Lieutenant General Phung Khac Dang: "Democracy, transparency, superior policies, building a strong and streamlined army will lead to success"

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army, Dan Viet had a conversation with Lieutenant General Phung Khac Dang - former Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army.

Lieutenant General Phung Khac Dang was a soldier who spent fifteen years in the resistance war against the US to save the country and the war to protect the Fatherland in the Southwest border. He participated in many campaigns with many fierce battles . From a soldier, he became a general, went through many units and then worked at a strategic agency , holding the position of Deputy Chief of the General Political Department of the Vietnam People 's Army . Not only was he brave in combat, he also made an important contribution to building and consolidating the political strength of the Army . Born into a peasant family with Confucian roots in the Doai region, he inherited the qualities of diligence in work and had a very high self-esteem. He had a humble and simple lifestyle , as General Pham Van Tra , former member of the Politburo , former Minister of National Defense once commented : "Phung Khac Dang was a knowledgeable person , with solid knowledge of military , politics and culture - society . He was thorough , cautious in every decision, and behaved humbly with superiors and comrades "... On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army , Dan Viet had a conversation with him . Content: Anh Thu - Photo: Lina Pham - NVCC - Design: Huu Anh

Dear Lieutenant General, in the atmosphere where the whole country is jubilantly celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam People 's Army's Tradition Day , as someone who has spent many years working and growing up in the Army , what is the meaning of these days for you personally ? - I must say that I am very excited and looking forward to meeting my brothers and comrades soon. Those of you who are still in office must be enthusiastically preparing for the celebration, which is a very important day for the Vietnam People's Army. As for us - the soldiers who have experienced the war and are now returning to normal life - we are also eagerly waiting for this important holiday, because it marks the maturity of the Vietnam People's Army through 80 years of building, fighting, growing and winning.

For retirees, there is a very special joy, which is looking forward to a meeting so that the former soldiers can meet each other, confide in each other, recall the hardships, remember the days of brave fighting together, and recall the comrades who sacrificed, where they are now, how their families are. Besides the joy, there are still things to remember sad memories. These days, we feel even more honored and proud because since its formation, the small army of only 34 soldiers has become the powerful force it is today, an army equipped with weapons and equipment from tanks, planes, missiles... We feel even more proud because in those achievements, there is a small part of the effort of the former soldiers.

As you just said , over the past 80 years, the Vietnam People's Army has grown very strong. According to you, how has the strong mark of Vietnamese military art been shown in the wars against France , against the US and the war to protect the border ? - The Vietnam People's Army has inherited and promoted the traditional art of fighting of our ancestors from the past to the present. During the Ly and Tran dynasties, there was a policy of sending soldiers to live in farmers' houses, which we often call "ngu binh u nong". Inheriting the tradition of our ancestors, we now have main force troops, local troops, and guerrillas. This is a unique feature in inheriting and developing the force building of our ancestors. During the war, because our forces were limited, we applied flexible fighting methods, "using few to win many", "using small to win big", "fighting big with small forces". The Vietnamese people often have to face invaders that are many times stronger than us, so all the experiences of our ancestors are still kept until now, which is shown in the wars with France and the US. We cannot compete with them in terms of troops, weapons, and equipment, so we have to use tactics that are appropriate to the conditions and historical circumstances of the country and people.

When using weapons, we use "dispersed firepower, concentrated firepower". It can be said that this is a very special way of fighting for small and weak countries to fight against big countries and to resist invasion. We use Vietnam's unique military art, which is to combine main force troops, local troops and guerrillas. Main force troops fight big battles, local troops hold back enemy forces, stir up chaos so that the enemy does not know where we are fighting and how we are fighting. Guerrillas carry out activities in an invisible way, making the enemy unpredictable. All of this has created a spiral that makes the enemy confused. We have combined attack and defense. We know that Vietnamese military ideology is mainly an offensive ideology. Since ancient times, our ancestors' ideology has been the same. When the Northern invaders came, the enemy was strong, our ancestors advocated "empty houses and gardens", when the enemy was subjective or the terrain was not suitable, the soldiers were discouraged, we took the initiative to attack. Vietnamese military art is also shown in taking advantage of terrain and geographical features to fight the enemy in all forms and methods, such as our ancestors planted stakes in the Bach Dang River to intercept the invaders.

