In response to the new requirements set by the fight against “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, and “self-transformation”, the advantages, superiority, and political - spiritual strength of the August 1945 Revolution should be further studied, applied, and promoted to create synergy for safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation in the new situation.

Cyber warfare projects and measures designed and implemented by the Military (photo: VNA)

The political - spiritual strength of the August 1945 Revolution

In spite of numerous difficulties and challenges “on the eve” of the revolution, under the sound leadership of the Party and Uncle Ho, our people and armed forces remained unity, forming an extremely strong wave breaking down all barriers, successfully conducting the General Uprising and the August 1945 Revolution, overthrowing colonialism and feudalism. In the process, the political - spiritual strength served as a deciding factor in the Revolution which opened up a new development era of national independence and people’s freedom and happiness.

The political - spiritual strength during the August 1945 Revolution was manifested first and foremost in full awareness of the nature, plots, and artifices of French colonialists, Japanese fascists, and their lackeys as well as the value and significance of the fight against foreign invaders to resolutely bring power to the people. This matter of principle enabled us to utilise opportunities and advantages, make all necessary preparations for the revolution, and particularly organise political and military forces as the basis for carrying out uprisings to seize power and readily dealing with plots and artifices of French colonialists and Japanese fascists. Besides, the work of propagation and education was well performed to render cadres, soldiers, and citizens fully aware of the nature, plots, artifices, brutality, and crimes of French colonialists and their lackeys. As a result, patriotism, national pride, deep hatred for the enemy, and aspirations for peace, independence, freedom, and happiness were stimulated to create great political - spiritual strength during the course of the August 1945 Revolution.

The political - spiritual strength in the August 1945 Revolution was also demonstrated in the firm belief in victory of the Revolution and the justice and invincibility of national great unity in the confrontation with French colonialists - an enemy with great economic, scientific, and military potentialities. Under the harsh, brutal rule of French colonialists and their lackeys, our people and troops deeply felt the pain, loss, and humiliation of slavery; at the same time, they clearly understood the necessity of fighting foreign invaders via a proletarian revolution and the strength of national great unity under the leadership of the Party and Uncle Ho to gain peace, independence, freedom, and happiness. It was the justice of the Revolution that created the nation’s invincible strength.

In other words, victory of the August 1945 Revolution proved the truth: unity is the power to defeat any enemies. And the steadfastness and faith in victory laid a solid foundation for uniting all people, all classes, and all ethnic communities within the great family of Vietnam into a cohesive bloc, where our people and Military shared one will, joining hands and standing shoulder to shoulder with one another to liberate the nation.

The spirit, willpower, determination, and readiness to fight and sacrifice for bringing power to the people also acted as an important part of the political - spiritual strength for our nation’s victory in the August 1945 Revolution. That was fully, profoundly reflected in the spirit of overcoming difficulties, daring to fight, knowing how to fight, being determined to fight, and being determined to win over any invaders, no matter how much greater their economic, scientific, and military potentialities could be in comparison with us. Regardless of any negative, multidimensional impacts, under the leadership of the Party and Uncle Ho, our people and troops neither wavered nor feared difficulties, hardships, and sacrifice; they always heightened self-reliance, self-strengthening, iron will, courage, indomitable spirit, unity, and wholehearted support for the Party in the revolutionary cause.

The political - spiritual strength of the August 1945 Revolution originated from various subjective and objective factors, but the most deciding factor was the leadership of the Party headed by beloved Uncle Ho; under the Party’s leadership, our people and armed forces built and maximised the political - spiritual strength - a great source of strength of the Vietnamese nation. Obviously, that strength was not created spontaneously; it had to experience an elaborate, serious education and persuasion process together with policies appropriate to the people’s will and benefits; it was the deep crystallisation of the entire nation’ tradition; it was forged via valuable lessons. In the most dangerous situations of the revolution, thanks to our Party and Uncle Ho’s leadership efforts, the political - spiritual strength was promoted and brought to a new height, becoming the invincible strength since the inception of our Party (3 February 1930). Via vibrant revolutionary movements, especially Nghe Tinh Soviet Movement (1930 - 1931) and Democratic Movement (1936 - 1939), the political - spiritual strength was developed into a force capable of “achieving the impossible” and paved the way for the August Revolution to break out and win victory.

