Amid the vigorous development of the 4^th Industrial Revolution, the increasingly fierce technological competition, and the urgent requirement to build an autonomous, self-reliant, dual-use, modern defence industry, Factory Z176 has effectively applied Ho Chi Minh’s thought on self-reliance and self-strengthening and focused on promoting the application of new technologies in production and business, thereby improving its productivity, quality, and competitiveness, contributing to strengthening national defence potential and meeting the requirements of Fatherland protection in the new situation.

K23 field uniform developed by the Factory

Factory Z176 is a defence enterprise under the General Department of Defence Industry, tasked with manufacturing products for defence and security as well as economic products for civilian use and export. In the past 55 years of construction and development, it has now become a modern defence enterprise, contributing to the development of the Military and the country.

To successfully fulfil its tasks, the Factory has implemented a range of synchronous solutions. Among these, studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, and lifestyle regarding self-reliance and self-strengthening have been identified by the Factory’s Party Committee and Directorate not only as a routine requirement, but also as a guiding principle and fundamental solution to enhance the leadership capacity and combat strength of party committees and party organisations, as well as the effectiveness of production and business. His instructions, such as: “If we want others to help us, we must first help ourselves” and “We must rely on our own strength as the mainstay”, not only carry historical value, but also provide orientations for the Factory’s current development strategy, technological investment, and human resource development.

Self-reliance and self-strengthening - a foundational value

During his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh repeatedly emphasised the role of production, science, and technology in the revolutionary cause. He clearly stated that “Production is also a front”; cadres and workers are the “soldiers” on that front. When our country faced many difficulties, he demanded to promote internal strength and combat the signs of dependence and passivity. According to him, self-reliance does not mean closing off or isolating ourselves, but rather being proactive, mastering our work, and primarily relying on our own strength.

That spirit is particularly significant for the defence industry - a field directly linked to a nation’s self-defence capability. Without mastering technology and production processes, it is difficult to ensure strategic initiative, confidentiality, and safety. Hence, self-reliance and self-strengthening represent a vivid expression of thoroughly grasping Ho Chi Minh’s thought at Factory Z176 under the new conditions.

Despite many difficulties, the Factory has proactively reviewed and assessed its actual resources to make rational arrangements, from technical personnel, production space, and equipment systems to materials and technological conditions. Based on its existing equipment, it has upgraded 3D simulation design systems and acquired advanced cutting, bonding, and printing technologies, specialised materials, and software for radar and infrared signal analysis, thus helping optimise design and materials directly serving its assigned tasks. In addition, it has actively coordinated with leading experts in material technology, electricity, and electronics to enhance design efficiency and optimise model structures. These solutions have enabled its products not only to meet technical and tactical requirements, but also reduce production costs, shorten production time, and ensure high reliability in the field.

Manufacturing products for export (photo: qdnd.vn)

The Factory has mastered the entire process of research, design, prototype testing, and successful production of a variety of products serving modern combat requirements, achieving outstanding quality comparable to foreign products. This has brought many practical benefits with profound significance in tactical, technological, and long-term development aspects. These achieved results have not only demonstrated the Factory’s capability to design and manufacture hi-tech, strategic products, but also affirmed the Factory’s role in proactively meeting the requirements of modernising the armed forces, laying a solid foundation for the Factory to continue making active contributions to the cause of building and defending the Fatherland in the new situation.

Technical initiatives and innovations - vivid manifestations of the spirit of self-reliance and self-strengthening

President Ho Chi Minh affirmed: “To develop production, technical improvement is required, which means learning to master techniques and fully utilise the capacity of machinery. It is necessary to seek initiatives to organise labour rationally and improve working tools and machinery to achieve high productivity and good quality”. Fully grasping these teachings, the Factory has promoted emulation movements on creative labour, scientific and technological research, technical initiatives and improvements, rationalisation of production lines, and application of new technologies, thereby enhancing its self-reliance in design, technology, and materials. As a result, many advanced technological processes have been mastered to shorten production time and increase productivity and product quality.

Continuous innovation is the key to helping the Factory overcome the demanding requirements of defence tasks. By focusing investment on research and development, it has not only improved technologies, but also created optimised products suited to combat conditions. The spirit of “daring to think and daring to do” has been a core factor promoting new product development. The Factory has always encouraged innovation and experimentation with new technologies and processes despite many challenges. It has effectively exploited available resources combined with the initiatives and creativity of its engineers and workers to enhance production capacity, save costs, and improve the working environment. Specialised groups have been formed and tasked with applying 3D simulation, 3D printing, CAD/CAM, and radar - infrared signal processing software to optimise designs in terms of shape, size, colour, and reflective characteristics. One notable initiative has been the combination of lightweight composite materials with special coatings, helping increase camouflage effectiveness under modern combat conditions. In addition, the Factory has proactively researched and successfully produced K23 field uniform, contributing to raising troops’ manoeuvrability and combat capability under new operational conditions.

Products researched, developed, and manufactured by the Factory’s own cadres, engineers, and technical workers amid limited technical documentation and high technical requirements have affirmed the capability to access and master advanced military technologies, ensuring a high level of localisation, reducing dependence on foreign equipment sources, saving costs and time, increasing the initiative in technical support. This is vivid evidence of the realisation of the Party’s lines on building a modern, self-reliant, dual-use defence industry; it is also a concrete result of implementing the 13^th Politburo’s Resolution 08-NQ/TW, dated 26 January 2022, on “fostering defence industry development towards 2030 and beyond”.

