Grasping the Party’s line and policies on national defence and Fatherland protection, Vietnam Railways (VNR) has been effectively implementing synchronised measures to enhance the quality of national defence work, contributing to our country’s industrialisation, modernisation, national construction and defence in the new situation.

VNR is a state-owned one-member limited liability company with the main functions of managing railway infrastructure, providing passenger and freight transport services, and so on, thereby contributing to enhancing socio-economic development, strengthening national defence and security, and building and safeguarding the Fatherland.

Ministry of National Defence inspects national defence work of VNR

With the aim of establishing a specialised agency responsible for representing state capital at enterprises, on 29 September 2018, VNR was transferred to the Commission for the Management of State Capital as the representative of the state owner according to Government Decree No. 131/2018/NĐ-CP. Currently, VNR manages and operates 3,143 kilometres of railway, 303 stations, 181 bridges, 39 tunnels, 282 locomotives, and 5,778 railcars of various types. Its extensive railway network spans 34 provinces and cities, connecting residential areas and key regions in economic, political, defence and security terms across the country. With 61 subsidiaries and affiliates and over 21,000 employees, VNR annually transports approximately 12 million passengers and 7 million tons of freight, actively contributing to the country’s socio-economic development, national defence and security.

With a clear understanding of its functions and responsibilities, VNR has thoroughly grasped and strictly executed resolutions and directives of the Party, State, and Ministry of National Defence (MND) regarding military and defence affairs in alignment with its production and business activities. It has cooperated with provinces and centrally-run cities in guiding its subsidiaries and affiliates through fulfilling their railway-related functions associated with defence tasks within their respective operational territories. This collective effort has contributed to the increasingly robust all-people national defence posture closely linked to the all-people security posture. Military commands and steering committees related to national defence work have been established and effectively operated. These bodies have conducted effective propagation and dissemination of national defence and security-related knowledge, enhancing revolutionary vigilance and a sense of responsibility among cadres, party members, and employees. VNR has closely cooperated with functional agencies of the MND, relevant ministries, sectors, and localities in carrying out projects and plans for socio-economic development associated with defence and security enhancement. The VNR’s Military Command and its members have closely worked with local military units in effectively carrying out the registration and management of cadres, civil servants, and employees of militia and self-defence service age. They have also arranged reserve forces and technical equipment in accordance with quotas allocated and successfully carried out the orders of annual mobilisation, training, and assessment. The self-defence force has been well-structured and of high quality, tailored to the production and business context. To date, VNR has a 1,570-strong reserve force and over 3,000 members of militia and self-defence age. Its 1,062-strong self-defence units are fully capable of safeguarding the enterprise and contributing to public order and security maintenance within their own localities.

With the business motto “we do everything for our customers” and the guiding principle of “safety, convenience, friendliness, punctuality, and efficiency”, VNR is committed to developing a modern and synchronised railway transportation network, playing a leading role in the North-South economic corridor and major passenger transportation routes in major urban areas. This strategic effort aims to contribute significantly to promoting socio-economic development and strengthening national defence and security. To this end, the VNR’s Party Committee and Board of Directors should exercise comprehensive and synchronised leadership across all aspects of their work, with particular emphasis on the following.

First, enhancing the work of propagation and education to raise awareness and sense of responsibility among cadres and employees, regarding the task of national defence and Fatherland protection. Recognising national defence as one of the crucial tasks closely linked with the central political task of production and business, the VNR’s Party Committee and Board of Directors should bolster their leadership over affiliated party committees and party organisations to effectively carry out propagation and education work aimed at raising awareness among cadres and employees about this crucial task. Thoroughly grasping the Party’s line and the State’s policies and laws on national defence, affiliates should intensify propagation and education efforts to ensure that cadres and employees are cognisant of the significance and necessity of the task of national defence and Fatherland protection. A comprehensive education approach should centre on resolutions and directives issued by the Party, State, Government, and MND concerning national defence. Special emphasis should be placed on documents such as the Resolution of the 8^th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (13^th tenure) on the strategy for Fatherland protection in the new situation, the 2018 Law on National Defence, and the Government’s Decree No. 168/2018/ND-CP on national defence work in central and local agencies, etc. Additionally, VNR should direct its affiliates to enhance education and training on national defence and security-related knowledge in an effort to infuse them with revolutionary ideal, moral qualities, history, and tradition of national resistance against foreign invaders as well as relevant updated information. Throughout the implementation process, VNR should actively cooperate with the Party Central Committee’s Organisation Commission and local military units in reviewing and closely managing individuals eligible for national defence and security-related education and training courses, ensuring quality and effectiveness. This process aims to enhance awareness and a sense of responsibility among cadres and employees, regarding the task of national defence and Fatherland protection.