Bringing into play the political - spiritual strength of the August 1945 Revolution in the fight against “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, and “self-transformation” in our country nowadays

Our people and Military’s political - spiritual strength during the August 1945 Revolution laid a solid foundation for building and promoting the political - spiritual factor in the resistance wars against French colonialists and US imperialists as well as in the cause of Socialist Vietnamese Fatherland construction and protection. The success of building, developing, and promoting the political - spiritual strength during the August 1945 Revolution provided our entire Party, people, and Military with valuable lessons in the cause of Fatherland construction and protection in general, the fight against “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, and “self-transformation” in particular. This a theoretical and practical matter of urgency with new requirements; hence, we must quickly detect and correctly identify new emerging issues to propose proper measures for protecting the Party’s ideological foundation and political lines in the new situation, especially when our people and Military are organising the 80^th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, realising the targets of the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress, making preparations for holding all-level party congresses for 2025 - 2030 tenure towards the 14^th National Party Congress, and bringing our country to a new era of development, prosperity, civilisation, and happiness.

Those important objectives, requirements, and tasks could be fulfilled only when we know how to stimulate and bring into play the political - spiritual strength in building and cementing the people’s faith, increasing our synergy to overcome all difficulties and challenges, fulfilling all socio-economic plans, combating “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, and hostile forces’ scheme to “depoliticise” our armed forces, thereby contributing to protecting the Fatherland early and from afar and preventing the country from falling into passivity in any circumstances.

It can’t be denied that promoting the political - spiritual strength during the August 1945 Revolution in the fight against “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, and hostile forces’ plot to “depoliticise” our armed forces in our country accurately reflects the laws of movement and development of the process of national renovation (Doi Moi), construction, and protection. That is a matter of urgency to enabling us to opportunely, effectively respond to complex, sensitive issues, seize opportunities, grasp and handle relationships from the inside in a synchronised, timely, effective way to prevent all possible threats. Those are valuable lessons and sound guidelines for us to well perform this work in the upcoming time; to that end, it is necessary to grasp and well implement several measures as follows.

First of all, maintaining and enhancing the Party’s leadership, remaining steadfast in the cause of Doi Moi. This is a matter of principle, acting as the deciding factor in the success of the Vietnamese revolution in general, standing at the core of the fight against “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, and hostile forces’ conspiracy to “depoliticise” our armed forces. The Party’s leadership not only serves as a guiding star for any policies, but also plays a decisive role in gathering the entire nation’s strength and creating strong consensus and uniformity within the whole society.

To meet the requirements of the new era, the Party must keep renewing and rectifying itself as well as improving its leadership capacity and combativeness. Great value should be attached to building a pure, strong Party in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organisation, and personnel. It is essential to regularly renew methods of leadership, raise the State’s management efficiency, promote socialist democracy, and ensure the people’s right to mastery. Emphasis should be placed on institutionalising the Party’s lines, perfecting the State’s law and policy systems, mobilising all resources for fulfilling all socio-economic development targets and tasks, improving the people’s life, increasing defence - security potential and power, integrating the country into the world deeply, widely, effectively, raising Vietnam’s position and prestige in the international arena. At the same time, it is vital to prevent and combat all distortions of the Party’s leadership role and hostile forces’ demands for political pluralism and a multi-party system.

Second, stimulating and bringing into play the advantages of political - spiritual strength during the August 1945 Revolution in building and cementing the people’s faith in the Party’s leadership, our socialist regime, and the justice of the fight against “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, and hostile forces’ plot to “depoliticise” our armed forces. To that end, it is necessary to focus leadership and direction on researching and applying this valuable lesson in disseminating and building the political - spiritual strength in the fight against “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, and hostile forces’ scheme to “depoliticise” our armed forces, with a view to protecting the socialist regime and avoiding falling into passivity in any situations.

In fact, since the August 1945 Revolution, our people and Military have been confronted with a lot of difficulties and challenges caused by enemies both inside and outside the country; the nation’s destiny hung by a thread at some moments, but we have well disseminated the Party’s lines and the State’s laws and policies on resistance war and national construction, considering this as a task of utmost importance to the cause of Doi Moi and Socialist Vietnamese Fatherland construction and protection.

Currently, all authorities and sectors should attach significance to proposing a new system of synchronised, feasible, effective measures for the work of education and propagation in order to raise political awareness, safeguard the Party’s ideological foundation among the people, and increase the political - spiritual strength for surmounting all difficulties and challenges. Emphasis should be placed on researching and grasping the scientific, revolutionary nature of Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought, stepping up the dissemination of the Party’s lines and the State’s laws and policies, fostering political zeal and firm belief in the Party’s revolutionary goal and ideal, remaining steadfast in the goal of national independence and socialism, affirming the justice and certain victory of the fight against “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, and hostile forces’ conspiracy to “depoliticise” our armed forces. Great value should be attached to conducting strategic forecasts, detecting and unmasking the nature and artifices of “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, and “self-transformation” as well as hostile forces’ plot to “depoliticise” our armed forces. Consideration should be given to removing “bottlenecks” in institutions, mechanisms, policies, and laws, and building technical barriers to prevent wrong, harmful information from the Internet and social networks, particularly hostile forces’ plots and artifices of fostering “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” within our ranks like “constant dripping wears a stone”.

