As one of the outpost islands of our country, the district of Ly Son holds a position of central importance to national defence and security. Over the years, in addition to maximising its potential and advantages for the rapid, sustainable economic development, the district has always placed great emphasis on building and consolidating the all-people national defence associated with the posture of people’s security in order that it could firmly protect the country’s sacred sovereignty over seas and islands.

The island of Ly Son is located in the Northeast of Quang Ngai province, 15 nautical miles far from the mainland, with a total area of 10.39 square km and a population of over 22,000. Fully aware of the combination of socio-economic development and defence-security consolidation, the District Party Organisation has determined to foster economic development and improve its citizens’ life as the central task, while performing the military-defence work, maintaining political security, social order and safety, and defending the national sacred sovereignty over seas and islands have been seen as an important, routine mission.

Being consistent with that viewpoint, the District Party Committee and People’s Committee have gradually promoted the locality’s potential and advantages to facilitate economic development and improve the people’s life. The district’s average economic growth rate is estimated to reach 9.5% in the period of 2015-2020. Over the years, its economy has witnessed a solid positive change towards sustainable development. Trade and services have quickly made up a bigger share. Tourism has become a key economic sector, with a 14% increase in the number of tourists on a yearly basis and the total revenue of over 430 billion VND (by 2020), accounting for over 21% of the total value of economic sectors. Trade and services have been increasingly developed as more investments have been made in infrastructure. A central market has been constructed. Homestay services have been encouraged to develop. Catering services, accommodations, and means of transport have better satisfied locals and tourists’ demands. The average growth rate of industry and handicraft in the period of 2015-2020 has been over 16% on a yearly basis. At present, the district has 282 small-scale production facilities, such as carpentry, vessel repair and mechanics to serve construction, fishing and locals’ demands.

The agricultural turnover has been increased as the district has effectively implemented programmes to encourage agriculture and fishing. While bringing into play the value of Ly Son garlic as a brand name, the district has examined and assessed the potential of other specialities, such as sea urchin and flat crab to protect and sustainably exploit them. The district has obtained many achievements in building new-style countryside as all-level party committees and authorities have always grasped and strictly, effectively executed the National Target Programme on new-style rural area construction and the Conclusion No.30 by the Provincial Party Committee of Quang Ngai on agriculture and new-style countryside development in the period of 2016-2020. The district has mobilised various resources with the total funding of over 300 billion VND and promoted its citizens’ knowledge and resources to protect the environment and construct new-style countryside. Investments have been made in facilities and equipment for health and education. The people’s life has considerably improved. By 2020, Ly Son strives to meet the new-style countryside criteria.

A training course on defending the Island

Besides, due regard has been paid to increasing the defensive zone’s potential of various types and consolidating national defence and security in the area. To that end, it is vital to well conduct the work of propagation to raise the awareness and responsibility of key cadres at all levels and citizens towards the country’s sacred sovereignty over seas and islands. The district has focused on providing defence and security education for all groups of learners. Between 2009 and 2019, the district has dispatched cadres of the 2^nd and 3^rd groups to attend defence and security education courses, while organising such courses for cadres of the 4^th group who are cadres, officials, heads of commune-level sectors and unions, party cell secretaries and deputy secretaries, persons with great prestige and religious dignitaries under the regulations. Annually, the Office of Education and Training and Ly Son High School proactively develop plans on defence and security education for students. Additionally, the district has directed competent offices to enhance provision of knowledge of national defence and security associated with traditional festivals and politico-cultural activities, such as the feast and commemoration ceremony for Hoang Sa soldiers, the quiet-seeking and harvest ceremony, the boat race festival, and the All-People National Defence Festive Day in order to educate citizens on local and national tradition, preserve cultural identity, and arouse their pride of the national sacred sovereignty over seas and islands. At the same time, special columns have been opened to propagate and disseminate offices and units’ good experiences in building the all-people national defence and good examples in the defence of sea and island sovereignty, thus raising public awareness of national defence and security, heightening vigilance and responsibility for defending the national sovereignty over seas and islands.

