Since its inception, under the leadership and education by the Party and beloved Uncle Ho, our Army has unceasingly developed and achieved landslide feats of arms. It has been trusted, sheltered and supported by the people. In any circumstance, cadres and soldiers of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) have always kept their faith in the Party, firmly stepped forward under the Party’s glorious flag, and dedicated itself to “serving the Homeland and the people” as President Ho Chi Minh ever said that “our Army is loyal to the Party, pious to the people, and ready to fight and sacrifice for national independence and freedom and for socialism. It will fulfil any mission, overcome any difficulty, and defeat any enemy.”

Celebrating the success of the 13^th National Party Congress, cadres and soldiers of the entire VPA believe that the Communist Party of Vietnam, with its political zeal, knowledge, revolutionary morality, and capacity, will continue leading the country to surmount all challenges and taking our people to many new achievements of historical significance in the new period. Stepping forward under the Party’s glorious flag, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers, and striving to translate the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress into life, together with the entire Party, people, and political system, cadres and soldiers of the whole VPA will resolutely, persistently fight for defending national independence, sovereignty, unification, and territorial integrity, safeguarding national benefits, and protecting the Party, the State, the people, and the socialist regime. By 2025, the VPA will have been basically made compact and strong. By 2030, several services, corps, and forces will have been modernised. From 2030, the entire VPA will be modernised.

Applying and creatively developing Marxism - Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, the Party’s political platforms, the 13^th National Party Congress has reconfirmed the inevitability and necessity of implementing the Party’s guidelines on building the VPA, consolidating national defence, and protecting the Homeland. According to the 13^th Congress, this work is an important part of our Party’s viewpoints and guidelines, while acting as the “lodestar” for our whole Party, people, and VPA to successfully fulfil the two strategic tasks of national construction and protection in the new period.

Cadres and soldiers of the entire VPA are fully aware that grasping and seriously, effectively executing the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress on building the VPA, consolidating national defence, and protecting the Homeland will be of special importance to the survival of our Party and socialist regime and the development of our VPA as well. In other words, successfully fulfilling the central, routine defence-security task set by the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress demonstrates our VPA’s political zeal, knowledge, and loyalty. More specifically, seriously, effectively realising the Vietnam National Defence Strategy, the Military Strategy, the Strategy for Protecting the Homeland in Cyberspace, the National Border Protection Strategy, and the National Defence Law (amended in 2018) as well as building a compact, strong VPA and successfully fulfilling all assigned missions will contribute to translating the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress into life.

Firmly stepping forward under the Party’s glorious flag and deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers, with their strong will and determination, cadres and soldiers of the VPA are working with the entire Party, people, and political system to safeguard national independence, sovereignty, unification, and territorial integrity and protect our Party, State, people, and socialist regime. Besides, the VPA will proactively prevent the risk of war and conflict from afar, detect and opportunely deal with detriments to our revolution, combat and foil the hostile forces’ “peaceful evolution” strategy. At the same time, protecting the Homeland in the new context will be seen as a central, routine task of the Party, the State, the political system, and the people, with the VPA and the People’s Public Security Force playing the core role. In this regard, due attention will be paid to closely, effectively combining socio-economic and cultural development and diplomacy with national defence and security consolidation and vice versa. Consideration will be given to effectively handling the relationship between the two strategic tasks of national construction and protection in socio-economic development plans, projects, and strategies, in the Strategy for Protecting the Homeland, in the economic, cultural, social, defence-security fields, in each region, zone, and strategic area as well as in each mission, programme and plan.

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In order to raise our VPA’s task performance, it is vital to maintain and enhance the Party’s absolute, direct leadership over the VPA and the State’s concentrated, uniformed management of the VPA, build a typically pure, strong Military Party Organisation, make our VPA politically strong, improve military staff and party members’ political zeal, responsibility, professional competence, revolutionary morality, and loyalty to the Homeland, the State, and the people as well as preserve and promote the revolutionary nature and virtues of Uncle Ho’s soldiers so that they will accomplish all assigned missions.