It is necessary to renew and diversify the content, methods, and forms of education and propagation, stimulate patriotism, national pride, self-reliance, self-strengthening, and resolve to thwart all plots and artifices of “internal and external enemies”, safeguard the Party’s ideological foundation, and protect the Party, State, people, and socialist regime. Great weight should be added to fostering unity and uniformity, aligning the Party’s will with the people’s heart, resolutely combating all acts of separation among social strata, classes, ethnic groups, and religions within society, and building national great unity. Doing so will lay a solid political, spiritual, and social foundation for our Party, State, and Military to create invincible strength for the fight against “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, and hostile forces’ scheme to “depoliticise” our armed forces in the new era as well as for hampering all sabotage efforts against our revolution early and from afar.

Third, heightening vigilance, fostering resolve to surmount difficulties, encouraging the spirit of daring to fight, being determined to fight, knowing how to fight, and being determined to win over all hostile forces. Due to the variety of opponents and the danger and multidimensional impacts of acts of sabotage, all citizens, especially the youth should uphold vigilance and equip themselves with skills of “self-defence”, “self-immunisation”, and timely, effective response to complex, sensitive issues. Every citizen should frequently improve their political awareness and steadfastness and form qualities and standards of a revolutionary to distinguish between right and wrong, identify partners and opponents, and know how to acquire genuine values in the information age. It is important to foster willpower against difficulties and hardships, heighten revolutionary vigilance, and readily confront and defeat all hostile, reactionary, and politically opportunist forces. Notably in the current context, that is clearly demonstrated in the “seven dares” spirit and the willingness to sacrifice personal and family benefits for the common cause, especially for promptly fulfilling the revolution to streamline the political system’s apparatus; doing so will provide a foundation for preventing hostile, reactionary, and politically opportunistic forces from inventing stories, spreading wrong, harmful information, promoting “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, and “self-transformation” against our Party, State, and socialist regime, and creating “hot spots”, especially before, during, and after the 14^th National Party Congress.

Fourth, resolutely fighting all signs of negativity and discontent, degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle, and manifestations of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within. This is a matter of utmost importance to eliminating the risk of undermining the people’s faith in our Party, State, and socialist regime. Thus, there should be synchronised, effective measures to quickly detect, correctly identify, and opportunely deal with signs of negativity and settle drawbacks in the implementation of mechanisms, policies, and laws as well as in the management of cadres, party members, and society. Due attention should be paid to renewing and improving the Party’s operations, exercising self-criticism and criticism, resolutely fighting “merit-driven” disease and signs of concealing weaknesses and exaggerating achievements. Currently, there should be measures to combat acts and arguments of sowing doubts, pessimism, and discontent, especially among those who are directly impacted by the streamlining of the political system’s apparatus.

To prevent and push back degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle, party committees, party organisations, cadres, and party members should continue to grasp and strictly execute the Party Central Committee’s Conclusion 21-KL/TW, dated 25 October 2021, on stepping up the building and rectification of the Party and political system, resolutely preventing and stringently handling degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle and signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” among cadres and party members. Grounded on the manifestations of degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle pointed out by our Party, every citizen, cadre, and party member should be active in self-examination, self-correction, and self-improvement, proactively study and follow Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle.

Furthermore, it is essential to promptly handle the laziness in studying political theory and law and improving revolutionary ethics; it is important to deal with a lack of deep knowledge among cadres and party members that could lead to the inappropriate application and implementation of the Party’s lines and resolutions, the State’s laws and policies, and their own functions and assigned tasks. Statements that are not in accordance with the Party’s viewpoints, the dissemination of unverified information on social networks, and words without action by several cadres and party members should be strictly handled. Besides, there should be more inspections and disciplinary action against cadres and party members who fail to comply with the Party’s organisational principles, showing signs of arbitrariness, undermining democracy, neglecting revolutionary goal and ideal, fearing mistakes and responsibility, causing waste and loss of assets of the Party and people. By doing so, we could contribute to making our Party increasingly pure and strong, improving our Party’s leadership capacity and combativeness to forever deserve the people’s faith and respect, maintaining our Party’s role as both leader and loyal servant of the people, and enabling our Party to continue leading the entire people and Military to bring into play the political - spiritual strength of the August 1945 Revolution and realise the goal of developing a prosperous, civilised, happy Vietnam in the era of the nation’s rise.

Maj. Gen., Associate Prof., People’s Teacher NGUYEN BA DUONG, PhD

Member of the Central Theoretical Council