Military Region 9’s Party Committee and Command (hereinafter Party Committee and Command) have always attached importance to the organization and operations of the armed forces in defense zones. This lays a solid foundation for the building of its powerful armed forces and firm military posture within the overall defense posture of the region and the country.

Military Region 9 is strategically positioned in economic, defense, security, and diplomatic terms. It is also one of the prime targets at which hostile forces have directed their sabotage activities by means of fiendish plots and cunning artifices. In recent years, while political security and public order and safety have been maintained, the potential for socio-political instability remain in some parts of Military Region 9, particularly border, maritime and island areas. Against this backdrop, thoroughly grasping the Party’s resolutions and directives on the building of defense zones, the Party Committee and Command have adopted various measures for strengthening the defense posture across Military Region 9, thus contributing to foiling  “peaceful evolution” and subversion by hostile forces, maintaining political security, public order and safety, firmly protecting territorial sovereignty and maritime and border security, and creating favorable conditions for local socio-economic development. However, there remain shortcomings. Awareness stays limited among a section of cadres and Party members at grassroots level as evidenced by their overemphasis on economic development rather than enhanced defense and security capability. The building of the armed forces has yet to live up to expectations, to a greater or lesser degree. A number of localities have witnessed the ineffectiveness of their investment in purpose-built construction projects for the military.

For the time being and in the foreseeable future, the military build-up, enhanced defense capability and Homeland protection do and will impose more demanding requirements on the whole military in general and Military Region 9’s armed forces in particular. Hostile forces continue to speed up their sabotage activities by means of fiendish plots and cunning artifices to precipitate “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” aimed at undermining Vietnam’s socio-political stability. Meanwhile, the acceleration of industrialization and modernization across Military Region 9 has been characterized by both advantages and disadvantages, such as public disorder, environmental pollution, crimes. The scourge tends to deteriorate if no solution is adopted opportunely. Against this backdrop, it is essential that Military Region 9’s armed forces and local authorities continue to put great store by the strengthening of provincial and municipal defense zones to meet the requirements set by Homeland protection in the new situation and that various effective measures be adopted for the organization and operations of the armed forces in defense zones.

First, focusing on making Military Region 9’s armed forces comprehensively strong and highly skilled to truly play a core role in the enhanced military and security capability of the defense zone. To this end, the Party Committee and Command have paid special attention to strengthening their affiliates politically, ideologically and organizationally and to promoting political and ideological education in order to heighten awareness among cadres and soldiers of tasks assigned to the Vietnamese military, Military Region 9 and their units. Doing so enables cadres and soldiers to develop their political will, sense of determination and responsibility for the task of Homeland protection as well as willingness to undertake and successfully fulfil assigned tasks. Furthermore, the Party Committee and Command have attached importance to consolidating and organizing Military Region 9’s regular troops on a “compact, strong and flexible” basis. Priority has been assigned to the strength and weaponry of combat readiness units and the establishment of new units and forces as directed by the Ministry of National Defense in order to develop combat power in areas of strategic importance. At the same time, emphasis has been placed on improving the quality of combat readiness training to match reality, assigned tasks and operational areas. In the process, the Party Committee and Command have directed Military Region 9’s units to learn from forefathers’ tradition of resistance to foreign aggression while actively introducing scientific-technological advances and new weaponry to training in order to develop their combat power in both combined and independent operations against the backdrop of modern warfare.

In addition to the building of regular troops, the Party Committee and Command have closely cooperated with authorities at all levels in building the militia and self-defense forces qualitatively and quantitatively. The Law on the militia and self-defense forces has been strictly observed; training has been focused on mobile and maritime militia. The goal to be reached by 2020 is that the local militia and self-defense forces will make up 1.4% of Military Region 9’s population, that 99.2% of the local militia and self-defense forces will be assigned to Military Region 9’s units, and that military Party cells will be established in all wards, communes and towns across Military Region 9.