Stepping forward under the Party’s glorious flag and deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers, all cadres and soldiers across the VPA will maintain a high level of combat readiness and win victory in any situation to firmly protect the Homeland, peace, and stability for the sake of national construction and development. It could be understood that successfully fulfilling the military-defence and Homeland protection mission under the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress represents a “command from the heart.” To that end, the entire VPA should focus on several tasks and measures as follows.

First, grasp and realise the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress and the Resolution of the 11^th Military Party Congress on building the VPA, consolidating national defence, and protecting the Homeland in the new situation. After the issue of guiding documents by the Central Commission for Propaganda and Education and the VPA’s General Department of Politics, all-level party committees and commands should grasp and seriously implement the Resolutions of the 13^th National Party Congress and the 11^th Military Party Congress on building the VPA, consolidating national defence, and protecting the Homeland in the new situation. It is necessary to clarify the relationship between partners and opponents and the link between national construction and protection. At the same time, it is important to “resolutely, persistently defend national independence, sovereignty, unification, and territorial integrity,” “to maintain peace and stability for national development,” and “to proactively prevent the risk of war and conflict from afar.” Due regard should be paid to renewing and improving national defence and security education so as to raise the responsibility of the entire political system and people for the two strategic tasks of national construction and protection in the new situation. Moreover, it is essential to actively take part in making political bases strong in the strategic, isolated, remote, sea, island, border areas, consolidating the national great unity block and the posture of  “people’s hearts and minds” as the basis for building the all-people national defence and the people’s security.

Second, undertake practical and theoretical researches, raise the quality of strategic forecasts, and give sound advice to the Party and the State on the military-defence work and the Homeland protection in the new situation. To do so, significance should be attached to proactively assessing and correctly anticipating situations to opportunely advise the Party and the State on proper action plans and avoid passivity. Cooperation between forces should be closely maintained, while all measures should be implemented in order to perform the task. Emphasis should be placed on well managing international relations, particularly with major powers and neighbours so as to safeguard national interests, independence, sovereignty, unification and territorial integrity. Besides, plans and projects should be formulated to prevent and push back the risk of war and conflict from afar. However, more importantly, due attention should be paid to detecting and eliminating internal detriments, especially the signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within so that the VPA will always be proactive in settling any situation.

To keep pace with the development of reality, it is necessary to supplement and perfect the Party’s new viewpoints and thoughts on the military-defence work and the military build-up and clarify the issues on the country’s renewal cause, the military build-up and the Homeland protection, especially on non-traditional security challenges, partners, opponents, cyber warfare, and the building of provincial-level defensive zones. Furthermore, we should proactively prevent, identify, and opportunely deal with situations relating to border, seas, islands, and airspace. We should also enhance our capabilities in cyber warfare, information warfare, and “peaceful evolution” and “colour revolution” prevention and combat. Consideration should be given to making necessary preparations in terms of personnel, equipment, and project to perform combat missions in peacetime so as to protect the people’s lives, assets, and peaceful life.

Third, promote the VPA’s core role in building and consolidating the all-people national defence. To this end, it is essential to renew and improve national defence and security education to make a huge positive change in the awareness and responsibility of the whole political system and people towards the two strategic tasks of national construction and protection. The VPA should actively participate in making political bases strong in the strategic, isolated, remote, border, sea, island areas, cementing the all-people great unity block, and consolidating the posture of “people’s hearts and minds” as the basis for building the all-people national defence associated with the posture of people’s security. Moreover, it is important to promote the synergy of the entire political system in the building of national defence potential, forces and posture and other types of national potential as well as exploit the strength of the national great unity block to meet the requirements set by the military-defence work under the “four-on-the-spot motto.” The VPA should cooperate with central and local committees and sectors in effectively executing the 12^th Politburo’s Resolution on “continuing to build provinces and municipalities into strong defensive zones in the new situation.” All necessary preparations for military mobilisation and general military mobilisation in the event of war should be mad. Great value should be attached to completing and implementing the mechanisms for leadership, command, coordination and use of forces in performing the local military-defence task and handling defence-security situations comprehensively and synchronously. Due attention should be paid to renewing and enhancing the building, training, and operation of the reserve force and the militia and self-defence force, especially coastal, standing, mobile units and emergency reserve units. Plans, programmes and projects for ensuring national defence and security as well as building, managing, and protecting national border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development should be effectively implemented.

