75 years ago, under the leadership of the Party, our people, all across the country, unanimously stood up and conducted the General Uprising to gain power, ending slavery, opening the new era of national independence and socialism. The August Revolution and the National Day on September 2, 1945 was not only a shining milestone in the national history, but also an event of epochal stature and profound international significance; the source of encouragement and inspiration for the colonial, oppressed and exploited peoples in the world to fight for national independence, democracy and social progress. The great victory of the August Revolution in 1945 was attributed to the great national unity, the passionate patriotic traditions and the people’s strong will under the clever and skillful leadership of our Party and Leader Nguyen Ai Quoc, in which the armed forces’ role was very important.

An overview of the Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi on 2 September, 1945 (A file photo)

The historical value and great stature of the August Revolution and National Day September 2^nd, 1945 have always been a great source of strength helping the entire Party, people and Army fight against foreign invaders and make glorious victories, culminating in the historic Dien Bien Phu victory in 1954, the great victory of the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975, the complete liberation of the South, the reunification of the country, etc. The historical value and great stature of the August Revolution, the National Day on September 2, 1945 are forever a great spiritual legacy, the driving force for the entire Party, people, Army and the whole political system to promote internal strength and self-reliance, successfully implement the renewal cause and earn historical achievements.

In the coming years, peace, cooperation and development will still be the mainstream of world politics, but the world and regional situations, especially the East Sea will be complicated and unpredictable. A multi-polar world in which great powers tend to both cooperate and contain each other is taking shape. The world economy is at risk of a prolonged crisis due to the severe impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Fourth Industrial Revolution develops robustly, creating opportunities and making breakthroughs in many fields, but also poses a number of challenges. Non-traditional security threats, especially cybersecurity, terrorism, natural disasters, and epidemics are becoming more and more complicated, having profound impacts on all countries and nations. ASEAN is increasingly proving its position and role not only in the Asia-Pacific region, but also in the world, especially with major countries. Domestically, the country's position and power, the national aggregate strength and the country's international reputation have been increasingly strengthened and enhanced, creating an important premise for the cause of national construction and defence. However, we are also facing many difficulties and challenges from both traditional and non-traditional security; hostile and reactionary forces and political opportunists are increasing their subversive acts through the strategy of “peaceful evolution”, “self-development”, “self-transformation”, with increasingly open and drastic conspiracies and tricks. In such context, bringing into play the historical value and great stature of the August Revolution, the National Day on September 2, 1945, the entire Army needs to thoroughly grasp the task and comprehensively deploy all aspects of work to build the Army on a par with the mission, focusing on the following key tasks.

1. Building a revolutionary, regular, highly skilled and increasingly modern Army, meeting the mission requirements. Units in the whole army should continue to effectively implement the project of renovating political education in military units in the new period; attach importance to improving the quality of educating Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh's thought, revolutionary nature, making the Marxist-Leninist theory, Ho Chi Minh's thought, the Party's viewpoint increasingly imbued by military cadres and party members so that it becomes the ideological and political foundation in the Army. Actively educate revolutionary tradition, military missions, thereby focusing on nurturing political steadfastness and fighting morale for troops. During the course of education, it is necessary to make cadres, party members and soldiers distinguish between partners and adversaries; aware of the conspiracies and schemes of the hostile forces. Proactively grasp the situation, promptly provide information, orient the public opinion, especially in the face of complex and sensitive issues; create unity, consensus, and prevent hostile forces from misusing and misrepresenting, inciting, enticing, ... to ensure that the Army always be the leading force in defending the Party's ideological foundation, fighting against wrong and hostile views, and maintaining the Party's ideological ground in military.

Continuing to synchronously deploy groups of tasks and solutions to build a strong Military Party in politics, ideology, ethics and organization; effectively implementing the Central Resolution 4 (11^th and 12^th tenure) on Party building and rectification in association with Directive No. 05 of the Politburo, Instruction No. 87 of the Standing Office of the Central Military Commission on promoting the learning and following of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style. In the time ahead, focus on thoroughly making preparation and successful holding the party congresses at all levels toward the 11^th Military Party Congress and the 13^th National Congress of the Party. Improving the quality of building a healthy military cultural environment; effectively preventing and combating negative impacts of the market mechanism, globalization and international integration; preventing and repelling the manifestations of degradation in political ideas, morals, lifestyles, “self-evolution”, “self-transformation” internally; promoting the learning and following of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style associated with the Drive of Promoting tradition, dedicating talents, deserving to be “Uncle Ho's soldiers” in the new period. Strictly implementing the resolutions, directives and regulations of the Party and the Central Military Commission on prohibitions for Party members, on the responsibility of exemplifying of cadres and party members. Regularly consolidating all levels of Party committees and organizations. Regularly reviewing and decisively removing unqualified members from the Party in order to build clean and strong party organizations in the Army, worthy of the leadership nucleus, where military strength is gathered.

2. Building the Army lean, compact, strong and mobile. The entire Army needs to effectively implement the Project of organizing the Vietnam People's Army in the new situation (for the 2020 – 2025 period); restructuring to make it “streamlined, lean, strong” with appropriate components and forces. Adopting breakthrough solutions to improve the quality of military recruitment, military enrollment to attract high-quality human resources for the Army. Adjusting and rearranging the system of military schools, defence factories and workshops and defence economic corps. Implementing downsizing while still ensuring troops for regular and extraordinary missions with priority given to units on combat readiness in focal, border, sea and islands areas. Focusing on fulfilling the goals and targets according to the Conclusion No. 16-KL/TW, dated July 7, 2017 and the Resolution No. 15-NQ/TW, dated August 1, 2017 of the Politburo on the organization and modernisation of the Vietnam People's Army.

