Thu Duc City, which comprises 34 wards, 182 neighbourhoods, and a population of over one million people, was established according to Resolution No. 1111/NQ-UBTVQH14, dated 1 January 2021. This area is strategically important, serving as the eastern gateway to inner Ho Chi Minh City. It hosts numerous key infrastructure projects, industrial parks, export processing zones, and reputable educational institutions, attracting a significant number of workers, pupils, and students to reside and study. After nearly three years since its establishment, despite suffering adverse impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the solidarity, efforts, and high determination of its Party Committee, authority, people, and armed forces have brought about remarkable achievements across all sectors, namely the political security remains steadfast, the economy is on an upward trajectory, and the socio-economic infrastructure is invested in a smart and modern manner. Thu Duc City is envisioned to become a pivotal region spearheading the knowledge-based economy and a hub for innovation that drives the development of the Southeast region in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular. However, this growth trajectory has also surfaced challenges, posing risks to local political security, social order, and safety. Opportunistic, anti-political, and religious fanatic factions have manipulated “democracy”, “human rights”, and “religious freedom” and problems arising in the process of socio-economic development such as urban planning, land dispute, environmental pollution to distort, entice, and carry out large-scale protests. Additionally, the complicated developments of the negative effects of the market economy and social evils have greatly affected the thoughts and feelings of the officers and soldiers in the armed forces. Recognising the advantages and challenges, the Thu Duc City Party Committee and People’s Committee have comprehensively implemented measures to lead and direct all aspects of work, especially the national defence and security education for different subjects and the whole people, building a strong “people’s hearts and minds” posture, stabilising the area, and creating favourable conditions for rapid and sustainable socio-economic development.

First, the City has focused on leading and directing the effective operation of the National Defence and Security Education Councils at all levels. The City Military Command, acting as the standing agency of the City National Defence and Security Education Country, has thoroughly grasped the policies and viewpoints of the Party, the directives and plans of the Ho Chi Minh City High Command and Military Region 7 regarding national defence and security education, advising the City Party Committee and the People’s Committee on various policies and measures to lead, direct, and implement this crucial work. Based on the military agency’s advice, the City has issued numerous resolutions and plans to ensure unified implementation. As a result, the national defence and security education has received the appropriate level of attention and strict direction from the party committees and authorities at all levels, as well as heads of agencies and organisations. Additionally, to develop national defence and security education comprehensively, the City has attached importance to consolidating the councils from the city to the ward level, ensuring sufficient quality of personnel as per legal requirements, establishing and maintaining operational regulations, and assigning specific tasks to council members. Due to the large area and rapid urbanisation, which can lead to complex security and social order issues, the City requires council members to take responsibility for advising and directing the execution of national defence and security tasks, especially promoting the pivotal role of the City Military Command in guiding, inspecting, and urging wards, agencies, and organisations to perform their assigned functions and tasks. The City Military Command has proactively coordinated with the national defence and security education councils at the ward level to guide agencies and organisations under central ministries, departments, and Ho Chi Minh City units located in the area to survey and understand the target groups for developing plans to update national defence and security knowledge as required. Simultaneously, the City Military Command has collaborated with the Thu Duc City Department of Education and Training to develop plans to inspect the national defence and security education in high schools in the area, promptly learning from experiences and addressing any shortcomings to further improve this work.

