Being thoroughly aware of the position and role of political and spiritual potentials in the cause of national construction and defence, the Party Committee and Command of Military Region 3 have regularly paid attention to leading and directing the building of strong political - spiritual potential in accordance with Ho Chi Minh's thought, serving as the foundation for building an all-people national defence posture to meet the requirements and tasks of safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation.

When discussing the position and role of political - spiritual factors in the war, President Ho Chi Minh affirmed: "No army, no weapon can defeat the spirit of the whole nation". His thought has been thoroughly grasped by the entire Party, people and army, and actively and creatively applied, and won great victories in the national liberation revolution, as well as in the cause of building and safeguarding the Fatherland.

Military Region 3 is an area of strategic importance of ​​the country both in peacetime and in war, as written by General Vo Nguyen Giap: "The Delta Military Region is the chokepoint of the capital city, lies next to the Northwest and Northeast regions, connects with the central region, faces the sea. It is rich in resources and strategically important. In peacetime, it is one of the key area for construction and development, the gateway for international exchanges of the country. In wartime, it is the national rear, and the front against the invaders, names of a number of villages, lands and rivers have become the names of glorious feats". As a result, the building of political and spiritual potential right in the peacetime becomes even more important. Deeply imbued with President Ho Chi Minh's thought on political-spiritual strength and on the basis of thoroughly grasping the resolutions and directives of the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence on the protection of the Fatherland and the construction of defensive zones, the Party Committees and Commanders of the Military Region have issued resolutions and directed its provincial Military Commands to actively perform the advisory role for the local Party committees and authorities to implement programs, plans, and projects on building a firm defensive area, especially on strengthening the "political-spiritual potential".

Currently, to meet the high demands of the cause of national construction and protection, and the task of building a wealthy and strong Military Region 3 in terms of national defence and security, the Party Committee and Command of the Military Region are focusing on synchronously leading and directing measures to build political - spiritual potentials in accordance with Ho Chi Minh's thought.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff and commanders of Military Region 3 visit training equipment

Thoroughly understanding and creatively applying President Ho Chi Minh's advice on the duty of authorities and branches at all level "to make effort to explain, propagate, organise, lead, and bring the patriotic spirit of all people into practice in patriotic work and resistance cause", the Party Committee and Command of the Military Region have directed their agencies, units and localities to step up propaganda and education to raise awareness and responsibility of its party committees, authorities and the people at all walks of life for the cause of building all-people national defence and safeguarding the Fatherland and consider this as the leading and important solution, contributing to building political-spiritual potentials in the firm defensive zone. Accordingly, the Education Councils for National Defence and Security of the Military Region, the provinces, and cities have given advice and assisted the Party committees and authorities at all levels to effectively implement the education on the national defence and security knowledge for different subjects. Its agencies, units and localities have firmly grasped the requirements and tasks of building political - spiritual potentials in the defensive zone, promoting information and propaganda that are relevant to the specific characteristics of the region and the sense and awareness of the people. In which, importance has been attached on key and complicated, remote and border areas as well as islands (Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Hoa Binh, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh), encouraging the people to strictly abide by the Party's guidelines, and the State's policies and laws, not to be instigated by hostile forces or to conduct illegal religious activities, so as to maintain political security and social order and safety. During the implementation process, agencies and units have placed emphasis on innovating contents, methods and forms, and attaching importance to the integration of propaganda contents into local revolutionary movements, and on the occasion of the Party and the country’s special celebrations through promoting the role of organisations, forces, media, communication and cultural institutions at the grassroots level. Propaganda contents have focused on clarifying the Party's guidelines and viewpoints, the State's policies and laws on national defence and the Army; the Party's guidelines on ethnic and religious issues, on building and promoting the strength of the great national unity bloc; the traditional history of the nation and the locality, etc. At the same time, it is to speak out and clarify the conspiracies and tricks of the hostile forces, create consensus in the whole society on the struggle to defeat the "Peaceful evolution" strategy, successfully realise the goal of building and defending the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