3. Stepping up the regularity construction, the observance of State law and military discipline. The entire Army should strengthen education, thoroughly grasp the directives and resolutions of the Party, the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence, especially Directive No. 37/CT-ĐUQSTW, dated April 14, 1993 of the Standing Office of the Central Military Party Committee (now the Central Military Commission) and Directive No. 85/CT-TM, dated December 2, 1991 of the Chief of the General Staff on continuing to promote the regularity construction of the Vietnam People's Army in the coming years. In particular, focusing on a number of new documents, such as: Directive No. 07/CT-TM, dated 10/3/2020 of the Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army on the implementation of “Disciplinary year” in the Army, the Instruction No. 740/HD-QH, dated March 24, 2020 of the Department of Military Training on guiding a number of main contents, criteria and measures to implement the “Disciplinary Year 2020”, etc.

4. Improving the quality of training and combat readiness to meet the requirements and tasks of Fatherland protection in the new situation. The entire Army continue to strictly implement the Resolution No. 765-NQ/QUTW, dated December 20, 2012 of the Central Military Commission on “Improving the training quality in the period of 2013 - 2020 and beyond”; apply creatively the views, goals, principles, motto, combinations, requirements, and solutions to improve the quality of training. Renovate and improve the training and operational quality of militia and self-defence and the reserve, especially the marine militia force. Hold drills at all levels in a strict, effective, safe and practical manner. Improve the quality of education, training and scientific research at military academies, schools and strategic research institutions. Build a contingent of teachers, educational administrators and scientific managers with qualifications commensurating with task requirements; improve the level and skill for teachers and scientists through practical activities; at the same time, adopt policies to attract the high skill personnel to academies, schools, and strategic institutions. Renovate the processes, programs and contents of training in the direction of standardisation and modernisation, suitable to each subject, level of education, relevant to the reality of training, combat and the requirements of building the Army in the new situation.

In order to actively deal with all situations, the entire Army maintain a strict combat readiness regime; regularly adjust, supplement and perfect the system of documents and conduct practice and exercise according to the operational plans of each unit. Strengthen measures to strictly manage the border, airspace and sea area, especially the East Sea, the southwest sea and key areas; prevent, detect and successfully handle the arising situations, especially the incidents on border lines, sea and islands, and firmly protect the airspace. Enhance the operational level of cyber warfare and information warfare; coordinate to implement the overall solutions to ensure information security and safety; be ready to take on and accomplish the combat tasks in peacetime, namely: disaster, pandemics prevention, control and alleviation, search and rescue, etc. 

5. Proactively and flexibly implementing defence diplomatic activities in service of Army construction and Fatherland protection from soon and from afar. Continue to thoroughly grasp the Party's foreign policies, defence and military policies, especially Resolution No. 806-NQ/QUTW, dated December 31, 2013 of the Central Military Commission on “Defence international integration and diplomacy until 2020 and beyond”. Thereby, fully grasp the position, importance, objectives, requirements and duties of defence foreign affairs in the new situation. In current conditions, defence diplomacy need to adhere to the policy of both cooperation and struggle, and be persistent with strategic objectives and principles; apply flexibly and skillfully the motto of “being firm in objectives, flexible in strategies and tactics”. Continue to promote bilateral relations, while raising the level of multilateral relations according to Directive No. 25-CT/TW, dated August 8, 2018 of the Secretariat, with priority to relations with neighboring countries and ASEAN members; balance the relations with major countries and expand relations with potential ones. Actively participate in the multilateral defence cooperative mechanisms within the framework of ASEAN and those that ASEAN plays the leading role; actively participate in United Nations peacekeeping operations at all levels. Maintain the political orientation, link defence cooperation with other fields; actively propose effective diplomatic combat plans to reduce tension, avoid conflict, confrontation, isolation and dependence, and take full advantage of all resources for military construction.

6. Developing a modern defence industry, gradually meeting the demands for weapons and equipment of forces. The whole Army continues to renovate the planning of the system of defence factories, and the methods of technical supply to meet requirements and tasks in both peacetime and wartime. Step up the application of scientific and technological advances in the Army modernisation. Implement synchronously and effectively the Politburo's Resolution No. 06-NQ/TW, dated July 16, 2011 on building and developing the defence industry in line with the National Defence Strategy and Vietnam Military Strategy and the requirements of building a strong all-people’s defence. Gradually build the defence industry in the autonomy, self-reliance, modernity and dual-use direction to become a spearhead of the national industry, contributing to enhancing the country's military and defence potential and strength. Make planning and rearrange key defence industrial establishments in all three regions, suitable to strategic defence posture and meeting the requirements of on-site security assurance. Consolidate the structure and perfect the managerial mechanism; diversify and efficiently use different resources for the task of building and developing the defence industry. Concentrate investment on the R&D and mastery of technologies for the successful design and manufacture of a number of new and modern weapons and technical equipment. Develop a master plan on defence arrangement in association with the strategies, plans, schemes and projects on socio-economic and cultural development in the period of 2021 - 2030, meeting the requirements of Fatherland construction and protection in peacetime and wartime.

Commemorating the 75^th anniversary of the August Revolution and the National Day, we once again have the chance to recall the heroic history of the nation, be proud of the heroic and indomitable tradition of our antecedents. Hereby, generations of officers and soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army pledge to strive to make it all strong, ready to fight and firmly defend the Vietnam socialist Fatherland.

General Ngo Xuan Lich, Member of the Politburo, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defence