To promote the synergy to defend the Homeland’s sea and island sovereignty, the Navy sets store by the work of coordinating sea and island propagation and considers this work as one of its routine tasks.

Grasping the Resolution of the 10^th Party Central Committee’s 4^th Plenum on Vietnam’s marine strategy until 2020, under the direction of the Central Propaganda and Education Commission, particularly the Central Military Commission (CMC), the Ministry of National Defence (MND), and the General Political Department of Politics (GPD), the Navy has played the core role and boosted its cooperation with provinces, municipalities, Central offices and press agencies in sea and island propagation. Up to now, the Navy has signed and regularly executed the program for coordinating sea and island propagation with 58 out of 63 provinces and municipalities and 15 Central offices and press agencies.

Over the past 10 years, ministries, sectors, organizations, and local party committees, authorities, and people have paid due regard to leading, directing, coordinating and backing the work of sea and island propagation. With 10 groups of coordination items, annually and in each period, offices, units and localities have developed and implemented the detailed coordination plans and gained considerable achievements. The work of coordinating sea and island propagation has always stayed close to reality and been actively implemented at all levels and by various sectors and forces. The scope of propagation has been continuously expanded, particularly among cadres, locals, fishermen, and overseas Vietnamese. The propagation work has been conducted on land, at sea, and on islands with the increased number of people who receive propagation. The content of propagation has been increasingly diverse and profound in accordance with each object and area while form and method of propagation has always been renewed effectively. Importance has been attached to oral propagation and propagation in the press; to combining sea and island propagation with practical action movements, such as “The whole country joins hands for Truong Sa - the Homeland’s frontier line”, “Gratitude in the border, sea and island areas”, “Students and the Homeland’s seas and islands”, “Women take part in building and protecting the national sovereignty over seas and islands”. It should be noted that the propagation work has contributed to opportunely orienting public opinion, raising the awareness of cadres, soldiers, people, overseas Vietnamese, and foreigners towards the role and importance of seas and islands as well as the historical and legal bases of Vietnam’s sea and island sovereignty. At the same time, it has helped clarify the results of the Navy’s struggle for protecting the sea and island sovereignty, achieve a consensus on our Party and State’s guidelines to deal with complex issues in the East Sea, and create the synergy to safeguard the national independence, sovereignty, unification and territorial integrity.

The work of coordinating sea and island propagation has also contributed to encouraging the role of forces, organizations, people and overseas Vietnamese to support the struggle for sea and island sovereignty protection both materially and spiritually; to enhancing the politico-spiritual potential and consolidating the postures of “people’s hearts and minds”, all-people national defence, and people’s security at sea. This work has helped local party committees and authorities, offices and units study and grasp the reality and developments in the East Sea to serve the state management of seas and islands in general and the sea and island propagation in particular. At the same time, it has assisted the Military and the Navy in tapping important resources to build a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern Navy as well as create a favourable condition for organizing “Gratitude” activities and helping the people with hunger eradication and poverty reduction, and natural prevention and mitigation, thereby bolstering the image of Uncle Ho’s Soldiers-Naval Soldiers” in the people’s hearts and minds.  

In the upcoming time, the situation all over the world continues to be complex, particularly the strategic competition between major powers, the dispute over maritime boundary and the difference among countries in the East Sea. The task of sea and island protection is imposing onerous requirements and necessitating us continuing to promote the synergy of all people under the Party’s leadership in order to resolutely, persistently safeguard the Homeland’s sea and island sovereignty and maintain peace and stability for the country’s development.

As the core force in managing and protecting the sea and island sovereignty, the Navy should continue to improve its synergy and combat strength and better perform the work of sea and island propagation. Grounded on the results and hands-on experience, over the past years, the Navy has determined to foster cooperation with offices, units and localities in stepping up the sea and island propagation via various measures, with a focus on the following points.

