Being fully aware of the importance of learning from and  emulating Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and lifestyle in accordance with the 12^th Politburo’s Directive 05-CT/TW (hereinafter Directive 05), Naval Zone 2’s Party Committee and Command have focused their leadership and direction on the implementation. Naval Zone 2 has closely linked the implemenation of Directive 05 with that of the  Campaign “Promote traditions and devote talent to deserve to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers and naval forces”, which has produced far-reaching effects on the building of organizations and human resources.

Today, protecting the country’s sovereignty over seas and islands within its area of operations imposes more demanding requirements on Naval Zone 2, which is confronted with force dispersal due to a concurrence of major tasks. Meanwhile, hostile forces have stepped up their multifaceted sabotage activities, particularly on the political and ideological fronts, accelerating “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” aimed at manipulating soldiers into losing their faith in the objectives and ideals of combat. At the same time, the situation in the East Sea remains complicated and unpredictable. Against this backdrop, Naval Zone 2’ Party Committee and Command have adopted sychronous measures for strengthening their affiliates politically, ideologically and organizationally with importance attached to the implementation of  Directive 05 with that of the  Campaign “Promote traditions and devote talent to deserve to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers and naval forces” (hereinafter the Campaign).

Naval Zone 2 has promoted leadership and direction from Party committees as well as sense of responsibility and vanguard and exemplary roles from commanders. Accordingly, Naval Zone 2’s Party Committee and Command have directed their affiliates to thoroughly grasp and strictly obey directives by the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, the General Department of Politics and the Naval High Command regarding the implementation of Directive 05 and the Campaign. They have also directed Party subcommittees to introduce practical measures for leadership while setting out main criteria for executing a plan to “learn from and emulate Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and lifestyle” closely associated with the Campaign. The Department of Political Affairs has opportunely provided helpful advice for Naval Zone 2’s Party Committee on directions for the effective implementation of Directive 05 associated with the Campaign. To this end, Naval Zone 2’s Party Committee and Command have focused their leadership and direction on  improving the quality of political education, guiding  individuals and collectives through plans for training and self-training, and creating favorable conditions for cadres, Party members and non-Party membership individuals to strive for their stated goals. In order for cadres in managerial positions to promote their sense of responsibility and roles, Naval Zone 2’s Party Committee and Command have requested each of them to work out their own plans and criteria for effectively implementing Directive 05 and the Campaign, which are to be approved by their Party cells. Those cadres are to stay proactive, active and exemplary to strive for their stated goals, to stick to Party members’dos and don’ts, not to let their hearts rule their heads, as well as to set examples of political will, virtue, lifestyle, wisdom and managerial competence. At the same time, they are to stay ingenious in handling situations, particularly sensitive problems and hot spots, and to stay steadfast in practising thrift, combating corruption, wastefulness and red tape, and correcting shortcomings in management. All of these aim to effect profound transformations in awareness, thinking and sense of responsibility among soldiers.

While Naval Zone 2 is held responsible for managing a large number of vessels, “economic, scientific, and technological service stations”, and offshore radar stations, most of its soldiers operate independently in adverse weather conditions and face unpredictable and complicated situations. As a result, in order to closely link the implementation of Directive 05 with that of the Campaign, Naval Zone 2’s Party Committee and Command have attached much importance to communication and education to make soldiers fully aware of the tasks assigned to the Vietnamese revolution, the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA), the Navy and their units, thus promoting their sense of responsibility. At the same time, crash courses in Directive 05 have been run in order for cadres and soldiers to be well aware of the importance of learning from and emulating Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and lifestyle. Based on their specific circumstances and tasks, units are recommended to adopt various measures for political education, enabling cadres and soldiers to learn from and emulate Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and lifestyle as part of their daily routine. Units across Naval Zone 2 have increased their vigilance against “peaceful evolution” by hostile forces and plots by foreign countries in the East Sea while opportunely identifying and neutralizing manifestations of degradation in political ideology, morality and lifestyle, and “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”.

Furthermore, Naval Zone 2’s Party Committee has directed its affiliates to put great store by commending and multiplying role models for their effective implementation of Directive 05 and the Campaign. Meanwhile, individuals and collectives are to be bluntly criticized for failing to be fully aware of the importance of learning from and emulating Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and  lifestyle and to promote their sense of responsibility. Simultaneously, basic criteria are to be established for assessing the performance of cadres and soldiers.

In order for the spirit of Directive 05 and the Campaign to be circulated to all servicemen and servicewomen, Naval Zone 2’s Party Committee and Command have directed their affiliates to buzz with activities that characterize humanity, solidarity and comradeship. Units across Naval Zone 2 have done a lot of their good deeds for the day as evidenced by protecting the legitimate rights and interests of all of their military personnel, helping those with difficulties (including terminal diseases, children with congenital diseases, infertility), taking care of policy beneficiary families, and making donations to military families in disaster-stricken areas. All of these have contributed to promoting senses of responsibility, comradeship and fine qualities of Uncle Ho’s soldiers and naval forces.

Promoting the army – people relationship, in which “the people are the water and the army is  the fish”, in the process of implementing Directive 05 and the Campaign, the entire Naval Zone 2 has effectively carried out mass mobilization. Over the past 3 years, units across Naval Zone 2 have closely cooperated with local administrations in effectively implementing movements, such as “the Army joins hands in building new-style rural areas”, “Helping the people with hunger eradication and poverty reduction”, “Repaying debts of gratitude”, “Remembering the source when drinking water”, the Project on “Promoting the spread of laws to cadres and people in border, sea and island areas in the 2013-2016 period”, as well as the Campaign “the entire people unite in building cultural life”. They have also worked very hard on natural disaster prevention and control, disaster relief, search and rescue while actively participating in building rural roads, dredging irrigation canals, cleaning up schools, combating drought in provinces of Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Soc Trang and Binh Thuan, providing medical checkups for locals, as well as dispensing free medicine to the elderly and the poor. Despite its difficulties, Naval Zone 2 has donated over VND 200m to the building of “Gratitude houses” for local beneficiaries of special policies. Additionally, Naval Zone 2 has closely cooperated with relevant agencies in popularizing the importance of seas and islands, the Party and State’s line on protecting territorial sovereignty over seas and islands, as well as glorious traditions of the VPA and the Navy, thus contributing to fostering blood relations between the people and the military and bolstering the positive image of Uncle Ho’s soldiers and naval forces.

The encouraging results from the implementation of Directive 05 associated with the Campaign “Promote tradition and devote talent to deserve to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers and naval forces” lay a foundation for Naval Zone 2 to strive for its assigned tasks and significant contributions to the effective protection of the country’s sovereignty over seas and islands.

Sr. Col. Do Van Yen, Director of Naval Zone 2’s Department of Political Affairs