Actively joining to develop the socio-economy, enhancing the infrastructure construction, and strengthening the local politics are such practical activities done by Infantry Division 8 in their response to the movement of “Military Region 9’s armed forces joining hands to build new rural areas”. Hence, the face of rural areas has been actively changed, the relationship between the military and people has been strongly strengthened; cadres and soldiers of the division have earned the trust and affection of the local people.

Building new rural areas is a major policy of our Party and State, which has become a popular movement in the whole country to create a new rebound and a firm basis for the rural areas, the borders, islands and remote areas in particular, to gain fast and sustainable development. This is an important task and responsibility of all levels, industries, forces, regions, the whole people and the entire political system, of which the Military plays as one of the striking forces. For Military Region 9 in general and Division 8 in particular, there are many advantages in the implementation of this movement, including the fact that the political security, social order and safety have been relatively stable; the economy has developed, the life of cadres, soldiers and people has been improved; the great national unity and the “people’s hearts and minds posture” have been strengthened, etc. However, beside these advantages, the infrastructural and socio-economic conditions and the life of a part of the local people are still in difficulty; the fundings and facilities are limited; the complex changes of diseases, weather and climate have directly affected people’s life and the Division’s task performance.

Clearly understanding the tasks, the Division’s Party committee, commanders, cadres and soldiers have managed to overcome difficulties and implement the movement with many practical results, making an important contribution together with other localities to the successful accomplishment of targets on building new rural areas, sustainable hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, improving local people’s living standards and building the firm posture and potentials of the defence zones.

To achieve the high results, the Division’s Party Committee and Command have intensely led and directed its offices and units to thoroughly grasp the Party’s guidelines, the State’s policies and laws, directions, plans and instructions from the superiors on hunger eradication, poverty alleviation and building new rural areas. Simultaneously, they have regularly strengthened the Steering Committee, working groups and assisting offices; its offices and units have built plans and launched the emulation movements. Annually and in every stage, the Division actively coordinates with the local party committees and governments to inspect the areas, select several breakthrough norms, clearly grasp the pros and cons to build plans, define working contents and methods, making them practical, effective and suitable with the capability of each unit and locality. In its implementation process, the Division’s Party Committee and Command have directed the party committees and commands at all levels to enhance the propaganda to make cadres, soldiers and local people clearly understand the aims, meanings, contents, importance, norms and stages of building new rural areas, which has made the movement deeply go into their self-awareness, actions and responsibility. At the same time, the Division’s Party Committee and Command have promoted the general strength, the advisory offices’ roles in particular; closely coordinated with the local unions and forces to create “bridges” between the local party committees, governments and the people; overcome the violations of the discipline in military-civilian relationship which can badly affect the prestige and reduce the people’s trust in the Party, State and Army.

With its policies towards the grassroots, closely following the localities, the Division has proactively taken part in the development of the local socio-economy. According to the defined targets, since 2010, the Division has coordinated with the local party committees and governments to build the infrastructure; improve the rural traffic, schools, clinics; participate the Program of “Lightening the countryside roads”; provide thousands of workdays to help the local people develop the socio-economy connected to defence-security enhancement, which could create drastic changes in the infrastructure in rural areas. The Division has actively helped the people develop the economy focusing on restructuring the production and labour, transferring technology, changing animal and plant breeds, economically-efficient plants; gradually eliminate the old-fashioned and ineffective working styles, apply the technological advances into production and disease prevention. Besides, the Division’s cadres and soldiers have actively donated to the fund for the poor, the fund of gratitude, the fund for comrades, the fund for the Agent Orange victims, etc. with the total of over 6 billion dong; presented 1,168 gifts to policy families and the ones with specially difficult conditions in the locality; presented gifts valued at 44,800,000 dong to poor but studious children on new school year, holidays or Tet; conducted health check and provided free medicine to over 700 people with the total of 200 million dong. The Division’s units have also coordinated with the local agencies, departments and unions to encourage the local people to build the green, clean and scenic environment. Besides, the Division’s cadres and soldiers have played a core, leading role in preventing and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, fires, whirlwinds, floods, droughts, saltwater intrusion; timely mobilised forces to take part in search and rescues, reduce damages and stabilise local people’s life. These activities have been highly appreciated by the local party committees, governments and people, making the image of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” more shining.

