Deeply imbued with the viewpoint that “the People are the root”, and regarding mass mobilisation as a firm bridge linking the Party, the State, the Military, and the People, in recent years, the Economic–Defence Unit 327 under Military Region 3 has consistently identified the enhancement of the Emulation Movement on “Skillful Mass Mobilisation” and the building of a “Good Mass Mobilisation Unit” not merely as routine tasks, but as an important and direct solution decisive to the quality of the Unit’s mission accomplishment.

Based on thoroughly grasping Ho Chi Minh’s teaching that “Skillful mass mobilisation ensures success in every endeavour”, together with the resolutions and directives of the Party, the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, and Military Region 3, the Unit’s Party Committee and command have focused their leadership and direction on substantively implementing the Movement, closely tied to the grassroots level, with emphasis on practical effectiveness reflected in living standards, awareness, and the trust and consensus of the People.

The unit co-hosts a confence on gender equality

The Unit has concretised the “Skillful Mass Mobilisation” Emulation Movement in association with the fulfilment of 19 criteria and 11 contents of new-style rural development; selected key tasks, assigned clear responsibilities, and promoted the exemplary role of cadres, Party members, and commanders, thereby ensuring unity in leadership, direction, and implementation. The Movement has been carried out practically, closely aligned with local conditions; resources have been effectively mobilised and utilised; and efforts have been focused on building socio-economic infrastructure, projects, and development models suited to local realities and capable of generating broad and lasting impact. At the same time, the Unit has maintained regular social welfare activities, civil–military medical cooperation, hunger eradication and poverty reduction, improvement of educational standards, and care for the cultural and spiritual life of the People.

Practice has shown that the effectiveness of the Movement lies not only in the outcomes of individual models, but in the combined product of sound awareness, appropriate approaches, and the responsible engagement of the entire Unit. On that basis, the Unit has drawn several key lessons learned:

First, flexibility, proactiveness, and creativity must be exercised in leadership and direction of mass mobilisation work. Practical experience gained from performing tasks in communes and wards in the border areas of Quang Ninh Province, a locality of particularly important strategic significance in terms of national defence, security, and foreign affairs, characterised by vast terrain, dispersed populations, and many potential complexities in security and social order, shows that mass mobilisation can only be truly effective when placed under direct and regular leadership and direction, supported by diverse, flexible, and creative solutions from Party committees and commanders. If loosened or reduced to administrative formalities, it easily becomes superficial, lacking depth and sustainability.

Proceeding from that requirement, the Unit has identified the core factor as the need to create a high degree of unity in both awareness and action, regarding mass mobilisation and the Emulation Movement “Skillful Mass Mobilisation” as a shared political responsibility of the entire leadership and command system, rather than the sole responsibility of political agencies or specialised personnel. The assignment of responsibilities is closely linked to each locality, each area, and each specific task. Political commissars, political officers, and commanders at all levels directly maintain close contact with the grassroots, conduct inspections and monitoring, firmly grasp the situation, promptly detect emerging issues, and flexibly adjust methods and approaches to suit different periods and target groups, ensuring adherence to principles while remaining grounded in reality. Through this approach, the mindset of dependence or abdication of responsibility has been thoroughly overcome, while the roles, responsibilities, intellect, creativity, and spirit of unity of Party committees and commanders at all levels have been fully brought into play. As a result, the “Skillful Mass Mobilisation” Emulation Movement has not only become systematic and focused, but has also generated sustainable impact and delivered substantive, long-term effectiveness.

This experience holds practical significance for units operating in border, remote, and isolated areas, where mass mobilisation work invariably demands particularly high standards.

Joining hands in building new rural areas

Second, the legitimate and long-term interests of the People must be placed at the centre when defining the content of the Emulation Movement “Skillful Mass Mobilisation”. Practice shows that where living conditions remain difficult and production standards uneven, merely addressing immediate needs will not produce sustainable results and may even foster a mentality of dependence and passivity. Therefore, the Unit has deployed the “Skillful Mass Mobilisation” Emulation Movement in a way that resolves fundamental and long-term issues, regarding the legitimate interests of the People as the consistent criterion in determining content, methods, and priorities.

Closely aligned with local development requirements, the Unit has focused the Movement on five key areas, targeting the issues of greatest concern to Party committees, local authorities, and the People. Among these, activities aimed at ensuring social welfare, safeguarding public health, and improving living conditions have been identified as regular and important tasks. Accordingly, during the 2021–2025 period, the Unit has provided medical examinations, treatment, and free medicines to more than 23,000 local residents, while visiting and presenting gifts to over 1,100 policy beneficiaries, with total funding exceeding VND 300 million.