Lieutenant General Phung Khac Dang visited the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2024, witnessing the capacity, technological potential, and weapons and equipment produced by the defense industry of Vietnam and other countries.

The beauty of Vietnamese military art is that when the enemy was defeated and captured, our ancestors still had humanity and compassion. In the past, when the Northern enemy was defeated, our ancestors provided elephants, horses, boats, and food for them to return to their homeland. When we defeated the French colonialists at Dien Bien Phu, we captured many prisoners, reformed and educated them, and some of them became the core of their country's revolution. During the resistance war against the US, when pilots dropped bombs to destroy Vietnam, we hated them to the extreme. But when they were defeated and captured and put in prison camps, we treated them very humanely. It was that humane thought that transformed the American pilots, and they were people who were very sympathetic to Vietnam, such as John Kerry - former US Secretary of State. Especially with pilots who died in battle in Vietnam, we also actively coordinated with them to search for and return their remains, responding to the wishes of American mothers. That is why, despite having gone through many wars against French colonialism, Japanese fascism, American imperialism, the Southwestern border war and the Northern border war, we still won and unified the country. That is thanks to the leadership of the Party, the boundless sacrifice of the people and the tenacious, brave and fearless fighting of the soldiers in the Vietnam People's Army.

The army has creatively used the military art of our ancestors, in many fields of navy , air force... But besides that military art , it must be the strength of the entire people , sir ? - That 's right! War requires mobilizing the strength of the entire people, comprehensively. In Vietnam, it is mainly the strength of the people, the people support the army. The Vietnamese people always uphold the spirit of patriotism, when in war they are ready to sacrifice everything, not afraid of anything. The poet Thanh Tinh said: "It is a hundred times easier to endure without the people, it is ten thousand times harder to overcome with the people". The Vietnamese army today has become a modern regular army. Our army has navy, army, air force. The formal organization between the armies may be the same but the way of fighting is different. Vietnam's land is not large, its military potential is limited, so each military branch chooses a suitable but highly effective way of fighting, such as the air force and navy, which also ambush and create surprises for the enemy. In short, Fighting and winning depends on many factors, but the human factor plays a decisive role. It is the courage, determination to fight and win, and hatred of the enemy of the Vietnamese people and the Vietnam People's Army that brought about victory.

In recent times, the Party and the State have paid great attention to building a regular, elite and gradually modernized army . How do you personally evaluate this issue ? - The army has grown to what it is today thanks to the Party and the State. The Party and the State have organized the armed forces, nurtured and fostered their spirit and will, equipped them with weapons and equipment, and trained the armed forces so that the armed forces can fulfill one of the two strategic tasks of fighting to protect the Fatherland and building the country. These two strategic tasks go hand in hand. These achievements are a dialectical relationship, affirming that a developed economy creates conditions for national defense to develop. Only when national defense is developed can it be strong enough to protect the country and create momentum for economic development. Looking back at history, in 1944 the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army had only 34 soldiers, with a few rifles, machetes... but until now our army has become powerful, with planes, tanks, missiles, and weapons to meet the requirements of modern warfare. That is a step forward for the revolutionary armed forces.

As someone who was assigned to carry out political education work in the construction to contribute to consolidating the political strength of the Army (he was once Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics), what do you think are the focuses in political and ideological education work in the Army ? - The General Department of Politics is one of two very important factors that have a decisive meaning in building the Vietnam People's Army. Political and ideological work contributes to forming the personality of soldiers and the political mettle of revolutionary cadres and soldiers. Realizing that, the General Department of Politics has focused on fostering patriotism, the will to hate invaders, equipping them with a revolutionary worldview and outlook on life so that they can voluntarily strive for the goal of national independence and national unification. They are willing to sacrifice their lives for the survival of the nation and glorious ideals. The Party and political work carried out by the General Department of Politics was very successful in changing the awareness of the troops at especially important moments of the war, such as solving the soldiers' ideology in the Dien Bien Phu campaign from "fight fast, win fast" to "fight slow, advance steadily". It was this change in awareness that created a Dien Bien Phu victory that was famous in five continents and shook the world. When the US entered, the question was "Can we defeat the US or not?". Through the reality of the battlefield, through concrete actions, through experience, we affirmed that we could defeat the US and would certainly defeat the US. The event of 5 armies massively advancing to liberate Saigon in April 1975 once again proved the enormous contribution of Party and political work. We know that on the threshold of ending the war, before the calculations between life and death, there was a domination of the thoughts and feelings of those who held guns and fought in the army. But thanks to their political awareness and the idea of sacrificing for the cause of national liberation, although they knew that rushing into battle meant sacrifice, they still bravely advanced. In the final battle to liberate Saigon, we skillfully combined the art of attack and the people's sympathy for the uprising. We succeeded in both fighting and doing well the enemy's propaganda work. Those factors created a complete victory for the Vietnamese revolution. We completely liberated the South while our cities and towns remained intact, especially Saigon. This was a feat, also a miracle of history.

