This campaign reaffirms the solemn “oath” of the People’s Public Security force to the Party, the state, and the people. That pledge has been consistently demonstrated in practice across many localities, with numerous victories and tangible contributions to public safety.
Turning crime hotspots into models of safety
Just a few years ago, residents of Ho Chi Minh City would warn each other not to hold mobile phones while standing on the streets, for fear of becoming victims of snatch thieves. Street robbery had become a nightmare for citizens whenever they went out, even while sitting in cafés. Handbags, jewellery, mobile phones, and motorbikes were irresistible bait for opportunistic criminals.
Yet in little more than a year, this type of crime has fallen sharply. A former commander of District 12 Police in Ho Chi Minh City revealed that resolute operations were launched to eradicate snatch theft, with the ambitious aim of cracking 100% of cases. This was not an empty slogan but a matter of honour.
District 12 Police regularly organise high-intensity operations to suppress crime, ensuring public security and order. Turning District 12 — once regarded as a borderland and a criminal hotspot — into a model of safety is the result of determined policing, including the use of technology to combat street crime.
Thanh Hoa Province was another hotspot. Colonel Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Director and Head of the Criminal Police Investigation Agency of Thanh Hoa Provincial Police, reported that social order and safety crimes in the province in 2025 fell by 36.86% compared with 2024. That year, Thanh Hoa Police ranked first nationwide in solving very serious and especially serious crimes, achieving a 100% success rate. The force also ranked second nationwide in reducing temporarily suspended cases, and fifth in handling reports, denunciations, and prosecution proposals, with a rate exceeding 94.2%.
During 2025, the provincial police dismantled three criminal gangs involving 77 long-operating suspects.
A veteran economic police officer explained that cracking major cases requires not only political determination but also professional expertise: the ability to analyse documents, uncover methods, and expose the financial and political networks linking businesses and officials. Criminals often infiltrate deeply, climb high, and spread their influence like an octopus, seeking to manipulate agencies and undermine both judicial and executive bodies.
The major cases resolved by Thanh Hoa Police have helped to block the influence of “official-business” crime in the economic environment, while preventing the emergence of new forms of corruption. This follows the directive of Party General Secretary To Lam: “Handle one case, one matter, to warn an entire region, an entire sector.”
The Ha Noi Convention: A landmark in the fight against cybercrime
I once spoke with Major General To Cao Lanh, then Deputy Head of the Criminal Police Department (C02), while accompanying a Nhan Dan Newspaper team to Cambodia for an investigative series on “traps in foreign lands.” Lanh, who has long been engaged in crime prevention, observed that criminals today no longer operate solely on the streets. They exploit cyberspace, using fake messages, sophisticated scripts, and layered tactics. Many possess advanced expertise.
The greatest challenge in combating such crime is that perpetrators are often based abroad, concentrated in groups in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, and enclaves along the Viet Nam–Cambodia border. At times, Vietnamese police have coordinated with foreign counterparts, however legal constraints can make extradition difficult.
These concerns were partly alleviated in October 2025, when the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime took place in Ha Noi. Representatives from 72 countries signed the convention.
The United Nations Convention against Cybercrime opens the door to a safer and fairer future for all — both in the real world and in cyberspace.
John Brandolino, Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
After extensive discussions involving hundreds of experts, the global reality of cybercrime was laid bare. Numerous proposals, initiatives, and commitments were made to ensure effective implementation of the Ha Noi Convention, aiming to create decisive progress in the fight against cybercrime.
It is impossible to recount all the achievements of the People’s Public Security force during the turbulent year of 2025. Their dedication was evident in countless images of officers appearing promptly in disaster-hit areas, whenever lives were threatened by floods or landslides in the final months of the year.
These images reinforce the sense that the People’s Public Security force is not only fulfilling its mission of suppressing crime and safeguarding national security, but also stands as a reliable pillar of support for citizens in times of hardship. They embody Uncle Ho’s sacred teaching: “For the nation, forgetting oneself; for the people, serving wholeheartedly.”
