Division 304 of Military Region 2 is a permanent framework unit, responsible for combat readiness training and reservist training. As its tasks are diverse, intertwined and regular, the Division is facing increasingly hard and complex requirements. Meanwhile, its troops hold uneven level of awareness; potential complex factors still exist in the situations of political security, social order and safety in the stationed area; the negative sides of the market mechanism, along with the continued adjustment of forces. These have significantly impacted the mentality of its officers and soldiers.

In that situation, the Party Committee and Command of the Division have synchronously employed many solutions for leadership and direction. In particular, they have regularly attached importance to the dissemination and education of law and considered this an important solution, aiming to foster law and discipline abiding awareness for officers and soldiers, contributing to building an all-strong, "exemplary, typical" Unit, excellently completing all assigned tasks.

Conducting in-person legal education

First of all, the Party Committee and the Command of the Division identify that raising awareness and responsibility of Party committees, Party organisations, and cadres at all levels for the work of disseminating and educating the law is an orientation that decides its quality and practical effectiveness. Accordingly, its agencies and units thoroughly grasp and effectively implement resolutions, directives, and instructions on the work of legal dissemination and education, regularity building, and disciplining. Party committees and Party organisations at all levels issue specialised resolutions to strengthen this work for unified implementation. In that spirit, Party committees and Party organisations at all levels correctly assess the current situation of law and discipline enforcement at their agencies and units, and identify policies and leadership measures that are accurate, specific and feasible to improve the quality of this work. Cadres in charge of agencies and units map out programmes and plans, clearly defining the purpose, requirements, content and timeline for each subject, focusing on weak phases and weak aspects, and the groups that perform scattered, small-scale tasks far from the division’s headquarters. The performance of this work is evaluated in the periodical leadership resolutions of Party committees and Party cells. At the same time, it is taken as one of the criteria to evaluate and analyse the quality of Party members and cadres and consider for commendation. As a result, strong and steady changes have been seen in the awareness, responsibility and consciousness of cadres and soldiers in abiding by discipline and law in each agency, unit and the entire Division.

As legal contents are usually "boring" and "difficult", in order to increase the attractiveness and persuasiveness in the dissemination and education of law, the Division actively innovates the contents, diversifies and flexibly applies many forms and methods of implementation. In order for the dissemination and education of law to be truly effective and practical, beside the compulsory educational content and programmes, based on the real situation, the Division also carries out the dissemination and education of new laws and legal documents, especially those related to the Military. Every month, its agencies and units promptly brief the situation of violations of law and discipline in the entire Military as lessons for their troops to learn. In order to enhance their legal awareness, agencies and units also apply appropriate forms and methods of education in a regular, flexible and creative manner. Emphasis has also been placed on improving the quality and effectiveness of in-person classes; combining legal education with political, ideological and task education. Besides, the role of cultural institutions in the units has been promoted, propaganda on the internal broadcasting system has been strengthened and political activities have been carried out extensively at all levels and organisations with many rich and vivid forms with practical effectiveness, such as: legal seminars, legal forums, and legal contests. At the same time, it improves the quality and effectiveness of the Political, Spiritual and Culture Day at the grassroots level, the Legal Day; continues to promote the activities of models such as: "Military psychological and legal counseling group", "One law a week", "One legal question a day". Closely combines the dissemination and implementation of legal documents with the education and improvement of law-abiding awareness their daily activities, especially in implementing the movements of "Determined to Win Emulation", "Officers and soldiers of the Division emulate to promote the implementation of workplace culture, worthy of the title "Uncle Ho's soldiers" and the Campaign "Promoting tradition, dedicating talent, worthy of the title "Uncle Ho's soldiers" in the new period. These has help build a democratic, united atmosphere, a good, healthy and rich cultural environment in each agency and unit for soldiers to best perform their tasks, comply with regulations, exercise discipline, and minimise violations of law and discipline.

Moreover, the Division regularly improves and enhances the capability of the reporters and propagandists; promotes the role of the Council for Coordination in Legal Dissemination and Education. Its agencies and units focus on building, training and fostering the contingent of reporters, propagandists and the "Psychological, Medical and Legal Counseling Team" with strong political will, pure morality, healthy lifestyle together with appropriate legal knowledge, pedagogical skills, and creative methods. Moreover, they are required to be highly responsible, enthusiastic in work; exemplary in studying, working and complying with the law and discipline for soldiers to follow. What’s more, the Division regularly pays attention to and improves the Council for Coordination in Legal Dissemination and Education at all levels with the right structure, composition, sufficient quantity, and good quality. Every year, the Council presides over and coordinates with functional agencies, especially political agencies and advisory agencies, to propose to leaders and commanders to develop and issue practical implementation plans at their level, assigning responsibilities for implementation in accordance with assigned functions and tasks. As a result, the core forces of the Division always promote their responsibility in advising, deploying, and implementing this work appropriately and effectively. They regularly provide advice on knowledge of law and discipline, especially those directly related to the rights and obligations of soldiers; promptly reply to ideological and psychological questions of soldiers. At the same time, this measure also motivates and encourages officers and soldiers to overcome difficulties, voluntarily perform their duties, and strictly comply with the law and discipline.

Conducting legal dissemination by means of performance

In order to make cadres and soldiers change their awareness and act in accordance with law, the Division closely combines the dissemination and education of law with strengthening measures for discipline management and safety assurance. It focuses on improving the effectiveness of education work, building motivation, determination, and self-awareness of officers and soldiers in adhering to orders, regulations, and directives; links political and legal education with administrative measures and the accountability of officers at all levels. Regularly review the situation of regularity building, law enforcement, and disciplining of its units to gain experience in leadership and command, promptly correct and handle violations, strictly maintain discipline, order and regime of living, studying, and working. Strengthen measures to manage social relationships of soldiers; actively grasp and forecast the thoughts of soldiers. Actively build healthy military cultural environment, proactively fight against negative impacts and prevent counter-cultural behaviours. Promote the implementation of breakthroughs to strengthen the construction of regular order, and promote military administrative reform to make a steady change in the law enforcement and discipline of the soldiers.

Faced with the strong development and multi-dimensional impact of cyberspace, the Division regularly pays attention to disseminating and educating regulations on the use of social networks for officers and soldiers. It focuses on raising their awareness for strictly complying with the Law on Cyber Security and related documents. At the same time, it tries to make officers and soldiers realise the risks and consequences of improper use of social networks, etc., so that they will strictly comply with regulations on protecting State and Military secrets. In addition, it regularly safeguards internal politics seriously, while closely monitoring and managing soldiers when they use the Internet and social networks to prevent them from violations". Along with that, it encourages them to use social networks to share positive information, the examples of good people and good deeds, promote and spread beautiful images of the country, people, and good culture of Vietnam. The Division regularly coordinates with the local police to inform its officers and soldiers about high-tech scams on social networks thereby, raising their awareness and making them strictly comply with regulations when using social networks.

By means of appropriate and effective solutions and methods, the quality of legal propaganda, dissemination, education, and several positive changes have been seen in the situation of law and discipline enforcement of the Division. The rate of common violations of its officers and soldiers is under 0.2%, without no serious case. Its units are always kept safe. This is an important foundation for the Division to continue to maintain stability and development, successfully completing its assigned tasks.

Senior Colonel VU MANH HUNG, Political Commissar of the Division