“Emulation is patriotism, patriotism requires emulation, and those emulating are the most patriotic”. Following Uncle Ho’s teachings, the armed forces of Quang Ninh province have stepped up the “Determined to Win” Movement (hereafter the Movement), creating a driver for the successful fulfilment of the assigned task.

Over the past years, Quang Ninh’s armed forces (the forces for short) have always been in the vanguard of the 3^rd Military Region’s patriotic emulation movement and “Determined to Win” Movement. It is noted that the forces were given the Flag of Excellent Unit in the emulation movement in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 by the Government as well as other flags of emulation and certificates of credit by the Central Military Commission, Ministry of National Defence (MND), 3^rd Military Region’s Party Committee and High Command, Party Committee and People’s Committee of Quang Ninh province. Those achievements have been attributed to regard, leadership and direction from the 3^rd Military Region’s Party Committee and High Command, local party committee and authority, particularly the Provincial Military Party Committee and Command as well as the effort made by cadres and troops.

Sr. Col. Nguyen Trung Trinh presents flowers to the militia and self-defence forces in the opening ceremony for training season

1. The work of emulation and the Movement have been considered as a task of importance to all-level party committees and commanders. Leadership resolutions of the party committee have all emphasized the importance of the emulation work and movement to units’ implementation of political task. A focus has been placed on making the Movement relevant to central tasks, identifying topics for the Movement with specific criteria for each unit and task, and assigning party committee members to be in charge of the emulation work and every piece of work.

2. In response to significant political events of the country, the Army and the 3^rd Military Region’s armed forces, the forces have launched emulation movements aimed at the successful implementation of all tasks, particularly political tasks. In 2017, topic of the Movement was “Creative, effective, disciplined, determined to win” in line with the topic of the province’s task in 2017 which was “Strengthening administrative discipline; building cultural, civilized lifestyle”. Emulation movements in 2017 were aimed at constructing 70 works to celebrate the 70^th founding anniversary of the provincial armed forces and the 70^th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day in accordance with the road map for implementation of the Resolution of the Provincial Military Party Congress and the year’s resolution of the Provincial Military Party Committee.

3. The Movement has always been aimed at successfully implementing the forces’ political tasks. In 2017, emulation in the work of training and combat readiness was focused on building the provincial defensive zone posture. The Provincial Military Command counselled the province to build the provincial No.1 combat base on a procedural basis. It proactively counselled the Provincial People’s Committee to plan and construct the provincial logistics and technical base, draw lessons for localities in the North, and organize the Conference of Provincial Defensive Zone’s Supply Council for the Military Region and other provinces in its area to monitor and study. Moreover, it directed the planning and construction of elements in district-level defensive zone posture, and achieved good results as the vanguard of the 3^rd Military Region.

It should be noted that Quang Ninh was chosen to be a model of holding the Provincial Defensive Zone Exercise for the whole Military to observe and study. With a sense of responsibility and creativity, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Command proactively gave advice to the province and made elaborate preparations. To facilitate the exercise, the province mobilized thousands of cadres and soldiers from the Provincial Military Command, Border Guard, Police, and staff members from offices, committees, sectors, organizations as well as locals in construction of works. It also mobilized hundreds of vehicles and ships, and materiel in the exercise. As a result, the exercise was highly appreciated by the MND, the 3^rd Military Region’s High Command and other provinces.

Shooting training for the reserve forces in the Regiment 244

The Provincial Military Command closely cooperated with the Provincial Border Guard in organizing training courses and exercises of changing combat readiness states in units and offices. At the same time, due regard was paid to training content related to the staff operation work, military regulations, technical work, tactics as well as search and rescue. The work of training the militia and self-defence forces and the reserve forces achieved good results. In competitions held by higher echelons, the armed forces of Quang Ninh province were always top among 9 provinces and cities of the 3^rd Military Region.

