General Secretary: The Armored Corps must be worthy of being a strong assault force

Visiting and working with the Armored Corps, General Secretary To Lam emphasized that the Corps must truly be worthy of being a strong assault force of the Vietnam People's Army.

General Secretary To Lam visits and works with the Armored Corps Command. (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA)

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), on the afternoon of April 22, General Secretary To Lam, Secretary of the Central Military Commission, visited and worked with the Armored Corps (Ministry of National Defense).

Attending the working session were Politburo members, Party Central Committee Secretaries: Phan Dinh Trac, Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission; Nguyen Trong Nghia, Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission; Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Head of the Central Inspection Commission; Politburo members: General Phan Van Giang, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense; General Luong Tam Quang, Secretary of the Central Public Security Party Committee, Minister of Public Security; Bui Thi Minh Hoai, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee; Party Central Committee Secretaries, Party Central Committee members, leaders of central departments, ministries, branches, leaders of functional agencies under the Ministry of National Defense; leaders and former leaders of the Armored Corps Command.

Building the tradition of "Once in battle, we must win"

At the working session, reporting on the general situation of the Corps' activities, Major General Do Dinh Thanh, Commander of the Armored Corps, said that on October 5, 1959, the Ministry of National Defense issued a Decision to establish Regiment 202, the first Tank Regiment of the Vietnam People's Army. The 65 years of building, fighting and growing of the Armored Corps have always been associated with glorious feats of arms in the resistance war against the US to save the country and in the war to defend the Fatherland. During the General Offensive and Uprising in the Spring of 1975, the Armored Corps promoted its firepower and the ability to break through, penetrate deeply, and crush the enemy's resistance, contributing to the liberation of Buon Ma Thuot, Hue, Da Nang, etc.

In the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign, with the determination of "Lightning speed, decisive victory," the armored units entered the battle with nearly 400 vehicles, leading 5 armies in all 5 directions, simultaneously attacking and liberating Saigon-Gia Dinh city. At the historic moment of 11:30 a.m. on April 30, 1975, our tanks bravely crashed through the gate of the Saigon puppet government's Presidential Palace; together with the revolutionary armed forces, we captured the Duong Van Minh Cabinet, forcing them to declare unconditional surrender, contributing to the complete victory of our nation's great resistance war against the US to save the country. The country was at peace, the armored forces continued to join the army and people of the whole country to firmly protect the Fatherland's borders and carry out international duties.

In any historical context, the Armored Corps has always creatively applied the Party's military viewpoints and thoughts, inherited and promoted our nation's tradition of fighting to defend the country; studied, researched, and selectively absorbed modern military scientific knowledge, and built the unique combat art of the Vietnamese Armored Corps: "Solidarity and coordination, collective achievements," "One man, one vehicle also attacks," and built the tradition of the Heroic Corps "Once in battle, we must win."

With outstanding achievements in more than 65 years of building, fighting, growing and developing. The Armored Corps has been honored to receive many noble awards from the Party and the State. Up to now, 44 groups and 16 individuals have been awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces and many other noble awards.

General Secretary To Lam speaks at a working session with the Armored Corps Command. (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA)

Speaking at the meeting, General Secretary To Lam emphasized that in addition to successfully completing the central political task of Training and combat readiness, the Armored Corps has made great efforts to increase production and improve the lives of soldiers; at the same time, it has done a good job of propagating and mobilizing people, helping localities prevent natural disasters and epidemics, eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, build roads, build irrigation works, provide free medical examination and treatment and medicine for policy beneficiaries, actively participate in gratitude activities, and support heroic Vietnamese mothers....

These practical actions have contributed to improving people's lives and building a strong local political base; maintaining and continuing to brighten the image of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" and the image of tank soldiers in the hearts of the people.

On behalf of the Party, State and Central Military Commission leaders, General Secretary To Lam commended and praised the great achievements that the Armored Corps has achieved in recent years.

