Over the years, thoroughly grasping and implementing higher-level directives and guiding documents, Coastal Missile Brigade 681¹ under Naval Region 2 has consistently stepped up the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, and lifestyle via comprehensive and effective solutions, contributing to improving its overall quality and combat strength, deserving to be an “iron shield” firmly protecting the Southern seas and islands.

Under the direct leadership of the Party Committee and Command of Naval Region 2, from the very first days of its establishment as a “skeleton” unit (mainly staffed by cadres), troops of the Brigade have upheld solidarity and creativity, proactively overcoming difficulties, successfully fulfilling their assigned tasks, forging their glorious tradition of “strict discipline, exemplary regularity, taking the lead in modernity, victorious in combat”. The Brigade was awarded the Third-Class Fatherland Protection Order by the State President in 2016, along with many other noble rewards.

Technical innovation exhibition at the launch of the training season of 2026

In recent years, the increasingly demanding requirements of building the Military, the Navy, and the Brigade, as well as protecting national sovereignty over seas and islands, have prompted the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command to focus their leadership and direction on synchronously adopting solutions. Among these, stepping up the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, and lifestyle has been identified as a key task aimed at encouraging officers and soldiers to surmount hardships and successfully accomplish all assigned missions.

In building a politically strong unit, deeply imbued with President Ho Chi Minh’s teaching that “party cells are the foundation of the Party; if party cells are good, everything will be good”, the Brigade has concentrated on building truly pure, strong party committees and party cells at all levels according to the “four good” criteria, regularly consolidating all-level party committees both quantitatively and qualitatively. Priority has been given to deploying party members with good qualities and capabilities to party organisations and units directly engaged in training, combat readiness, and support, ensuring that every party cell could establish its executive committee. The Brigade Party Committee has always attached importance to managing officers and party members, combining political and ideological education with the training and development of these staff members, improving their morality, lifestyle, qualifications, and capabilities in task execution, linking the building of a pool of officers with the performance of policy work. Leadership over internal political protection, counter-intelligence, and military secrecy protection has been strengthened, with proactive measures taken to prevent information from being exposed or leaked. Inspection and supervision have been well carried out under the motto: “Broadened supervision, focalised inspection”, thus effectively preventing violations by party organisations and party members. As a result, the leadership capacity and combativeness of party committees and party organisations at all levels have been raised. Each year, at least 87.5% of party organisations successfully fulfil their tasks; at least 94.5% of party members successfully or excellently fulfil their tasks; for 5 consecutive years, the Brigade Party Organisation has successfully or excellently fulfilled its tasks.

Implementing Directive 2423-CT/QUTW, dated 9 November 2023, by the Central Military Commission Standing Board on “renewing and improving political education in the new period”, the Brigade has flexibly, creatively applied various forms and methods to convey the fundamentals of Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s thought, the Party’s lines, the State’s policies and laws, and the task of sea and island protection in the new situation. It has widely disseminated the “2 steadfast commitments, 2 accelerations, 2 preventions” principle and the “5 pillars” motto set by General Secretary, State President To Lam. It has strengthened traditional history education, linking the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, and lifestyle with Resolution 847-NQ/QUTW, dated 28 December 2021, by the Central Military Commission on promoting the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” and resolutely combating individualism in the new situation. As a result, 100% of officers and soldiers have shown their political steadfastness, actively improving their revolutionary moral qualities, maintaining great resolve to undertake and successfully accomplish all assigned missions.

Training troops in coordination for target designation

In training and combat readiness, studying and following Uncle Ho’s teachings has motivated officers and soldiers to overcome difficulties and challenges and successfully fulfil the prescribed programmes and targets. To make a breakthrough in improving training quality, the Brigade has promptly consolidated training teams for specialised technical training and organised refresher courses for cadres prior to each training season. It has developed training programmes and schedules appropriate to each target group, ensuring regularity, uniformity, and a scientific approach. Regulations on approving lesson plans and lectures have been stringently maintained. Training grounds and aids have been adequately provided to meet the increasingly high requirements of training. Adhering to the motto of “basics, practicality, solidity”, the Brigade has given great weight to coordinated, specialised training, with practical training as the main focus; training has been closely aligned with operational plans, adversaries, battlefields, organisational structure, and technical equipment, with sea and island protection serving as the training objective. Greater importance has been attached to training combat crews to cope with situations and developing their independent combat capabilities, manoeuvrability, and combat coordination under complex weather and high-tech warfare conditions. Troops have been trained to be proficient in operating modern, new technical equipment and coordinating target designation with other units. On a yearly basis, 100% of training subjects meet the training requirements, with 85% or more rated good or excellent and nearly 50% rated excellent; officers and soldiers have mastered all types of technical equipment and become proficient in technical skills and tactics for combat missions in the event.

