Bringing into play the “loyal, active, creative, self-reliant, resilient, solidary and determined to win” tradition, the Standing Party Committee and Command of the Military Region 7 have intensely led and directed the building of the “revolutionary, regular, highly-skilled, modernised” armed forces of the Region with many synchronous solutions, meeting the task requirements in the new era.

Military Region 7 was established on 10 December 1945 in Binh Hoa Nam (Binh Hoa Nam commune, Duc Hue district, Long An province – now Duc Hue commune, Tay Ninh province). Over 80 years of building, combatting, winning and developing, under the leadership by the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, being helped, brought up and protected by local people in the regions of Southeast, Central South, Far South Central and South Central Highlands; with the first national defence soldiers, the armed forces of the Military Region 7 have developed into large and powerful forces which have achieved many glorious victories, making a contribution, together with the army and people in the whole country, to defeating the French colonialists and American imperialists, fighting to protect the Southwestern borders and fully conducting the noble international duties in Cambodia, firmly building and safeguarding the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Party General Secretary To Lam visited and worked with Military Region 7 in January 2025

Over the past time, implementing the policy on building the “elite, compact, strong” Army, the Military Region’s Standing Party Committee and Command have frequently grasped and seriously implemented resolutions and directives by the Party, the Central Military Commission (CMC), Ministry of National Defence (MND); intensely led the 3 breakthroughs: improving the quality of the local military and defence work, focusing on building the local armed forces being strong right at the grassroots; creating stable changes in building the regularity and complying with the State’s law, the Army’s discipline, assuring the absolute safety; improving the comprehensive leadership and strength of the party committees and party organisations at all levels, the grassroots and party cells in particular. The overall quality and combat power of the Region’s armed forces have been improved, proactively making correct grasp, evaluation and forecast of situations to timely advise and propose to the CMC, MD to solve any situations, avoiding any passivity and unexpected, and firmly maintaining the political stability; bringing into play the key role in building the more stable all-people defence, the all-people defence posture combined with the people’s security, and the “people’s hearts and minds” posture.

Especially, during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Military Region closely coordinated with the local party committees and governments to send over 100,000 cadres and soldiers to the anti-pandemic frontline, making contribution to defeating the pandemic, proving vividly the role of the armed forces of the Military Region, and the image of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in all battlefields in peacetime and wartime as well. With such glorious achievements, the armed forces of the Military Region have been awarded many noble awards by the Party, State and Ministry of National Defence.

In the forthcoming years, the world and the region continue to face complicated issues and the increasing challenges of traditional and nontraditional security; the task of safeguarding the Fatherland has high development and requirements. The Military Region is an important strategic area of economy, defence, security and foreign affairs in the North and the whole country, also a main point of sabotage by the hostile forces, etc. The implementation of the two-tier governments has raised new issues that need to be solved. This requires the Military Region to enhance the building of its “revolutionary, regular, highly-skilled, modernised” armed forces, which are really the loyal political and combat forces in order to continuously bring into play the “loyal, active, creative, self-reliant, resilient, solidary and determined to win” tradition in the new conditions; focusing on well conducting several main solutions as follows:

Firstly, maintaining and promoting the revolutionary character of the armed forces of the Military Region. The Military Region’s Standing Party Committee and Command continually lead and direct the political and ideological education, making all cadres and soldiers be imbued with the Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s thought, policies and viewpoints of the Party, the military, defence tasks, and the one of safeguarding the Fatherland; clearly realise the partners and opponents, and the enemies’ plots; own the steady political spirit, be absolutely loyal to the Party, State and the people, ready to receive and successfully accomplish all assigned tasks; well implement the “2-consistants, 2-enhanceds and 2-preventives” according to directions by the General Secretary To Lam. The Region’s Standing Party Committee and Command maintain the direct and absolute leadership by the Party, pay attention to building the pure and strong Region’s Party Committee and other party committees and organisations; improve the leadership capacity, combat power, solidarity and unity, bring into play the core role in leading the units; attach importance to strengthening and improving the leadership of the communal military party cells, especially the ones in key areas; train and build the contingent of cadres who have enough morality and competence to meet the task requirements in the new era; improve the quality of inspection and supervision under the regulations of the Party Charter; manage to have 100% party cells accomplishing their annual tasks, 90% or more party cells and members well and excellently completing their tasks.

Maj. Gen. Le Xuan The has a check of Division 309

Secondly, continuing to build the strong and modernised all-people national defence combined with the solid Region’s defensive posture and the provincial defence zones. This is defined as an important issue to improve the overall quality and combat power of the armed forces. Accordingly, the Region makes the leadership and direction of the serious implementation of resolutions, conclusions, regulations and decisions by the CMC, MND on the organisation of the Vietnam People’s Army in the 2021-2030 period and the following years. The Region also conducts review to balance the personnel in the forces; giving priority on personnel to the units doing their task of combat readiness in the borders, seas and islands; makes and implements solutions for building 100% of pure and strong military party cells at the communal level, combined with building the all-strong, “exemplary, typical” communal military commands; builds the self-defence forces and militia which are large and strong, with a highly overall quality, and the powerful reserve, which could be able to successfully accomplish all assigned tasks.

