While well performing the tasks of training and combat readiness and building defence potential and posture in the area, the provincial armed forces of Quang Ninh have always promoted their core role in natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue, thereby bolstering the image of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the new era.

As a mountainous, midland, coastal province located in the Northeastern part of Vietnam with its diverse, complex topography, Quang Ninh is partitioned by a large number of rivers, streams, ravines, and steep mountains. Within Quang Ninh, there are a lot of coal mining and processing sites; compared to other provinces of Military Region 3, Quang Ninh is more frequently struck by storms and floods. In recent years, as a result of global climate change, natural disasters in the province’s area have taken place with increasing frequency, causing huge losses in human lives and property, negatively impacting on socio-economic development, the people’s life, and military and defence activities.

Cadres and soldiers of the provincial armed forces take part in cleaning Ha Long Bay after Yagi storm (September 2024)

Fully aware of their functions and assigned tasks as well as the importance of natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue, the provincial armed forces have grasped higher echelons’ directives and proactively coordinated with departments and sectors to give advice to provincial leaders, while promoting their vanguard, core role in this regard. The Provincial Military Command (PMC) has always paid due regard to consolidating all-level Natural Disaster Prevention and Control - Search and Rescue Commands and Civil Defence Commands. It has proactively designed plans/projects for natural disaster, fire, and explosion management and search and rescue, making all necessary preparations under the “four on-the-spot” motto, strictly maintaining regulations on duty and coordination to avoid falling into passivity. Under the spirit of “for the people to serve”, the provincial armed forces have always been the first to carry out search and rescue operations and provide reliable support for local party committees, authorities, and people in the face of natural disasters and incidents. In the past 10 years, the provincial armed forces have mobilised 110,000 troops and 20,000 vehicles in the fight against natural disasters and during search and rescue operations. It is worth noting that in September 2024, before typhoon Yagi made landfall in Quang Ninh, the PMC had coordinated with other forces to issue and deliver storm-related warnings to tens of thousands of fishermen and aquaculture farmers with thousands of vessels and marine fish cages; it then deployed thousands of troops to help the people with post-storm consequence recovery. Those efforts by the provincial armed forces have significantly contributed to bolstering the noble virtues and image of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers”, cementing the close-knit bond between the people and the Military, building an increasingly firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds” as a solid foundation for the performance of military and defence tasks.

In the upcoming time, it is predicted that natural disasters and incidents tend to increase with complex developments. Large-scale unseasonable floods, extensive heat waves, heavy rains, tunnel collapses, incidents, and fires could take place any time, negatively impacting on socio-economic infrastructures and defence and security operations. To better promote their core role in natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue, the provincial armed forces will focus on taking several main measures as follows.

Cades and soldiers of the PMC help the people to deal with the consequences of Yagi storm (September 2024)

First of all, giving sound advice to the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People’s Committee, and local party committees and authorities on leadership and direction over natural disaster management and search and rescue. The PMC will require offices and units to continue to grasp resolutions and directives, especially Resolution 689-NQ/QUTW, dated 10 October 2014, by the Central Military Commission on natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue towards 2020 and beyond. Grounded on those documents, offices and units will work with departments and sectors to give advice to the provincial leaders on enhancing all-level party committees and authorities’ leadership and direction and bringing into play the synergy of the entire political system and people to perform this important task. Great value will be attached to consolidating all-level Civil Defence Commands, strengthening party committees’ leadership and authorities’ operation, and improving the efficiency of coordination between the province’s sectors and the provincial armed forces. The PMC will continue to advise provincial leaders on mobilising resources to develop forces and means for natural disaster management and search and rescue within localities in line with the building of defensive zones under the “four on-the-spot” motto. At the same time, it will closely collaborate with departments and sectors to step up propagation and education work to raise public awareness and a sense of responsibility towards environmental protection and natural disaster prevention and control among cadres, soldiers, and citizens. It will render all cadres and soldiers fully aware that natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue serve as an important, routine political task, “a combat mission in peacetime”, requiring them to build up their responsibility, will, and determination against formalism, disregard, and fearfulness of difficulties and dangers in performing this task.