First, to continue grasping the Party and State’s guidelines, the direction by the Central Propaganda and Education Commission, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the CMC and the MND as well as the guidance by the GPD, particularly the all-level party committees’ programs to implement the Resolution of the 11^th Party Central Committee’s 8^th Plenum, the Resolution of the 12^th Party Central Committee’s 8^th Plenum on the Strategy for the sustainable development of Vietnam’s marine economy until 2030 with a vision until 2045; to enhance the all-level party committees and organizations’ leadership over those preset programs and plans. The Navy should continue cooperating with offices, units and localities in renewing and diversifying forms and methods of propagation, with emphasis placed on disseminating the guidelines, targets, and measures for the sustainable development of Vietnam’s marine economy and the role, function and development of the Navy as well. Significance should be attached to promoting oral propagation and propagation via mass media, cultural and artistic activities, performance of tasks, movements and campaigns; to organizing delegations to visit and encourage the military and people on Truong Sa Islands and DK1 platform.

Second, to unceasingly expand the object and scope of propagation and make the work of propagation widespread. The Navy will sign the agreements on the program for coordinating sea and island propagation with 5 remaining provinces, namely Cao Bang, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Vinh Phuc, Binh Phuoc, and then Central offices and press agencies across the country. Grounded on those coordination programs, the Navy will develop the programs and plans yearly and in each specific operation. At the same time, it will consolidate the steering board and the standing agency, maintaining the coordination between forces under the motto of being “proactive, responsible, regular, timely, safe, and effective”, concentrating on successfully fulfiling the political task of each office, unit and locality and maintaining combat readiness for protecting the Homeland’s sea and island sovereignty. Moreover, it will continue to promote its core role in coordinating and organizing propagation activities; opportunely providing official information and giving directions to propagation; quickly, effectively handling the issues arising from reality, putting the work of coordinating sea and island propagation in order, and making it more effective. It will closely combine the sea and island propagation with the propagation to attract the human resources and the improved effectiveness of mass mobilization work. It will cooperate with the Coast Guard, the Fisheries Resources Surveillance, and the Border Guard in monitoring and grasping the situation and making correct forecasts about plots, artifices and new moves of foreign opponents in the East Sea, while ceaselessly improving the synergy and combat readiness capability to opportunely deal with the situations, resolutely avoid falling into passivity, and act as a really firm crutch for our fishermen at sea.

Third, to build a contingent of lecturers and communicators as the core in the sea and island propagation. The Navy will actively cooperate with offices, units, localities, the Central Propaganda and Education Commission, and the Ministry of Information and Communications in organizing conferences, training courses and contests to improve the propagation capacity of this staff at all levels. Due regard will be paid to making this staff have a deep knowledge about seas and islands and their strategic role in the Homeland construction and defence cause as well as difficulties in today’s struggle for sea and island sovereignty protection. It is important that this staff must have strong political will, a sense of responsibility and good skills in propagation.

Fourth, to proactively study the issues and shortcomings in the work of coordinating propagation; to advise the Part, the State, the CMC and the MND on perfecting the mechanisms for coordinating sea and island propagation Army-wide and nation-wide in order to avoid leaving a gap in the content of propagation. It is important to formulate and follow the regulations on coordination between offices, units and localities. Due attention should be paid to ensuring the policies for the lecturers, communicators and forces in charge of sea and island propagation; rewarding and honouring collectives and individuals with material and spiritual contributions to this work; investing in facilities and modernizing means of propagation for units and communicators.

Fifth, to well conduct reviews and draw lessons. After each task and propagation season, it is necessary to carry out reviews and draw lessons. Annually, there should be a 6-month review and year-end review. Moreover, there should be 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year reviews on different scales (with each province, cluster of provinces, regions or all offices, units, and localities). Via those reviews, it is essential to correctly evaluate the task performance and strong and weak points and draw lessons to adjust and supplement the content, forms and methods in an effort to ceaselessly improve the effectiveness of sea and island propagation.

The work of sea and island propagation plays an increasingly important role in mobilizing resources in the cause of sea and island sovereignty management and protection while acting as an important method to protect the Homeland’s sea and island sovereignty. The Navy has been proactively cooperating with offices, units and localities across the country in stepping up this work to contribute to raising the public awareness and responsibility and creating the synergy of the whole political system under the Party’s leadership in order to safeguard the Homeland’s sea and island sovereignty protection.

Rear Admiral Dang Minh Hai, Deputy Commissar of the Navy