Over 75 years of construction, combat, and growth, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and beloved President Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnamese People's Army (VPA) has always been a reliable and excellent political force absolutely loyal to the Fatherland, the Party, the State, and the People; never flinched from sacrifice and hardships and bravely fought against and defeated all invading enemies and, in association with the People of the whole country, gained the national independence, built and firmly defended the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; successfully completed all tasks assigned by the Party, the State, and the People; and built up the revolutionary nature and fine tradition of “Uncle Ho's Soldiers”. The root of the strength of the Revolutionary Army's glorious maturity and victory has stemmed from the Party’s ingenious and wise leadership from the nature of the working class and the deep peoplenesss and nationness of the Army.

Currently, the situation in the world and the region continues to happen rapidly, complicatedly, and unpredictably with multiple factors of instability: fierce local wars, terrorist activities, ethnic and religious conflicts, and disputes over borders, territories, seas, and islands. Globalization, international integration, and the development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution are strongly impacting countries in several ways: increased non-traditional security challenges, major countries’ adjustment of their strategies - to cooperate, compromise, and compete, and restrain each other. At home, in addition to the great and historically significant achievements that we have gained after nearly 35 years of innovation in the fields of economy, culture, society, defense, security, and foreign affairs, our country is facing numerous difficulties and challenges. The hostile forces are aggressively promoting the implementation of “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, and “self-transformation” internally and “apoliticization” of the Army with extremely sophisticated and malicious tricks. The cause of building and defending the Socialist Republic of Vietnam are posing new requirements and tasks, while the struggle to protect the independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and national and people interests is facing complicated difficulties. In order to successfully fulfill the functions and tasks assigned by the Party, the State, and the People, the decisive issue is to always maintain and strengthen the Party’s absolute, direct, and comprehensive leadership over the Army. Particularly, the following basic contents and solutions should be focused on:

Firstly, to be consistent with the principle of the CPV’s absolute, direct, and comprehensive leadership over the VPA. To be consistent and constantly maintain and strengthen the Party’s absolute, direct, and comprehensive leadership over the Army is an objective requirement - a significant factor that determines the existence and development and promotes the combat power victory of the Army. The reality of more than 75 years has proven that the Party’s ingenious and wise leadership is the decisive factor for the Army's maturity, combat power, and victory. Therefore, regardless of the conditions and circumstances, it is compelling to be consistent with the principle of the CPV’s absolute, direct, and comprehensive leadership over the VPA. Disregarding and relaxing the Party's leadership over the VPA will make the Army lose its political orientation and diverge from the nature of the working class and the goals and ideals of national independence and socialism, that result in weakening and losing the combat power, etc.

The Party's leadership over VPA is carried out in setting policies, guidelines, military and defense tasks, and defense of the Fatherland with a strict, synchronized, and unified mechanism and organizational system from the Central to grassroots levels. The Charter of the CPV affirms that “The Party absolutely, directly, and comprehensively directs the VPA and the Vietnamese People's Public Security”. This principle implies that the CPV is the only force to lead the Army in the fields of politics, thoughts, organization, and ethics and in all aspects of work, tasks, conditions, and circumstances. The Party's leadership over the Army focuses on the Party Central Committee, directly and regularly the Politburo and the Secretariat. The Party leads the elaboration of strategies on national defense, military, defense of the Fatherland, and construction of the people's armed forces; the construction and development of Vietnam's military science and art; the implementation of the Party and political work in the Army; and assurance of technical equipment and soldier rearing, etc.

Secondly, to build a strong Military Party in terms of politics, thoughts, organization, and ethics with high leadership and fighting capacity to meet the requirements of the task of defending the Fatherland in the new situation. Party committees and organizations at all levels throughout the Army should focus on leading and directing the innovation and improvement of the quality of ideological work and raising the level of enlightenment and political stuff of cadres and soldiers to ensure that in every situation the Army is always absolutely loyal to the Fatherland, the Party, the State, and the People. To strictly abide by the Party's guidelines and policies and the State's policies and laws. To proactively fight against the wrong, hostile views and protect the Party's ideological platform, lines, and views and the State’s policies and laws. To thoroughly grasp and strictly implement the Party's resolutions, directives, regulations, and conclusions on the work of building and regulating the Party to create solidarity and unity within the Military Party and the entire Army on the Party's views and lines and the Army's political tasks in the new situation. To focus on thoroughly grasping and effectively and synchronously implementing Directive No.05-CT/TW of the Politburo (the 12^th Tenure) and Directive No.855-CT/QUTW of the Central Military Commission Standing Committee in association with the implementation of the 4^th Central Resolution (the 12^th Tenure).

