Fully aware of the importance of the building of defensive zones and the particularly strategic position of the Capital City of Hanoi, the Capital armed forces have been playing their key role in coordinating with the Capital’s Party Organisation, authorities, and people to comprehensively, synchronously take various solutions to build increasingly strong defensive zones.
Hanoi - the “heart of the whole nation” - is the national political and administrative centre, a major hub of culture, science, education, economy, and foreign affairs, holding a strategic position in terms of national defence and security. Hence, maintaining a peaceful, stable, environment and social order for Hanoi’s robust development, worthy of its stature, is of paramount importance.
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| Capital Military Command encourages forces taking part in A80 parade |
Over the years, Hanoi’s armed forces have grasped resolutions and directives by the Party, State, Central Military Commission, Ministry of National Defence, and Hanoi Municipal Party Committee (MPC) on defence and security tasks, upholding their core role in coordination with relevant departments and sectors to give advice to the MPC, Municipal People’s Council, and Municipal People’s Committee on leading and directing the comprehensive development of defensive zones, thus obtaining significant results. Notably, due attention has been paid to defence and security education for target groups; awareness and a sense of responsibility among cadres, party members, the armed forces, and locals towards defence and security tasks have been raised. Socio-economic development has been closely, effectively combined with defence - security consolidation and foreign affairs. All-people national defence and the posture of all-people national defence have been closely integrated with the people’s security posture; military potential and posture within defensive zones together with “people’s hearts and minds posture” have been strengthened in line with the requirements and characteristics of the Capital. The armed forces of Hanoi have been built in an adept, compact, strong manner, with a high level of readiness to fight and win in every situation, thereby laying a solid foundation for Hanoi’s development as the heart of the nation.
At present and in the coming time, the task of Fatherland protection will have new developments, with higher requirements and greater challenges. In the Capital area, the political and social situation remains stable; the economy continues to grow rapidly, sustainably; national defence, security, and foreign relations are strengthened. However, the Capital has always been put at the forefront of hostile forces’ sabotage strategy via their sophisticated tactics. Crimes of various types, especially hi-tech and organised crimes, have become complex. In addition, rapid urbanisation, two-tier local government model, and adjustments in commune-level administrative boundaries have posed new issues in the building of defensive zones.
Against that backdrop, the Capital armed forces will continue remaining proactive, united, and determined and promoting their core role in working with the Capital’s Party Organisation, authorities, and people to build increasingly strong defensive zones via several key solutions as follows.
First of all, stepping up propagation and education work to raise awareness and responsibility among all sectors, forces, and citizens towards the building of defensive zones. Accordingly, the Capital Military Party Committee and Command will continue to advise the MPC, Municipal People’s Council, and Municipal People’s Committee to direct departments, sectors, and localities to intensify political education and raise the quality of defence and security education for various target groups, with a view to making a solid change in awareness and a sense of responsibility among cadres, party members, and the people towards the building of defensive zones. Emphasis will be placed on grasping the Resolution of the 8th Plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee on the Strategy for Fatherland Protection in the New Situation, Conclusion 64-KL/TW, dated 3 October 2019, by the 12th Politburo’s on further executing the 10th Politburo’s Resolution 28-NQ/TW, dated 22 September 2008, the Government’s Decree 21/2019/NĐ-CP, dated 22 February 2019, on building defensive zones, Circular 86/2025/TT-BQP, dated 7 August 2025, by the Ministry of National Defence amending and supplementing several articles of Circular 41/2020/TT-BQP, dated 31 March 2020, by Minister of National Defence to implement certain provisions of Decree 21/2019/NĐ-CP, dated 22 February 2019, by the Government on defensive zones, as well as resolutions, directives, and guidance by the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, and the City on defence and security tasks, and unmasking hostile forces’ plots and artifices.
The Capital Military Command will direct its agencies, units, and commune-level military offices to proactively advise local party committees and authorities on consolidating all-level defence and security education councils and maintaining these councils’ operations after the City’s 18th Party Congress. It will promote its role as the standing agency in giving advice on organising defence and security education for different groups, especially key officials of the political system, religious dignitaries, ethnic minorities, and students. The Capital armed forces will continue upholding their function as “an army ready for work”, actively conducting mass mobilisation, building national great unity, consolidating the political system at grass-roots level, effectively executing movements, such as “paying debt of gratitude” and “Capital soldiers and militia join hands in building new-style rural areas and civilised urban areas”, taking the lead in thwarting all “peaceful evolution” plots and tactics of hostile forces. Doing so will contribute to building defensive zones’ political and spiritual potential, strengthening the “people’s hearts and minds posture” right at grass-roots level, and developing Hanoi into a “strong fortress in terms of politics and ideology”.
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| Troops of the Capital Military Command settle the consequences of Storm No.11 in Da Phuc commune, Hanoi |
Second, closely combining socio-economic development with defence and security consolidation. Based on Red River Delta Planning, Resolution 15-NQ/TW, dated 5 May 2022, by the Politburo on “Guidelines and tasks for the development of Hanoi by 2030, with a vision towards 2045”, Prime Minister’s Decision 1569/QĐ-TTg, dated 12 December 2024, on “Approving Hanoi’s Master Plan for the period of 2021 - 2030, with a vision towards 2050”, and the initial outcomes of the two-tier local government model, the Capital Military Command will continue coordinating with relevant agencies to advise the City on reviewing and adjusting the master plan on socio-economic development combined with defence and security consolidation, especially reinforcing defensive zones’ military potential and posture, forming and developing urban areas with a “multi-polar, multi-centre” structure to maximise the potential and advantages of each region and create an inter-connected, solid defence posture. Advocating that “every economic development step is a step forward in defence and security consolidation”, the Capital Military Command will continue effectively performing state management of national defence, closely appraising socio-economic development programs and projects, particularly foreign-invested ones and in the key areas of defence, security, and foreign affairs. It will regularly conduct surveys on enterprises and industrial clusters, especially those in mechanical engineering, metallurgy, chemical, and electronics industries as the basis for making industrial mobilisation plans to meet defence needs in wartime. It will closely monitor reserve technical means capable of mobilisation to ensure defence requirements during the first year of a war and maintain their readiness for mobilisation in the event.
