The policies towards the Army and Army rear and the “Gratitude repayment” movement are of the major undertaking of the Party and State to directly contribute to improving the material and spiritual life of beneficiaries and create a strong motivation to build the Army, strengthen national defence, and protect the Fatherland. Over the past time, Saigon New Port Corporation Party Committee, Member Council, and Directorate have always paid due attention to leading and directing the implementation of this work and achieved certain results. This work has also become the cultural beauty of military enterprises.

Deeply grasping the views, guidelines, and policies of the Party and State and resolutions and directives of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, and the Navy on the policy work and the “Gratitude repayment” movement, over the years, along with the good implementation of production and business tasks, the policies for cadres, soldiers, employees, and the Army rear and the “Gratitude repayment” movement have been always paid with special attention and considered an important political task by the Corporation. Through several synchronous solutions that are suitable to the characteristics, functions, and tasks of an economic-defence enterprise, the Party Committee, Member Council, and Directorate have led, directed, and deployed the thorough implementation of this important work and achieved practical effects. The Corporation’s subordinate agencies and units have closely coordinated with local committees, authorities, and unions in propagating and educating to create a strong change in awareness, affections, and responsibilities of cadres, soldiers, workers, and people of all strata towards the tradition and ethics that “When you eat a fruit, think of the man who planted the tree” and the undertakings and policies of the Party and State for policy objects and people with meritorious services to the revolution. The political agencies and member units have actively researched and proposed multiple valuable contents, and promptly advised the Party Committee, Member Council, Directorate, and local Party committees and authorities to implement the regimes and policies for people with meritorious services to the revolution, cadres, soldiers, and employees in difficult circumstances and mobilised the synergy of organisations, individuals, and social resources to implement the movement “Gratitude repayment”. Thereby, it has practically contributed to overcoming the consequences of war, improving the material and spiritual life of policy beneficiaries, people with meritorious services to the revolution, cadres, soldiers, and employees of the Corporation and their families, creating a great source of spiritual motivation, strengthening their trust in the Party's leadership, consolidating the political and spiritual potential, and building a solid “people's heart-and-mind posture” in building and protecting the Fatherland.

Leaders of Sai Gon New Port visit and present gifts to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers in Hau Giang province

Carefully taking care of “the Common Home - New Port Big Family”

With deep political responsibility and gratitude, the Corporation has implemented seriously, fully, and timely the regimes and policies towards the Army and the Army rear. Agencies and units have regularly paid attention to and taken full care of the regimes, material benefits, salaries, allowances, and subsidies for cadres, soldiers, defence employees, and workers in a democratic, public, transparent, and fair manner and created favourable conditions for the objects to properly and sufficiently enjoy as prescribed. The Corporation Party Committee and Directorate have led and directed the functional departments, such as policy, staffing, military personnel, social insurance, labour and salary, or finance, to actively coordinate, regularly follow and ask for directions and instructions from the superiors, and cooperate with local policy and insurance agencies in the area of stationing to do a good job of advising in implementing social insurance and health insurance; strengthen the management and improvement of the quality of medical examination, treatment, and health care for soldiers and workers; and organise the good implementation of the regimes of convalescent, nursing, and health recovery, long-term benefits for retirees, quitters, and demobilised soldiers, and allowances of sickness, maternity, labour accidents, etc. The Party Committee and Directorate have paid regular attention, created conditions, and support both materially and spiritually for cadres, soldiers, defence employees, and workers who are war invalids or relatives of martyrs to train, strive, contribute, and mature. Over the past time, there have been 68 objects of policy (12 war invalids and 56 relatives of martyrs) working at the Corporation. Currently, in which 48 active comrades (4 war invalids and 44 relatives of martyrs) are being taken care of and supported by the Corporation and all levels in all aspects. Many comrades have been appointed to command and management positions of agencies and units. In 2021, in the context of the fourth outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and increasingly fierce competition for exploiting seaports, while many other enterprises’ production and business activities were delayed or temporarily closed, the Corporation still assured jobs, stable salaries, and full benefits, regimes, and policies for its employees. Moreover, it also deducted the welfare fund for health insurance, social insurance, occupational accident insurance, and “Dream creation” insurance for all employees with a total amount of more than VND 85.3 billion. Particularly, during the peak of the Covid-19, the Corporation launched the program entitled “Coaches of love to support workers' families”, paid visits, and supported 3,200 families and employees with a total amount of VND 3.3 billion. During the Lunar New Year, its agencies and member units thoroughly grasped and implemented the Party Committee and Directorate’s undertakings on the Army rear policy. Accordingly, the Corporation directed the functional agencies to organise longevity and Tet greetings for nearly 26,000 parents of cadres, employees, and workers; visit and present gifts to 172 workers who are seriously ill, treated for a long time, or have special difficulties; and promptly encourage and visit families that encountered incidents or risks in life. The trade unions at all levels deducted gift funding for more than 8,500 trade unionists and workers with a total amount of gifts and cash of over VND 18 billion. Study encouragement and Mid-Autumn Festival activities for children were maintained regularly to achieve deep educational and humane significance and contribute to strengthening and promoting the cultural tradition of “the exemplary, harmonious, happy, and progressive Common Home - Saigon New Port Family”.

