"Vietnam People's Army - National Pride"

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army and the 35th anniversary of the National Defense Day, Dan Tri respectfully introduces the article: "Vietnam People's Army - National Pride" by General Secretary To Lam .

General Secretary To Lam (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA).

1. The Vietnam People's Army was born from the people and fights for the people. After 80 years of building, fighting, winning and growing, under the leadership,education and training of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, from a small army with rudimentary equipment, it has become a powerful army, together with the people, creating glorious victories and heroic feats, a symbol of the spirit of determination to fight and win of the Vietnamese people, the pride of the Party, the State, the Vietnamese people and peace-loving friends in the world. On December 22, 1944, implementing the Directive of leader Ho Chi Minh, in the forest between the two communes of Hoang Hoa Tham and Tran Hung Dao, Nguyen Binh district, Cao Bang province, the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army Team with 34 soldiers in "brown pants and cloth shirts" - the predecessor of the Vietnam People's Army, led by comrade Vo Nguyen Giap, was established. Immediately after its establishment, with the support, assistance and protection of the people, the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army Team achieved the victory of Phai Khat and Na Ngan, opening the traditional history of "hundred battles, hundred victories" of the Vietnam People's Army. Under the leadership of the Party and Uncle Ho, the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army Team together with the National Salvation Army units and guerrilla teams developed into the Vietnam Liberation Army, together with the people of the whole country carried out the General Uprising, successfully making the August Revolution in 1945, taking power into the hands of the people, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam - the first people's democratic state in Southeast Asia, opening a new era in the history of the nation, the era of independence and freedom. During the resistance war against the French colonialists, our Army grew rapidly in all aspects; With the determination to fight and win, the spirit of "Determination to die for the survival of the Fatherland", together with the entire people, they fought a long-term resistance war, bankrupted the enemy's strategy of "quick fight, quick victory", the plot of "pacification", "counterattack", and achieved glorious feats. The Winter-Spring strategic offensive (1953-1954) culminating in the historic Dien Bien Phu victory "famous in five continents, shaking the world" forced the French Government to sign the Geneva Agreement, restore peace in Indochina, withdraw troops, completely liberate the North, becoming a source of pride and a shining example for the national liberation movement in the world when for the first time a colonial country, a young army defeated a professional army, equipped with modern weapons of the colonial empire.

General Secretary To Lam, Secretary of the Central Military Commission, met and encouraged young generation representatives in the Army on the afternoon of December 18 (Photo: Thong Nhat - VNA).