Fourth, step up the implementation of the three breakthroughs to achieve an enormous positive change in (1) organisational structure, (2) training and education, (3) military standard order building, discipline management and military administrative reform. In this regard, importance should be attached to effectively executing the Project on the VPA’s organisation in the new situation (2020-2025), proactively, drastically adjusting the VPA’s structure in a compact, strong manner, and clearly identifying each job title within office and unit, particularly at strategic level. Priority should be given to modernising the Air Defence - Air Force Service, the Navy, the Signal Force, the Electronic Warfare Force, the Technical Reconnaissance Force, the Cyber Warfare Force, and the Cipher Force. More investments should be spent on ensuring weapons and technical equipment for developing the Ground Force towards 2025, with a vision towards 2030 as the basis for building a modern VPA from 2030. Besides, there should be a reform in education and training, while viewpoints, principles, and mottoes on this work should be flexibly applied to raise the quality of training cadres and satisfy the requirements set by a war for defending the Homeland. It is essential to perfect the mechanisms for training management and operation and maintain a close relationship between schools and units. Great weight should be added to complying with the training motto of “basics, practicality, thorough grasp,” organising intensive, synchronous training, and making troops master weapons and equipment, especially the modern ones. Military training should be aligned with political, moral, and discipline education and physical training. Due attention should be paid to building comprehensively strong, “exemplary, typical” units, strictly maintaining work regulations, and closely managing troops’ social relationships.

Fifth, focus on building a politically strong VPA, making all-level party committees and organisations pure and strong, and heightening cadres and party members’ role model-setting responsibility. To do so, it is necessary to maintain and enhance the Party’s absolute, direct leadership over the VPA and the State’s concentrated, uniformed management of the VPA. Great value should be attached to well conducting the political, ideological and organisational work in the new situation and raising the quality of training and retraining cadres. Due attention should be paid to proactively, actively fighting against the hostile forces’ “peaceful evolution” strategy, the signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within, and the conspiracy to “depoliticise” the VPA. Measures to preserve and promote the nature, tradition, and virtues of Uncle Ho’s soldiers in the new period under the Central Military Commission’s Directive 855/CT-QUTW, dated August 12^th, 2019 should be effectively implemented. The VPA should well perform its function as an army ready for combat, for work, and for production, while consolidating its close-knit bond with the people. Consideration should be given to building a healthy military cultural environment as the basis for lessening the negative impacts made by the dark side of the market economy, globalisation, and international integration.

In addition, it is vital to make the Military Party Organisation pure and politically, ideologically, morally and organisational strong under the Resolutions of the 13^th National Party Congress and the 11^th Military Party Congress. The VPA should give sound advice on formulating the military-defence and Homeland protection guidelines, well managing the relationship between partners and opponents, and increasing vigilance against the hostile forces’ plots and artifices. Leadership style and method should be reformed in a focalised, synchronous, drastic, effective fashion, while words must be matched with action. It is important to promote collective knowledge, heighten cadres’ spirit of daring to think, daring to do, and daring to take responsibility. More importantly, superiors should set good examples for inferiors to follow. Last but not least, due regard should be paid to improving the quality of the political and party work during missions as the basis for raising the VPA’s synergy and combat strength for the sake of national defence consolidation and Homeland protection in the new situation.

Things mentioned above represent the determination, belief, and noble goal of cadres and soldiers within the VPA. With their honour, pride, and optimism under the Party’s glorious flag, cadres and soldiers of the VPA will do their best to deserve to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers - the people’s soldiers.

Sr. Lt. Gen. NGUYEN TRONG NGHIA, Member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat

Member of the Central Military Commission, Deputy Head of the VPA’s General Department of Politics