Second, developing production and business operations in tandem with strengthening national defence and security. Accordingly, VNR should attach great importance to maximising resources and prioritising investments in a modern, synchronised, and sustainable railway transportation system, thereby contributing to the country’s socio-economic development as well as defence and security enhancement. To actualise this goal, VNR should concentrate on production and business development associated with enhanced defence and security capabilities. Concurrently, it should be fully aware of the significant role that the work of national defence plays in maintaining political security, social order and safety, thereby creating a favourable environment for production and business activities. In the time ahead, VNR should focus on completing railway transportation planning at various administrative levels within both national and regional development frameworks to serve socio-economic development as well as national defence and security needs. Due regard should be paid to closely cooperating with functional agencies of the MND, other ministries, sectors, and localities in running projects that serve socio-economic development associated with national defence and security enhancement. Moreover, it is necessary for VNR to direct its affiliates to cooperate with local military agencies in reviewing, adjusting, and improving the system of combat readiness documents, as well as interoperability plans between forces within defensive zones. It should also formulate wartime mobilisation plans, actively engage in military training and exercises and mobilise human and material resources to fulfil civil defence tasks. In the immediate term, VNR should focus on industrial encouragement and close cooperation with relevant agencies of the MND in managing and operating technical maintenance and repair Line 2. It should ensure the full preparedness of all technical equipment for supplementary mobilisation for regular forces upon request by the Army. Furthermore, it should persist in prioritising the allocation of the optimal resources for military transportation, in an effort to ensure punctuality, security, and confidentiality, thereby contributing to the maintenance of the country’s national defence and security.

Third, bringing into full play the pivotal role of VNR’s military agencies and self-defence forces, as well as reservists at all levels in carrying out the work of national defence. To this end, VNR should mandate its subordinate agencies and units to regularly strengthen military commands, enhance the competence of cadres responsible for defence work, and organise reserve and self-defence forces. This includes ensuring an adequate quantity of high-calibre personnel aligned with production and business conditions, who are fully capable of the task of national defence. Military commands at all levels should actively advise their leaders on issuing resolutions, directives, programs, plans, and instructions for the implementation of the task of national defence, in line with realities, ensuring quality and effectiveness. In addition, they should closely cooperate with armed forces and relevant units in having a firm grasp of local situations, maintaining combat readiness, and fulfilling duties pertaining to disaster preparedness and response, epidemic prevention, fire fighting, explosion prevention, wildfire fighting, as well as search and rescue. Training should be harmoniously integrated with competitions and exercises, further fortifying social security, order and safety within defensive zones.

To ensure the operational effectiveness of self-defence and reserve forces and their capacity to fulfil assigned tasks, VNR should focus on the judicious allocation of funding to sustain on-site logistics and mobilise resources for national defence work as well as activities by self-defence and reserve forces as stipulated by law. It is imperative that self-defence and reserve forces should be provided with adequate equipment, support tools, and requisite conditions to enable the fulfilment of their duties. Close collaboration with local Military Service Councils should assume paramount importance in educating cadres and employees of military service age about their responsibility and obligation to safeguard the Fatherland, encompassing registration and management of youths eligible for military service in accordance with the Law on Military Service. Concurrent efforts should be directed towards facilitating stable employment opportunities for those completing their military service. Through these concerted efforts, VNR aims to continuously strengthen its self-defence and reserve forces, thereby making a substantive contribution to augmenting the quality and effectiveness of national defence work to meet the requirements of safeguarding the Fatherland in the contemporary landscape.

PHAN QUOC ANH

Deputy General Director

Commander of VNR’s Military Command