During the process of leading the country, our Party has always affirmed that sovereignty , sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over Vietnam's seas are sacred and inviolable. The task of managing and protecting the sovereignty , sovereign rights, security, and safety of the seas and islands of the Fatherland is the cause of the entire Party, the entire people, and the entire army, in which the Coast Guard (CSB) plays a core role. In response to the new requirements of the cause of building and defending the Fatherland, the Party Committee, commanders, officers, and soldiers of the CSB clearly identify the responsibility of building a revolutionary, disciplined, elite, modern, and highly professional CSB force.

After 25 years of construction and development (August 28, 1998 / August 28, 2023), the organization, staffing, and equipment of the Coast Guard force have been and are being invested in the right direction, ensuring the leadership, management, and direct direction of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense; ensuring centralized and unified command from the Command to agencies and units in the entire force. However, the Coast Guard force also faces many difficulties, with a large area, scattered troops, and many difficulties and shortages in facilities; barracks, wharves, equipment, and ships are still lacking; the ability to operate in complex weather conditions is still limited, while the requirements and tasks of the Coast Guard force are increasingly demanding.

Faced with the above reality, building the Coast Guard to be worthy of being a specialized, core force of the State in managing and protecting the sovereignty and security of the sea and islands, truly strong in all aspects is an objective necessity, and one of the important contents and solutions in implementing the Vietnam Sea Strategy and the Strategy for protecting the Fatherland in the new situation. In order to build a comprehensive, revolutionary, disciplined, elite, modern and highly professional Coast Guard force, the Party Committee and the Coast Guard Command have thoroughly grasped and seriously and effectively implemented the resolutions, directives and orders of the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defense on military, defense and Coast Guard tasks. Focus on improving the quality and effectiveness of strategic forecasting work, on the basis of improving the capacity for thinking, analyzing, synthesizing and assessing the situation, thereby making correct and accurate decisions in handling situations, avoiding being passive and surprised. Synchronously, resolutely and effectively implement solutions to improve the level and combat readiness (SSCD), successfully handle situations at sea. Advise and propose to the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense policies and measures at sea and build agencies and units; in protecting sovereignty, fighting against crimes, handling violations and rescuing, protecting fishermen; in building national defense and security posture at sea and international cooperation. Proactively research and propose competent authorities to promulgate the Law on CSB and legal documents, propagate and guide cadres, party members and people of all walks of life to promote the combined strength, successfully complete the task of protecting sovereignty, sovereign rights, national jurisdiction, security and national interests; do a good job of protecting marine resources and environment; protect assets, rights and legitimate interests of agencies, organizations and individuals at sea.

Major General Le Quang Dao, Commander of the Vietnam Coast Guard, inspected and encouraged officers and soldiers performing their duties in the Southwest sea area.

Lieutenant General Bui Quoc Oai, Party Secretary and Political Commissar of the Vietnam Coast Guard (third from left) presented the national flag and gifts to encourage fishermen working in Con Dao island district.

The Coast Guard Command leaders inspected training on board.

Coast Guard Region 3 ships donate vegetables and support fishermen in the Phuc Nguyen 2A Platform area.

The fleet of Coast Guard Region 1 patrols and supports fishermen working at sea.

The entire force has made a breakthrough in innovating training content and methods according to the motto "basic, practical, solid", attaching importance to synchronous and in-depth training, organizing competitions, sports, and drills well; taking the task of protecting sovereignty, enforcing the law and building a modern Coast Guard as the training goal. During the training process, preparation and assurance work have been done well; training for the team of officers and employees directly managing, exploiting, and using weapons and technical equipment has been enhanced.

The Party Committee and the Coast Guard Command also focus on doing well the work of political and ideological education, making the cadres and soldiers well-versed in their tasks, understanding the partners, targets, plots and tricks of "peaceful evolution" of hostile forces. Building mettle, confidence, determination, overcoming difficulties, being ready to receive and complete tasks well in all situations. The work of political and ideological education has closely combined traditional education with organizing emulation movements, making the cadres and soldiers deeply aware of their tasks; building and maintaining revolutionary ethics; having a clean and healthy lifestyle, maintaining the image of "Uncle Ho's soldiers - Coast Guard soldiers".

Proactively and effectively perform the advisory work to implement the policies of the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defense in protecting sovereignty, maintaining security and order, and safety in the seas and islands of the Fatherland. Over the past years, the Vietnam Coast Guard has collected, researched, and processed more than 10,000 pieces of information of all kinds, developed hundreds of summary reports and specialized reports related to protecting sovereignty over seas and islands and preventing and combating crimes and violations of the law at sea; regularly maintained dozens of ships on duty in key sea areas, ensuring combat readiness, affirming sovereignty, sovereign rights, jurisdiction, maintaining security and order, and safety in Vietnam's seas; closely combining with the tasks of patrolling, inspecting, controlling, maintaining law enforcement, preventing and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and performing search and rescue missions; Close coordination, practice, and rehearsal of combat plans to protect sovereignty with the Navy, Border Guard, Air Defense-Air Force, Fisheries Surveillance, coastal military regions, and departments, ministries, and sectors of 28 coastal provinces and cities; ensuring the safety of construction and economic development activities at sea. Thereby, the combined strength of all levels and sectors, especially the forces directly operating at sea, has been effectively promoted; many defense and security situations at sea have been handled promptly and in accordance with policies; the defense and security posture at sea has continued to be firmly consolidated.

