Political education plays a particularly important role in party work and political work at military units, directly contributing to strengthening stances and viewpoints, forming and developing quality and personality, preventing the deterioration of political ideology, morality and lifestyle for cadres and soldiers, making them always enthusiastic, ready to receive and complete all assigned tasks. Deeply aware of that, the Party Committee and Command of Military Region 4 (MR4) have adopted many guidelines and measures to lead and direct the implementation to improve the quality of this work, contributing to maintaining the Party's ideological battlefield, building the MR4 politically strong, serving as a basis for improving the overall quality and combat strength of the MR4's armed forces.

First of all, Party committees and commanders at all levels always attach great importance to leadership and direction in political education. Thoroughly grasping Directive No. 124-CT/QUTW, dated March 31, 2011 of the Central Military Commission's Standing Committee on "Strengthening the leadership and direction over political education at military units in the new period"; the Project "Renovation of political education at military units in a new period" of the Ministry of National Defence; Plan No. 172/KH-BCĐĐN, dated January 25, 2014 of the Project Steering Committee - General Political Department and Guidance No. 2345/HD-TH, dated October 11, 2013 of the Department of Propaganda and Training on the implementation of the Project, MR4 Party Committee issued a thematic resolution on political education reform and guidance documents in a timely and relevant manner, ensuring consistency in implementation. Party committees, commanders, political commissars, junior commissars, political agencies and political cadres at all levels deeply grasp the position and importance of the political education renovation project; promote responsibility in leadership, direction, planning, organisation and implementation. As a result, political education work of the Military Region has seen a fundamental innovation with increasing practicality and effectiveness.

Actively and proactively innovating programs, contents, forms and methods is identified by the Military Region as a key stage to improve the quality of political education work. On the basis of the guidance of the Political Department of the Military Region, its agencies and units innovated the content of compiling documents, textbooks and lesson plans of political education for the subjects, ensuring the richness of content, closely following the basic program of the General Political Department and the situation and tasks of the armed forces of the Military Region. The main content is focused on Marxism - Leninism, Ho Chi Minh thought; guidelines of the Party, policies and laws of the State; tasks of the Army, armed forces of the Military Region, agencies, units and localities. In addition to the content of regular education according to the Regulations, the Military Region has focused on making legal education a basic part of the political education program at the units for all subjects; Strictly implement Law Day with 05 contents: topical information, legal games, skits, legal Q&A and watching documentaries.

Traditional education at 19th Regiment, 968th Division

Together with renovating programs and contents, units of the Military Region have flexibly and creatively applied forms and methods of political education. In particular, focus has been placed on combining traditional teaching methods with modern ones, equipping knowledge with exchanging practical experiences; using projectors, visual models, watching video discs, supporting documentaries according to the topics of the lessons. This helps creating an attraction in learning, making soldiers firmly grasp knowledge and understand deeply the content, link and apply the knowledge they have learnt to the execution of their assigned responsibilities and tasks. Forms of conducting political and ideological activities, political and spiritual day, and monthly Law Day are regularly renewed in terms of content, measures and methods, thereby, contributing to consolidating and preserving the internal solidarity and the military-civilian unity, creating a high consensus and unity in the performance of tasks. In implementation, agencies and units have closely and effectively combined political education with emulation movements and campaigns; regularly propagated on the internal radio system and the mass media. At the same time, they have effectively promoted the role and function of cultural institutions in political education for soldiers.

Strictly and seriously organising training, retraining and improving the quality of cadres conducting political education work at all levels. The training content focuses on the core points of the above directives and guidelines; new issues with limited aspects and inconsistent content in order to consolidate, supplement and improve knowledge and professional qualifications for political education staff. The Military Region orders its subordinate units to pilot the suitable forms of political education with their functions and tasks, then, learn from experience, popularise and replicate good ways of doing, and overcome the weak points. In order to improve the levels, methods and skills of political teaching staff at all levels, the Military Region holds political teaching contests in accordance with regulations, thereby, helping leaders and commanders grasp the current situation of the quality of the political teaching staff in order to develop suitable plan for training and retraining to improve their knowledge in all aspects, their methodology and their ability to use information technology in teaching, etc. Despite the complicated situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2020 the Military Region held 90 training courses for 1,430 turns of political cadres of the regiments, district military commands and higher levels. 100% of political cadres in the units perform well their task of political education according to decentralisation, in which 85% are rated good and excellent.

Closely combining political education with ideological and organisational work. The Party Committee and Command of the Military Region direct the units to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement the Resolution of the 4^th Central Committee (12^th tenure) on Party building and rectification, and Directive No. 05-CT/TW of the Politburo (12^th tenure) on promoting the learning and following of Ho Chi Minh's thought, morality and style, Directive No. 855-CT/QUTW, dated August 12, 2019 of the Central Military Commission's Standing Committee on promoting the implementation of the Drive of Promoting tradition, dedicating talents, deserving the title of "Uncle Ho's army" in the new period, etc. with specific criteria. The Standing Committee of the Military Region Party Committee requires cadres at all levels to stay exemplary and pioneering in awareness, political zeal, ideology, moral qualities, methods and working styles, and well perform their assigned duties. At the same time, strictly maintain the order of emulation, commendation, building role models, reviewing; strengthen the inspection and emulation of agencies and units, thereby detecting and removing obstacles, focusing on solving weak points and weak sides. It has also directed units to maintain close contact with troops’ families and localities, learn and master the thoughts and aspirations of each soldier to take appropriate educational measures, create a close connection between officers and soldiers and soldiers' families, as well as between the units and the local party committees and authorities.

With the above solutions and methods, the quality of political education of the Military Region has been ceaselessly improved over the past time. The thinking and method of political education of the cadres have been fundamentally renewed in a positive direction at all levels; political cadres become more self-confident; their qualifications are improved; military cadres and professional and technical cadres are more responsible, actively participating in political education in the units. Political awareness tests of cadres and soldiers show increasingly high results year by year; 100% of test results are satisfactory, in which above 80% are rated good and excellent; the training quality, level and combat readiness of the Military Region have been continuously improved. Many units are rated as "Excellent Training Unit". Especially, facing unexpected, difficult and complicated tasks, such as: being ready to fight; search and rescue, overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, etc. officers and soldiers of the Military Region have always shown their political bravery, high sense of responsibility, and disregard of hardship. They are always ready to accept and fulfill their responsibilities, assigned task. Given the negative impacts of social life and the sabotage of hostile forces, the "resistance" of officers and soldiers is constantly being enhanced. They proactively identify and effectively fight against false and hostile views, especially in cyberspace, contributing to protecting the Party's ideological foundation in the new situation.

The effect of political education has contributed to improving the quality, morality, lifestyle and personality of revolutionary soldiers; strengthening the trust and absolute loyalty of cadres and soldiers of the Military Region 4 armed forces to the Party, Fatherland and People. That is a solid foundation to build the armed forces of the Military Region politically and ideologically strong, and successfully complete all assigned tasks.

Senior Colonel, Assoc Prof., Dr. LUONG THANH HAN, Vice head of MR4 Political Department