Over the years, the Determined to Win Emulation Movement has been executed widely and deeply across the Military, becoming a source of motivation for troops to surmount all difficulties and successfully fulfil all assigned tasks. In the new period, the entire Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) should continue bringing the Movement to a new height to contribute to increasing the Military’s synergy and combat strength and firmly protecting the Fatherland in any situations.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Truong Thien To encourages troops taking part in military parade (photo: qdnd.vn)

Being imbued with President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology on Patriotic Emulation, grasping the Party’s lines and the State’s laws and policies on emulation and commendation, over the years, the Central Military Commission (CMC), the Ministry of National Defence, the General Department of Politics, and all-level party committees, political commissars, commands, and political agencies have closely, synchronously carried out emulation - commendation work and the Determined to Win Emulation Movement.

In the past 5 years, socio-economic development and political security have been basically sustained. A part from advantages, our country has been facing a lot of challenges; hostile forces are stepping up “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, and “self-transformation” from within; natural disasters, climate change, and epidemics negatively impact on socio-economic development. The entire Military has drastically implemented the 13^th Politburo’s Resolution 05-NQ/TW, dated 17 January 2022, and the CMC’s Resolution 230-NQ/QUTW, dated 2 April 2022, on leading the organisation of the VPA in the period of 2021 - 2030 and beyond, grasping and seriously realising the Party’s lines and resolutions on streamlining the political system’s apparatus and adopting two-tier local government model, promoting science - technology development, innovation, and national digital transformation. With great political resolve, the entire VPA has seriously, effectively realised the emulation theme for the period of 2020 - 2025: “democracy, unity, knowledge, discipline, exemplarity, determination to win”, actively renewing forms and methods of emulation, organising peak and focalised emulation drives towards grass-roots level, central political tasks, and settlement of weaknesses via diverse approaches.

In the process, the Determined to Win Emulation Movement has been closely combined with the Patriotic Emulation Movement and campaigns launched by the Party, State, sectors, and localities; it has also been aligned with the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle, the Party Central Committee’s Conclusion 21-KL/TW, dated 25 October 2021, on enhancing the building and rectification of the Party and political system, resolutely preventing and strictly handling degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle as well as “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” among cadres and party members, and the CMC’s Resolution 847-NQ/QUTW, dated 28 December 2021, on promoting the virtues of Uncle Ho’s Soldiers and resolutely fighting individualism in the new situation.

Emulation - commendation councils at all levels have been consolidated; regulations on emulation - commendation work have been supplemented and perfected; this work has been effectively maintained in accordance with the VPA’s task requirements. All-level political offices have given sound advice to party committees and commands on identifying measures of leadership and direction over emulation - commendation work. Mass organisations and soldiers’ councils have actively encouraged their cadres and members to take part in the Determined to Win Emulation Movement.

As a result, the Movement has created a direct incentive for building a strong VPA in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organisation, and personnel. Cadres and soldiers across the Military have proactively surmounted difficulties and showcased their readiness to sacrifice themselves for the Fatherland and people. There have been brilliant achievements in training, combat readiness, exercises, education, and contests; force adjustments have been conducted closely, scientifically under the pre-set road map; there have been many positive changes in regularity building, discipline management, administrative reform, the building of “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong, pure party organisations as well as the building of “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong offices and units.

The work of international integration and defence diplomacy has been carried out proactively, flexibly, effectively. Law building, logistics support, technical support, defence industry, financial work, science research, legal affairs, judicial work, cipher work, information technology, digital transformation, and other pieces of work have obtained encouraging results. Due attention has been paid to commending typical examples, thus creating spillover positive effects and helping develop the Movement.

Offices and units have well organised their Determined to Win Emulation Congresses, correctly assessing their weak and strong points, honouring typical examples, proposing new solutions to further improving the Movement. From realities of the Determined to Win Emulation Movement, there have been many creative, effective models and typical examples in all areas. Those are the nuclei for unceasingly developing the Determined to Win Emulation and Patriotic Emulation Movements and bolstering the noble virtues of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the new era.

However, in addition to those good results, there have been several drawbacks in the Determined to Win Emulation Movement. Some party committees and commands have failed to renew or improve emulation - commendation work; the organisation and maintenance of the Movement in some units have shown signs of formality; the building and multiplication of typical examples have yet to be comprehensive in some places; several typical examples’ influence has been still limited; emulation in realising the “Three Breakthroughs” has revealed certain weaknesses; the detection and commendation of collectives and individuals with unexpected outstanding achievements in several offices and units have yet to be timely.

