Building a highly elite and modern unit is a consistent requirement, an immediate urgent demand, and a long - term strategy for the Special Forces to meet the task requirements in the new era. Deeply being aware of this, Urban Commando Brigade 1 has been implementing many comprehensive and synchronous solutions to achieve this important goal.

The Urban Commando Brigade 1 undertakes especially important missions, including: counter-terrorism, anti-rioting, and protecting key targets as well as major political events of the Party, State, and Army within Hanoi City. Simultaneously, it remains ready to carry out other special assignments upon order. These are highly specific, dangerous, and complex tasks that demand exceptional bravery, professional competence, specialised skills, and the ability to handle situations flexibly and precisely under all conditions.

General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the VPA General Staff, Deputy Minister of National Defence visits and checks the Brigade

Deeply understanding the task requirements, over the past years, the Party Committee and Command of the Brigade have focused the leadership and direction on synchronously deploying numerous guidelines and solutions to build an elite and modern unit, achieving many positive results. Most notably, officers and soldiers possess firm and steadfast political stance, absolute loyalty, readiness to receive and successfully accomplish all tasks. The organisational structure has been adjusted and arranged to be elite, compact, and strong. Training has been innovated towards modernisation, with increasingly enhanced results. The unit has excellently fulfilled its combat readiness duties, contributing to safeguarding important political events of the Party, State, and Army. From the leadership, direction of implementation, and the achieved results, the Brigade has drawn several lessons, which are also the solutions that continue to be focused on.

Firstly, attaching great importance to building special political elite. Performing dangerous and complex tasks that directly affect political security, the Brigade attaches special importance to building political elite. The Brigade directs the promotion of education and thorough grasp for officers and soldiers to deeply understand Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, the military and defence guidelines of the Party, and the laws of the State; the tasks of the Army, the Service, and the Brigade in the new situation; clearly recognise partners and opponents, firmly grasp the plots and tactics of hostile forces; and clearly understand the position, role, and necessity of building a special elite and modern force. To achieve high efficiency, the Brigade strictly implements Directive No. 2423-CT/QUTW dated 9 September 2023, by the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission (CMC) on “Innovating and improving the quality of political education in the new period”; innovates the content and methods of conducting ideological work in the direction of proactively grasping, leading, and orienting, preventing any manifestations of internal “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”. As a result, its officers and soldiers always maintain their political stance, absolute loyalty, high vigilance, and readiness to accept and successfully complete all assigned tasks.

In particular, the Brigade focuses on consolidating and improving the leadership capacity and combat strength of all-level party committees and party organizations; well plans and creates sources of cadres, especially leaders, ensuring their political quality, prestige, capacity, qualifications, and the “7-dared” spirit; thoroughly grasps and effectively implements Directive No. 07-CT/TW dated 13 July 2026, by the Politburo on promoting the study and practice of Ho Chi Minh's thought, morality, method, and style in the new development period, and Directive No. 676-CT/QUTW dated 20 June 2026, by the Standing Committee of the CMC on strengthening leadership and direction to promote the cultural values of “Uncle Ho's Soldiers” in the new era; promotes the “Determined-to-Win” emulation movement and other emulation campaigns, creating a solid foundation for building agencies and units that are specially political elite.

Conducting counter-terrorism training

Secondly, improving the training quality and strictly maintaining the disciplines and combat readiness. The Brigade thoroughly grasps and strictly implements the “basic, practical, and solid” training motto, closely maintains the basic training plans and contents in physical fitness, martial arts, shooting, military regulations, understanding of new weapons and equipment, and general military contents.

At the same time, it focuses on specialised training tailored to each branch, force, and task, gradually building up specialised combat capabilities. For the commando forces, focus is placed on training special combat techniques and tactics, mastering commando professional operations; improving proficiency in martial arts, shooting, and survival skills in specific, harsh environments; and equipping them with basic knowledge of several social trades and professions to create flexibility in doing tasks. For the counter-terrorism forces, emphasis is placed on thoroughly understanding the Anti-Terrorism Law; achieving elite proficiency and specialisation in hostage-rescue techniques and tactics; and enhancing coordination and combined combat capabilities to ensure rapid, precise, and safe handling of situations. Besides, the Brigade strengthens research and supplements advanced shooting training contents, including the destruction of UAVs; and steps up the practice of hypothetical scenarios in accordance with commando and counter-terrorism operational plans and tasks.