The implementation of merging provinces, communes, and dismissing districts has created conditions for the social-economic development and the military and defence activities, directly affecting the defensive posture of the Military Region and other localities. Accordingly, the Military Region makes a proactive coordination with the localities and functional authorities to research and propose to the CMC, MND to adjust the general plan on the defence posture combined with the economic, cultural and social development; adjust the posture of provincial defence zones suitably with their new administrative boundaries, the military and defence task requirements. The Military Region continues to increase the investment into the defensive, combat and supporting structures; modernise the information technology and electronic data, automate the command systems, purchase vehicles and equipment for training, combat readiness and other tasks. At the same time, the Military Region continues to build and complete the first-year wartime contingency supporting plan; make strict defence assessment of plans and projects on economic development in the localities. To the year 2030, all localities manage to finish building their headquarters, support bases and logistic-technical bases at all levels. The Military Region also completes the plans on building the regional defence commands, the border guard commands, the headquarters of the military commands at communal level and the militia posts in provinces which have land borders.

Thirdly, improving the quality of training, regularity building, discipline management and safety assurance. The Military Region continues to grasp and implement seriously all resolutions, directives and orders on the training and combat readiness, focusing on Resolution No. 1659-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022 by the CMC on “Improving the training quality in the 2023-2030 period and the following years”. In the implementation, the Region requires all offices, units and localities to strictly follow the “basic – practical - solid” training motto; attach more importance to the synchronous and intensive training in the way of modernity and being close to the combat reality; improve the training to master all in-service weapons and technical equipment, night training, mobile training and high-intensity training in all conditions. In order to improve the combat capability, the Military Region gives a directive on improving the operation effectiveness of the mechanism of two-tier governments; correctly implements the leadership mechanism and the managing, commanding and operating principles; coordinate in the operation and settlement of defence and security situations, focusing on solving the situations of A2 mission, situations of civil defence and people’s air defence; well performing the mottos of “3 readies, 4 on-sites”; well bringing into play the key role in helping the people prevent, overcome and lessen the natural disasters, search and rescue, etc.

Besides, the Military Region implements synchronously and drastically solutions on educating and managing soldiers; timely discovers and strictly punishes cadres who are bureaucratic and morally degraded, causing serious violations in the units; takes care of the spiritual and material life for soldiers, builds the rich and healthy military cultural environment, proactively struggles against and prevents any negative effects which could penetrate into the units.

Division 302 conducts fire testing for new recruits

Fourthly, improving the quality of the logistic-technical work, the scientific and technological application, innovation, creativity, digital transformation; well conducting the work of defence foreign affairs. The Military Region directs the adequately logistic-technical support for all tasks of combat readiness, regular and unexpected training; effectively brings into play the production models and food processing units, well conducts the catering and medical services for soldiers; provides enough weapons, technical equipment, materials and petrol in sufficient quantity, high quality and synchronicity for all tasks; directs the military commands in all provinces and Ho Chi Minh City Command to correctly guide the local party committees and governments to make plans, allocate enough budget and land to build the logistic-technical bases in defence zones, making contribution to improving the capabilities of logistic-technical support within the defence zones in the new operational conditions and modern wars.

The Military Region also promotes the Emulation movement of “The Military Logistics following Uncle Ho’s teachings”, the Campaign 50 and the emulation movements of other fields, combined with successfully conducting the Determined-to-win Emulation Movement, at the same time, effectively implements resolutions by the Politburo and the CMC on breaking through the scientific-technological development, innovation, creativity and digital transformation; brings into play the leading roles of all-level party committees and organisations, cadres, party members, especially the presiding cadres, scientific researchers and managers; enhances the digital transformation in all activities of leadership and management, and the command automation on the digital environments; continues to plan and invest into building and completing the digital infrastructure which is synchronous, modern and smoothly operating, and assuring the information security and safety. Besides, the Military Region continues to strengthen the activities of defence foreign affairs and cooperation, coordinate to solve any problems of border security, search and collect martyrs’ remains, help Cambodia, build the peaceful, friendly, cooperative and developed borders.

Bringing into play the glorious traditions of 80 years of building, combatting and developing, cadres and soldiers in the Military Region’s armed forces raise their will of determination, self-reliance and resilience, the revolutionary spirit of overcoming all difficulties and challenges, successfully accomplishing the task of building and safeguarding the Fatherland, together with the entire country entering an era of development and prosperity.

Major General LE XUAN THE, Commander of the Military Region