Party committees and organizations at all levels within the Military Party should focus on thoroughly grasping and strictly implementing Directive 35-CT/TW issued on May 30^th, 2019 by the Politburo on the Party Congresses at all levels and the 13^th National Party Congress of the Party and Directive No.747-CT/QUTW issued on July 23^rd, 2019 by the Central Military Commission Standing Committee on the Party Congresses at all levels within the Military Party Committee and closely leading and directing the preparation and successful organization of the Party Congresses at all levels and must be truly exemplary to make important contributions to the success of the 13^th National Party Congress. To pay attention to well performing the personnel work at the Party Congresses at all levels associated with building the contingent of presiding cadres in accordance with the principle of inheritance, stability, and development. Along with the preparation and organization of the congresses, to focus on leading, directing, and reviewing to comprehensively complete the targets identified in the congress resolutions for the term of 2015-2020; to lead to well perform the advisory work, direction, and strategy forecasting, not to be passive and unexpected in every situation; to maintain a peaceful and stable environment for national development; to resolutely and persistently struggle for the protection of independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity and firmly protecting the borders, sovereignty over seas and islands, and airspace of the Fatherland. To lead and well implement military and defense tasks and improve the quality of training, qualifications, combat readiness, and combat power to meet the requirements of national defense tasks in the new situation.

Thirdly, to renovate to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Party and political work of the Party committees, presiding cadres, and the political agencies at all levels. The Party committees, presiding cadres, and political agencies at all levels should actively study to thoroughly grasp the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, the tasks of the Army, and the impacts of the situations of the world and the region; to adhere to the practical situation of the country, the Army and each agency and unit; to regularly renew contents, forms, and measures to carry out the Party and political work. To pay attention to innovating and enhancing the quality of political and ideological education and raising the awareness of cadres and soldiers on the basic contents and great values ​​of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh's thoughts, enlightenment level, political stuff, confidence, and ideals; to foster patriotism, national pride, determination, and willingness to accept and fulfill all assigned tasks. To promote propaganda, innovate, and improve the quality of emulation, commendation, and organization of the Determination-to-Win emulation movement; to uphold the spirit of revolutionary vigilance to make cadres and soldiers understand the conspiracies and tricks of “peaceful evolution”, overthrowing riot, “apoliticization” of the Army of hostile forces; to overcome skepticism, oscillation, ambiguity, and off-guard. To continue renewing the work of organization of building the Party and cadre work, attaching importance to the thorough grasping and implementation of the Party’s cadre building strategy in the renovation period and focusing on building the contingent of cadres at all levels, especially the campaign and strategic-level ones with political, ethical and prestigious qualities on par with their tasks in the new situation. To do well the work of internal political protection, democracy promotion, and discipline strengthening; to consolidate and strengthen unity and well resolve the internal relations within the Army; to incorporate ideological work with organizational work and policy work, etc.

To improve the capacity to carry out the Party and political work of the Party Committees, presiding cadres, political officials, and political agencies at all levels. To build a strong contingent of political officials and political agencies as the core in advising, directing, guiding, and conducting the Party and political work; and to study, supplement, perfect, and strictly implement the Charter of the Party and political work, regimes, and regulations and promote the synergy of all levels, branches, organizations, and forces in the implementation of the Party and political work.

Finally, to strengthen the protection of the Party's ideological foundation and fight against the wrong and hostile views in the new situation. Currently, especially before, during, and after the 13^th National Party Congress, hostile forces are urgently promoting the implementation of conspiracies and tricks of “peaceful evolution”, “self- evolution”, and “self-transformation” internally, aggressively sabotaging in the fields of ideology and theory, and demanding to “apoliticize” the Army. Party committees, presiding cadres, and political agencies at all levels should continue to lead and direct to thoroughly grasp and organize the strict implementation of Resolution No.35-NQ/TW issued on October 22^nd, 2018 by the Politburo and Plan No.14-KH/TW issued on March 25^th, 1919 by the Secretariat on implementing Resolution NO.35-NQ/TW on strengthening the protection of the Party's ideological foundation, fighting against wrong and hostile views in the new situation, especially the struggling against the wrong and hostile views on cyberspace. To strengthen the building of Party committees and organizations to be clean and strong in terms of politics, thoughts, organization, and ethics; building comprehensively strong agencies and units. To well carry out the work of internal political protection and management, education, and training of cadres and Party members to prevent corruption, negative and regressive political ideology, “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, ... not to let the hostile forces take advantages to sabotage the our Party, the State, and regime.

To regularly manage, grasp, and well solve the ideological issues of the soldiers, focusing on raising the sense of revolutionary vigilance, “resistance”, and “immunity” of cadres and soldiers before the conspiracies and tricks of “peaceful evolution”, the fierce resistance of hostile forces in the field of ideology and culture; to promptly criticize manifestations of doubt, wavering, ambiguity, and lack of vigilance. To proactively disseminate positive information to orient thoughts of cadres and soldiers before complicated and sensitive issues; at the same time, to resolutely struggle to expose the conspiracies and tricks of sabotage activities of hostile and reactionary forces in the field of thoughts, theory, and culture, contributing to protecting the Party's ideological foundation.

General Luong Cuong

Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Standing Member of the Central Military Commission

Chairman of the General Political Department - VPA