Yen Bai city is the main political, economic, cultural, medical and educational hub of Yen Bai Province. It is also one of the sub-regional centres of 14 mountainous midland provinces in the North. With its convenient traffic systems of railways, roads, waterways, especially the international transport railway and the trans-Asia highway connecting Hai Phong - Ha Noi - Lao Cai - Yunnan (China). In addition, it is also a transit of the blood-vessel traffic system connecting the Northern Delta with Northeastern provinces, hence the City owns its important parts in economy, culture, society, defence and security, especially its contributions to the defence posture between Yen Bai province and the 2^nd Military Region.

On seriously grasping and implementing the Party’s viewpoints and policies on closely combining the socio-economic development with the defence and security reinforcement in each locality, area and the whole country to enhance the potentials, and the national overall strength, successfully accomplish two strategic missions of building and safeguarding the Homeland, over the past few years, the City Party Committee and People’s Committee have focused on leading and directing the combination of these fields and gained several important results. In particular, the awareness and responsibility of cadres at all levels, agencies, unions and areas and the whole people for combining the socio-economic development with the defence and security reinforcement have been improved; all contents have been carried out according to the City’s plans, projects and programs on socio-economic development. The coordination regulations between levels, agencies, fields, etc. and the Military and the Police have been gradually completed in a strict, scientific and feasible manner. The contents, forms and methods of coordination have been renovated; the staff work and coordination among departments, agencies and forces, especially the armed forces have been effective, which has contributed to mobilising all sources of the City for the defence and security missions to protect the area and the Homeland.

Disaster response exercise conducted by Yen Bai armed forces

To gain such results, the City Party Committee and People’s Committee, basing on theoretical research and practical review, have deployed many synchronous solutions which are suitable with regional features and local conditions. In which, strengthening the leadership and direction to improve the awareness and responsibility for all-level cadres, agencies, unions, localities and the whole people in this coordination has been considered the main solution to create the harmony of awareness and actions in the entire Party cell, authorities, organisations, enterprises and local people. Therefore, the City has enhanced its propaganda and education for all subjects and people to thoroughly hold the Party’s views and policies on military, defence and security affairs in the new situation; the hostile forces’ plots and tricks; the difficulties and consequences caused by the market economy. The propaganda and education contents are comprehensive, focusing on combining the socio-economic development with the defence and security reinforcement according to the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress; the Resolution of the 8^th Party Central Committee (11^th tenure) on Strategy to Safeguard the Homeland in the new situation; Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW, dated September 22, 2008 of the Politburo (10^th tenure) on continuously building provinces, central cities into firm defence zones in the new situation; Decree No. 164/2018/NĐ-CP, dated December 21, 2018 by the Government on combining defence with socio-economy and vice versa in order to dismiss the thought of overestimating the economic benefits and under-estimating defence and security, the irresolution in leadership, direction and implementation of the coordination, which can lead to the imbalanced and unharmonious development of the two fields.

Basing on the plans and orientations from the seniors, the City has directed functional offices to frequently renew the forms and methods of propaganda and education for different participants, bring into play the roles of forces, organisations, means of communication and the cultural institutions at grassroots. Among them, the City has especially valued the improvement of quality and effectiveness of education, training and dissemination of defence and security knowledge for all participants and the whole people, focusing on the party committees and commands, all-level and business owners in the area. The City has also directed the Centre of Communication and Culture to build propaganda and dissemination programs of defence and security knowledge on the VOV (Voice of Vietnam) and the Provincial Radio and TV; cooperate with the socio-political organisations to propagandise, give news and hold specialised talks to people through meetings and cultural institutions in order to create the unity of awareness and actions, prove the overall strength of the whole political system, all levels, agencies, economic sectors and the whole people in the area in implementing the mission of combining the socio-economic development with the defence and security reinforcement, making contribution to the construction of the “green, harmonious, typical and happy” Yen Bai city.

Secondly, promote the methods for improving the effectiveness of the combination between the socio-economic development and the defence and security reinforcement right from the general projects and plans to the implementation in each industry, field and locality. Annually, basing on the Resolution by the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial and City People’s Committees direct offices, agencies and departments to check, adjust and complete the approved projects and plans, making them appropriate to the reality of socio-economic development and meet the demands for enhancing the defence and security potentials and strength, and protecting the area. Among them, it is necessary to value the project research and study, define potentials, strength, sources, etc. which are the bases to build plans, contents and forms of combining the socio-economic development with the defence and security reinforcement, making them suitable to each sector, field, area, commune and ward. Taking the lead in the economic development of the Province, the City has had a high rate of urbanisation, fast developed infrastructure, etc., which largely impact the defence and security. To improve the combination effectiveness, the City, in its planning, has closely connected the general projects to building the military posture in the defence zone; all residential, bi-functional and main buildings are to serve the dual targets including the socio-economic development and the defence, military and security support when necessary. Presently, the City has over 1,400 companies, enterprises and factories, mainly in Au Lau industrial zone and the Southern one, which have been strategically and bi-functionally established to produce, trade and develop the socio-economy in peacetime, readily change to support in wartime. These enterprises have focused on their production improvement connected to the implementation of defence plans and targets in peacetime and been ready to mobilise, widen the forces and vehicles and assure the sources for armed forces in the area in first years of war (if happens). In terms of traffic, urban construction and development, the city has built the regulations of general planning and urban architecture management to strictly manage the buildings, houses, bridges, urban and rural planning, etc., assuring the implementation of both targets of socio-economic development and defence and security missions. So far, 100% main streets within the city have been concreted, making sure the socio-economic development and the readiness for operational mobility. There have been breakthroughs in enhancing the scientific-technological applications in the smart city development, digital transformation, assuring the socio-economic development in peacetime and proving the effectiveness of communication system to serve the defence and security in case of incidents. Projects on planting forests and multipurpose trees which have been carried out by the City have not only created an ecological environment and developed the forestry but also played as the “natural camouflage” in the war.

Thirdly, bring into play the roles of staff and implementation organisation by agencies, departments, unions with the core of the armed forces in combining the socio-economic development with the defence and security reinforcement. The City has directed the Military and Police to actively coordinate with agencies, departments and unions to advise the local party committees and governments about methods of leading, directing and seriously implementing resolutions and directions by the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee on defence and security, the combination of defence with socio-economy and defence with security. Simultaneously, the City has advised to complete the structures and policies, make the legal corridors for not only combining the socio-economy and defence and security but also widening the combination of economic, cultural and social development with foreign defence and security and vice versa. As a result, the Military and Police need to be the core in coordinating with departments and agencies to assess the projects, well carry out the methods of exchanging and supplying information right from the grasp and implementation stages of each project of socio-economic development. The City needs to promote the investment of sources to gradually build the military posture in the defence zone, consolidate the system of combatting and defence buildings which have been approved suitably with the projects of socio-economic development in the area. It is necessary to prioritise the investment on building and upgrading buildings of the City Military Command; report to the Province the project of moving the firing range; pilot the construction of the common headquarter for the armed forces and the police in communes and wards.

The City has directed the military and police to actively coordinate with agencies, departments and unions to propagandise and encourage people to respond and carry out programs on developing the economy, culture and society, alleviating hunger and eradicating poverty, building new rural areas, civilised urban areas in the region; bring into play the core role in preventing diseases, respond to floods, fires, forest fires, search and rescue, etc. contributing to the construction of Yen Bai city, which is rich in economy, stable in socio-politics and strong in defence and security.

NGUYEN NGOC TRUC, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the City People’s Committee