Moreover, the Party Committee and Command have closely cooperated with different forces, including public security forces, border guards, coast guards, in grasping the local situation aimed at providing practical and helpful advice for the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defense and local authorities in order to avoid being caught off guard. They have also directed Military Region 9’s armed forces to foil and counter “peaceful evolution”, subversion and violation of territorial sovereignty by hostile forces with a view to maintaining political security and public order and safety in localities, particularly in border, maritime and island areas of strategic importance in terms of defense and security.

Second, promoting the core role played by Military Region 9’s armed forces in building political-spiritual capability, with importance attached to the firm posture of the “people’s hearts and minds” in the defense zone. Accordingly, the Party Committee and Command have directed their affiliates to advise local administrations on defense and security education for the masses, with special attention devoted to cadres, particularly leaders and commanders at all levels. At the same time, reforms have been actively enacted in defense and security education for the younger generation across Military Region 9.  In order to contribute to strengthening the political system at all levels, the Party Committee and Command have directed their affiliates to closely cooperate with local administrations in making local Party cells and socio-political organizations strong and clean and effectively implementing regulations on grassroots democracy under the motto that “the people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people inspect”. Today, against the backdrop of hostile forces’ intense sabotage, the building of the firm posture of the “people’s hearts and minds” is a matter of great importance to the enhancement of politico-spiritual capability in the defense zone. Being fully aware of this, the Party Committee and Command have directed their affiliates to actively participate in socio-economic and cultural development, hunger eradication and poverty reduction in order to gradually improve the people’s material and spiritual life, to effectively implement the campaign “Military Region 9’s armed forces join hands in building new-style rural areas”, and to promote the core role played by Military Region 9’s armed forces in natural disaster prevention and control, response to climate change, search and rescue, etc. Simultaneously, Military Region 9’s armed forces have been encouraged to promote their sense of responsibility to join hands with local authorities in effectively implementing policies regarding military families, ethnic minorities and religions, which is of great importance to fostering the people’s trust in the Party, the State, the military and the socialist regime.

Third, advising local administrations on economic development associated with the enhancement of defense and security capability and the building of military posture in the defense zone. Over the past years, across Military Region 9, particularly the Mekong Delta, rapid urbanization have led to  the mushrooming of  industrial parks and residential areas, which brings both advantages and disadvantages to the building of the defense zone. As a result, in order to closely link socio-economic development with the enhancement of defense and security capability, the Party Committee and Command have directed their affiliates to actively advise local administrations on the State management over the field of defense and security, particularly investment projects for socio-economic development that concern the building of the military posture of the defense zone. Special attention is paid to foreign investment projects in areas of strategic importance in terms of defense and security, such as border, maritime and island areas. The pace of the planning has and is being increased of socio-economic development associated with the building of the military posture until 2020 with importance attached to the building of economic-defense zones and residential clusters in border areas and dykes to prevent saline intrusion, afforestation in key geographical areas, as well as infrastructure development (including networks of roads, airports, ports, postal services, telecommunications, healthcare) associated with defense works in economically key areas

Fourth, promoting defense diplomacy to contribute to enhancing the military capability of the defense zone. Thoroughly grasping and strictly observing the Party’s guidelines and policies on foreign affairs, particularly the Central Military Commission's Resolution 806-NQ/QUTW on  international integration and defense diplomacy until 2020 and beyond, the Party Committee and Command have adopted various measures. A case in point is that the Party Committee and Command have proactively cooperated with the Army Command, Military Regions 3 and 5’s High Commands under the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces in information exchanges and the search and collection of the remains of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers who fell during wars in Cambodia. Military Region 9’s units in border areas have proactively cooperated with relevant agencies in promoting defense diplomacy by providing the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces with assistance in healthcare, education, rural and infrastructure development, and so on, thereby popularizing our Party and State’s line and policies on the solidarity and friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia, on agreements on regulating border and border gate management, as well as border demarcation and marker planting in order to contribute to maintaining political security and public order and safety and to building the Vietnam-Cambodia border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.

In the time to come, Military Region 9’s armed forces will continue to improve their performance to contribute to building firm provincial and municipal defense zones, maintaining political security and public order and safety, as well as accelerating socio-economic development.

Lt. Gen. Nguyen Hoang Thuy, Commander of the Military Region 9