This is a hostile, intentionally distorted, and baseless argument. Because:

Legitimate self-defense is the natural right of every nation and people, recognized in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and existing in international practice. In the current context, a nation's legitimate self-defense includes necessary activities to prevent and counter threats, acts, and activities that infringe upon its legitimate interests.

As a nation with a tradition of peace, peace-loving and respecting international law, the nature of Vietnam's defense policy is peace and self-defense. This has been made public and transparent in the Party's documents, the Constitution and the legal system of the State of Vietnam. Article 4 of the 2018 Law on National Defense affirms: "Consolidating and strengthening the all-people national defense and military strength to build and firmly protect the socialist Fatherland of Vietnam, contributing to protecting peace in the region and the world...; implementing a policy of peace and self-defense; using legitimate and appropriate measures to prevent, stop, repel and defeat all plots and acts of aggression". The 2019 Vietnam Defense White Paper emphasizes: "Vietnam's defense policy is peaceful and self-defense in nature. Vietnam opposes arms race activities". Thus, Vietnam's national defense policy of peace, self-defense, anti-war, and opposition to arms race activities in all forms has always been affirmed publicly, transparently, and clearly.

Vietnam is very active in participating in international peacekeeping activities. Photo: Vietnam Permanent Mission to the United Nations

In recent years, Vietnam has faced significant challenges and threats to national defense and security from hostile and reactionary forces. In that context, the Strategy for Protecting the Vietnamese Fatherland in the New Situation determines the political determination of the entire Party, people and army: To ensure the highest national interests on the basis of firmly protecting the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Fatherland; to protect the Party, the State, the people and the socialist regime; to protect the achievements of the revolution, the cause of innovation, industrialization and modernization, the culture and the prestige and international position of the country; to protect national security, human security, economic security and cyber security; to maintain political security, social order and safety; to eliminate factors causing political instability from within; to suppress the risk of conflict and war; to maintain and consolidate a peaceful environment for national construction and development; actively contribute to maintaining world peace.

To achieve that goal, it is necessary for Vietnam to pay attention and make appropriate investments to consolidate and strengthen its defense and security potential, ensuring sufficient strength to firmly protect the Fatherland in all situations. Apart from that purpose, Vietnam's defense has no other purpose, not to interfere in the internal affairs, threaten or invade any other country, in any form or nature. Thus, it can be clearly seen that with such a defense policy, Vietnam does not become a threat to any country in the region and in the world.

Over the past years, Vietnam has actively and proactively made efforts to prevent and repel the risk of conflict and war and to resolve disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law.

Specifically, Vietnam and its neighboring countries have made many efforts to effectively apply international law and practices to resolve disagreements and disputes. In particular, Vietnam has signed with Laos the Treaty on National Border Delimitation; signed with Cambodia the Agreement on Historical Waters at Sea and the Agreement on Principles for Resolving Border Issues; signed with Malaysia the Agreement on Cooperation in Joint Exploration and Exploitation of Overlapping Areas; signed with Thailand the Agreement on Maritime Boundary Delimitation; signed with China the Treaty on Land Borders and the Agreement on Delimitation of Territorial Seas, Exclusive Economic Zones and Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Tonkin; signed with Indonesia the Agreement on Continental Shelf Boundary Delimitation...

Currently, in resolving disputes between Vietnam and other countries, including the issue of sovereignty in the East Sea, Vietnam is always steadfast and persistent in its stance of resolving disagreements through peaceful measures, dialogue, on the basis of respect for international law; first of all, effectively and fully implementing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), the ASEAN Six-Point Statement dated July 20, 2012 on the East Sea; at the same time, Vietnam is actively cooperating, negotiating, and working with relevant countries to build a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) to maintain peace, stability, ensure security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation; and respect the legitimate rights and interests of the parties.

Vietnam has had to wage many wars against invaders throughout its thousands of years of history to gain independence, freedom, territorial integrity and a peaceful and stable environment like today. Therefore, the Party and State of Vietnam are very aware of the necessity and understand the great value of peace and stability for the cause of national construction and development. The Vietnamese people always wish to live in peace, friendship, cooperation and development with other nations and need a peaceful and stable environment to continue building a prosperous and happy country. The Vietnamese people do not want conflicts and wars because they lead to great losses, pain and suffering for more than one side. Vietnam is making efforts to create and maintain a peaceful and stable environment for the country and the region; However, Vietnam is also determined not to fear war of invasion from other countries, and is ready to conduct necessary defense and military activities to defend itself and firmly protect the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland under all conditions and circumstances.

In the complicated context of the current international situation, Vietnam is clearly aware that in each partner there may be aspects that conflict with the interests of the nation and people, which need to be fought; in each subject there may be aspects that need to be sought for cooperation, persuasion, efforts to promote cooperation, reduce disagreements and conflicts to achieve the highest benefits for the cause of building and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland. Vietnam implements the motto of "protecting the country early, from afar, defending the country when the country is not yet in danger"; proactively preventing and preventing the risk of conflict and war, defeating the plots and activities of "peaceful evolution" of hostile forces, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for building and developing the country.

National defense and security are always important fields, deciding the success or failure, prosperity or decline of each country and nation, regardless of political regime and level of development.

As a developing country with a high degree of economic openness, limited resilience and competitiveness, and always facing difficulties and challenges in the cause of national defense, Vietnam determines to develop the country quickly and sustainably, closely linking and synchronously implementing tasks, in which socio-economic development and environmental protection are central, Party building is key, cultural development is the foundation, ensuring national defense, security and foreign affairs are essential and regular.

In recent years, stemming from the urgent requirements of the task of consolidating and strengthening national defense and security potential, developing the defense industry, modernizing the armed forces; building a revolutionary, disciplined, elite, and modern People's Army and People's Public Security, Vietnam has paid due and reasonable attention to investing the budget and other resources to strengthen national defense and security.

From the above explanations, it is necessary to affirm that Vietnam is a peaceful, peace-loving nation that respects international law. In the context of having to deal with many challenges and threats to national defense and security from both outside and inside, in order to protect the country early and from afar, Vietnam has been investing a certain amount of resources, in accordance with the country's needs and capabilities, to strengthen its national defense and security potential. This is completely legitimate and consistent with Vietnam's policy of peaceful national defense and self-defense. Therefore, all distorted and fabricated arguments surrounding Vietnam's defense and security budget are farces and tricks of hostile and reactionary forces and cannot deceive true patriotic Vietnamese people.

Colonel NGUYEN MINH THANH, Faculty of Military Art History, Academy of Politics


    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-chong-dien-bien-hoa-binh/bac-bo-luan-dieu-xuyen-tac-viet-nam-tham-gia-chay-dua-vu-trang-di-nguoc-lai-chinh-sach-hoa-binh-833957