Bringing into play the tradition of “sacrificing for the Homeland” in the past 75 years of construction, combat, and development, the military and people of Hanoi have been focusing on building the municipality into a solid defensive zone as a favourable condition for making the Capital City increasingly wealthy, civilised, and modern.

When it comes to the resounding feats of arms of the military and people of Hanoi so far, the municipal armed forces have always played a role of utmost importance to enabling the people of Hanoi to seize and maintain power as well as construct and protect the capital city. In the resistance war against the French, the capital armed forces were the first to commence the resistance war, while constructing revolutionary bases, developing forces, and fighting to slow the enemy down simultaneously so that our central agencies could move back to the Resistance Zone safely. They well performed their function as a rear base providing assistance for the battle of Dien Bien Phu, directly fought the enemy right in Hanoi, combined military struggle with political struggle and enemy agitprop, and organised ambushes to annihilate the enemy and their lackeys in Tran Quang Khai street, Dong Xuan street, Ha Dong town, Cu Da village, Bach Mai airport, and Gia Lam district. At the same time, they expanded their operating area, developed guerrilla warfare outwards, and actively manoeuvred to destroy the enemy across the front of Hanoi and completely foil the French plan of “rapid fight, rapid win.” They closely cooperated with the Division 308 and other forces in liberating and taking over the capital city on October 10th, 1954, thus making up the immortal epic of Hanoi.

In the resistance war against the U.S., for national salvation, the capital armed forces together with other ones and the people settled the consequences of the war, restored and developed the economy, maintained political stability, safeguarded the capital city, and actively gave assistance to the South. They built a firm people’s air defence posture, effectively performed the people’s air defence work, and especially worked with the national air defence force to defeat the U.S. air operations against the North, including the Operation Linebacker II (1972), thereby forcing Washington to sign the Paris Accords and withdraw all troops, allowing our military and people to topple the Saigon puppet regime, liberate the South, and unify the country.

Since peace was restored, the military and people of Hanoi have devoted effort to constructing, developing, and firmly protecting the capital city as the heart of the whole country. With such remarkable achievements, the State has given many noble rewards to the capital city as a great incentive for the military and people of Hanoi to keep successfully fulfilling the task of constructing and defending the capital city in the new period, with a focus on building increasingly solid defensive zones as follows.

First, grasp and effectively execute the Party’s military-defence guidelines, particularly the 10th Politburo’s Resolution 28-NQ/TW on continuing to build provinces and municipalities into strong defensive zones in the new situation, the Government’s Decree 21/2019/NĐ-CP on defensive zones, the Resolution 30/2013/NQ-HĐND, dated December 16th, 2013 by the Municipal People’s Council on building Hanoi city’s defensive zones towards 2020 and beyond, and the Programme 09-CTr/TU, dated March 17th, 2021 by the Municipal Party Committee (MPC) on consolidating defence and security potential within the capital city in the period of 2021-2025. Competent offices of the Capital Military Command (CMC) and all-level military agencies have been asked to adhere to programmes, plans, and conclusions by the MPC, the Municipal People’s Council, and the Municipal People’s Committee as well as the CMC’s documents and directives on building defensive zones to advise local party committees and authorities at their level on including the building and operation of defensive zones in resolutions in accordance with each area’s particularities, each force’s task, and the city’s master plan. Emphasis has been placed on concretising such documents into action plans and programmes and realising the CMC’s Determination to Defend the Socialist Vietnamese Homeland, the Strategy to Defend the Homeland in the New Situation, the National Defence Strategy, the Military Strategy, the Strategy to Protect the Homeland in Cyberspace, and mechanisms for mobilising local resources in the building of defensive zones. Great value has been attached to frequently consolidating the Steering Boards on Defensive Zone Building and the Supply Boards at all levels and collaborating with competent offices in practical review and theoretical development relating to the building of the city’s defensive zones.

Handling a situation during the exercise of HN-19

Second, enhance political education, ideological management, and defence and security education as the basis for building the politico-spiritual potential. The CMC’s offices and all-level military agencies have closely worked with central and municipal propaganda, mass mobilisation, and press bodies to actively raise the awareness and responsibility of authorities, sectors, the armed forces, and all citizens for the building of defensive zones. Due attention has been paid to renewing the contents, forms, and methods of disseminating the knowledge of national defence and security in accordance with each area’s characteristics and each group of receivers. Importance has been attached to propagating the Party’s military-defence guidelines and the necessity of building and maintaining defensive zones as well as unmasking the hostile forces’ plots and artifices within the capital city. Military offices at all levels have advised local party committees and authorities on measures to build strong political bases, improve their capabilities in directing and managing the military-defence work, promote the role of commune-level military cadres, build and consolidate the “posture of people’s hearts and minds.” Besides, consideration has been given to well implementing the Regulations on Democracy at Grass-Roots Level, cementing the unity between the military and the people, and bringing into play the synergy of all forces, sectors, and citizens in the building of defensive zones.

Third, combine economic development with defence consolidation within defensive zones. Military agencies at all levels have concentrated on advising local party committees and authorities on measures to lead and direct the performance of this task. In this regard, socio-economic and cultural development has been combined with defence, security, and diplomacy, and vice versa in order to create advantages and motivations for the capital city’s comprehensive development under the Party’s guidelines. Great weight has been added to resolutely fighting against wrong viewpoints and distortions relating to the combination of economic development and defence within the capital city. In the process, such a combination has been realised in each locality, task, programme, and plan in line with the Municipal Socio-Economic Development Master Plan towards 2020, with a vision towards 2030 and the Municipal Strategy for Socio-Economic Development towards 2030, with a vision towards 2050. Due attention has been paid to closely cooperating with relevant departments, committees, and sectors in upgrading and constructing dual-purpose post, traffic, health, and agriculture infrastructures for socio-economic development and defence missions. Moreover, great value has been attached to managing and closely appraising socio-economic development projects, particularly the key ones to avoid affecting the defence work, create a favourable condition for the development of economic sectors, and ensure that economic development would help consolidate national defence potential and vice versa.

Fourth, build strong armed forces and a solid military posture within defensive zones. The CMC has continued to build a “compact and strong” main force with a high level of synergy, combat readiness, and revolutionary vigilance, capable of safeguarding crucial targets and major political events of the country and Hanoi as well as readily manoeuvring to opportunely, effectively deal with situations and avoid falling into passivity. All-level local military offices have been made strong comprehensively to give sound advice to local party committees and authorities on the military-defence work. Due attention has been paid to building a strong, extensive militia and self-defence force capable of cooperating with the Public Security Force in ensuring political security and social order and safety, and actively taking part in COVID-19 and natural disaster prevention and control as a combat mission in peacetime.

With reference to the military posture building, the CMC’s offices and all-level military agencies have reviewed and completed components of the military posture and defence works, while adjusting and supplementing several items according to the Conclusion, dated June 13th, 2019 by the MPC Standing Board on adjusting and supplementing the Plan on the defensive zone military posture of Hanoi City, with priority given to main defensive directions and important works. They have also actively advised local party committees and authorities on mobilising resources to build and complete parts of the defensive zone military posture in a secret, intern-connected, solid, in-depth, and flexible fashion so that it would be relevant to each area’s particularities, the military-defence task, main mobile units’ positions, and all-level defensive combat projects and plans.

Promoting their heroic tradition, the military and people of Hanoi will keep synchronously, drastically taking measures to build Hanoi into a solid defensive zone to firmly protect the capital city and deserve the tradition of “sacrificing for the Homeland.”

Maj. Gen. NGUYEN QUOC DUYET, Member of the MPC Standing Board

Commander of the CMC