Building a strong all-people national defence represents an important and regular task of the entire Party, people and army. This is also an important and cross-cutting content in the cause of national construction and defence, which is focused on by localities in general and Vinh Long in particular as a basis for turning the province into an economic, cultural and social hub, as well as ensuring national defence and security of the Mekong Delta region.

Vinh Long holds an important position in the socio-economic development strategy as well as national defence and security assurance in Military Zone 9 and the southern region. Thoroughly grasping the Party's military and defence viewpoints and lines, particularly the policy of building a strong all-people defence, in recent years, the Party committee, government and people of Vinh Long have focused on implementing synchronously and drastically the guidelines and solutions to build the all-people defence and consolidate the all-people's defence posture in association with the firm people's security posture, protect the local safety, create favourable conditions for socio-economic development, improve people's living standards, and achieved positive results.

The above results are attributed to the province’s serious implementation of the mechanism of "the Party leads, the government manage, the military and public security forces advise", and especially the promotion of the core role of military and public security forces in performing defence and security tasks. It regularly improves the leadership capacity and combat strength of Party committees and organisations at all levels for the task of building the all-people defence; actively renovate the contents and forms of propaganda and education and improves the quality of implementation of the Party's resolutions, directives and conclusions, the State's policies and laws on defence and security tasks; closely combines socio-economic development with the strengthening of national defence and security and the firm protection of the locality; attaches importance to building and promoting the strength of the great unity bloc of the whole people, the values, and the fine traditional cultural identity of the locality; concentrates all resources on building a firm all people’s defence posture and a solid provincial defence area, and building strong potentials for the armed forces, etc.

Leaders of the province present gifts for forces participating in the defensive area drill in Long Ho district

In the coming time, in order to build a strong all-people defence in the direction of comprehensiveness, self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and increasing modernity to meet the requirements and tasks of Fatherland protection in the new situation, Vinh Long continues to implement several tasks and solutions synchronously, focusing on the following key issues:

Firstly, focus on building and consolidating strong defence potentials. The province continues to direct the construction and consolidation of defence potentials, especially the political-spiritual, economic, cultural and military ones. With regard to the political-spiritual potential, attention is paid to building the "people’s heart and mind" posture, strengthening the people's trust in the Party, State and regime, especially in the local Party committees and government; emphasis is placed on building the Party committees, party organisations and authorities at all levels really pure and strong; actively fight, prevent and repel the manifestations of internal "self-evolution", "self-transformation"; improve the quality and efficiency of operations as well as the coordination of agencies, departments, mass organisations, and socio-political organisations for defence and military tasks; regularly take care of building a great national unity block, promptly and thoroughly solve people's problems to create a high consensus in the performance of defence tasks in combination with the promotion of the identity and values of the culture, tradition of heroic struggle of the province.

Moreover, it attaches importance to building economic potential, linking the promotion of socio-economic development with ensuring national defence and security. Military agencies of the province at all levels have actively coordinated closely with the public security forces and departments, branches and mass organisations to develop plans for ensuring material supply for the needs of the first year of war; invest in and improve the efficiency of industrial zones, clusters, routes, etc. in the area, in conformity with the socio-economic development master plan of the province and the Mekong Delta region. In addition, it pays attention to scientific and technological research and development to serve the socio-economic development, defence and security of the Province.

Second, build strong all-people national defence forces. In order to make these forces the largest, fastest, strongest and most timely ones in handling defence situations, the province continues to lead and direct the promotion of propaganda, education to raise the awareness and responsibility of the whole political system and the whole people for the task of national construction and defence. First of all, it focuses on building the province's armed forces strong in politics, ideology, morality, organisation, and personnel with high overall quality and combat power; promoting the key role in building all-people national defence in the locality. Strengthen measures to build a strong grassroots political system, bringing into play the role of mass organisations and socio-political organisations in propagating, mobilising and gathering people to implement policies, projects, programs and plans for socio-economic development in association with national defence and security consolidation. Attach importance to equipping necessary military, defence and security knowledge for cadres, party members and the masses; in which, attention is paid to union members, youth and pupils, thereby, improving the quality of performing national defence and military tasks. Along with that, attach importance to promoting the role and creating conditions for people to participate in the performance of local military and defence tasks, building the area and defending the Fatherland.

Third, build Vinh Long province into a solid defence area. In order to realise this content fully, the province continues to thoroughly grasp the central government's documents, especially Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW, dated September 22, 2008 of the Politburo (10th term) on "Continuing to build provinces and centrally-run cities into solid defence zones in the new situation”; Decree No. 21/2019/ND-CP, dated February 22, 2019 of the Government on defensive areas, etc; direct the review, adjustment and supplementation of the planning of the military posture of the defence area, focusing on research and arrangement of key military structures to ensure suitability with combat tasks and plans, area features and disposition of the armed forces. Its departments and branches closely coordinate with the Provincial Military Command, the Provincial Public Security to advise the province to adjust the projects in the socio-economic development plans, contributing to promoting socio-economic development associated with the assurance of national defence and security, creating a solid foundation in terms of military and defence potentials and posture. Mobilise all resources of the province for the construction of defensive and combat structures in defensive areas; focus on building important, essential and dual-use ones in the basic, continuous, solid and in-depth directions; develop bases, especially rear bases and technical logistics bases to ensure the smooth operation of the people and local armed forces in the condition of high-tech warfare.

Fourth, improve the efficiency of state management of national defence. The province focuses on fostering and improving leadership, direction, management and administration of national defence and military affairs for Party committees, party organisations and heads of agencies, units and localities; attaches the responsibility of the presiding cadres to the annual performance of defence and military tasks; directs the work of preliminary, summary and review of the performance of national defence and military work. Moreover, it perfects the system of legal documents on national defence to make them suitable with local characteristics and highly predictive, creating favourable conditions for the socio-economic development of the province. Regularly conduct propaganda and dissemination of documents of all levels on defence tasks to make people fully understand, trust and highly agree with the projects, plans and action programs of the province on military, defence, security and Fatherland protection tasks in the new situation.

LU QUANG NGOI, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee