Thoroughly grasping the Directive No. 5 (hereinafter the Directive) by the Politburo (12th tenure) on accelerating the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle, Military women have executed the Directive in a responsible, timely, creative and effective fashion through a wide variety of specific models and movements, and recorded realistic results.

Under the auspices of party committees, commissars, commandants, and political agencies across the Military, the work of studying and emulating Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle and the Campaign entitled “Promoting traditions, devoting talents, and deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the 2016 - 2021 period amongst Military women have been carried out in a uniform manner in accord with every office and unit’s particularities.

As an advisory role, committees (assistants) in charge of women’s work and executive committees of women unions across the Military have always upheld their sense of responsibilities for efficiently directing and carrying out the Directive in association with the cultivation of moral virtues of “confidence, self-esteem, faithfulness, and resourcefulness” and criteria for “four good”, thereby internalizing the study and emulation of Uncle Ho’s thought, morality and lifestyle. In the process, all-level women unions have regularly reformed and diversified forms and methods of education and propagation (namely dialogues, forums, competitions, artistic programs, etc), thereby creating a complete transformation in awareness and action amongst women union members, and contributing to fighting manifestations of political, ideological, moral, and lifestyle degeneracy and “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within, and preserving the image of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers”, and building well-rounded military women, matching mission requirements in the new situation.

Army-wide women unions have always adhered to every office and unit’s peculiarities and political missions so as to build and multiply outstanding individuals as well as creative and effective models and movements, namely “emulating Uncle Ho’s practicing of thrift”; “women assist one another in developing domestic economy”; “An economy day for needy women”; “Every week (day and month) a good deed”, and so forth. For units in charge of combat readiness missions, the military women have always followed their commandants’ orders; been active in studying and emulating Uncle Ho’s life and work style; ceaselessly built up their physical fitness and improved their professionalism; and taken part in combat readiness and daily duties. Some outstanding models have been creatively applied, namely “Being on duty means being on combat missions”; “signal women follow Uncle Ho’s teachings”; “creative training, high combat readiness”, etc, thereby contributing to enhancing offices and units’ overall quality and fighting strength across the Military.

In terms of production and business activities, the female forces who work on assembly line producing technical weaponry always strictly obey regulations on labour safety; actively “promote initiatives and innovate technology”, “manage and exploit technical weapons and equipment properly, durably, safely, and economically, and traffic safety”; ceaselessly soup up and apply science and technology to enhancing productivity and ensuring the quality and quantity of military technical weaponry, thereby contributing to bolstering production and business efficiency and consolidating defence and security.

In terms of logistical activities, the contingent of female personnel involving in administrative and archive work always uphold their sense of responsibility for properly doing the work of preventing infiltration and protecting military secrets. Military women in charge of logistical and financial work take active part in the movement “The Military Logistics Branch follows Uncle Ho’s teachings”; adequately and opportunely provide logistical and financial supplies for offices and units and cadres and soldiers across the Military, especially for training and combat readiness missions; well maintain some models such as “Women manage depots by themselves” and “Emulating Uncle Ho’s good thrift and gardening”. The contingent of military medical women have a tight grasp of the motto “Bright in medical ethics, deep in medical theories, and expert in medical technique”, thereby enhancing the Military’s fighting strength and healthcare services for the people in their stationed areas.

In terms of education and training and scientific research activities, lecturers and teachers working for military-run academies, schools, and kindergartens regularly cultivate their moral virtues and professionalism via specific models, namely “Good teaching and learning and scientific research”; “Military women emulate “four-good” criteria”; “Every teacher sets an example of morality, self-study, and creativity”. Military women getting engaged in scientific research actively do in-depth research, stay close to units at grass-roots level, tightly grasp situations, and give proper, timely, and effective counseling. To date, there have been 19 female associate professorship holders, over 1,300 Doctorate and MA ones, 9 superb practitioners, 57 people’s and superb artists, and 21 outstanding teachers across the Military.

In terms of cultural, artistic, propaganda activities and mass mobilization, female artists, writers, journalists, and union members in the Military have always been imbued with Ho Chi Minh’s thought on culture, art and revolutionary journalism; devoted themselves to composing cultural and dissemination works to encourage the masses to abide by the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws, meeting soldiers and the people’s cultural needs. The model entitled “Women love and preserve lullabies and folk music” in the entire Military have contributed to building advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity.

In terms of practicing thrift, developing domestic economy, executing the Army rear policies, and twinning activities for the purpose of mass mobilization, all-level women unions have properly implemented the movement “Emulating Uncle Ho’s teachings, military women practice thrift and sustainably alleviate poverty” launched by Vietnam Women’s Union. In response to this movement, Military women union has rolled out some movements, namely “economical rice jars”; “Scavenging scrap to clean the environment and raise the Union’s funds”; “Emulating Uncle Ho’s teachings, practicing thrift for comrades and the people”, etc. Annually, more than two thousand saving teams (groups) made up by 82% of the total number of female cadres and union members have a savings turnover of over 35 billion VND from which 12.790 union members can borrow to develop their domestic economy.

Following Uncle Ho’s example, military women in army-wide units have actively done the Army rear polices and humanitarian and charity activities, namely the movement “the Army joins hands in building new-type rural areas” and “the Army joins hands for the poor, no one is left behind”, as evidenced by more than 14,000 working days of reclaiming the environment and a system of rural traffic and dredging farming canals and creeks; “military-civil medical coordination” and “the Army joins hands for community health”, etc., thereby examining, treating, and providing medicines for 14 thousand people free of charge; taking care of 162 Vietnamese heroic Mothers; visiting and giving gifts worth 25 billion VND in value to families enjoying military policies; donating more than 4 billion VND to natural disasters-stricken people; and donating more than 6 billion VND to build “Houses of great unity” and “Houses of altruism”. In particular, some models of military women such as “solidarity and love between religious and non-religious communities” and “kind hearts” have contributed to radiantly brightening dignities of Uncle Ho’s soldiers in the people’s hearts and minds.

It is safe to say that a wide range of activities conducted by Military women have unearthed outstanding individuals and models and examples of “good people and deeds” emulating Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, and lifestyle. Those act as a practical experience of great importance to the direction and execution of military women movements in the new period.

To enhance the quality and effectiveness of carrying out the Directive in the coming time, all-level women unions across the Military need to continue to take some fundamental measures as follows.

First, every female cadre and union member at all levels regularly adhere to the higher echelons’ directions as a basis for advising party committees and commandants on the contents of military women movements in association with the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, and lifestyle and the Campaign “Promoting traditions, devoting talents, and deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers”.

Second, actively reforming forms and methods of holding union meetings to enable every union member to actively and proactively devote their talents and efforts to the cause of building the Military and constructing and protecting the Homeland in the new situation.

Third, accelerating the work of education and propagation to enhance every female cadre and union member’s awareness and a sense of responsibility; attaching great importance to impart examples of “good people and deeds” and individuals and collectives with an excellent track record in studying and emulating Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, and lifestyle.

Colonel Phung Thi Phu, Head of the Military Women Commission