Son La is a mountainous and border province, boasting a strategic and important position in terms of national defence and security in the overall defence posture of Military Region 2 and the whole country. It serves as a "shield" and a "fence" in the West and Northwest of the country.

Fully aware of that, over the past 80 years, generations of cadres and soldiers of Son La Provincial Armed Forces have demonstrated their steadfast political will, absolute loyalty to the Fatherland, the Party, the State and the People. They have always upheld their self-reliance, solidarity; attached to the People, promoted their core role in local defence and military work, excellently completing all assigned tasks, making the tradition of "Loyalty, Self-reliance, Solidarity, Bravery, Victory". With its outstanding achievements in fighting, building and defending the Fatherland, the Provincial Armed Forces were awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces in 1978 by the Party and State, along with many other noble awards.

Leader of the Provincial Armed Forces awarded outstanding individuals in implementing Project 1371 in the 2021-2024 period.

In recent years, the province has seen improvements and stability in political, economic, cultural and social situations, people's living standards, defence and security. The work of party building and rectification has achieved positive results. However, Son La is still a poor province with several difficulties in economic development and people's living standards. For different reasons, this place has become a focal area of sabotage of hostile and reactionary forces who try to take advantage of ethnic, religious, democratic and human rights issues to sabotage and undermine our great national unity bloc; carry out plots of propaganda and mobilisation to establish an "autonomy State", among other sabotage plots. Especially, the operation of two-level local governments has posed new issues regarding the adjustment and arrangement of the province's armed forces and the defense zone posture in the area, etc. In that context, along with the comprehensive and synchronous implementation of all aspects of work, the Provincial Military Party Committee and the Provincial Military Command have focused on leading and directing the promotion of legal dissemination and education, mobilising people to comply with the law, making positive changes in awareness and self-consciousness of law compliance of cadres, soldiers and people in the area, contributing to creating social unanimity in implementing the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, building a solid "people's hearts and minds posture", and the synergy to successfully implement the goals of socio-economic, cultural, defence and security development in the province.

Accordingly, thoroughly grasping and seriously implementing the directives and instructions of the People's Committee of Son La province and Military Region 2 on implementing the Project on Promoting the role of the People's Army in participating in legal dissemination and education, mobilising people to comply with the law at the grassroots level for the period 2021 - 2027 according to Decision No. 1371/QD-TTg, dated 30 July 2021 of the Prime Minister (hereinafter referred to as Project 1371), the Provincial Military Command has promoted its role as the standing office of the Steering Committee of Project 1371 of the Province, presiding over and coordinating with relevant departments, branches and localities to advise and propose to the Provincial People's Committee to lead and implement the Project in a practical and effective manner. It regularly directs and guides subordinate agencies and units to advise local Party committees and authorities to establish Steering Committees and Working Groups for Project 1371 at the same level in accordance with the above instructions. To implement uniformly and effectively, the Provincial Military Command directs the Steering Committees for Project 1371 at all levels to proactively issue operating regulations; perform well the advisory role with the People's Committees at the same level to develop plans to implement the Project periodically and annually in a serious and relevant manner; assign specific tasks to each agency, unit, locality and the responsibilities of each member and working group in implementing. On a yearly basis, the Provincial Military Command has advised the Provincial Project Steering Committee to select pilot units which are relevant to the characteristics of the locality. On this basis, it directs units to carry out pilot projects in 2-3 communes or more each year according to the specific roadmap and the objectives of the Project. During the implementation process, the Provincial armed forces have promoted their core role; proactively and actively coordinated closely with functional agencies, organisations and forces, in order to promote the combined strength of the entire local political system, making positive changes in the  propaganda to persuade people to comply with State laws.

The launching of mobile legal dissemination clubs

As a province with 12 ethnic groups, over 83% of whom are ethnic minorities living together, with their own differences and characteristics in culture, lifestyle, customs, and practices, and the complicated situation of illegal migration, in order for the People, especially those living in key areas, mountainous areas, border areas, remote areas, ethnic minorities, religious communities and areas with bad customs, etc. to be disseminated and educated about the law, the Provincial armed forces have chaired, coordinated, and deployed 55 survey teams, with more than 9,000 survey forms distributed to each target group in each specific area to grasp their needs, as well as the situation of dissemination and education of the law, the current status of law-abiding awareness of cadres, soldiers and People in the locality. On that basis, the Provincial Military Command coordinates closely with departments, branches and sectors to research, propose and advise the Provincial Steering Committee of Project 1371 to develop plans and programmes, determine content, flexibly and creatively apply methods and forms and deploy models of legal propaganda, dissemination and education suitable for each subject and locality. In particular, it focuses on educating officers, soldiers and people with the basic contents of legal documents, such as: Law on Legal Dissemination and Education; Law on Complaints and Denunciations; Law on National Defence; Law on Military Service; Law on Militia and Self-Defence Forces; Law on Reserve Forces; Law on National Borders; Land Law; Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Alcohol; Law on Marriage and Family; the issues of early marriage, incestuous marriage, etc. Besides, it steps up propaganda and education for cadres, party members and People in the area about the content of newly issued legal documents, the issues of public concern, the results of implementation of socio-economic development tasks, local defence and military work. In addition, it also mobilises people to comply seriously with the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, and local regulations, not to let hostile forces take advantage of issues of freedom, democracy, human rights, ethnicity, religion, etc. to incite and entice people to participate in activities that sabotage political security, social order and safety, and undermine the great national unity bloc in the area.

Realising the important role of the legal reporters and propagandists, the Provincial Military Command regularly reviews, promptly supplements, consolidates and builds this force to meet the practical requirements of each agency, unit and locality. Importance has been attached to consolidating and building a team of legal reporters and propagandists with sufficient quantity and quality, meeting the requirements of the Project, with consideration to members from ethnic minority groups. It regularly conducts training to improve their oral propaganda skills in disseminating and educating the law; skills in dissemination and education through cultural and artistic activities and cultural institutions, application of information technology, etc. to help them complete their work most effectively. Different forms of training have been applied flexibly, focusing on training through practical activities.

In order to continuously improve the effectiveness of this work, the content that the Provincial Armed Forces attach great importance to is actively innovating forms and methods suitable to the subjects and residential areas. Accordingly, the Provincial Armed Forces strengthen coordination with functional agencies, localities and establishments to disseminate and educate the law to the People by means of rich and diverse forms, yielding practical results. To make it more attractive, the Provincial Armed Forces pay special attention to propaganda, dissemination and education of law in the form of performances, cultural and artistic activities, short skits,  quiz games, etc. Along with that, agencies and units of the Provincial armed forces focus on combining and integrating propaganda, dissemination and legal education with the work of building and consolidating local political bases, mobilising families to commit to implementing "Five Nos, Five Dos", associated with the emulation movement "Skilful mass mobilisation", through activities and models, such as: conducting dry season border marches, the programmes of: "The Spring and Tet of military-people solidarity", "Spring of Border Guards warming the hearts of the villagers", "Border Guard voice", "Going to every alley, knocking on every door to disseminate and educate the law", etc. As a result, dramatic changes have been seen in the legal awareness, consciousness and compliance behaviour of cadres, soldiers and People, contributing to building an increasingly solid "people's heart and mind posture", maintaining security, politics, social order and safety; constantly consolidating and strengthening national defence and security in the area, creating a favourable environment and conditions for the province to strive for green, fast and sustainable development.

Senior Colonel SA MINH NGHIA, Political Commissar of the Provincial Military Command