Search and rescue operations by the VPA in Lang Nu village, Phuc Khanh commune, Lao Cai province (photo: qdnd.vn)

In the upcoming years, the situation around the world and in the region continues to be complex and unpredictable; peace, cooperation, and development will still prevail but face a lot of challenges. Global issues continue to have great impacts on all countries. The 4^th industrial revolution continues to develop and widely, deeply impact on all aspects of social life. As for our country, after nearly 40 years of Doi Moi (renovation), Vietnam’s position, potential, synergy, and international prestige as well as the people’s faith have been unceasingly cemented as a solid foundation for Fatherland construction and protection. The revolution to streamline the political system’s apparatus and the adoption of two-tier local government model have obtained initial important results, thus creating new driving force for national development. However, our country is still confronted with a lot of difficulties and challenges. Hostile forces are intensifying their sabotage efforts with more cunning tactics. Climate change, epidemics, and natural disasters take place more frequently and seriously. Our Party and State have been stepping up the Patriotic Emulation Movement, campaigns, and major programs in an effort to fulfil the targets of national development towards 2030 and 2045. Higher requirements are being imposed on the building of a revolutionary, regular, elite, modern VPA, national defence consolidation, and Fatherland protection. Hence, the entire Military should continue promoting the Determined to Win Emulation Movement in order to motivate cadres and soldiers to remain unity, overcome all difficulties and challenges, and successfully accomplish all assigned tasks. To that end, it is necessary to well implement several measures as follows.

First, enhancing leadership and direction over emulation - commendation work and the Determined to Win Emulation Movement. All-level party committees and commands should heighten a sense of responsibility for renewing and improving emulation - commendation work and the Determined to Win Emulation Movement. It is important to grasp Ho Chi Minh’s ideology on Patriotic Emulation, the Party’s lines, and the State’s laws and policies on emulation - commendation work. Consideration should be given to disseminating the Law on Emulation and Commendation, decrees of the Government and circulars of the Ministry of National Defence on emulation and commendation, and the CMC Standing Board’s Program 3609-CTr/QUTW, dated 26 March 2025, on executing the 13^th Politburo’s Directive 41-CT/TW, dated 26 December 2024, on enhancing the Party’s leadership over emulation - commendation work in the new situation. Doing so will help render cadres and soldiers across the Military fully aware of the role and significance of emulation - commendation work, encourage troops to promote their pioneering role in emulation movements at grass-roots level, turn the spirit of emulation into a routine deed of cadres and soldiers, and transform emulation movements into revolutionary action movements.

Emulation - commendation work must always be derived from realities of training, combat readiness, and task performance of offices and units as well as from troops’ activities. While regular emulation should be aligned with intense emulation, comprehensive emulation should be combined with focalised emulation. It is vital to grasp units’ central political tasks and find out new issues and weaknesses to adopt breakthrough measures. Party committees and party organisations should adhere to the theme, guidelines, targets, and content of the 11^th Army-wide Determined to Win Emulation Congress and grasp their units’ political missions to formulate measures of leadership and direction properly. The Determined to Win Emulation Movement should be developed deeply, widely, firmly and aimed at quickly fulfilling the content and targets of emulation in each month, each quarter, each year, and the whole period of 2025 - 2030, executing the Resolutions of the 12^th Military Party Congress and all-level party congresses for 2025 - 2030 tenure, and excellently accomplishing the tasks of VPA building, national defence consolidation, and Fatherland protection in the new era.

Second, continuing to renew content, forms, and methods of the Determined to Win Emulation Movement. Offices and units should consistently concentrate their efforts on grass-roots level, adhere to their central political missions to organise emulation drives with diverse, attractive forms, with topics that are easy to remember and to realise, and with content and targets which are specific and practical. Key plans, programs, and content of emulation and the building of typical examples should continue to be effectively implemented. Due attention should be paid to stepping up emulation in building “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong offices and units, developing and perfecting military - defence institutions, well performing military - defence tasks, executing regulations on units’ organisational structure, and raising the quality of training, combat readiness, regularity building, discipline management, science - technology development, innovation, digital transformation, and “digital literacy” movement within the Military. It is essential to enhance the emulation movement of “clever mass mobilisation”, the development of “good mass mobilisation” units, “debt of gratitude” activities, and the building of strong political bases.