The work of drafting citizens into the Military always reached the required target with high quality, which resulted from the creative approach that allowed candidates to apply for jobs before joining the Army. In 2017, the Provincial Military Command in cooperation with offices and enterprises provided vocational training and employments according to the registration for 45.48% of the discharged soldiers.

In 2017, the Provincial Military Command was assigned to implement various important tasks by the MND and 3^rd Military Region’s High Command, including organization of the Conference to meet and honour typical examples in and to review the 3-year implementation of the Campaign “Promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s Soldiers”. Commemorating the 70^th Founding Anniversary of the Provincial Armed Forces, cadres and troops accomplished 120 constructions and initiatives. Celebrating the 70^th Anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day, the forces made donation to and built 37 Houses of Gratitude and Houses of Comradeship.

The forces continue to accelerate the movement “Military Logistics Branch follows Uncle Ho’s teachings”. The Provincial Military Command has cooperated with the Provincial Border Guard in counselling the district-level Military Command to consolidate the District-Level Defensive Zone’s Supply Council. It has organized the models of large-scale agricultural production while maintaining the operation of the centres for search and rescue effectively. As a result, the productivity and quality of agricultural production have improved. It has regularly maintained the movement “Building good units in logistics and military supply”, while deducting money from the agricultural production fund to include in daily meals of troops.

The forces have also stepped up the implementation of the Campaign “Managing and exploiting weapons and technical equipment safely and economically, and Traffic Safety”. The Provincial Military Command organized technical training courses and the competition called “Good arms depot, good vehicle-engine garage” in 2017. It has opportunely, sufficiently, synchronously provided high-quality weapons and ammo for tasks, while receiving and allocating weapons, ammo and technical equipment to combat readiness units, especially providing technical support for troops in the provincial defensive zone exercise of 2017. It has had technical initiatives which were presented Certificates of Credit by the Military Region and shown on the exhibitions of technical initiatives on teaching aids in the opening ceremony for training session of 2017, the Conference to review 3-year implementation of the Campaign “Promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers”, and the 3^rd Military Region Youth Union Congress.

4. Building safe area is an important point in the Movement. The forces have closely worked with other forces and organizations to grasp the security situation and social order in the area. Moreover, the forces have given advice to local party committees and authorities on leading, directing and coordinating the work of mass mobilization, while reviewing and grasping the internal political situation and the political quality of military call-up. They have also cooperated with the Ha Long Bay Management Board in holding search and rescue training courses for 5,000 crew members of cruise ships, with the Port Authority of Quang Ninh in organizing search and rescue exercises in the waters of sea port; maintained the operation of 53 groups of safe units and areas; ensured safety in exploitation of information technology; strictly followed the regulations on protection of military and State’s secrets; and ideologically oriented troops towards correct access to information on mass media and social networks.

5. The forces have counselled the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to launch the movement “being good at production, maintaining readiness for combat” among the self-defence forces. The movement consists of specific points, namely (1) the implementation of the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policy and law throughout practical measures; (2) emulation to perform the tasks of production and business to contribute to the province’s socio-economic development, in which there should be a combination of implementation of the movement within the self-defence forces with that of other movements in all aspects of social life; (3) emulation to carry out the defence and security tasks. To this end, it is necessary to regularly consolidate the organizational structure in accord with the Law on the Militia and Self-Defence Forces; to promote the role in and the responsibility for counselling commanders of units and performing local military and defence tasks; to encourage the militia and self-defence forces’ role in collaboration with other forces on natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue, and protection of border, sea and islands; to increase the work of defence and security education for all groups of troops. The last point (4) is emulation to implement the tasks of civil defence, environment protection, and forest fire prevention and control.

Bringing into play the recorded achievements, in the time to come, the armed forces of Quang Ninh province will strive to adopt new measures to gain better results in the “Determined to Win” Emulation Movement following Uncle Ho’s teachings.   

Sr. Col. Nguyen Trung Trinh, Commissar of the Provincial Military Command