80 years ago, on December 22, 1944, implementing the Party’s guideline and the directive of leader Ho Chi Minh, in Tran Hung Dao Forest (now Tam Kim Commune, Nguyen Binh District, Cao Bang Province), Vo Nguyen Giap announced the establishment of, and assigned tasks to, the Vietnam Propaganda Unit of the Liberation Army — the first main force of the Vietnam People’s Army.
Over the past 80 years, under the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh; the close and effective coordination of ministries, departments, and branches at the central and local levels; the protection and assistance of the people; and the solidarity and assistance of international friends, inheriting and promoting the tradition of patriotism and Vietnamese military art, the Vietnam People’s Army has overcome countless hardships and challenges, quickly matured, travelled from the south to the north and carried out international missions in friendly countries, defeated the French colonialists, the US imperialists, and other invading and hostile forces, with glorious feats of arms, especially the Dien Bien Phu Victory in 1954 and the Great Spring Victory in 1975, protected the territorial integrity of the southwestern and northern borders of the Fatherland, and maintained independence, sovereignty and national unity, forever standing as an immortal epic, recorded in the history of the nation as a heroic page of an army born from the people and fighting for the people.
Faced with the complicated changes in the world and regional situation, the country’s difficulties and the fierce sabotage plots of hostile forces, over the years, the army has always thoroughly grasped the Party’s political and military viewpoints and guidelines, constantly improving its overall quality and combat strength, while effectively performing the functions of a combat army, a working army, and a production labour army, making worthy contributions to the country’s overall achievements.
Notably, the Army regularly grasps and accurately forecasts the situation; proactively advises the Party and the State to propose appropriate countermeasures; flexibly and successfully handles situations; avoids being passive or surprised in strategy; prevents the risk of war; maintains independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity; ensures political stability; creates a favourable environment for socio-economic development; and so on.
In addition, the army has promoted its core role; proactively coordinated with ministries, departments, branches and localities in building a strong national defence, a national defence posture, a “people’s heart posture”, and a solid defence area; and actively participates in helping people eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, and build new rural areas.
In particular, army officers and soldiers have not been afraid of hardships, sacrifices, and have been at the forefront in preventing and fighting natural disasters, epidemics, and rescuing people to protect their lives and property; many officers and soldiers have fallen while carrying out this noble mission.
The image of officers and soldiers of the army always being present in vulnerable and dangerous places to help people cope with natural disasters and epidemics has further illuminated the good nature of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” — trusted and highly appreciated by the Party, the State, and the people; worthy of the praise of President Ho Chi Minh: “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 will be completed, every difficulty will be overcome, every enemy will be defeated.” In 2025 and the coming years, the world and regional situation will continue to develop in a complicated and unpredictable manner. Traditional and non-traditional security challenges, acts of violating sovereignty, territorial integrity, disputes over seas, islands and resources will develop in a complicated manner.
Hostile, reactionary, and political opportunistic forces have intensified their sabotage of the Party, the State, and the army with the strategy of “peaceful evolution”, promoting “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”, plotting to overthrow the army, and “depoliticising” the army with extremely sophisticated, vicious, and difficult-to-identify tricks.
The above situation has placed new and very high demands on the cause of building the army and consolidating national defence to protect the Fatherland.
To meet the requirements and tasks of protecting the Fatherland in the new situation, in the coming time, the entire army needs to continue to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, Resolution No.44-NQ/TW of the 13th Party Central Committee (dated November 24, 2023) on “Strategy for protecting the Fatherland in the new situation”, and Resolution No.05-NQ/TW of the 13th Politburo (dated January 17, 2022) on “the organisation of the Vietnam People’s Army for the 2021-2030 period and the following years”.
It also needs to build a revolutionary, disciplined, elite, and gradually modern People’s Army, with a number of military branches, services, and forces advancing straight to modernisation. By 2025, Vietnam will basically build a lean, compact, strong army, creating a solid foundation and striving to build a revolutionary, disciplined, elite, modern People’s Army by 2030, with strength in politics, ideology, ethics, organisation, and personnel, adjusting the army organisation towards being lean, compact, and strong, associated with rearranging forces and improving the quality of attracting and training talents and high-quality human resources in the army.
The army will uphold and promote its glorious tradition, the qualities of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” and Vietnamese military art; perform well the functions of “combat army, working army, production labour army”; be ready with plans to firmly protect the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the Fatherland.
Furthermore, the army will continue to closely coordinate with the People’s Public Security force and the entire people to proactively fight and defeat all plots and actions against the country’s revolution by hostile forces; play a good role as a pioneer force in preventing, combating, and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters and epidemics, protecting people’s lives and property; actively participate in helping people eliminate hunger and reduce poverty; and more.
Under the leadership of the Party, the management and administration of the State, the entire Party, the entire army and people are focused on building the army to be strong in all aspects, continuing to promote the glorious tradition of many achievements and feats, and continue to write the heroic history of the heroic Vietnam People’s Army in the new era.