The district has concentrated on building the all-people national defence potential and posture, while closely combining socio-economic development plans with the building of defensive constructions and aligning socio-economic development with defence-security consolidation. According to the district, socio-economic development plans in each period must be relevant to the defence-security task and they must tap potential and advantages and avoid affecting the defence-security posture. Military and public security offices have all taken part in formulating the district’s socio-economic development programmes and plans to ensure national defence and security. Projects for socio-economic infrastructure construction have been all appraised and dual-purpose, such as the road and embankment around the island, Ben Dinh harbour, the water supply system, and the reservoir of Thoi Loi.

The district has frequently reviewed, adjusted and supplemented its socio-economic development plan associated with the plan on its defensive zone’s military posture. It has mobilise all resources and allocated budget to build and upgrade national defence constructions, while closely managing and defending those constructions to meet the requirements set by combat readiness in any situation. It has also built and completed combat constructions, roads for manoeuvre, living zones and shelters for its citizens so that they could both maintain production and fight against enemies to protect the area for a long time under the combat projects. Besides, it has developed a system of liners, fishing vessels and freighters, built and expanded postal and telecommunications services, and improved information technology to serve both the people’s life and the defence-security task within its defensive zone. Grounded on its socio-economic development and budget, the district has provided proper funding for ideological security, information, people-to-people exchange programmes, and rural security to meet the requirements set by the Homeland construction and protection in the new situation.

Furthermore, the district has attached significance to making the armed forces strong comprehensively and capable of playing a core role in performing the military-defence task, maintaining security and order, and firmly protecting the national sovereignty over seas and islands. Grasping and stringently implementing the regulations on local armed forces’ organisational structure, the district has focused on building a comprehensively strong military office and a contingent of military cadres. Due attention has been paid to recruiting, registering, managing and training members of the reserve force as well as sufficiently staffing this force and maintaining its readiness for mobilisation in the event. The district has given consideration to building a “strong, extensive” militia and self-defence force. It has regularly reviewed and staffed the mobile militia force, the standing militia force and the coastal militia force, while sustaining a balance between those forces. As a result, the forces’ synergy, combat readiness capacity and coordination capability in the area have been raised. The Border Guard Force has strictly maintained the combat readiness order and closely cooperated with relevant forces in managing personnel and means to readily perform the task of defending seas and islands. The district’s Public Security has always resolutely combated crime and effectively maintained the operation of 6 people’s security teams, 23 propaganda commissions within 23 residential areas, 12 self-management teams, and 2 fishery unions under the movement of “all people protecting national security.” At the same time, it has promoted the models of “clever mass mobilisation” and “homestay services without crime,” while signing an agreement on maintaining security and order with houses, religious establishments and persons with great prestige in the area. Units of the armed forces have always stringently executed the Regulation on Coordination under the Government’s Decree 03/2019/NĐ-CP, dated September 5^th, 2019, thereby protecting the district’s defensive zone in all situations.

Under the Resolution 867/NQ-UBTVQH14, dated January 10^th, 2020 by the National Assembly Standing Committee on rearranging district and commune-level administrative units of Quang Ngai province, Ly Son now has no commune-level authority. Hence, it has proactively reviewed and adjusted combat readiness plans/projects within its defensive zone. Additionally, it has directed the organisation of the district-level defensive zone exercise and seriously practised the projects on storm and forest fire prevention and control as well as search and rescue. Doing so has helped improve the local party committee and authority’s leadership and management, cadres’ commanding capacity, and sectors and forces’ coordination to deal with combat situations.

In spite of difficulties and challenges, thanks to the patriotic tradition, the indomitable spirit of the hometown of the Hoang Sa Fleet (under Nguyen Dynasty), and the people’s creativity and aspirations for development, Ly Son will continue devoting efforts to building a prosperous and strong district capable of defending the national sacred sovereignty over seas and islands.

NGUYEN QUOC VIET, Chairman of the District People’s Committee