Second, proactively anticipating possible situations and designing response projects in accordance with realities. Under the motto of “proactive prevention, timely response, and rapid, effective mitigation”, the PMC will direct offices and units to conduct situational assessments, give advice to provincial leaders on completing the identification of the areas prone to natural disasters, and anticipate forms of possible natural disasters and incidents as the basis for developing prevention and control plans/projects. To that end, the PMC will direct offices and units to closely cooperate with local competent agencies in reviewing and supplementing the areas most affected by natural disasters and incidents as well as grasping the number of vessels and aquaculture households, particularly in the localities facing the risks of flood and landslide, such as Ha Long and Cam Pha cities, Dong Trieu and Quang Yen towns, Tien Yen, Ba Che, and Binh Lieu districts. At the same time, coordination will be maintained to regularly carry out inspection of the system of depots, headquarters, reservoirs, and dykes, such as Yen Lap reservoir, Trang Luong reservoir, Kinh Thay river dyke, Da Bac river dyke, Ha Nam dyke system, anchorage zones, and residential areas near coal mining sites. Bases on those reviews and inspections, offices and units will design projects on using personnel and means in a proper, proactive, timely manner to deal with situations, incidents, and natural catastrophes.

Furthermore, offices and units will regularly inspect the readiness of routes for search and rescue operations, while proactively working with Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation to conduct surveys for the building and management of helipads during natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue operations. Close coordination with other units, such as Division 395 and Naval Region 1 will be ensured to delegate areas of responsibility and formulate projects on deploying personnel and means, with a view to avoiding overlapping tasks and passivity in the event.

Third, building core and semi-specialised forces properly and improving these forces’ capabilities in natural disaster response and search and rescue. This measure serves as a deciding factor in the effectiveness of natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue. To that end, while sufficiently staffing search and rescue teams for storms, floods, landslides, and tunnel collapses under regulations, the PMC will require district-level military agencies to attach importance to building core and semi-specialised forces capable of natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue as well as promoting the role of militia and self-defence and reserve forces in responding to natural disasters and incidents at grass-roots level. The province will continue to maintain 3 forward commands (in Tien Yen district, Quang Yen town, Cam Pha city) and a permanent inter-sector search and rescue Team on Ha Long Bay to opportunely ensure information, command, and operation for responding to natural disasters. All-level military agencies will closely coordinate with localities to establish teams and groups within residential areas, offices, and coal mining companies, considering them as the first, on-the-spot force in dealing with natural disasters and incidents.

In addition to force building, the PMC will direct offices and units to strictly maintain regulations on duty and coordination to carry out situational assessments and forecasts and deliver notifications and warnings, particularly in the storm season; offices and units will be required to regularly practise their assigned projects. Besides, offices and units will step up training and exercises on natural disaster response and search and rescue to improve forces’ capabilities in command, coordination, use of means and equipment as well as troops’ will and courage.

Fourth, proactively and elaborately making comprehensive preparations for natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue. As natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue require urgent responses, it is necessary to actively comprehensively make preparations and ensure support work, particularly communication, logistics, and technical support. Thus, the PMC will direct offices and units to review, supplement, and complete the system of logistics and technical documents and practise logistics and technical support projects during natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue. Moreover, due attention will be paid to advising local party committees and authorities on mobilising and expropriating civilian means, equipment, and materials, actively applying science, technology, and digital transformation to ensure that all resources will be tapped to opportunely respond to natural disasters and incidents and conduct search and rescue operations.

Fully aware of their responsibility and pride, the provincial armed forces of Quang Ninh will continue to promote their core role in cooperating with local party committees, authorities, and people as well as other forces stationed in the area to well perform the tasks of natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue, contributing to building an increasingly wealthy, strong Quang Ninh and realising the goal of becoming a civilised, modern model province by 2030. 

Sr. Col. KHUC THANH DU

Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Board

Commander of the PMC