Close combination between socio-economic development and strengthening of national defence and security is a consistent position of our Party and State. It is also a pressing task, which has been led, directed, and carried out by means of many synchronous, suitable solutions by Yen Bai Province Party Committee, authority, people of all races, and armed forces, creating a favourable environment for rapid, sustainable development in the province.

Yen Bai is one of the provinces, which is situated in the heart of the Northern midland and mountainous region and occupies a position of significant importance in terms of economy, politics, culture, society, national defence, and security. It is also a solid rear base in the defence zone of the Military Region 2 and Northern region. On clearly perceiving value of the area, over the past few years, the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council, and People’s Committee have deeply grasped directives and resolutions of the Party, focused on leadership of promoting socio-economic development and improving people’s material, spiritual life, and gained many comprehensive vital outcomes. During the implementation process, the Province attaches special importance to combination of socio-economic development and strengthening of national defence and security, especially building of strong defence zones, laying the foundation for Yen Bai to embark on rapid, sustainable development in the direction of greenness, harmony, characteristics, and happiness and achieve the goal of becoming a fairly developed province by 2025 and one of the most developed provinces in the Northern midland and mountainous region by 2030.

The provincial armed forces help local people overcome the consequences of flood in August 2023

To successfully implement the above-mentioned guideline, the Province promotes leadership of party committees and management efficiency of authorities in socio-economic development and building of defence zones. Deeply grasping resolutions and directives of the Party as well as decrees of the Government, most notably the Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW, dated October 25th, 2013 of the Party Central Committee (11th tenure) on the Strategy to Safeguard the Fatherland in the new situation and decrees of the Government on defence zone, the Province has issued documents to lead and direct levels, branches, and localities to enhance socio-economic development in connection with strengthening of national defence, security, and potential of defence zones. Moreover, it steps up propagation and education with a view to making cadres, party members, and people fully understand the combination of enocomy and national defence and security in the area. To bring this combination into depth and systematicness, the Province proactively combines economy with national defence and security in socio-economic plans in accordance with each stage of development. Given the viewpoint of rapid but sustainable development, resolutely refaining from economic development at all costs, and inclusive development, the Province requests branches and localities to carefully review and appraise socio-economic development plans, programmes, and projects, especially those involving foreign companies and being carried out in key, sensitive areas in terms of national defence and security. The Province also directs Military and Public Security agencies to leverage their leading role in appraising and advising on projects, which serves to ensure close association between socio-ecnomic development projects and national defence planning, most notable the military posture of defence zone, and align socio-economic development with strengthening of national defence and security.   

To realise guideline of taking economic develoment as the key, the Province concentrates on exploiting potential and advantages and making good use of achievements of industrialisation, modernisation, and international integration in support of economic development and strengthening of national defence and security. The Province also directs branches and localities to restructure the economy in connection with reforming growth modality and improving growth quality and competitition capacity of the economy. Priorities are given to development of some branches and scopes with more comparative leverage. Regarding agriculture, the Province aims to promote large-scale commodity production; dramatically shift from quantity-oriented production to quality-oriented production and guaranteer of food security. The industry is developed in a sustainable, effective, environmentally-friendly direction and regarded as a driver of rapid, sustainable socio-economic development. The Province also actively invests in establishing infrastructure for industrial parks and logistics; encourages individuals and businesses to invest in large-scale industrial production projects and modern technologies, which are labour-intensive and environmentally-friendly. Additionally, it seeks to create typical tourism products aligned with the images and trade names: “Yen Bai: A point of convergence for the Northwestern colours” and “A safe, friendly, special, attractive, impressive destination”. The Province realises the full potential of resources for establishing socio-economic infrastructure, especially the road system, electricity networks, information technology, etc., which serves both economic development and strengthening of national defence. Thanks to the aforementioned solutions, GRDP witnesses an average increase of 7.86% per year. The economic structure is transformed in the right direction. The proportion of agriculture and forestry decreases while industry, construction, trade, and service account for much greater share. The rate of poor households was reduced to 7.04% in 2021. These are vital preconditions for Yen Bai Province to implement its defence, security missions successfully. In addition to socio-economic development, the Province steps up building defence zones to meet requirement of defence, military missions both in the short and long run; concentrates on making the Party and political system at the grassroots level strong, providing foundation for establishing political, spiritual potential; requests commissions, departments, branches, and localities to enhance defence and security education among various subjects; conducts extensive and intensive propagation about the Party’s guidelines and State’s policies and law, especially in areas which are remote and inhabited by people from ethnic minorities; actively encourage people to take part in the movement: “All people protect security of the Fatherland” and to be vigilant against hostile forces’ plot of “peaceful evolution.” Furthermore, the Province directs the armed forces to successfully perform their functions as an army for work and an army for production, actively participating in socio-economic development and helping people in hunger eradication, poverty allieviation, building of new countryside, prevention and response to consequences of natural disasters, etc., to make the people’s heart and mind posture increasingly strong.