What should we do today , sir ? - Building an army in wartime is difficult , but building an army in peacetime is extremely difficult, requiring the leadership activities of the General Political Department to be very flexible, sensitive, proactive, and positive. Party activities and political work must make cadres and soldiers clearly see the difficult characteristics that are dominating such as the world situation has fluctuations, armed conflicts in each region are at risk of spreading. The negative aspects of the market economy, the socialist orientation that we are implementing have a great impact on the thoughts and feelings of cadres and soldiers. The appearance of bad examples among a number of cadres and party members more or less makes those holding guns worried and anxious. Now in the new situation, it is different. During wartime, there is only one target, the enemy, and the goal of Party work and political work is to make soldiers aware of the plots, tricks, viciousness and dangers of war, and to give soldiers the courage to overcome them. During peacetime, the Party's foreign relations policy is multilateralization and diversification; in the perception of the enemy, there are targets in the partners, and targets in the partners. So the perception between partners and targets is the second most difficult issue. The issue of streamlining the payroll and apparatus according to the direction of the Party and the State also has many impacts on the feelings of the armed forces. The General Department of Politics needs to see and anticipate all the favorable and difficult characteristics to innovate the content and methods of conducting Party work and political work appropriately.

The important thing in the current situation is to properly resolve the relationship between ideology, organization, and policy. If we expand democracy, publicize outstanding policies and regimes, the goal of building a strong, streamlined army will be successful. I want to emphasize that in this peaceful time, in addition to educating love for the Fatherland, love for the homeland, creating awareness and political courage, the important issue is to resolve ideology, policy, and care for their lives. In addition to military courage and knowledge, military officers in general and political officers in particular must update and improve their new knowledge, especially in technology. Otherwise, they will not be able to keep up with and manage the troops. Another requirement that is also very important in the current time is that military officers must have foreign languages, otherwise they will be limited.

From a soldier, he went through many positions before becoming Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics. Is there any special memory that you remember most when you started your political duties , sir ? - I remember that after nearly 4 years of working at the Political Officer School, in 1993, I was given a decision by the Ministry of National Defense to become Deputy Political Commander of Military Region 1. At that time, I also felt worried and nervous. Returning to the Military Region, I rushed to learn about resolutions on building the Military Region in peacetime conditions, building strategic defense zones, resolutions on carrying out military - defense tasks to protect the Fatherland... I felt overwhelmed because when I was in a small combat unit, the school had its own characteristics. But in the new position, from the way of speaking, walking style, ability to solve work, and then handling relationships, all had a lens of observation. I have many memories, I would like to tell just one small memory. That was the schedule for me to go and greet, introduce myself to the provinces and visit the military command brothers of the provinces. When I arrived in Lang Son, after the greetings and congratulations, a rather old man with a good appearance came and patted my shoulder and asked: "When you become the Political Commissar of the Military Region, can you speak Tay? You are so young, what did you eat to have such a big belly?". I replied: "Sir, I am ready to cut open my belly for you to see, but I don't know Tay". He said: "It's absurd, you can't speak Tay but you are the Political Commissar of the Military Region". I was in a difficult situation, but at that time I also dared to say that I only knew one word, he would be fine with one word. Luckily, on the way, my driver, a Tay man, told me the word "don't know" in Tay. When he finished speaking, he hugged me and said: "That's right. The Political Commissar must be able to speak the ethnic language". Through this story, I have come to understand more the advice of my predecessors that when working with ethnic people, it is necessary to understand their language and customs. And during my work, I have come to understand more what is needed in mass mobilization work, in which language is the most important bridge in communication and is very effective for work.