“It is necessary to consistently maintain vigilance and combat readiness” is Uncle Ho’s instruction that the Brigade has grasped and realised. Based on higher-level annual combat readiness orders, the Brigade has organised conferences aimed at rendering its personnel fully aware of the viewpoints, principles, and guiding thought contained in combat plans. It has proactively developed new plans, supplementing and adjusting short- and long-term combat documents relevant to its task requirements, organisational structure, technical equipment, vehicles, and combat methods as well as battlefield conditions and operational areas in modern warfare. Headquarters, combat readiness, patrol, and guard duties have been strictly maintained. Thorough preparations have been made for training and exercises, particularly command-and-staff and tactical drills, thereby contributing to improving the Brigade’s combat coordination, independent combat, and readiness to respond correctly, effectively, flexibly to situations should they arise. Coordination with local party committees and authorities and other forces in the area has been fostered to exchange information, sustain a firm grasp of situational developments, and promptly deal with situations, thus helping guarantee political security and social order and safety in the area.

Live-fire test

Regularity building and discipline management constitute an important, routine, long-term breakthrough. Implementing Uncle Ho’s teaching that “Without discipline, troops are certain to lose a war”, the Brigade has thoroughly grasped and strictly executed directives, regulations, and guidance issued by the Ministry of National Defence, the Navy, and the Naval Region on regularity building and the development of “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong units. All agencies, units, and troops have been required to write commitments not to violate the law or military discipline; the role of security camera systems in controlling persons and vehicles entering and leaving barracks has been promoted; vehicles’ technical conditions and documents have been ensured during personnel’s participation in road traffic; alcohol-level checks have been intensified, particularly during rest periods and days off, to stringently handle violations. At the same time, the Brigade has integrated regularity building and discipline management with the Campaign to develop a healthy, diverse cultural environment within units. Great value has been attached to building a democratic, disciplined environment, maintaining good relationships within units, particularly between superiors and subordinates and between officers and soldiers, fostering comradeship and solidarity, encouraging troops to help one another surmount difficulties and successfully fulfil their duties. As a result, the Brigade’s work of regularity building and discipline management has undergone many sustainable positive changes, with absolute safety in all respects.

Thanks to the study and following of Uncle Ho’s teachings, logistics and technical support has been thoroughly, comprehensively, effectively carried out to allow the Brigade to successfully fulfil all tasks. Combat missions of the Coastal Missile Force require close, precise coordination with numerous forces and modern weapon systems. Hence, following Uncle Ho’s teaching that “Only when troops have sufficient weapons, ammunition, food, and clothing, can they win battles”, the Brigade has performed technical support work in a “substantive, solid, safe”, proactive manner, actively mobilising all available resources, ensuring the quantity, quality, and synchronisation of technical equipment for all tasks, especially training and combat readiness. It has strictly implemented routines, regulations, and procedures for technical support. For modern weapons and technical equipment, it has worked with relevant agencies and specialised institutes to apply science and technology in researching and producing materials and supplies to ensure synchronisation. Due regard has been paid to developing technical staff’s professional qualifications, occupational skills, and replacement capabilities. The Brigade has well conducted inspections of equipment subject to strict safety requirements, as well as inspections of vehicles, machinery, and measuring equipment to guarantee absolute safety in operation and use. Its annual technical support coefficient always meets or exceeds targets by 3 - 5%.

In addition, the Brigade has stepped up the emulation movement entitled “Military Logistics Sector follows Uncle Ho’s teachings”, promoting proactiveness in providing logistics support for training and combat readiness, storm and flood response, and search and rescue, effectively using facilities, funding, fuel, electricity, and water, closely managing revenues and expenditures to prevent corruption, misconduct, losses, and waste.

The above results constitute an important driving force for officers and soldiers of Brigade 681 to continue stepping up the study and practice of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, methods, and lifestyle, striving to build the Brigade into an “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong unit capable of firmly protecting the sacred national sovereignty over seas and islands.

Sr. Col. HOANG MINH NGHIA

Political Commissar of the Brigade

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1. Formerly known as Naval Unit 681, established on 23 August 2006.