naval Soldiers"; and popularization, replication, and promotion of the effectiveness of the implementation of "3 models and 4 determinations". Besides, the Region High Command has also coordinated with VOV1 Channel (the Voice of Vietnam) to organize the exchange meeting among advanced models of learning and following Uncle Ho, creating extensive dissemination in the whole Region, etc.

The Region’s Party of Regions has paid much attention to the work of the Party construction, renewing leadership style, and making clear changes in all working aspects. Learning and following Uncle Ho, the party committees and party organizations have focused on improving the leadership capacity and combat power of party organizations, especially those are weak and not clean and strong. Importance has been also attached to maintaining the order and discipline, ensuring the principle of leadership, renewing the working style towards science, democracy, intellect, and practicality, deeds matching with words, and perception attaching to action, and implementing self-criticism and criticism in accordance with the Resolution of the Fourth Plenum (the 10^th Congress). Other activities have been done such as improving the quality and efficiency of inspection and supervision, timely detecting and inspecting the Party organizations and member having signs of violation, considering and handling serious disciplinary violations, and promptly notifying to have deterrent and educational effects.

The Region has put Directive No.05 Directive into practical training and combat readiness to avoid all passive and unexpected situations. The units have strictly maintained the regimes of commanding duty, watch duty, and combat-readiness duty. The work of patrol has been enhanced to firmly manage and protect the assigned sea areas and islands. Joint patrol and rescue exercises with the Chinese Navy have also been well performed, thereby enhancing understanding, expanding defense external relations, strengthening friendship solidarity, and reducing tensions on the sea. The Region has always maintained its force on key sea areas and actively coordinated with other forces in search, rescue, fire and natural disaster prevention, and  supporting local people to stabilize life, etc. Following Uncle Ho, the Region has always performed logistic and technical assurance to meet the requirements of the task. The Region High Command has always focused on promoting emulation movements such as "Military Logistics following Uncle Ho's teachings" and "Building up units of good soldier caring and good military supplies management" and implemented effectively the breakthrough into "Improving the quality of shipmen feeding and health care. The efficiency of the models of "intensive production and specialized farming" in brigades, fleets, and battalions and "Gardens, ponds, cages, and trusses" in independent or dispersed units, etc. has been promoted. The green, clean, and scenic landscapes within the units have been actively built. Moreover, the soldier health care has been prioritized in accordance with the standard of "5-good medical unit", ensuring healthy soldier rate of 99.1%. The technical work has well executed to ensure the sufficiency, uniformity, quantity, and quality of weapons and technical equipment, meeting the requirements of tasks with priority put on training, exercise, and live fire missions. The movements of innovation promotion, technical enhancement, scientific research, and practical application have been strengthened. The technical staff, especially engineers and technicians, have upheld their roles and responsibilities in management, exploitation, and use of weapons and technical equipment. The movement of "Management and exploitation of weapons, and technical equipment in good conditions ensuring durability, safety, cost-efficiency, and traffic safety" has been implemented effectively and deeply.

By practical work in learning and following Uncle Ho, in 2017, the Region excellently completed its assigned tasks and was awarded with the Emulation Flag by the High Command. Promoting the achievements, in the coming time, the Party Committee and the High Command of 1^st Naval Region will continue to lead and direct its subordinates in implementing Directive No.05 of the Politburo to contribute to building the solid organizations and human resources, strengthening the leadership capacity and fighting strength of the Party Committee and the combined quality and combat power of the Region to fulfill the task of firmly protecting the sea and island sovereignty of the Motherland.

Rear Admiral Pham Van Quang, 1^st Naval Region’s Commissar