Furthermore, offices and units should effectively organise key emulation activities. They should closely, practically execute the movements, namely “the whole country emulates building a learning society, promoting lifelong learning in the period of 2023 - 2030” and “the Military emulates innovation and digital transformation”, the Campaign on promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s Soldiers in the new era in tandem with the Patriotic Emulation Movement and other campaigns and movements within localities. While each service member should be a soldier of culture, each unit should be a cultural model in their stationed area. Offices and units should well organise emulation activities to celebrate major political events of the Party, country, and VPA, especially the 12^th Military Party Congress in 2025 as well as the 14^th National Party Congress and elections of deputies to the 16^th National Assembly and all-level people’s councils for 2026 - 2031 tenure in 2026.     

Third, well performing the work of detecting, developing, and multiplying typical examples in the Determined to Win Emulation Movement. All-level party committees and commands should clearly understand the importance of building and multiplying typical examples, regard this as a central task aimed at renewing their methods of organising and directing emulation movements, and focus their leadership and directing on all four steps of detecting, developing, reviewing, and multiplying typical examples. Emphasis should be placed on building truly typical examples with great influence for wide dissemination across the Military and country, particularly in new fields and key, difficult missions. Offices and units should integrate emulation movements into all operations of troops to create a favourable condition for new factors and typical examples to emerge. It is necessary to conduct more researches and reviews to draw lessons and replicate effective approaches, new factors, and “good people, good deed” examples from grass-roots level. Collaboration with press agencies both inside and outside the VPA should be maintained to honestly, fully, clearly disseminate creative, effective approaches.

Fourth, closely combining emulation with commendation. Offices and units should take the results of emulation as a criterion for emulation, fully understand that commendation acts as an incentive to develop emulation movements, align emulation with commendation, and combine commendation with personnel work and policy work. They should strictly implement the Law on Emulation and Commendation and its guiding documents. They should renew and improve commendation work, screen and propose commendation in a close, democratic, open, timely manner. Great value should be attached to commending, honouring, and widely, deeply disseminating collectives and individuals with brilliant achievements in science - technology development, innovation, digital transformation, training, combat readiness, natural disaster response, search and rescue, production, international missions, law building, and administrative reform, those who dare to think, dare to speak, dare to do, dare to take responsibility, dare to be innovative, dare to confront difficulties and challenges, and dare to act for the common good, and those who have unexpected outstanding achievements and give sound advice on organising major political events of the Party, country, and VPA. It is vital to opportunely settle drawbacks and negative practices in commendation work and ensure that commendation will be given to the right persons for the right achievements.

Fifth, promoting synergy of forces and organisations to deeply, widely, effectively develop the Determined to Win Emulation Movement. Offices and units should focus on improving the quality of emulation - commendation councils. The quality of advice and guidance given by political offices and specialised bodies for emulation - commendation work should be raised. Refresher courses should be held to improve professional expertise of cadres and employees in charge of emulation - commendation work. Administrative reform and digital transformation should be stepped up to ensure uniformity and accuracy and facilitate data management and use in emulation - commendation work. Mass organisations’ emulation movements, such as “Military youth foster ethics, improve talent, play a pioneering, creative role, deserve to be Uncle Ho’s Soldiers in the new era”, “Military women demonstrate knowledge and courage, successfully fulfil tasks, build happy families, deserve to be Uncle’s Soldiers in the new era”, and “Military Trade Union upholds innovation, ethics training, physical training, professional competence improvement, and development, deserve to be Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” should be promoted widely, deeply, effectively. At the same time, there should be more activities to encourage cadres and union members to bring into play their pioneering, creative role and successfully accomplish all assigned tasks. All-level party committees and commands should enhance inspection and supervision, regularly conduct preliminary and final reviews to promote strong points, settle weak points in leadership and direction over emulation movements, opportunely detect and overcome difficulties and drawbacks, and resolutely combat “merit-driven” disease and other negative practices in emulation - commendation work.

The Determined to Win Emulation Movement is not only a form of party and political work, but also an art of organising revolutionary movements, gathering and encouraging cadres and soldiers to well perform the VPA’s functions and tasks. Bringing into play the recorded results, the whole Military should continue stepping up the Determined to Win Emulation Movement, creating a huge source of motivation, asserting the resolve to undertake any missions, contributing to building a revolutionary, regular, elite, modern VPA capable of firmly protecting the Fatherland in the new era.

Sr. Lt. Gen. TRUONG THIEN TO

Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the VPA