On implementing the Party’s viewpoint on protecting the Homeland in the new situation, together with other regions in the whole country, Long An Province has focused on leading and directing the implementation of defence and military tasks with many creative and suitable solutions, contributing to the construction of the Province with stable politics, prosperous economy and strong defence and security.

Long An is a boundary province in the main economic region connecting the Southeast and the Southwest. As the province has the border line of nearly 135 km with Cambodia, its position is really important in both economy, society, defence, security and foreign relations. Over the past years, together with the development of socio-economy, the construction of new rural areas and the improvement of people’s material and spiritual life, the Province has treasured the leadership, direction and implementation of defence and military tasks with many creative and suitable solutions. Accordingly, the education of defence and security in the Province has gained significant results; the selection and enlistment has been renovated more practically and effectively; the combination between socio-economic development and defence-security reinforcement has been much concerned, making stable results; the training and exercises of defence zones has been well maintained; the armed forces’ overall quality and combat strength have been enhanced to enable them to timely and effectively handle all situations, stably keep the security, social order and safety, making important contribution to the fast and sustainable development of the Province.

However, beside the achievements, the Province’s defence and military affairs have revealed some weaknesses and shortcomings. Meanwhile, it is estimated that there are still instabilities in the borders in the future time; the relationship between the socio-economic development and defence-security assurance has continuously raised new problems which need to be basically solved; the hostile forces have increased their sabotage with many malicious plots on all fields, etc. It is, consequently, essential to strength the leadership and direction on the local defence and military affairs. In order to carry it out, the Provincial Party’s Committee and People’s Committee have defined several leading and directing solutions as follows:

Firstly, improving the awareness, responsibility and capability for all-level party committees and governments of the defence and military missions. The Province needs to promote the grasping of resolutions, directions from the Party, Central Military Commission, Ministry of National Defence and the 7^th Military Region on the defence and military tasks to all-level party committees and governments, cadres and party members through conferences on grasping resolutions, trainings and the practices of missions implementation in each region, office and units, through which to improve the awareness and responsibility for building and issuing resolutions, directions and plans on implementing the defence and military tasks suitably to the reality; enhance the management effectiveness of the governments at all levels on the defence and military field, at the same time, mobilise the engagement of all levels, agencies and the whole political system. Among them, the military units at all levels play a core role, together with other agencies to be advisors for the party committees and governments to effectively organise the further trainings on defence and military knowledge for all participants; build and complete the regulations on building and organising activities for defence zones; build the posture of defence zones which is uninterrupted and stable, especially in the main defence directions and borders; cooperate with other forces to closely hold the situations, timely solve the cases in the region, avoid the “hot spots”; continue to carry out the Project on building the residential places near the Border posts and positions of boundary militia for the construction of the posture of all-people’s defence and people’s security, build the potentials for the defence zones, maintain the stability of politics, social order and safety, making conditions and motivations for the Province to strongly develop its socio-economy and stabilise the defence and security.

Secondly, renovating the education and refresher courses on defence and military knowledge for all participants and the whole people. In order to improve the awareness and responsibility for cadres, party members, armed forces and people on the missions of building and protecting the Homeland, the Provincial Party Committee, Provincial People’s Committee request the Councils of Defence and Security Education in districts, cities and towns to make detailed surveys in wards, communes, self-defence units and organisations in the locality to define their education contents, programs of refresher courses on defence and military knowledge which are suitable and effective for 100% participants due to their level. The contents should focus on the Party’s viewpoints and guidelines, the State’s policies and law on defence and military affairs; policies on building the all-people defence and people’s security; legal documents; resolutions, directions and instructions on the defence and military affairs; hostile forces’ plots and means, through which, to improve the whole people’s awareness and responsibility for the defence and military missions, contributing to the enhancement of a stable posture of all-people’s defence in the area.

Thirdly, building strong armed forces as the core for successfully implementing the defence and military missions. This is the solution which decides the all-round effectiveness of the defence and military tasks in all areas in general, in Long An in particular. Grasping and implementing the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress on “Basically building the elite, compact and strong People’s Army and Police by 2025, making the firm basis for the construction of the revolutionary, regular, highly-skilled and modern People’s Army and Police by 2030”, the Province focuses on leading and directing the construction of strong armed forces. In order to gain the goal of being strong in politics and thoughts, the Provincial Party Committee asks the party committees at all levels to strictly organise the implementation and study of directions and resolutions; renovate and improve the education quality of politics for all participants, well carry out the dissemination and education of law, educate the traditions, maintain the cadres’ and soldiers’ orientations of politics and thoughts.

Finally, building the potentials in the defence zones is the main task which receives frequent concern from the Province in its leadership, direction and implementation. Implementing Decree No. 21/2019/NĐ-CP, dated 22/02/2019 by the Government on the defence zones; the Project on building the defence zone in Long An province in the period of 2016 – 2021 and the following years, the Provincial Party Standing Committee has focused on building the strong “people’s heart and mind posture”, fully bringing into play the political-spiritual potentials in the defence zones. As a result, the party committees and local governments at all levels could improve the effectiveness of political system, really respect and close to people; enhance the socio-economic development, well implement the programs on hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, employment for labouring people; at the same time, closely combine the economic development to building the potentials, the strong defence and military posture. The province has defined the close combination between the economic, socio-cultural development and the reinforcement of defence and security, the building of the strong defence zones in provinces, districts right after the planning stage and in each construction project and work. Accordingly, all projects, especially the ones in major areas, borders, river mouths, need to be dual-use, ready to support the defence demands and be certified by the military offices before being approved, contributing to the sustainably economic development and making the technical and material basis for the construction of the strong defence zones.

Together with the above solutions, the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee continue to lead and direct the quality improvement of the military enlistment, simultaneously, widen the relations of unity, friendship and cooperation with all-level governmental authorities, military units in Svay Rieng and Pray Veng province (Cambodia) in order to exchange information, organise bilateral patrols, well manage and protect the border sovereignty and security, build the borders of peace, friendship, cooperation and development, which help contribute to the successful accomplishment of the missions of building and safeguarding the Homeland.

NGUYEN VAN UT, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of Provincial People’s Committee