Combining economy with defence and security is a strategy by our Party and State, which is of utmost importance to Thai Binh – a coastal province located in the strategic defensive direction of our country. And the province has been adopting synchronous, proper measures to closely combine economy with defence and security.

Fully understanding and strictly implementing the Party’s guidelines on combining the two strategic tasks of Homeland construction and protection, Thai Binh provincial Party Committee, Authority and people have united in striving to foster socio-economic development associated with defence-security consolidation, laying an important foundation for building the increasingly strong all-people national defence and defensive zones. In recent years, in spite of difficulties, the province’s economic growth rate has been ceaselessly roaring. In 2017, the province’s GDP growth rate was over 11.2% and higher than that of 2016 (agriculture, forestry, and fishery industry: up 2.46%; industry and construction: up 22.1%; services: up 8.34%), which proved the soundness, timeliness and effectiveness of its economic policies. Due regard has been paid to culture, society, education, health, sports and social welfare policies. Up to now, 87% of the province’s communes and quarters have met the cultural requirements; 100% of its households have possessed audio-visual means; 746 schools of the province have met the national educational requirements. The work of national defence and security has been regularly strengthened in both force and posture, contributing to maintaining political stability and social order in the area.

The conference to issue the resolution on military and defence missions in 2018 by the Provincial Military Party Committee

However, the province’s socio-economic development has not been really sustainable and dependent on capital and natural resources. Its infrastructure has been still limited. Living standard of a section of people is still low. Meanwhile, taking advantage of weaknesses in socio-economic management, particularly in land management, compensation and clearance, hostile forces have been stepping up distortion of information and incitement. Thus, socio-economic development in combination with defence and security consolidation represents a matter of paramount importance in both long and short terms, which should be carefully studied to take proper steps.

First, raising sectors, localities, armed forces and people’s awareness of the necessity of combining socio-economic development with defence and security in the area. This is a matter of top priority to achieve a sense of unity between awareness and action by the Provincial Party Committee, all-level authorities, organizations, enterprises and people towards this sound, important line. To that end, the province has conducted the work of education and propagation at all levels, focusing on rendering cadres at all levels fully aware of the relationships between socio-economic development and national defence and security, and between defence and self-defence, particularly for foreign-invested enterprises. At the same time, emphasis has been placed on impacts and consequences of the disregard for national defence and security as well as on resolutely fighting against the exaggerated importance attached to economic benefits only or economic development at any rate. Besides, province has directed localities and sectors to set out targets, demands, and programs/plans for combining socio-economic development with defence and security.

To provide solid scientific basis for the process of awareness, province has attached significance to the work of defence and security education. Over the past time, this work has been basically put in order and created positive changes in people’s awareness, particularly the youth’s awareness of the Homeland protection. However, to meet the new developments of the situation, in the coming time, the province will continue to consolidate and renew the method of operation of the Councils for Defence and Security Education at all levels deeply, practically, effectively. At the same time, it will direct Military and Public Security offices and relevant sectors to study, compile and supplement the program for defence and security education to be relevant to reality. Moreover, it will continue to expand the objects taking part in the courses on defence and security education, particularly religious dignitaries, businessmen, fishing ship owners; to conduct defence and security education via training courses on defence and security knowledge, and provincial-level defensive zone and commune-level combat exercises as well as mass media. As a result, those activities will contribute to making sectors, forces and people fully understand the guidelines by the Party, State, and Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee on the relationship between socio-economic development with defence and security and identify their determination and responsibility for implementing this task.

Besides, importance has been attached to closely combining the socio-economic development projects with the consolidation of defence and security posture in both master plan and course of implementation of each sector. Thai Binh is an agricultural province but rich in natural resources, such as natural gas, coal power, marine resources, and human resource, thereby attracting numerous investors at home and abroad. Over the past time, in the province’s area, hundreds of projects have been carried out, with the investments of thousands of billions VND, creating employment for thousands of people; however, they have caused new complications. Therefore, the province has directed sectors and localities to review, closely appraise and supervise the zoning and planning of economic and industrial zone, seaports, and new urban areas in line with the planning of defence and security for the sake of timely adjustment. In this regard, importance has been attached to developing industries, handicrafts, trade, services, tourism and agriculture; combining the planning with the shifting of economic structure and the building of infrastructure under a uniform plan. Specifically, projects and industrial zones in the province have been planned to closely connect with one another ranging from the projects of Con Vanh and Con Den, seafood production zones and seaports to the projects of Tien Hai industrial zone, industrial clusters of Cua Lan and Vu Ninh, and Thai Binh Thermoelectric Plan to form an inter-connected, solid posture of coast, sea and island. In addition to the planning work, significance has been attached to investing in infrastructure and socio-economic development as well as defence and security consolidation in the coastal areas. Up to now, the province has completed the repair and construction of traffic roads, particularly the roads leading to the sea, such as the National Highway 39B – Con Nhat, Highway Vo Hoi – Diem Dien, Highway Thai Thuy – Thai Thinh; built and put tens of quays into use; dredged the system of canals; brought the people to live on new islets, thereby contributing to making the posture of defence and security increasingly strong.

In the coming time, the province will focus on implementing the Project for Thai Binh economic coastal zone of over 30,580 ha approved by the Prime Minister (in 2017) with the close combination of economy and defence. To do so, the province has directed sectors and localities to make careful surveys to engage in the planning of the Project. The Project must include industrial zones, seaports and services, tourism and recreation zones, seafood production zones, protective forests, residential and administrational zones. And it is necessary to gradually implement each work under the roadmap and closely combine economic development with defence and security and preservation of values of marine ecosystem and historical, cultural relics.

The province has concentrated its leadership and direction on developing key economic sectors associated with the building of types of potential of the defensive zone at all levels, with emphasis placed on military potential and military and security forces, contributing to maintaining political stability and social order, creating a favourable condition for socio-economic development. First, importance has been attached to developing dual-use economic sectors which have been disposed in the areas as the basis for forming rear bases and logistics-technical zones for the provincial and district-level defensive zones. Priority has been given to dual-use mechanical engineering and processing industry, high-quality agricultural production zones to create the potential which could be mobilized in national defence when necessary. Based on economic achievements, the province has focused investment on the infrastructure, such as traffic, communications, health, and civilian defensive works in the area to serve both people’s life and national defence. Besides, the province has concentrated on building strong local armed forces politically, ideologically, and organizationally while attaching importance to improving the quality of training and exercises, ensuring that the armed forces successfully fulfill the task of combat readiness and actively take part in socio-economic development, political base building, mass mobilization work, natural disaster prevention and mitigation, and search and rescue. As for the militia and self-defence forces, in addition to following the regulations of the Law, the province has closely directed and managed the work of building and mobilizing the militia and self-defence forces in defence and security missions by enterprises in the area, particularly foreign-invested and private ones. Up to now, the number of members of the provincial militia and self-defence forces have accounted for 1.31% of its population while 100% of its reserve units have been staffed by reservists. By 2020, the province strives to dispatch 286 commune-level military command cadres and 300-350 reservist officers to attend training courses for military majors by local budget. Besides, it has directed local armed forces to actively take part in building new-style rural area and resettlement areas, and protecting the environment.

Thanks to synchronous, proper and effective measures, Thai Binh province has obtained encouraging achievements in combining socio-economic development with defence and security. This is among important bases for the province to successfully fulfil the two strategic tasks of national construction and protection.

Sr. Col. Nguyen Duc Dung, Standing Member of the Provincial Party Committee

Commander of the Provincial Military Command