He was also sent by the Ministry of National Defense to work with the armies of other countries. And foreign affairs is also an important front in the art of war . According to him, what is the most difficult thing for someone who works in foreign affairs ? - I was lucky enough to be sent by the Ministry of National Defense to work with the armies of other countries, many times sending me as the head of the delegation to study their military construction. Then later, when I worked at the Vietnam Veterans Association, I was invited to participate in the Vietnam - US dialogue group on Agent Orange/dioxin, so I had many opportunities to travel to a number of countries, across continents such as Poland, the Soviet Union, Russia, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar... Some countries came once, some countries came two or three times. During the trips, it was both a study trip and a business trip. For those working in foreign affairs, first of all, they must have a foundation of knowledge and know how to behave appropriately in the situation. You need to have a solid knowledge base in all areas to be able to behave appropriately. In the past, when I worked in any country, I had to first learn about their history, geography, and traditional customs in order to behave appropriately.

Many people still remember that, during the two riots in the Central Highlands , the reactionary Fulro group incited people to protest, cause trouble , use sticks with nails, knives, machetes to beat cadres, destroy property..., you were the one who went to the " hot spot " to resolve the incident ? - Both times the incidents occurred in the Central Highlands in 2001 and 2004, I was assigned by the Ministry of National Defense to work with the brothers of Military Region 5 and Army Corps 3 to resolve the situation. I think the Ministry sent me because they thought I had been attached to the Central Highlands and Central Vietnam for 15 years, so I understood the terrain and customs. On the other hand, doing mass mobilization work, sending me was also in line with my duties and responsibilities. So I was "received the pioneer seal" both times. When I entered, standing on the balcony of the 3rd Corps Guest House, I saw many groups of people, including old and young, mostly women, walking in groups, holding machetes, carrying baskets on their backs, some wearing loincloths, trudging towards Pleiku town. I heard my comrades report that the riots occurred because of the influence of the Furlo gang, who were propagandized that Mr. Ksor Kok would send reinforcements to liberate the Central Highlands, and whoever went would be given land and houses in the city. Some people even received house numbers and allotted alleys. Another reason my comrades reported was partly due to awareness and the mechanical distribution of population.

Recently, Lieutenant General Phung Khac Dang launched the book “The Remaining Things”. The book is the whole of his passion, intelligence, responsibility and deep gratitude to his homeland, to the heroic martyrs, comrades, family, friends...

In terms of awareness, it is clear that because of limited education, the people of the Central Highlands are still self-sufficient, even still foraging, so they do not have savings. When difficulties arise, they are easily lured by bad people who take advantage of religion. The electricity problem is an example. The state invests in electricity, the power line reaches the village, and from there, the people have to provide their own wires and light bulbs. The reactionaries take advantage of religion to say that "God" will bring light to the people. They give a few dozen meters of wire and light bulbs, so the people believe that "God gives light" and listen to them. The mistake of us and the grassroots cadres is not to clarify the origin of the problem. The people believe in the deceitful propagandists, and the cadres are far from the people, so when something happens, we cannot grasp it.

You have gone through the fierce years of war and have become one of the people with great roles in the Army , is there anything that makes you worry, what do you want to do ? - There are things that I have not been able to do that still make me worry. During the resistance war, the Lam Tay border area (Dai Dong commune, Dai Loc, Quang Nam) was the location of the front's logistics warehouse, also known as K600. On April 25, 1969, the enemy raided and bombed the temporary cave. At that time, in the cave there were 4 comrades of Regiment 575, all from Dan Phuong, Hanoi, and 4 comrades of K600. We heard our comrades report that after the cave collapsed, we heard our comrades' cries for help, but we could only bow our heads in silence. Over the years, we have been heartbroken about our comrades who remained there, but the deep forest and the large amount of collapsed earth and rock that filled the cave were too great to do anything else. We are now old men of nearly 80 years old, with dim eyes and slow legs, and only have the earnest wish to erect a memorial stele there for everyone to remember . Thank you for the conversation ! Source: https://danviet.vn/trung-tuong-phung-khac-dang-nguyen-pho-chu-nhiem-tong-cuc-chinh-tri-quan-doi-nhan-dan-viet-nam-20241221103406522.htm