To enhance initiative and rapid response capabilities, the Brigade regularly conducts terrain and area reconnaissance and surveys to thoroughly grasp the targets under its protection. On that basis, it reviews, adjusts, supplements, and completes combat plans and documents, and holds training and exercises to ensure that units are proficient and can handle situations accurately in both daytime and nighttime conditions. Together, it strictly maintains the routine of combat readiness duty from the brigade down to the subunit level; ensuring personnel, weapons, equipment, and vehicles. It closely coordinates with military intelligence forces, units under General Department II - Military Intelligence, and local police forces to firmly grasp the political security and social order situation; proactively advising the Corps’ Commanders and local Party committees and governments on potential risks and handling measures. In 2025, it achieved the title of “Excellent training unit”. Also in 2025, the General Staff inspected and assessed its combat readiness as being capable of excellently completing its assigned tasks.

Thirdly, improving the quality of regularity building and discipline management, laying the foundation for building a specially elite and modern Brigade. Accordingly, the Brigade's Party Committee and Command direct offices and units to thoroughly grasp higher-level resolutions and directives on regularity building and discipline management, focusing on Directive No. 76/CT-BQP dated 28 April 2026, by the Minister of National Defence on enhancing the political education, ideological management, discipline maintenance, and safety assurance in the Vietnam People's Army; serving as a model unit in regularity building and discipline management. At the same time, they strictly maintain daily and weekly routines, executing saluting and addressing in accordance with the regulations i.e. “superiors set an example for subordinates, officers set an example for soldiers, and offices set a model for units”; promoting internal resources to actively renovate the barracks and landscape, ensuring a regular, unified, “bright, green, clean, and beautiful” environment. Emphasis is placed on supplementing, improving the quality of activities, and effectively utilising cultural institutions; practicing good communication and behaviour, building internal solidarity, and forming a healthy military cultural environment; and promoting the administrative reform and digital transformation.

Participating in the "Peace and Friendship-2023" Exercise in China

To enhance the effectiveness of regularity building and discipline management, the Brigade’s Party Committee issued a specialised resolution on enhancing political education, ideological management, and discipline and safety maintenance. It directed its subordinate offices and units to organise deep and widespread political activities and “correcting” sessions; highly promoted the responsibility of leading officers; enhanced inspections to grasp the situation and closely monitor activities in units, especially during breaks, off-duty hours, and in small or separate work teams. When incidents occur, officials showing a lack of responsibility in management or signs of covering up and concealing shortcomings will be resolutely and strictly punished. The unit regularly coordinates with servicemen's families to grasp their social relationships and forecast potential risks of violations, especially during sensitive times such as holidays, Tet, and prominent sporting events, etc. It strengthens education, fostering, and training for officers and soldiers in life skills, skills for resolving ideological situations, and self-control. Particularly, it directs strict management over participation in and use of social media, prohibiting the arbitrary posting of images, videos, and unit activities on any digital applications. Thanks to these appropriate measures, it has no serious disciplinary cases, and ensures absolute safety in all aspects.

Finally, promoting the mastery of new and modern weapons and technical equipment; proactively researching and developing commando combat tactics. As one of the units receiving prioritised investment and being equipped with various types of modern specialised weapons and equipment, the Brigade has proactively implemented numerous measures to build human resources for managing, mastering, exploiting, and using these assets. Over the past time, it has selected cadres, officers, non-commissioned officers with sufficient capability, foreign languages, and information technology skills to serve as the core force in receiving technology transfer, ensuring “mastery upon receipt”. At the same time, it has held training and refresher courses to help officers and soldiers thoroughly grasp operating principles, technical and tactical features, and become proficient in usage and preservation before deployment. Its units have conducted supplementary training for all learners from basic to advanced process, from individuals to squads and platoons; attaching importance to cross-training to ensure that soldiers can effectively operate equipment in any situation. Besides, they have strictly maintained the regulation of preserving and maintaining weapons and equipment, enhancing the capacity to master minor repairs; promoting the movement for technical initiatives and improvements, and proactively researching and proposing technical solutions suitable to the task features. Currently, the Brigade has effectively used 100% of the new and modern weapons and technical equipment in service.

In the context of increasingly sophisticated new warfare methods and tactics, the Brigade’s tasks set high demands for developing special combat methods. Therefore, the Brigade places great importance on researching and developing traditional commando tactics based on modern weapons, equipment, science, and technology. Specifically, emphasis is placed on applying measures such as disguise and camouflage against electronic recce, building secret infrastructures, timer explosive attacks, deep infiltration, and force pre-positioning; as well as airborne infiltration via helicopters to approach high-rise buildings, etc. Through these efforts, flexible, mobile, surprise, and precise combat methods are formed, fitting the developments of practical situations.

To meet the increasingly high demands of their duties, all officers and soldiers of the Urban Commando Brigade 1 continue to bring into play their traditions and courage, overcome difficulties, and remain determined to build a specially elite and modern unit, enhancing their combat readiness and achieving victory in all situations.

Senior Colonel TRAN KIM NAM, The Brigade Commander