Conducting defence and security education

Based on the characteristics of newly appointed officials at various levels and the increasingly demanding task requirements, as well as the presence of numerous industrial zones, industrial clusters, and schools in the area, Thu Duc City has to educate and update a large number of individuals on national defence and security knowledge. Consequently, to effectively implement the Law on National Defence and Security Education, on an annual basis, the City Military Command collaborates with the City Party Committee’s Organisation Board to advise the City Party Committee on reviewing and selecting groups 2 and 3 for participation in training courses on national defence and security knowledge, organised by Military Region 7 and the Ho Chi Minh City High Command. The City also coordinates with the Vietnam Fatherland Front to involve religious dignitaries in national defence and security knowledge training courses conducted by the Ho Chi Minh City National Defence and Security Education Council. Furthermore, it directs the successful organisation of training courses for group 4 individuals, as per the delegation of responsibilities. Moreover, Thu Duc City actively expands the range of individuals receiving national defence and security education, focusing on small business owners and household businesses in the area. To achieve effectiveness, the City requires agencies, departments, sectors, wards, etc. to strictly manage the targeted individuals as per regulations, plan scientifically suitable courses, and announce them in advance to facilitate officials in arranging their schedules to fully participate in these courses. As a result, 100% of targeted individuals complete the relevant programmes and content. This achievement has led to a significant shift in their understanding of the Party’s viewpoints and guidelines, the State’s policies and laws, national defence and security situations, and the plots and tactics of hostile forces. This understanding has deepened their sense of responsibility towards national defence tasks, enhancing effectiveness, and ensuring the successful fulfilment of their duties.

The City attaches importance to enhancing the quality of national defence and education for students. Following the directives of the City Party Committee and the People’s Committee, the City Military Command consistently collaborates with the City Department of Education and Training to guide schools and educational institutions in effectively implementing recruitment, training, and retraining, and ensuring a sufficient number of teachers for national defence and security education as per regulations. In recent years, the City Department of Education and Training has coordinated and advised on the implementation of Circular No. 01/VBHN-BGD&ĐT, dated 2 January 2014, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training regarding the issuance of a list of minimum teaching equipment for national defence and security education in universities, colleges, vocational schools, high schools, and multi-level schools to enhance the quality of this subject. To date, the national defence and security education in schools across the City aligns with the stipulated content and curriculum while the materials, equipment, models, and teaching aids are progressively standardised and efficiently managed and utilised. Consequently, the quality of education has notably improved. To further enhance the educational efficiency for the younger generation, schools integrate the traditional educational content of the districts before the merger, the objectives, and development directions of Thu Duc City, other relevant issues, and the affirmation of sovereignty over borders, seas, and islands to their lectures. They also organise visits to traditional houses and historical sites in the area. These activities deeply imbue students with a spirit of patriotism, pride, and respect for the City’s revolutionary traditions, laying the groundwork for career orientation and enthusiastic participation in national development and defence.

To foster high consensus and unity from the grassroots level and to build a solid “people’s hearts and minds” posture, the City Military Command emphasises advising the City National Defence and Security Education Council on enhancing the effectiveness of disseminating national defence and security knowledge to the whole people. In this regard, alongside leveraging the role of local reporters and propagandists, the City Military Command collaborates with the City Party Committee’s Propaganda Department, Public Security, Department of Culture and Information, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front to develop a national defence and security education and propaganda programme, which is regularly broadcast via mass media, especially via the loudspeaker systems of wards, agencies, and units. This programme focuses on propagating the Party’s viewpoints and guidelines as well as the State’s laws and policies on national defence and security, local political tasks, and activities of the local armed forces. For greater effectiveness, the City directs an innovative approach in content and form, combining mass media propaganda with direct outreach through activities of organisations and associations in neighbourhoods and community gatherings. This strategy enhances the public’s awareness and revolutionary vigilance, actively engaging them in combating “peaceful evolution”, particularly against distorted narratives in cyberspace by hostile forces. It also promotes crime prevention and control. Simultaneously, this approach strengthens people’s understanding and trust while ensuring strict adherence to the Party’s directives and guidelines and the State’s laws and policies. This contributes to building a strong political and spiritual foundation, and a solid “people’s hearts and minds” posture, ensuring local security and order. Besides, it creates a favourable environment for socio-economic development, aiming to achieve the goal of transforming Thu Duc into a “smart, creative, civilised, modern, and compassionate city with a high quality of living standard and a rapid and sustainable development”.

Colonel TRAN VAN QUYET, Commander of Thu Duc City Military Command