Specifically, the entire force mobilized and used more than 8,800 ships and boats to patrol, inspect and control the seas and continental shelves of our country; inspected more than 20,000 ships of all kinds, sanctioned more than 7,300 ships for administrative violations, and paid hundreds of billions of VND to the state budget; organized the expulsion of more than 5,500 foreign ships and boats violating Vietnam's waters; propagated and requested 16,757 foreign fishing boats to leave Vietnam's waters, recorded the numbers of 1,279 ships, made records of nautical charts, and released more than 100 ships; and handed over nearly 100 violating ships and boats to competent authorities for handling in accordance with the law. During operations at sea, Coast Guard vessels combine legal propaganda for thousands of Vietnamese fishing vessels to strictly comply with international law and Vietnamese law; not to violate IUU fishing.

To meet the requirements of the tasks in the new situation, the Party Committee and the Coast Guard Command determined to focus on leading the improvement of the overall quality of the entire force, proactively overcoming difficulties, actively innovating and creating, and implementing well the policy of building a "revolutionary, disciplined, elite, and modern" Coast Guard. Effectively carry out the task of protecting sovereignty, maintaining security, order, and safety of the sea and islands of the Fatherland, focusing on implementing well the remaining targets set out in the Resolution of the 5th Party Congress of the Coast Guard, term 2020-2025, namely:

Seriously and effectively implement directives and resolutions of the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense; closely coordinate with forces to grasp the situation, analyze, evaluate and promptly advise on policies and measures; direct forces to properly, flexibly and effectively handle situations, not to be passive or surprised. Comprehensively and effectively deploy tasks of fighting to protect sovereignty; enforce the law; combat piracy, armed robbery, all types of crimes, violations, search and rescue, and protect the marine environment. Strengthen CSB foreign affairs activities, improve the ability to resolve security and marine environmental issues. Closely coordinate with agencies, organizations and functional forces to effectively perform management tasks on security, order and safety; contribute to building a solid national defense and security posture at sea.

Focus on building a politically strong Coast Guard force, as a basis for improving overall quality, qualifications, and combat readiness. Continue to effectively implement the Campaign "Promoting tradition, dedicating talent, worthy of Uncle Ho's soldiers", continue to effectively implement the mass mobilization program "Coast Guard accompanies fishermen", "Coast Guard accompanies ethnic and religious compatriots"; deploy the signing between the Standing Committee of the Coast Guard Party Committee and the Standing Committees of 28 coastal provinces and cities in cooperation to implement the program "Coast Guard accompanies fishermen". Strive for 100% of officers and soldiers to be ready to receive and complete all tasks well; annually test political, military, legal, and specialized awareness of Coast Guard with 100% meeting requirements (75% or more good, excellent, over 15% excellent); 100% of officers are trained according to decentralization. Promote the effective implementation of the Project on building the Vietnam Coast Guard force for the 2021-2025 period; focus on training high-quality human resources with sufficient qualifications to effectively exploit modern equipment.

Strengthen the construction of regularity, work order, discipline training, compliance with State laws and military discipline. Lead the implementation of good logistics, technical, financial, planning and investment work; strive for over 98.5% of healthy troops, over 85% of units to achieve good military kitchens, good military supplies management, 100% of units to achieve production growth targets; maintain the order of financial work and asset management. Ensure the technical coefficient reaches over 95%; well implement the 50 Campaign and two breakthroughs of the technical sector; effectively implement the emulation movement "The military logistics sector follows Uncle Ho's teachings", focusing on doing well the work of reserve and logistics assurance for agencies and units on the sea and island routes, especially for fleets on long-term missions at sea.

Continue to effectively implement the Resolution of the 4th Central Committee, 11th and 12th tenures on Party building, in conjunction with the implementation of Directive 05 of the Politburo and Directive 87 of the Central Military Commission Standing Committee; build clean and strong Party committees and organizations, promote the leadership role; every year, over 80% of Party committees and organizations fulfill their tasks well, no Party organization fails to fulfill its tasks; over 80% of Party members fulfill their tasks well and excellently, no Party members seriously violate discipline. Carry out well the Party's inspection and supervision work and specialized inspection and examination according to the annual plan of the commander.

Promoting the tradition of "Resolutely brave, overcoming difficulties, solidarity and cooperation, strictly upholding the law", with a proactive, creative and highly determined spirit, the Vietnam Coast Guard will constantly strive to meet the requirements of the tasks in the new situation, worthy of being the core force in maintaining law enforcement at sea, excellently completing all assigned tasks, worthy of the trust of the Party, State and people for the Coast Guard.

With its contributions to the cause of national construction and defense, the CSB force was awarded the noble title of Heroic Unit of the People's Armed Forces (in 2015); 1 Third-class Military Exploit Order, 1 First-class Fatherland Protection Order, 1 First-class Feat Order, 5 Emulation Flags of the Prime Minister, 5 Certificates of Merit of the Prime Minister; 12 collectives were awarded the First, Second and Third Class Fatherland Protection Order; 9 collectives were awarded the First, Second and Third Feat Order, along with hundreds of collectives and individuals awarded medals, emulation flags and certificates of merit by the Government, the Prime Minister, the Ministry of National Defense and local ministries and branches.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Traditional Day, the Vietnam Coast Guard was honored to receive the Second Class Order of Military Exploit for its outstanding achievements in the fight against drug crimes, contributing to maintaining political security and social order and safety.

Major General LE QUANG DAO, Commander of Vietnam Coast Guard

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