In reality, recently in the Military Region, hostile forces have exploited several limitations and shortcomings in the management and operation of the political system at all levels to undermine the people's trust, aiming to promote "self-evolution" and "self-transformation". Therefore, participating in the construction of a clean, strong, effective and efficient local political system is an effective solution that is valued by the Party Committee and Command of the Military Region. In President Ho Chi Minh’s thought: a modern and effective political system must be built on the principle "Our country is a democratic one. All of its interests are for its people, and all of its legitimate rights are of its people... The administration system from local agencies to the central government are elected by the people". In order to well implement this content, the Military Region has directed its Political Department to proactively develop an action program, coordinating with departments and branches of provinces and cities to implement it, and attaching importance to building a political system, especially the party organisation and the government with high leadership capacity and combat power. At the same time, it has directed local military agencies at all levels to actively participate in building strong party committees, administrations, Fatherland Front, and socio-political organisations, really being the core force in mobilising the strength of the great unity bloc of the whole people; successfully implementing the Regulation on Grassroots level Democracy; effectively implementing the movements of "All people unite to build a cultural life in residential areas", " hunger alleviation and poverty eradication", etc. creating consensus and the support of the people for the administrations’ decisions. Along with that, attention has been paid to building clean and strong local military party organisations in association with consolidating comprehensively strong, "exemplary and typical" agencies and units; building committees with cadres in charge at all levels; strengthening a contingent of party members in association with building a contingent of cadres; successfully conducting consultation and preparation of personnel, introducing and voting for the local party committees and deputies of the People's Councils at all levels for the term 2021 - 2026. Emphasis has also been placed on mobilising and guiding the people to participate in the performance of national defence, local military tasks, especially in protecting the land, maritime and island sovereignty. Importance has been attached to resolutely fighting against and preventing corruption and wastefulness, pushing back the manifestations of deterioration of internally political ideology, morality, lifestyle, "self-evolution" and "self-transformation", contributing to strengthening the people's trust in the armed forces of the Military Region.

According to Ho Chi Minh's thought, one of the basic, long-term and sustainable solutions to build the political-spiritual potential is to promote economic development, take care of and improve the material and spiritual life of the people. Therefore, in order to successfully perform this task, local Party committees and authorities should pay attention to socio-economic development, improve the material and spiritual life of the people, especially the ethnic minorities in remote, border and island areas. Military agencies at all levels have actively performed their advisory role for local Party committees and authorities in appraising investment programs and projects for socio-economic development that are related to consolidating the regional defence posture, with especial attention paid to foreign investment projects in key areas, with strategic positions in terms of national defence and security, such as: Hai Phong and Quang Ninh. They have also effectively implemented projects on afforestation and production development, helping people change and improve high-yield livestock and plants, contributing to promoting income growth, hunger eradication, poverty alleviation, and social-economic development. Defence-Economic Unit 327 has coordinated with the local authorities to well implement the project of removing the people and supporting and stabilising their living in new areas; successfully apply measures to prevent and control the epidemic in the community; actively help people to prevent and overcome consequences of natural disasters etc. The forces stationed in border areas have closely coordinated with the local authorities to build and form a solid "border fence"; strictly handle activities that violate border regulations, firmly protect 78 boundary markers, more than 118 km of the national border line, and more than 500 km of the coastline. Along with that, agencies, units and localities have well conducted mass mobilisation and "reciprocal" activities, taking care of and ensuring the lives of families under preferential treatment, wounded and sick soldiers, etc.

Building "political-spiritual potential" in accordance with Ho Chi Minh's thought is to build and strengthen the people's trust in the Party, the State and the Army; the foundation to consolidate an ever stronger all-people national defence posture, and "the people's hearts posture". This is an objective and urgent issue that requires the armed forces of the Military Region to further better perform this important content, contributing to the successful implementation of the Party's viewpoint on national defence "early and from afar".

Lieutenant General NGUYEN QUANG CUONG, Secretary of the Party Committee, Political Commissar of Military Region