The conference on implementing emergent state in defence as part of the provincial defence zone exercise in 2023

As far as building of defence and security potential is concerned, Yen Bai Province always attaches importance to improvement and strict implemention of regulations on the construction and operation of defence zones; strengthens and enhances operational effectiveness of organisations within defence zones; creates mechanisms and policies on mobilising resources for consolidation and strengthening of national defence and security. On closely following instructions of higher echelons and realities, the Province has accomplished the planning of military posture in province- and district-level defence zones; the planning of terrain prioritised for combining national defence and socio-economic development to make it part of Yen Bai Province Planning for the 2021 – 2030 period and vision for 2050; and the planning of national defence land for the 2021 – 2030 period and vision for 2050. Resources are actively mobilised for building military posture of defence zone at all levels. During the implementation process, the Province attaches special importance to dual-use feature; aligns construction of socio-economic infrastruture with building of defence structures, logistical and technical warehouses, road system, and so forth. Although there remain many difficulties, over the past few years, the Province has invested hundreds of billion Vietnamese Dong in establishing military posture of defence zones and gained positive results. The Province has completed many key defence structures to effectively support local defence, military tasks so far.

On grasping and implementing resolutions and decisions of the Central level and Military Region 2 on the organisation and staffing of the VPA in the 2021 – 2025 period and beyond, the Province pays attention to building of robust armed forces, playing the core role in the operations of defence zone. Accordingly, the Province has formulated and carried out projects namely “Support for national defence and security in Yen Bai Province in the 2021 – 2025 period,” “Building and increased operational effectiveness of the Militia and Self-Defence Force and Semi-Professional Commune Public Security of Yen Bai Province in the 2021 – 2025 period”, “Building and increased operational effectiveness of Yen Bai Province’s Military Intelligence – Reconnaissance Force in the 2021 – 2025 period”, laying the basis for building adept, compact, strong armed forces with appropriate structure and high combat power. More importantly, although the living condition of people in some areas remain difficult, the Province instructs good registry, management, and allocation of reserve to reserve units; develops the Militia and Self-Defence Force with suitable structure and quantity. Specifically, to realise the Project No. 14-DA/TU, dated May 19, 2023 of the Provincial Party Committee’s Standing Commission, 100 per cent of communes, wards, and towns in the Province has established military party cells in less than two months. This is a vital premise for strengthening the Party’s leadership and enhancing quality of defence, military work in localities and at the grassroots levels.

Moreover, the Province has directed its armed forces to step up reform and enhancement of training quality and serious compliance with combat readiness regulation; regularly review and improve operational plans and documents as well as plans on defence mobilisation, people’s air defence, prevention and response to floods and storms, and search and rescue. The Military and Public Security Agencies regulary cooperate with each other in exchaning information and advising the Province to deal with defence, security situations timely and effectively, defeating any plots and acts of sabotage of hostile forces without leading to hot spots in terms of security and social order. The Province has instructed localities to conduct defence zone exercise in connection with civil defence drills according to plans since 2020. In 2023, it made good preparation and successfully carried out the provincial defence zone exercise, ensuring secrecy and absolute safety. The exercise is graded as excellent and highly appreciated by the MND and Military Region 2.

Bringing into play achievements, especially those recorded after 10 years’ implementation of the Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW of the Party Central Committee (11th tenure) on the Strategy to Safeguard the Fatherland in the New Situation, the Party Committee, authoritity, people, and armed forces of Yen Bai Province continue to step up economic, cultural, social development in connection with consolidation of national defence and security, construction of increasingly robust defence zone, and building of prosperous, beautiful native land, making worthy contribution to the cause of constructing and safeguarding the Fatherland.

DO DUC DUY, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee