The 14th National Congress of the Party continued to affirm and further develop the viewpoint that the building of the all-people national defence and People’s security postures must be closely integrated with the development of the People’s hearts and minds posture and strong defensive zones. A proper understanding and effective implementation of this viewpoint are of great significance in bringing the Resolution into practice.

Throughout its leadership of the revolutionary cause, the Party’s understanding of building the all-people national defence and people’s security postures has become increasingly comprehensive, while further clarifying the central role of the People in the cause of strengthening national defence and security and safeguarding the Fatherland.

At the 11th National Party Congress, the Party emphasised the close integration of socio-economic development with the strengthening of national defence and security; the building of a strong all-people national defence and People’s security posture; and the development of a firm all-people national defence disposition closely linked with the People’s security disposition. Through this comprehensive and integrated approach, which regarded national defence and security as organic components of, and requiring close integration with, socio-economic development within the national development strategy, the Party demonstrated a profound awareness of the dialectical relationship between national construction and national defence. However, at this stage, the relationship and substantive content of the “People’s hearts and minds posture” in the building of national defence and security were reflected mainly indirectly through the requirement to promote the strength of the great national unity bloc, rather than being recognised as an independent component in its own right.

Party and State leaders attend the 12th Military Party Congress (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Building upon and further developing this understanding, the 12th National Party Congress explicitly identified the “People’s hearts and minds posture” as the direct spiritual and social foundation of national defence and security. The affirmation that “building the People’s hearts and minds posture creates a solid foundation for the development of the all-people national defence and people’s security postures” reflected a significant advance in the Party’s thinking. It marked a shift from an approach that viewed the People merely as participants in national defence and security to a deeper recognition that the People’s trust and support constitute the decisive factor underpinning the resilience and sustainability of the national defence and security posture.

At the 13th National Party Congress, this viewpoint was further deepened through the requirement to “build and strongly promote the People’s hearts and minds posture within the all-people national defence and People’s security postures”. The most notable development in the Party’s thinking was the positioning of the “People’s hearts and minds posture” as an integral component of the internal structure of the all-people national defence and People’s security postures, rather than as a supporting factor or an external condition. This reflected an important shift from a focus on “building the foundation” to one on “harnessing a driving force”, viewing the “People’s hearts and minds posture” as an “endogenous resource” of decisive significance in generating and enhancing the aggregate strength of national defence and security in the context of increasingly comprehensive and intensive international integration.

Building upon and further developing the viewpoints advanced at previous Party congresses, the 14th National Party Congress affirmed the need to: “build and strengthen the all-people national defence posture and the all-people national defence disposition, as well as the People’s security posture and the People’s security disposition, in association with the development of the People’s hearts and minds posture and proactive, robust defensive zones.” This viewpoint not only underscores the role of individual component, but also clearly reflects an integrated approach that closely links the all-people national defence and People’s security postures with the “People’s hearts and minds posture” and defensive zones. It thus represents a further development in the Party’s thinking on safeguarding the Fatherland, in line with new conditions in which the domains, forms, and methods of national defence are becoming increasingly diverse.

The new developments in the Party’s theoretical thinking at the 14th National Party Congress on building the all-people national defence and People’s security postures in association with the “People’s hearts and minds posture” and defensive zones are reflected in the following aspects:

(1) Further clarifying the basis for, and necessity of, linking the building of the all-people national defence and People’s security postures with the development of the “People’s hearts and minds posture” and defensive zones under new conditions. In the context of increasingly intertwined traditional and non-traditional security challenges, a war to defend the Fatherland, should one occur, would be highly comprehensive in nature and exert profound impacts across all spheres of social life. Under such circumstances, the strength of national defence and security would be measured not only by material capabilities or combat readiness, but, above all, by the People’s political trust, social consensus, and determination to safeguard the Fatherland. This is not merely a tactical requirement but a strategic choice aimed at creating a sustainable and enduring “soft shield” for the cause of national construction and defence.

(2) Elevating the “People’s hearts and minds posture” from a foundational and motivational role to an organic and inseparable component of the all-people national defence and People’s security postures. While the 12th National Party Congress identified the “People’s hearts and minds posture” as a “foundation” and the 13th National Party Congress emphasised the need to “strongly promote” it, the 14th National Party Congress places it within the internal structure of the all-people national defence and People’s security postures. This reflects the Party’s increasingly profound recognition that without a strong “People’s hearts and minds posture”, it is impossible to build genuinely robust all-people national defence and People’s security postures. At the same time, it reaffirms the People’s role as the central, decisive subject in the cause of safeguarding the Fatherland.

(3) For the first time, the building of the all-people national defence and People’s security postures has been directly linked with the development of proactive and robust defensive zones. At previous Party congresses, defensive zones were addressed as a component of the national defence and security disposition. However, at the 14th National Party Congress, the Party placed defensive zones within an organic relationship with the “People’s hearts and minds posture”, the all-people national defence posture, and the People’s security posture. Accordingly, defensive zones are viewed not merely as defensive spaces, but as comprehensive defence and security organisations encompassing political, economic, cultural, social, scientific, and technological dimensions within each locality. They represent the practical manifestation of the all-People national defence and People’s security postures at the local level. This direct linkage helps create a cohesive and resilient defensive disposition from the grassroots upwards, thereby ensuring the capacity to respond effectively to all defence and security contingencies.

The VPA has promoted well its central role in building the all People's national defence

To ensure that the Party’s viewpoint is effectively translated into practice, a number of key measures should be implemented in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.

First, further enhance awareness of the position and role of the People’s hearts and minds posture and defensive zones in building the all-people national defence and People’s security postures. This is a foundational measure of decisive importance to the quality and effectiveness of defence and security tasks. Accordingly, authorities, sectors, and relevant forces should intensify information, education, and mobilisation efforts to ensure that cadres, Party members, and the People fully recognise that the “People’s hearts and minds posture” is not merely a spiritual factor, but an essential component of the aggregate strength of national defence and security; and that defensive zones are not simply military and security spaces, but comprehensive defence and security structures organised within each locality. Such educational and communication efforts must be conducted regularly and continuously through diverse forms and methods, with particular emphasis on integrating political and ideological education with the dissemination of the Party’s guidelines and policies and the State’s laws and regulations on national defence and security.

Second, closely integrate the building of the “People’s hearts and minds posture” with the effective implementation of socio-economic development tasks and the improvement of the People’s material and spiritual well-being. Practice has shown that the People’s trust and support can only be firmly sustained when their living standards continue to improve, and their legitimate rights and interests are respected and guaranteed. Therefore, the formulation and implementation of socio-economic development strategies, plans, and programmes in each locality and region must be closely linked with defence and security requirements. Particular attention should be paid to integrating economic, cultural, and social development with sustainable poverty reduction, social welfare provision, and the narrowing of development gaps among regions. Through these efforts, the People’s confidence in the Party and the State will be strengthened, thereby creating a solid social foundation for building and promoting the “People’s hearts and minds posture”, contributing to the firm protection of the Fatherland under all circumstances.

Third, defensive zones must be developed in a proactive, robust, and comprehensive manner, closely linked with the “People’s hearts and minds posture” from the grassroots level. To effectively implement this measure, it is necessary to continue renewing both the thinking and approach to building defensive zones in a comprehensive and coordinated manner, tailored to the development conditions and characteristics of each locality. Accordingly, the development of defensive zones should not focus solely on strengthening military and security potential, but should also prioritise the synchronous development of political, economic, cultural, social, scientific, and technological capabilities. This requires ensuring a close and harmonious integration between the “hard posture” and the “soft posture” of defence and security. Particular importance should be attached to the role of the People in building defensive zones, promoting grassroots democracy, and fostering broad social consensus. In doing so, a cohesive and resilient defensive posture can be established, enhancing the capacity to prevent, proactively detect, and effectively address all defence and security contingencies.

Fourth, strengthen the Party’s leadership and the State’s management over the building of the all-people national defence and People’s security postures in association with the “People’s hearts and minds posture” and defensive zones. The development of the Party’s theoretical thinking at the 14th National Party Congress places higher demands on both the Party’s leadership role and the effectiveness of State management in the fields of national defence and security. Accordingly, Party committees, Party organisations, and authorities at all levels should translate the viewpoints of the 14th National Party Congress into resolutions, programmes, and plans suited to practical conditions, while strengthening inspection and supervision of their implementation. The State should continue to improve the legal framework, mechanisms, and policies on national defence and security, particularly those related to the development of defensive zones and the promotion of the People’s role in safeguarding the Fatherland. In this way, consistency can be ensured between theoretical thinking and practical action, and between strategic objectives and concrete measures.

Fifth, bring into full play the aggregate strength of the entire political system and the whole People in the cause of national construction and defence. The viewpoint advanced at the 14th National Party Congress clearly reaffirms the all-people and comprehensive nature of national defence and security. Accordingly, it is essential to mobilise and effectively harness the coordinated roles of the entire political system, the armed forces, and the People in building national defence and security. This requires close coordination among all levels, sectors, and forces; a harmonious integration of defence and security tasks with economic, cultural, social, and external relations activities; and the building of a strong political system capable of generating comprehensive national strength. Such efforts will enhance the country’s capacity to respond effectively to all changes and contingencies, ensuring that the Fatherland is never placed in a strategically passive or unexpected situation.

Senior Colonel UONG THIEN HOANG, PhD.
Deputy Head of the Faculty of Party and Political Affairs, Political Academy