Improve training quality and combat readiness

The General Secretary emphasized that the task of protecting the Fatherland in the current situation poses new requirements ahead. The Army needs to be built to be lean, compact, strong, revolutionary, disciplined, elite, and modern, capable of acting as the core in the cause of consolidating national defense and protecting the Fatherland.

To achieve those goals and tasks, it depends greatly on the political determination and specific action measures of our entire Party, people and army, in which the Armored Corps plays an important role.

In the new revolutionary period, the General Secretary requested the Armored Corps and military units to focus on leading and directing the steadfast implementation of goals and tasks, in line with the development trends of the times; continue to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, the Resolution of the 11th Army Party Congress, and new guidelines and policies of the Party, State, Central Military Commission, and Ministry of National Defense on military and national defense to concretize and effectively implement them in the Corps.

Thoroughly educate officers and soldiers to grasp the objects, partners, functions, tasks of each unit, and the high requirements of the task of protecting the Fatherland, so that they have the right awareness, high determination and great efforts in implementing and successfully completing all assigned tasks, both regular and unexpected.

The General Secretary requested that the Armored Corps strive to work hard, together with the entire army, calculate time, take advantage of every opportunity to constantly improve overall quality, combat readiness, be truly revolutionary, disciplined, elite, modern, and excellently complete assigned tasks. The Armored Corps must truly be worthy of being a strong assault force of the Vietnam People's Army.

General Secretary To Lam with veterans of the Armored Corps. (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA)

The General Secretary pointed out that it is necessary to focus on improving the quality of training, overall strength, and combat readiness; attach importance to synchronous and specialized training in a modern direction, focusing on practice, proficiently using technical equipment and weapons in the establishment, especially new technical equipment; strengthen field training, night training, training on new terrain, close to the tasks, objects, areas, and combat plans... Research and apply information technology, digital transformation in training, operations, and troop management; build a database in training and combat management and operations when there are situations; perfect and build a truly lean, compact, and strong organization and establishment, suitable for military art, weapons and equipment... Improve the quality of regular construction, maintain strict discipline; take care to ensure good living conditions for soldiers and policy work. On the basis of effectively exploiting and mastering new technical equipment, it is necessary to focus on improving and enhancing the quality of technical equipment, maintaining it well, using it durably, safely and economically to meet the requirements of performing assigned tasks.

The General Secretary noted that it is necessary to regularly pay attention to building and improving the comprehensive leadership capacity and fighting strength of Party organizations in the Party Committee of the Corps; to carry out well the study and follow of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style, the Campaign to promote tradition, contribute talent, worthy of the title "Uncle Ho's soldiers" in the new period. To build a contingent of cadres and Party members who are truly exemplary vanguards, who practice what they preach. Cadres and soldiers have a strong political stance, are absolutely loyal to the Party, the Fatherland and the people; have good moral qualities, good technical and tactical skills, and are always ready to receive and complete well all assigned tasks.

General Secretary To Lam visits weapons and equipment of the Armored Corps. (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA)

The General Secretary pointed out that all levels must carefully prepare and successfully organize the Party Congress for the 2025-2030 term; after the Congress, quickly complete, promulgate and strictly implement the Working Regulations, Leadership Regulations, Action Programs and Work Plans to put the Congress Resolution into practice. Units must be built in accordance with the consistent motto that Uncle Ho once taught, that is, the Army must be "A fighting army, a working army, a production labor army," so that the Army can develop comprehensively in military, political and economic aspects.

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam presented gifts to officers and soldiers of the Armored Corps; wrote in the Corps' Traditional Golden Book and took souvenir photos with officers and soldiers.

Previously, General Secretary To Lam visited and inspected the training and combat readiness of the 201st Tank Brigade (Hanoi); visited the exhibition area displaying some traditional artifacts and typical images of the Armored Corps' activities and planted trees in the Brigade's campus./.

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