As a border and mountainous province, Son La is located in the centre of the Northwestern region of the country, bordering Laos with a border line of over 274 km long. It has a natural area of about 14,174 km2, a population of over 1.3 million people, and is home to 12 ethnic groups. The province possesses several potentials and strengths in different aspects, and is where many key construction projects are built and critical roads run through. However, it is also an area with potential risks of internal insecurity, border insecurity, especially the activities of cross-border crime, drug trafficking, etc., so the province not only has an important position in the socio-economic development strategy of the Northwestern region, but also is a key area in terms of defence and security of Military Region 2 and the whole country. Fully aware of its position, over the years, together with promoting potentials and strengths for socio-economic development, the province has always focused on strengthening national defence and security, in which defence and security education has been considered one of the key tasks and implemented by many practical and effective solutions.

Notably, thoroughly grasping and implementing the Law on Defence and Security Education, the directives and instructions of higher echelons, directly the leadership and direction of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Committee and the Council for defence and security education of Military Zone 2, every year, the Provincial Military Command - the Standing Body of the Provincial Council for defence and security education -  actively coordinates with relevant departments, branches and functional agencies to make accurate assessment of the situations of localities, advises and assists the province in promulgating documents instructing, guiding and developing plans to foster defence and security knowledge for targeted subjects and the entire people. Notably, after the 13th National Party Congress and the elections of deputies to the People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 term, the Provincial Military Command actively advised the province to consolidate the councils for defence and security education at all levels to ensure sufficient quantity and appropriate composition as required with suitable operating regulations in accordance with the actual situation. At the same time, it directed military agencies at all levels to actively grasp the area, and promptly advise the local Party committees and authorities on solutions to improve the quality and efficiency of this important work. As a result, defence and security education in the province has always been kept on track with high quality. Through this work, the leadership, advisory and implementation capacity of Party committees and authorities, departments, agencies, branches and mass organisations on national defence and security work has been increasingly enhanced, contributing to maintaining political security, social order and safety, building a solid "people's heart and mind posture", and creating favourable conditions for the province’s socio-economic sustainable development.

General Phan Van Giang and leaders of Son La province inspect the Vietnam - Laos border line in March 2023

Besides the achieved results, the Councils for defence and security education at all levels, especially at the commune levels, have also seen some ineffectiveness in their operations. Meanwhile, due to a low level of development and many different reasons, the province is still ranked as an extremely difficult one with a high rate of poor and near-poor households. Furthermore, natural disasters, epidemics, criminal activities, illegal evangelism, and free migration in the area, especially at the border, remain complications and unpredictable risks. This requires that defence and security education in the province be further innovated and enhanced with appropriate solutions to create a high unity of awareness and action. In particular, emphasis should be placed on the following ones:

1. Strengthening the leadership and direction of the Party committees, authorities, heads of agencies and organisations at all levels, as well as raising the awareness of the targeted subjects and the whole people about the task of defence and security education. Thoroughly grasping and implementing the Law on defence and security education, the Government's decrees and decisions, and legal documents on defence and security education, the Provincial Military Command focuses on researching and advising the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee on guidelines and measures to lead, direct, develop, complete the plan and issue guiding documents for the synchronised implementation from the provincial to the local levels, considering this one of the key tasks and criteria for assessing the leadership and management capacity of the Party committees, party organisations, authorities and leading cadres at all levels. At the same time, it should promote propaganda and education to raise awareness for the entire people, especially the key leaders and managers. This helps unify awareness and action, involving the whole political system and the entire people. At the same time, this will foster the close coordination and synergies among the forces; promote the effectiveness of the leadership of the Party Committee, the management and implementation of the government and the heads of agencies and organisations for this work. In addition, the Provincial Military Command should direct its subordinate military agencies to actively advise the Party committees and authorities at the same level on plans to consolidate the Councils for defence and security education to ensure the right structure and strength; supplement operating regulations of the Councils in accordance with the local realities, and improve the quality and efficiency of operations, especially in far-reaching, border and key areas in defence and security.

2. Promoting the core role of military agencies at all levels in advising and coordinating in the implementation of defence and security education, together with many innovations and creativity in forms and methods of conduct. As one of the largest provinces of the country with rugged terrain and difficult traffic, in order to conduct defence and security education for all targeted subjects in the term, the Provincial Military Command should actively cooperate with the Provincial Propaganda Commission and other forces operating in the area to conduct review and grasp and classify the objects of education to serve as a basis for advising the locality to develop plans for implementation. At the same time, promote innovation, forms and methods of education to suit each type of object and local characteristics. With regard to prestigious people in the community, i.e. village elders, village heads, and religious dignitaries, the Provincial Military Command should proactively coordinate with the Provincial Propaganda Commission to propose to the province plans to expand training objects; develop a system of suitable topics for the targeted objects; supplement new contents on national construction and defence, especially the ones on ethnicity, religion and defence struggle, border protection and the maintenance of political security, social order and safety in the area,... according to Circular No. 38/2014/TT-BQP, dated May 30, 2014 of the Ministry of National Defence on the contents and framework programs for defence and security education.

3. Stepping up the propaganda and dissemination of defence and security issues to the entire people. To implement this content, the province focuses on promoting the role of forces, organisations and individuals to implement in the "close, synchronous, and widespread" direction. Accordingly, the Provincial Military Command continues to coordinate with the Provincial Propaganda Commission, the Department of Information and Communications to direct the press agencies of the province and districts to run specialised columns on all-people national defence, people's security, etc. to propagate and disseminate defence and security knowledge to the entire people. At the same time, it should direct its military agencies to continue to implement regulations on coordination with forces based in the area, focusing on regulations for coordination among military, police and border guards forces in grasping the local situation, especially in border, remoted and far-flung communes to develop plans, select content, and conduct extensive propaganda for all people. In particular, it should focus on flexibly applying educational forms and methods suitable to the traditional fine culture of the people; promote in-person form of propaganda, leaflets through celebrations, traditional days, enlistment days, and defensive zone drills; integrate propaganda in the activities of the communities, the Fatherland Front Committee and mass organisations; promote the role of the Women's Union, the Youth Union, the Veterans' Association, the village elder, the village chief, and prestigious people in the communities to actively conduct propaganda for the ethnic minorities. In addition to the effective implementation of the above solutions, the province should focus on improving the quality of teachers, reporters, and propagandists. Priority I given to building and developing cadres who are ethnic minorities and holding training courses on customs and ethnic languages, etc. to make this force increasingly capable, promoting their role as a "bridge" linking the Party committees, authorities to the people in the implementation of guidelines and policies of the Party and State, meeting the requirements of national construction and defence in the new situation.

Senior Colonel TO QUANG HANH, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Commander of the Provincial Military Command, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial Council for Defence and Security Education