During the resistance war against the US to save the country, facing a formidable empire with the strongest economic and military potential in the world, a professional expeditionary army with strong soldiers and generals. However, under the talented and wise leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, our Army promoted its revolutionary nature, heroic tradition, with the spirit of courage, intelligence, creativity, determination to fight and win, implementing Uncle Ho's words "Fight to make the US go away, fight to make the puppet government fall", overcame all difficulties, hardships, sacrifices, "dare to fight, determined to fight, know how to fight and know how to win", together with the whole people smashed the strategy of "Special War", "Local War", "Vietnamization of the war"... defeated two destructive wars in the North by the US imperialists' air force and navy, creating the battle of "Dien Bien Phu in the air" (December 1972); carried out the General Offensive and Uprising in the Spring of 1975, culminating in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, successfully ending the resistance war against the US to save the country, gloriously completing the cause of national liberation and unification, writing a heroic and glorious page of history in the Ho Chi Minh era; the country was reunited, entering a new era - an era of peace, independence, freedom, and the whole country moving towards socialism. Not only winning independence for the nation and freedom for the people, the Vietnam People's Army actively performed its noble international duty, helping the Lao people firmly protect the fruits of the revolution, helping the Cambodian people escape genocide, carrying out the national revival, and winning the war to protect the Fatherland in the southwestern and northern borders. During the period of national renewal, the good nature and tradition of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" forged through two resistance wars and national defense wars continued to shine in the cause of building and protecting the socialist Fatherland. The Vietnam People's Army is exemplary in implementing the Party's resolutions, directives and conclusions; constantly striving, uniting, unifying, joining hands and overcoming all difficulties and challenges, together with the entire Party, the entire people and the entire army to firmly defend the socialist Fatherland in all situations; actively participating in socio-economic development, caring for the people's lives, constantly contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world. The image of army officers and soldiers always present in vulnerable, difficult and dangerous places, sacrificing themselves to protect the lives and property of the people and doing mass mobilization work has further enhanced the qualities and traditions of "Uncle Ho's soldiers", tightening the relationship of solidarity and closeness between the army and the people, building a solid "people's heart position", enhancing the people's trust in the Party, the State and the socialist regime; The image of Vietnamese "soldiers" in the international peacekeeping force in many war-torn lands around the world has shown the new scope and strength of the Vietnam People's Army. The great achievements in the cause of national liberation, protection and construction of the socialist Fatherland, and implementation of international obligations over the past 80 years are due to: (i) The Vietnam People's Army has always been under the absolute, direct, and comprehensive leadership in all aspects of the Party, bearing the nature of the Vietnamese working class, shouldering the historical mission of the working class, the people, and the Vietnamese nation. (ii) The Vietnam People's Army is an army of the people, by the people, and for the people; relying on the strength of the people, closely attached to the people, always with a burning desire for a prosperous and happy life for the people; besides the interests of the Fatherland and the interests of the people, our army has no other interests. (iii) The purpose of building the army is to defend the nation, gain independence for the Fatherland, freedom for the people, protect independence, sovereignty , territorial integrity, maintain peace and stability, and contribute to peace and stability in the region and the world. Our army fights with no other goal than to successfully realize the ideals of the Party, the working class, for national independence and socialism. (iv) Generations of cadres and soldiers with a spirit, a will of steel, courage, intelligence, regardless of hardship and sacrifice, always hold high the flag of national independence, freedom and happiness for the people and socialism. (v) Solidarity and support from international friends have contributed to creating the strength of the Vietnam People's Army. 2. The world is in a period of epochal change; this is also the time to shape our future. Strategic competition among major countries is increasingly fierce, increasing challenges to peace, stability and development of nations. The epochal change brings new opportunities and advantages, but also many challenges, of which the latter is more prominent. However, new opportunities can appear in the moment amid sudden changes in the world situation, our task is to seize that opportunity to move the country forward. The 4th Industrial Revolution has been changing the way countries operate, organize, conduct wars, engage, intervene and many other aspects of military, security and intelligence activities. Hostile, reactionary and opportunistic political forces are vigorously implementing the strategy of "peaceful evolution" with many insidious, sophisticated and dangerous tricks. The above situation poses increasingly high requirements and tasks for the task of protecting the Fatherland. To achieve the requirements and tasks in the new period, the People's Army needs to promote the good nature and tradition of "Uncle Ho's soldiers", focusing on the following tasks: First, strengthen the absolute and direct leadership of the Party in all aspects; constantly consolidate the working class nature, the people's nature, and the national character of the Army. The leadership of the Party is an immutable principle, an objective requirement, and a decisive factor in all victories in the cause of defending the Fatherland and in the national defense task; regardless of the circumstances, it is necessary to maintain and strengthen the absolute and direct leadership of the Communist Party in all aspects over the Army. Maintain the revolutionary nature; adhere to Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought in building and organizing the implementation of the functions and tasks of the Army; Strengthening the unity between the working class nature, the people's character and the national character of the Army is the condition to ensure that our Army will forever be a truly clean political and fighting force, absolutely loyal and trustworthy to the Party, the State and the people. The Army must be "filial to the people", have the responsibility to "serve the people", "serve the Fatherland", respect the people, be closely attached to the people, share the hardships and difficulties of the people, be ready to sacrifice to save the people, must make the people trust, obey, love, remember when they go, love when they stay. Unite and closely coordinate with the People's Public Security to build and promote the "people's heart position" in the national defense of the whole people, the national defense position associated with the people's security, a solid people's security position. Second, the Vietnam People's Army must be exemplary and take the lead in implementing the Party's resolutions, directives and conclusions, first of all Resolution No. 44-NQ/TW of the 13th Central Executive Committee on the Strategy for National Defense in the new situation. Grasp and accurately forecast the situation, promptly advise and effectively handle defense situations, and absolutely not be passive and surprised in any situation. Maintain independence and autonomy; ensure the highest national and ethnic interests on the basis of the fundamental principles of international law; firmly protect the socialist Fatherland early and from afar; resolutely and persistently protect the independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, seas, islands and airspace of the Fatherland. Actively propagate, mobilize and set an example for the people to well implement the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, carry out patriotic emulation movements and revolutionary tasks; consolidating the great national unity bloc, mobilizing the great strength of the People in building and defending the Fatherland. Third, focusing on building a truly clean, strong, disciplined, elite, and modern People's Army, meeting the requirements and tasks in the new era, the era of development and prosperity. Resolutely implementing solutions to "basically build a lean, compact, and strong Army by 2025, creating a solid foundation to strive by 2030 to build a revolutionary, disciplined, elite, modern Army, strong in politics, ideology, ethics, organization, and cadres" according to the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress. Building a modern Army in the spirit of "people first, guns later" and proactively preparing in all aspects for modern warfare; advancing to master outer space, advancing in research to master water surfaces, oceans, and seabeds; Research and develop air defense and air force, master the airspace, handle well unmanned aerial vehicles in the air, at sea, and undersea robots. Build a politically strong Army, Party organizations in the Army that are clean, strong in politics, ideology, ethics, organization and cadres. Build a team of Army cadres that are absolutely "loyal to the country, filial to the people", striving for the Party's ideal goals throughout their lives; wholeheartedly serving the Fatherland and the people, always putting the interests of the nation, the people, and the interests of the people above all; being diligent, frugal, honest, upright, impartial and selfless; daring to think, daring to do, daring to take responsibility, daring to innovate for the common cause, actively setting an example in implementing the Party's policies. Fourth, enhance the contribution of the Vietnam People's Army in implementing the 100-year strategic goals under the Party's leadership, the 100-year founding anniversary of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) and maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world. Implementing the Party's strategic goals, in addition to opportunities and advantages, there are many difficulties and challenges, requiring the entire Party, the entire people and the entire army, in which the People's Army must be one of the core forces advising the Party and the State to seize opportunities and push back challenges; the People's Army must truly be a "fighting army", "working army", "production labor army", in which the role of the "production labor army" must be further promoted to develop the defense industry in the overall direction of building an independent and self-reliant economy . Strengthening Vietnam's contribution to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world through the activities of the Army, first of all, defense cooperation to strengthen trust, minimize disagreements and conflicts; actively participating in international search and rescue, and participating in the United Nations peacekeeping force. With brilliant achievements, with great contributions to the cause of national liberation and protection of the socialist Fatherland over the past 80 years, with the revolutionary nature and tradition of "Uncle Ho's soldiers", our Army deserves to be the heroic Army of the heroic Vietnamese nation, the pride of the Party, State, Vietnamese people and people who love peace, freedom and justice around the world./.

TO LAM

General Secretary of the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam-

Secretary of the Central Military Commission

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/quan-doi-nhan-dan-viet-nam-niem-tu-hao-dan-toc-20241219150506136.htm