The culture of love and responsibility for the community

Inculcating Uncle Ho’s teachings that our Army is the fighting, working, and producing Army, the Corporation has promoted the implementation of the motto that “Where there is a port base of Saigon New Port, there are mass mobilisation activities and policies for the Army rear”. Accordingly, along with the task of economic development in association with national defence and security, based on the culture of “Military discipline - Corporate culture - Responsibility to the community”, the Corporation Party Committee and Directorate have regularly attached importance to the mass mobilisation and gratitude repayment activities and always considered it one of the essential contents to strive for as well as a criterion to evaluate the performance of tasks of each agency and unit. This is a sound undertaking that both inherits the traditions and good ethics of the nation and bears humanity and deep community love and is responded to and actively participated by the units of the Corporation through various rich, practical, and effective contents, forms, and measures. The Corporation’s cadres, employees, and workers have donated more than VND 3.3 billion to support the “Fund for the Poor”, “Love Fund”, “Fund for homeland sea and islands and the front line of the Fatherland”, etc. The Corporation has provided monthly subsidies and allowances for 180 heroic Vietnamese mothers; visited and presented gifts to 53 war invalids and martyrs’ progeny and 680 relatives of workers who are war invalids and sick soldiers; and supported 22 localities, Veterans' Associations, Centre for War Invalid Nursing, the Associations of Victims of Agent Orange dioxin, etc. with total expenses of nearly VND 06 billion. In 2021 alone, the Corporation built 16 “Comrade Houses” and 27 “Houses of Gratitude” with a total amount of VND 2.16 billion and donated one billion for the “Spring of Love - Tet of Gratitude” program of Ho Chi Minh City to present Tet gifts to more than 2,400 orphans under 16 years whose parents died of Covid-19. In 2022, the Corporation organised the ceremony to declare the support of 6 relatives of martyrs in Dak Nong Province and 10 relatives of martyrs and families with meritorious services to the revolution and commenced the construction of 5 houses of gratitude (each worth 80 million) in Kon Tum Province. Besides, it has always actively implemented the work of social welfare, gratitude repayment, care for the poor across the country and donated the Covid-19 prevention and control activities at localities and hospitals with a total amount of more than VND 140 billion, etc. The above-mentioned meaningful and humane activities have contributed to further embellishing the beautiful image of “Uncle Ho's Soldiers - Navy Soldiers” on the national defence and economic front and earned the affection, love, and belief of the local committees, authorities, and people nationwide.

Thanks to outstanding achievements in the mass mobilisation work and the “Gratitude repayment” movement, in 2021, cadres, employees, and workers of Saigon New Port Corporation were awarded the Third-Class Labour Medal by the President for the prevention and control of the Covid-19; the Emulation Flag on good mass mobilisation work by the Ministry of National Defence; 2 Certificates of Merit for outstanding achievements in mass mobilisation, charity, and gratitude repayment by the Prime Minister, and many noble awards.

Promoting its achievements, in the coming time, the Corporation will continue thoroughly and effectively implementing the viewpoints, guidelines, undertakings, and policies of the Party and State and resolutions and directives of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, on policies towards the Army and Army rear and the “Gratitude” repayment movement in the new situation. Thereby, it will proactively lead and direct the development of determinations, plans, programs, etc. and implement them in a unified, synchronous, and effective manner in practice. During the implementation, the Corporation will attach great importance to strengthening the leadership and direction of the Party committees and commanders at all levels; unification of awareness and improvement of the awareness and sense of responsibility of cadres, soldiers, defence employees, and workers; coordination with all levels, sectors, forces, and localities; and diversification of resources in the implementation of this important work, to contribute to creating a great spiritual motivation for building the Army, strengthening national defence, and protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN NANG TOAN,  Secretary of the Corporation Party Committee and Chairman of the Board