To contribute to building a civilised, modern City, the Capital Military Command will collaborate with departments, sectors, and localities and direct the armed forces to promote science, technology, and innovation and advise the City on developing a synchronised, diversified, long-term transport system with inter-regional, international connectivity, expressways, national highways, ring roads, gateway intersections, bridges over Red River and Duong River, and urban railways connecting satellite towns with the central area and neighbouring provinces, as well as logistics systems connecting economic corridors and belts so as to achieve breakthroughs in socio-economic development and ensure readiness for conversion to defence and security purposes in the event.
Third, building inter-connected, solid military works within defensive zones. In the immediate term, the Capital Military Command will direct regional defence commands and commune-level military commands to closely take over, manage, and protect the existing military constructions, such as headquarters, combat works, logistics - technical bases, and underground facilities to prevent deterioration or damage and maintain readiness for mobilisation and use when necessary. It will continue working with relevant forces to review and grasp the condition of military constructions, and advise the City on promptly adjusting military construction planning in line with changes in administrative boundaries. In the process, great value will be attached to maintaining the existing works and integrating them with the disposition of units of the Ministry of National Defence stationed in the area to create an extensive, inter-connected, solid defensive posture and avoid overlap, waste, and inefficiency. The Capital Military Command will continue advising the City to align the building of defensive zones with civil defence, mobilise resources for construction according to the adjusted planning and established road map, and prioritise budget allocation for the construction and repair of military works in the key positions and main defensive directions. Consideration will be given to making use of underground facilities and solid structures in urban areas, particularly in the key locations of defence and security, to serve as campaign posts, all-level headquarters, key defensive areas, logistics - technical bases, and defensive strongpoints and clusters in the event. The Municipal Military Command will leverage the hilly and mountainous terrain in the northern and western parts of Hanoi to construct clusters of defensive works, such as logistics - technical bases, evacuation zones, combat bases, rear bases, and flank and rear defensive lines, form a unified, solid, inter-connected posture with both frontage and depth, ensure linkage between the central urban area, satellite towns, plains, and mountainous areas, thus meeting both short-term and long-term requirements.
The Municipal Military Command will direct commune-level military commands to grasp dual-purpose facilities to ensure their readiness for mobilisation for military and defence tasks, thereby establishing an extensive defensive posture right at grass-roots level and turning “every quarter and village into a solid fortress” in the event of a war.
Fourth, making the Capital armed forces adept, compact, strong, modern, and capable of playing a core role in building defensive zones. The Municipal Military Party Committee and Command will focus on building the armed forces with a rational structure, great synergy, and high combat readiness as really reliable, absolutely loyal political and fighting forces of party committees, authorities, and the people. Significance will be attached to building “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong agencies, units, and schools in tandem with the building of pure, strong party organisations. Emphasis will be placed on building an adept, compact, strong standing force with great combat capacity, high manoeuvrability, rapid shift in combat states, and effective coordination with other forces to firmly protect the area. Due regard will be paid to building a “powerful” reserve force with reasonable quantity and high quality, and developing a “strong, extensive” militia and self-defence force capable of promptly handling situations early, from afar, right at grass-roots level and effectively taking part in disaster mitigation and search and rescue for the sake of the Capital’s peace and stability.
In the immediate term, great weight will be added to reviewing and consolidating commune-level military commands, advising party committees and authorities on improving the qualifications of commune-level military command cadres, promoting the role of regional defence commands as the core force in giving advice on performing defence - military work right at grass-roots level. Due attention will be paid to making breakthroughs in raising the quality of training and exercises for target groups, particularly defensive zone operational and City-level defensive zone exercises, opportunely supplementing and completing theories, taking synchronised measures for regularity building, discipline management, and combat readiness as the basis for improving the armed forces’ synergy and combat strength. Great value will be attached to investing in facilities and equipment to modernise several forces and enhancing military administrative reform, information technology application, and digital transformation within agencies, units, and schools. Besides, the Municipal Military Command will strictly maintain combat readiness regulations and direct its agencies and units to actively develop combat and coordination plans to protect key areas and targets. It will regularly, closely coordinate with the City’s Public Security under the Government’s Decree 03/2019/NĐ-CP, dated 5 September 2019, to firmly grasp the situation, handle incidents early, from afar, and at grass-roots level, avoid the formation of “hotspots”, and ensure security and safety for key facilities, targets, and major political events.
With proactive, scientific, flexible approaches, the Capital armed forces will continue bringing into play their core role and striving to surmount all difficulties, build strong defensive zones, and contribute to creating a favourable environment for fostering the City’s rapid, sustainable development and making Hanoi more prosperous, beautiful, civilised, and modern, worthy of the trust of the entire nation and its noble titles of “Heroic Capital - City for Peace - Creative City”.
Maj. Gen. DAO VAN NHAN
Member of the MPC Standing Board
Commander of the Hanoi Capital Military Command