Firmly step into the new era with the whole country

On this occasion, on behalf of the Party and State, General Secretary To Lam - Secretary of the Central Military Commission awarded the Ho Chi Minh Medal to the Vietnam People's Army (VPA).

General Secretary To Lam and General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense , review the honor guard of the Vietnam People's Army. PHOTO: GIA HAN

Core to protect the Fatherland

In his speech at the ceremony, General Secretary To Lam emphasized that following the directive of leader Ho Chi Minh, on December 22, 1944, the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army - the predecessor of the Vietnam People's Army - was established. Under the leadership and training of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh; and the nurturing and protection of the people, our army has developed rapidly, continuously achieving outstanding achievements.

From the initial “senior army” of 34 soldiers, our army quickly developed, continuously winning major campaigns, culminating in the Dien Bien Phu victory, forcing the French colonialists to surrender. “The army that had just turned 10 years old defeated a professional expeditionary army established in the 15th century. That affirmed the height of Vietnamese intelligence and Vietnamese military art, marking the remarkable development of the Vietnam People’s Army,” the General Secretary emphasized.

General Secretary To Lam, President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and other leaders and former leaders of the Party and State attended the ceremony. PHOTO: Tuan Minh

During the resistance war against the US, our army fought steadfastly and bravely, together with the entire people writing golden pages of history with brilliant feats of arms. That was the great victory in the Spring of 1975, the peak of which was the lightning-fast offensive in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, reunifying the country, bringing the country into an era of peace, independence, freedom, and the whole country moving towards socialism.

During the period of national construction and defense, the army has worked together with the people to overcome the consequences and heal the wounds of war, develop the economy, culture and society, and fight steadfastly to defend every inch of the Fatherland and fulfill its noble international obligations. The General Secretary affirmed that throughout history, the army has always been the core force, together with the entire people, to protect independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, to protect the Party, the government, the people and the socialist regime, and to protect the cause of innovation; to maintain, consolidate and enhance a peaceful environment for national construction and development, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world.

According to the General Secretary, the army always shares the hardships with the people at all times and in all places; is the main and vanguard force in preventing, combating, and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters and epidemics, and in search and rescue. The army is always present in key and dangerous places to protect the lives and property of the people, truly a solid "support" for the people in times of danger and hardship. Many officers and soldiers have heroically sacrificed in the fight against natural disasters and epidemics, further illuminating the noble qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" in the new era.

Our army is growing stronger and stronger.

The General Secretary said that in recent years, the army has drastically adjusted its force organization towards a lean, compact and strong one, creating a solid foundation for building a revolutionary, disciplined, elite and modern Vietnam People's Army. The defense industry has made new strides in development, mastering manufacturing technology, successfully producing many types of new and modern weapons and technical equipment, many dual-use products, contributing to the modernization of the army, actively contributing to the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country.

General Secretary To Lam speaks at the ceremony. PHOTO: GIA HAN

According to the General Secretary, our army is growing stronger and stronger, capable of fighting in strategic spaces and new forms of warfare; has increasingly modern weapons, equipment, and technical means; is well-trained in technology, proficient in tactics and campaigns, and good at strategy; has comprehensive strength and high level of combat readiness.

The General Secretary affirmed that the army has built a glorious tradition, worthy of President Ho Chi Minh's praise: "Our army is loyal to the Party, filial to the people, ready to fight and sacrifice for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland, for socialism. Every task is completed, every difficulty is overcome, every enemy is defeated"; it is the heroic army of the heroic Vietnamese nation, the pride of the Party, State, people of Vietnam and people who love peace, freedom and justice all over the world.

The General Secretary stressed that Vietnam's highest goal is to build a peaceful, prosperous, civilized and prosperous country and join hands to build a peaceful world without war, where people can live in independence, freedom, prosperity and happiness. Therefore, Vietnam consistently advocates resolving all disputes and disagreements by peaceful means on the basis of international law; respecting the independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and internal affairs of all countries.

Vietnam firmly maintains its stance of not participating in military alliances, not aligning with one country to fight another, not allowing foreign countries to set up military bases or use Vietnamese territory to fight against other countries; not using force or threatening to use force in international relations.

Self-reliance, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-strength, national pride

The General Secretary emphasized that in the new revolutionary period, the prerequisite for the People's Army to continue to excellently fulfill all tasks, together with the entire Party, people and army to create new miracles in building and defending the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is to maintain and strengthen the absolute and direct leadership in all aspects of the Party, the unified management and administration of the State over the People's Army and the cause of consolidating national defense and security.

General Secretary To Lam presents the Ho Chi Minh Medal to the Vietnam People's Army. PHOTO: Tuan Minh

Firmly adhere to the goal of national independence and socialism, firmly adhere to the policy of all-people national defense and people's war. Closely combine national strength in the spirit of "self-reliance, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, and national pride" with the strength of the times, the sympathy, support, and cooperation for development of international friends.

According to the General Secretary, along with maximizing the combined strength for the cause of building and defending the Fatherland, we need to build a revolutionary, disciplined, elite, modern People's Army; politically strong, absolutely loyal to the Fatherland, the Party, the State and the people, and steadfast in the Party's ideal goals.

The General Secretary emphasized the need to build a streamlined, strong army based on the motto “people first, guns later”, with special attention paid to building and developing the human factor, first of all the political and spiritual factors; paying attention to attracting and training talents and high-quality human resources. At the same time, we must constantly promote the glorious tradition and noble qualities of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” and develop Vietnam’s unique military art; ensure that military officers and soldiers dare to fight, know how to fight and are determined to defeat all forms of aggressive war, especially new forms of war. At the same time, we must effectively respond to non-traditional security challenges as well as master new strategic spaces, firmly protecting the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in all situations.

Continue to promote international integration and defense diplomacy, actively participate in UN peacekeeping activities, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, promote the trend of peace, prevent and resolve the risk of war and conflict, maintain a peaceful and stable environment to build and develop the country, and protect the Fatherland early and from afar.

“To join the whole country in firmly entering an era of prosperity, wealth and development, the Party, State and people believe that the Vietnam People's Army will unceasingly promote its glorious tradition, continue to achieve outstanding feats of arms, and together with the entire Party and people firmly protect our beloved Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” the General Secretary emphasized.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vung-vang-cung-ca-nuoc-buoc-vao-ky-nguyen-moi-185241220235853793.htm