The 1^st Naval Region is a combined unit which is stationed across the coastal provinces (cities) from Quang Ninh to Ha Tinh and tasked with controlling and protecting the sovereignty of the country’s northern seas and islands. This is an area with a strategic position of special importance in terms of economy, politics, defence and security of our country. During its task performance, besides the advantages, the region also encounters many difficulties, namely: Operating independently and long time at sea; foreign ships often operate illegally, violating Vietnam's sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction at sea, threatening regional peace and stability; smuggling and illegal transportation of goods tend to increase; its units are dispersed and located in areas with complications in political security, social order and safety. Besides, it is also impacted by the negative sides of the market economy, etc. These have a significant impact on the awareness, ideology and quality of task performance of its troops. Being well aware of these problems, the Regional Party Committee and Command have proposed many guidelines and solutions to lead and direct the effective implementation of tasks, in which, emphasis is placed on renewing and improving the quality of legal dissemination and education for officers and soldiers of the unit and people in border and island areas.

First of all, the Region focuses on leading and directing its agencies and units to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement the above resolutions and directives with respect to legal dissemination and education to the subjects, directly the Directive No. 04/CT-BQP, dated February 9, 2019 of the Minister of National Defence on “Strengthening management and education in discipline observance, prevention and control of law violations and  severe discipline violations in the Vietnam People's Army”; Directive No. 07/CT-TM, dated March 10, 2020 of the General Staff on the implementation of the "Disciplary Year of 2020" in the Army; the 8^th Resolution of Party Central Committee (12^th tenure) on the Strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy to 2030, with a vision to 2045; Guidance of the Political Department of the Navy on the implementation of the Project of "Strengthening legal dissemination and education for officials and people in border and island areas in the period 2017 - 2021" and directives, directions, instructions and plans of the superior on legal dissemination and education. On that basis, and basing on the functions and tasks of the unit and the actual situation, the Regional Party Committee determines guidelines and measures to lead the work in a comprehensive manner, but with focuses; its Party committees, commissars, junior commissars and commanders at all levels concretise the resolutions of the Regional Party Committees into action programs and plans. At the same time, it promotes the role of political agencies, political cadres and mass organisations, ensuring that this work is implemented synchronously, deeply and extensively with practical results.

Besides it regularly leads, directs the consolidation and perfection of the Council for coordination in legal dissemination and education and the legal disseminating team. Accordingly, Councils to coordination in legal dissemination and education are established at regional and affiliated brigade levels. The region forms a legal disseminating team; its units appoint part-time staff to carry out this work. The Regional Party Committee and Command select cadres and party members (mainly political cadres) who have firm political steadfastness, good moral qualities, knowledge, capacity and experience in the field to sit in the Council and disseminating teams at all levels. Every year, based on the above directives, programs, plans and guidelines, the Council advise and propose to the Regional Party Committee and Command the guidelines and solutions for implementation, and designate specifics tasks to its members; regularly review, supplement and perfect operational regulations and plans; hold training courses and experience exchanges to improve capacity and efficiency of implementation; conduct preliminary review, summation, seriously evaluate the task performance, and set out directions and tasks for the new period.

A talk on the danger of drug held by the 170th Brigade under 1st Naval Region

Actively renovate contents, diversify forms of legal propaganda, dissemination and education. Clearly defining the purposes, requirements and contents of this work, the Region requires all its officers and soldiers to study, research and master legal documents, decrees, circulars, directions of the State, the Ministry of National Defence and the Navy, focusing on the topics, such as: Law on Military Service 2015; Law on Non-commissioned officers, defence workers and staff 2015; Law on Road traffic 2008; Law on Anti-corruption 2018; Law on Denunciations 2018; Law on Prevention and control of harmful effects of alcohol in 2019; Circular No. 56/2020/TT-BQP, dated May 5, 2020 of the Ministry of National Defence on regulations on management and assurance of information safety and security in the Ministry of National Defence; Law on Prevention and control of infectious diseases 2007; Instruction No. 1105/HD-HC, dated February 1, 2020 of the Navy's Logistics Department on the prevention and control of acute pneumonia caused by the new strain of Corona virus. Particularly for the new recruits, in addition to the general content, it also focuses on the articles of the Managerial regulations of the Vietnam People's Army, 10 oaths of honour of the Military, 12 disciplines when interacting with people.

Besides building good propaganda content, the region also makes many creative and effective ways of implementation. At the same time, it directs the units to renew the form and method of holding Legal Day with forms such as discussion, exchange, and theatricalisation; directing the 170 Brigade to pilot for other units to learn, draw experience and replicate. Effectively maintain the model of "Soldiers' psychological - legal consulting team", "One law per week" in the units. Well implement the work of legal propaganda, dissemination and education with other working aspects, such as: political and ideological education; training, combat readiness; disciplary management and training; propagandise about the sea and islands, and integrate them with the Determined to win emulation movements, and campaigns of all levels and branches, especially the campaign "Promoting tradition, dedicating talents, deserving Uncle Ho's Soldiers and the Naval soldiers" in the new era, thereby, making officers and soldiers grasp the basic knowledge of the law, improve their sense of responsibility, sense of self-abiding by the law, discipline and regulations of the unit.

Actively coordinate with organisations and forces in the area and localities with sea borders, islands and seaports to promote legal propaganda, dissemination and education. The Regional Party Committee and Command develop plans and determine the content of close and specific cooperation with relevant units, especially with Party committees and local authorities. Actively implement the plan to coordinate and propagate to officials and people in border and island areas according to the implementation plan of the Project of "Strengthening legal dissemination and education for officials and people in border, sea and island areas in the 2017 – 2021 period". At the same time, organise training for leaders and commanders of units and local party committees, authorities and functional agencies to unify awareness, improve knowledge, and capacity to coordinate dissemination and education about marine law for soldiers and people. The training content is comprehensive, but focused on the undertakings and guidelines of the Party, policies and laws of the State, basic knowledge of the sea and islands.

In addition, the Region also cooperates with the Commission for Propagation of a number of provinces and cities, the Departments of Education and Training, universities, colleges, the centers for defence and security training to hold reports and conferences on news and specific topics relating to seas and islands, contributing to spreading the propaganda, dissemination and education of the law to a large number of people, especially people and fishermen in the border, seas and islands areas. In particular, the Regional Command focuses on closely linking the propagation, dissemination and education of the law with the implementation of the Program "Vietnam Navy acting as a fulcrum for fishermen to go offshore fishing"; "Naval Region 1 joining hands with fishermen to prevent and combat the Covid-19 pandemic" in legal dissemination and education for fishermen and ship owners  operating offshore and long-term at sea and other businesses and individuals operating in the field of fisheries logistics. Coordinate in building marine columns on radio and television, special pages in newspapers and magazines of provinces in the region's area of operation.

With many synchronous and practical solutions, over the years, the quality and effectiveness of legal propaganda, dissemination, and education, discipline management, and safety assurance in the 1^st Naval Region have seen remarkable improvements. The rate of military discipline violations has decreased to less than 0.2%. Together with the forces in the area, it has contributed to improving the sense of legal observance of fishermen when operating at sea. Those result have contributed to building a safe area, strengthening the military-civilian solidarity, building a clean and strong Regional Party Committee, an all-strong, “exemplary and typical” unit, successfully fulfilling the task of managing and protecting the sovereignty of the country’s northern seas and islands.

Senior Colonel HO THANH HOAN, Regional Political Commissar