Liberation troops entering Tan Son Nhat Airport on April 30th 1975 (file photo)

In integration trend of both cooperation and struggle, to be rightly aware of partner and opponent, the ideological work should be proactive, creative and flexible to firmly maintain Party ideological work in the Army. Thoroughly grasping the direction of the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising, ideological work in the Army should adopt measures as follows:

Firstly, ideological work needs a thorough grasp of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s thought, Party’s guidelines and policies, the revolutionary and Army’s tasks, making the entire military unanimous in will and action, steadfast in political stance, determined to fulfill all assigned tasks, deserved to be a loyal and reliable political fighting force of the Party, the State, and the People.

Secondly, ideological work must closely adhere to troops’ practical activities to have plentiful, appropriate, and timely contents and forms. This is a measure of utmost importance, an objective requirement, adapting to the situation’s development to enhance combativeness, persuasiveness, and effectiveness of the ideological work.

Thirdly, it is necessary to closely combine ideological work with organizational work and policy work. To implement it well, when carrying out ideological work, party organization, commanders, political cadres, political organs should attach them to organization consolidation, meeting the requirements of tasks, with a focus on the units whose tasks are important, new, and complex; building strong and pure party’s, commander’s, and mass’s organizations that are capable to lead and fulfill all assigned tasks; taking good care of cadres and troops’ material and spiritual life.

Fourthly, ideological work should promote the synergy of organizations and forces, with the party committees, commanders, political cadres staff, and political organs first. Ideological work is the duty of all cadres and party members, on the basis of the party committees’ leadership and the commissars, junior commissars, and commanders’ direction.

Senior Lieutenant General Mai Quang Phan

Member of the Party Central Committee

Vice Director of the General Political Department of the Vietnam People’s Army