On implementing the motto of “listening to people, talking for people to understand, working for people to believe”, the Division’s cadres and soldiers have actively taken part in reinforcing organisations, building the strong local politics and well accomplishing the defence and security tasks. Offices and units have used many propaganda methods to make people fully understand the local tasks, the task of developing the socio-economy connected with enhancing the defence and security in the locality, demands for building and protecting the Homeland at the present time. They have, at the same time, encouraged the local people to actively take part in building “hamlets and communes meeting the urban civilisation standards” and “cultural families”; eliminate unsuitable customs, maintain the nationally cultural identities; not to listen to and believe in the words of bad guys, feel secure to work, develop the economy and improve their material and spiritual life. Besides, the Division has actively advised and proposed to all-level party committees and governments ways to timely and effectively solve legal proceedings related to ethnic and religious issues; create favourable conditions for religions to legally operate meeting the followers’ demands. On holidays or national events, especially the religious ones, the Division pays visits to dignitaries and followers’ families who have greatly contributed to the country to encourage them to “lead a good life and religion” and strictly follow the local regulations, making the unity and connection among residential places to build the strong and safe operating areas.

Basing on Resolution No. 13-NQ/TW, dated 02 April 2022 by the Politburo on the Directions of socio-economic development and defence-security assurance in the Mekong River Delta to 2030, with a vision to 2045, the Division’s Party Committee and Command have directed offices and units to coordinate with the party committees, governments, agencies, departments and unions to build the strong political bases in communes, wards and towns. In particular, they have paid attention to localities having signed to build the new rural areas with the Division; helped the localities build and reinforce the party cells, governments, agencies, departments and public unions so that they can be strong, work correctly and improve the effectiveness in the party members development, especially in the militia, reserve forces and ethnic groups; helped the localities maintain the action disciplines in the party cells, governments and unions, firmly keep the organising principles and continuously improve the working effectiveness. The Division has regularly coordinated with the local party committees and governments in training staffs who are non-commissioned officers and soldiers of ethnic groups having just completed their military service in order to contribute to the construction of the strong political system at the grassroots level.

From the reality of the emulation movement on building the new rural areas in Division 8, there have appeared many good models and methods which have brought practical effectiveness, including “Lighting the countryside roads”, “Building families of 5 nos and 3 cleans”, “The voluntary Saturdays”, “The green Sundays”, etc. which have enhanced the determination, creativity, the military-civilian unity, making contribution to the drastic changes in implementing the movement in each office and unit.

In order to better this work, beside the improvement of the political responsibility, the revolutionary moral quality, working ability and methods, the Division’s Party Committee and Command pays special attention to solving the following issues:

1. Continuously making all cadres and soldiers thoroughly understand the aims and meanings of the Program of National targets on building new rural areas; the policies by the Party, State, Military, the local party committees and governments on doing this task, which, on that basis, could mobilise the people’s responsibility for the defined plans; avoid the expressions of insensibility, hesitation of difficulties and hardships, and low effectiveness.

2. Regularly grasping and clearly understanding the policies from the superiors, tasks of each office and unit and the conditions of each locality; having plans for detailed and close coordination and defining main tasks to actively create bridges between localities and units, enterprises, donators and the people.

3. Closely combining the movement of building new rural areas with the Determined-to-win Emulation Movement, and the campaigns, and movements of the localities; closely following the targets and requirements of each movement to make plans and solutions suitable for the unit’s capability and each locality’s features.

4. Closely coordinating with the local party committees, governments, agencies, unions and all military units in the area to successfully carry out 5 groups of main contents in the remaining period. On that basis, building plans, defining contents and programs on building new rural areas, which are suitable with the units’ and the local reality in order to contribute to the cause of urbanisation and modernisation of the agriculture and rural areas in the locality.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN VAN HOA, Division Commissar