Combining defence with economic development - improving production efficiency and expanding integration

During his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh always placed the tasks of Fatherland construction and protection in a close relationship. He repeatedly affirmed the need to both promote economic development and strengthen national defence, and build a strong, prosperous country as a solid foundation for defending the Fatherland. The idea of “production combined with combat” represents a profound synthesis of his viewpoints on combining economic development with national defence.

Product quality check prior to export

Thoroughly grasping and learning from that thought, apart from defence production, the Factory has proactively exploited its production lines, technical expertise, and human resources to promote economic production, exports, and the development of dual-use products. Emphasis has been placed on expanding markets and strengthening linkages with enterprises both inside and outside the Military, ensuring efficient production in line with its orientations and the economic - defence management mechanism.

The synchronous implementation of defence production and economic production tasks has affirmed the Factory’s organisational, managerial, and creative capacity, clearly demonstrating the “dual missions” of defence production and national economic development, realising the goal of “building an autonomous, modern, dual-use, integrated, sustainable defence industry”. Many civilian and dual-use products, export goods, and defence - security products of the Factory have been highly appreciated by domestic and foreign customers for their quality and durability. Economic production has risen stably over the years; revenue, labour productivity, and staff members’ average income have all increased, thus contributing to improving the living standards of cadres and employees and developing resources for defence tasks.

The Factory has produced and exported hundreds of millions of products of various kinds, many of which have contained high scientific content and met five criteria: aesthetic design, durability, affordability, convenience, and environmental friendliness. Its products are now available in more than 30 countries and maintain a firm position in the global market, including the EU and the US. In addition to IKEA Group as its traditional partner, it has developed many potential customers, such as Decathlon Group (France), Bikezac (Denmark), and Polyconcept, Triwin, and Amazon (US). In 2024, its revenue exceeded VND 3 trillion; export revenue has grown at an average rate of 12% per year; and the average income of its employees has reached nearly VND 15 million per month. The Factory is the leading enterprise of the General Department of Defence Industry in export value and has been repeatedly ranked by the Ministry of Industry and Trade as a prestigious exporter; it has been seen as a preferred supplier and a key supplier by Ikea and Decathlon respectively.  

Building high-quality human resources - the pillar of self-reliance and self-strengthening

The development of science and technology has led to the emergence of modern machinery, equipment, and automated production lines. Human beings are both the creators of technology and those who must constantly learn to master it. The more modern the technology is, the higher the requirements for employees’ educational level, technical expertise, and scientific thinking become. Therefore, enhancing the mastery capacity of cadres, engineers, and workers is the prerequisite for effectively utilising machinery and equipment and ensuring autonomous, sustainable development. President Ho Chi Minh clearly pointed out: “previously work was done manually, but now it is done with sophisticated machinery”; “without cultural and technical knowledge, it is impossible to operate such machines”; “therefore, studying and improving technical knowledge is essential”.

Fully grasping that viewpoint, Factory Z176 has identified the development of high-quality human resources as a central task of fundamental significance for fostering technological innovation and improving productivity and product quality. To that end, it has focused not only on developing professional qualifications and vocational skills, but also on fostering political steadfastness, discipline, responsibility, and industrial working style among its staff members. It has sent its cadres for specialised training in new technologies, organising on-site training courses, stepping up cooperation in research and technology transfer, promoting internal mentoring and knowledge transfer in a systematic and synchronised manner.

Notably, the Factory has placed special emphasis on building a core team of engineers and technical cadres capable of receiving, analysing, mastering, and improving imported technologies, gradually moving towards independent research, design, and optimisation of production processes. This is not only a requirement for raising immediate production efficiency, but also a strategic step towards forming internal scientific and technological capabilities and gradually reducing external dependence. At the same time, the working environment at the Factory has been built in a direction that has encouraged creativity and the spirit of daring to think, daring to act, and daring to take responsibility; it has linked personnel evaluation and utilisation with the results of mastering technologies and the effectiveness of technical initiatives and improvements. As a result, each cadre, engineer, and worker has been not only an operator of machinery, but truly become a creative subject directly contributing to increasing the added value of products.

It can be affirmed that investing in human resources means investing in long-term autonomy and development. In fact, when its cadres, engineers, and workers truly master technology, the Factory will be capable of researching, improving, and developing new products to meet the increasingly demanding requirements of its defence tasks and markets. This is also a profound manifestation of the spirit of self-reliance and self-strengthening in Ho Chi Minh’s thought: relying on our own intellect, courage, and creativity to develop sustainably under all circumstances.

With its glorious tradition and the spirit of self-reliance and self-strengthening, Factory Z176 will continue promoting its internal strength, placing its manpower at the centre, taking science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation as its foundation, focusing on raising the quality and efficiency of production and business, building great autonomous capacity, contributing to developing a modern defence industry of Vietnam capable of meeting the requirements of building the Military, strengthening national defence, and firmly protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

Sr. Col. PHAM ANH TUAN, PhD

Director of the Factory