Based on a firm grasp of production conditions, farming practices, and the legitimate needs and aspirations of the People, mass mobilisation activities have concentrated on economic development and sustainable poverty reduction through the implementation of production programmes and projects linked with agricultural and forestry extension, science and technology transfer, production support, and vocational training for rural labourers. This approach has not only helped the People gradually establish stable livelihoods and enhance their capacity for self-reliance, but has also contributed to stabilising the population, limiting spontaneous migration, consolidating the People’s trust in the Party, the State, and the Military, and creating a firm foundation for strengthening the “people’s defence posture” along the border areas.

Third, coordination and close cooperation must be enhanced to generate combined strength in organising the emulation movement “Skillful Mass Mobilisation”. Given the conditions of a vast area, thinly spread and dispersed forces, and intertwined tasks between socio-economic development and the maintenance of national defence and security, the organisation of the Movement requires close coordination among multiple forces. Fully aware of this requirement, and based on its assigned functions and tasks, the Unit has proactively developed, signed, and strictly implemented coordination programmes with Party committees, local authorities, the Fatherland Front, grassroots socio-political organisations, and military units based in the area, thereby ensuring high unity in leadership, direction, and implementation of the Movement.

The contents of coordination focus on mass mobilisation, disaster and epidemic prevention and control, search and rescue, and participation in the National Target Programme on new-style rural development, ensuring suitability to the practical conditions of each locality. Preliminary and final reviews are conducted regularly to draw timely lessons learned, while due attention is paid to identifying, fostering, and replicating exemplary “Skillful Mass Mobilisation” models. To date, the Unit has built and replicated 11 such typical models, providing stable incomes for households, ranging from VND 150 million to 200 million per year. As a result, the Unit’s “Skillful Mass Mobilisation” Emulation Movement has progressively deepened in substance, created broad influence, and harnessed combined strength for socio-economic development in tandem with strengthened national defence and security, thereby maintaining stability in border areas.

Deploying military term for local pupils

Fourth, methods of mass mobilisation must be renewed substantively, taking persuasive effectiveness and the consensus of the People as the yardstick. Given the characteristics of border areas where ethnic minorities account for over 63 per cent of the population, with diverse customs and uneven levels of awareness, the Unit has implemented mass mobilisation through renewed, flexible approaches tailored to each locality and target group. Dialogue, persuasion, and exemplary conduct are emphasised, while generalised, imposed, or purely formalistic propaganda is avoided.

With the motto of “three close attachments and four shared commitments”, production teams, forestry units, and young volunteer intellectuals work directly at the grassroots level, persistently conducting outreach and guidance, and firmly grasping the legitimate thoughts and aspirations of the People. Words are matched with concrete actions in line with the principle of “explaining so that the People understand, acting so that the People trust, and guiding so that the People follow”. At the same time, the roles of village elders, hamlet heads, and reputable individuals are promoted as core forces in communication and mobilisation, thereby enhancing persuasiveness, building social consensus, and consolidating the close and enduring bonds between the troops and the People.

Fifth, the Emulation Movement “Skillful Mass Mobilisation” must be closely integrated with building a firm “people’s hearts and minds posture”, thereby ensuring national defence and security in border areas. Border regions are places where hostile forces frequently exploit ethnic and religious issues, as well as the material hardships of local communities, to undermine stability and incite sabotage. Consequently, the effectiveness of the “Skillful Mass Mobilisation” movement is measured directly by the degree of local stability and the strength of the People’s trust. In this regard, in recent years, Defence - Economic Unit 327 has consistently identified the building of the “people’s hearts and minds posture” as an overarching objective and a fundamental, immediate basis for successfully fulfilling the task of safeguarding national sovereignty and border security.

Through accompanying the People, caring for their livelihoods, and promptly addressing their pressing and legitimate concerns, the Movement has contributed to enhancing the People’s awareness and sense of responsibility in managing and protecting border lines and markers; proactively coordinating in crime prevention and control; raising vigilance as well as self-protection and self-governance capabilities; and detecting, combating, and preventing sabotage plots and activities right from the grassroots level, thereby preventing the emergence of complex hotspots. Through long-term, close-knit engagement with the People, the Unit has gradually established a “people-based border belt”, in which each citizen truly becomes a “living marker”, standing alongside the armed forces to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and border security.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN HUY PHU, Political Commissar of the Unit