Helping one another alleviate poverty, excel in business
Senior Lieutenant General Be Xuan Truong, Vice President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and President of the Vietnam War Veterans’ Association, affirmed that the vast majority of association members steadfastly maintain the core essence of Uncle Ho’s soldiers. They consistently set a shining example in adhering to Party guidelines and State laws, rolling up their sleeves to actively build administrative authorities across all levels.
Numerous veteran Party members have been highly trusted and elected to Party committees. For the 2025-2030 tenure, the nation boasts 88,046 veteran members formally elected to local committees. Among them, 42,530 serve as secretaries or deputy secretaries of Party cells, while 1,477 participate in grassroots and upper-level committees.
Furthermore, 5,530 veteran leaders stepped up to serve as deputies of the National Assembly and People’s Councils for the 2026-2031 term. This undeniably robust lineup constitutes the core force of the Veterans’ Association, massively contributing to forging robust Party structures and local authorities.
According to Vice President of the Vietnam War Veterans’ Association Lieutenant General Khuat Viet Dung, throughout 37 grueling yet triumphant years of development and maturation from 1989 to 2026, the association has consistently been trying to flawlessly complete the demanding tasks assigned by the Party and State. They have deeply and broadly propagated patriotic emulation movements and massive campaigns, such as sustainable poverty reduction, new rural development, the “Exemplary Veterans” movement, the “All People Unite to Build a Cultural Life” campaign, and the nationwide “Joining Hands for the Poor” initiative.
Over the past five years, lower tiers of the association have rolled out the “Veterans Helping Each Other Alleviate Poverty and Excel in Business” movement, significantly elevating members’ living standards while actively diving into socio-economic development.
The association successfully supported the eradication of 16,000 dilapidated houses and handed over 12,000 “Veteran’s Gratitude” homes with funding hovering near VND1 trillion (US$38 million). Up to this point, all 34 provinces and cities established Veteran Entrepreneurs Associations. Nationwide, 8,228 enterprises, 2,045 cooperatives, and 190,021 agricultural estates managed by veterans generate stable employment for over 781,500 laborers. Every year, tens of thousands of members clinch the “Excellent in Production and Business” title.
This movement blossoms into a powerful driving force, helping members determinedly develop their economic standing. The Central Committee works hand-in-glove with the Vietnam Veteran Entrepreneurs Association to fiercely mobilize business-savvy members to officially establish enterprises and scale up operations. Simultaneously, they actively participate in clubs to share battle-tested experiences and robustly support one another.
Springing from this initiative, highly effective models are widely replicated nationwide. Standout examples include the “5+1” model, where five affluent members assist one impoverished peer, and the “2 Eradications – 3 Assistances” framework targeting extreme poverty. Ingenious setups like the “revolving capital contribution” model also successfully help members break free from poverty.
Sacred mission
Over the past few years, the Central Committee of the Vietnam War Veterans’ Association, alongside dedicated cadres, members, and veterans across the country, have collaboratively and effectively executed the vital task of providing crucial information. This inherently contributes to hunting down, gathering, and accurately identifying the remains of fallen martyrs who currently lack proper identification, which is a monumental effort having been profoundly recognized and highly praised by the Party, the State, local authorities, and everyday citizens.
Veterans nationwide continuously uphold and amplify the pristine nature of Uncle Ho’s soldiers. They’re undeniably considered the core backbone of every single “repaying gratitude” activity following the motto of “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls,” crystal-clearly demonstrating the profound responsibility and traditional ethos of the Vietnamese people.
Senior Lieutenant General Be Xuan Truong explicitly noted that to execute the “500-Day-and-Night Campaign to Accelerate the Search, Collection, and Identification of Martyrs’ Remains,” Steering Committee 515 of the Central Veterans’ Association officially issued Document No.154/BCD. This pivotal directive was dispatched to veteran chapters across all provinces and cities nationwide, meticulously outlining the profoundly sacred mission of paying tribute to the heroic martyrs.
Consequently, veteran associations at all levels have significantly ramped up their leadership, guidance, and collaborative efforts to execute this crucial search, collection, and identification work with a fiercely urgent, highly proactive, and entirely comprehensive spirit to secure the highest possible efficacy.
Recently, the Central Veterans’ Association aggressively pushed the “Veterans Providing Information to Find Comrades” movement through practical activities. These include collecting and processing data on fallen soldiers and gravesites, decoding wartime military symbols, and supplementing martyr dossiers. They also participate in constructing a national database and mapping search zones.
Senior Lieutenant General Be Xuan Truong stressed that elevating awareness and responsibility across society regarding hunting down and repatriating martyrs’ remains is vital to deeply broadcast the “repaying gratitude” attitude.
88 individuals elected to 8th Central Executive Committee of Vietnam War Veterans’ Association
On June 16, the preparatory session for the 8th National Congress of the Vietnam War Veterans’ Association for the 2026-2031 tenure officially kicked off in Hanoi.
The overarching theme of this massive congress is “Promoting the true nature of ‘Uncle Ho’s Soldiers’ and the tradition of ‘Loyalty – solidarity – exemplary conduct – innovation,’ while constructing pristine, robust Veterans Associations at all levels to flawlessly accomplish every single assigned task.”
The congress boasts the active participation of exactly 456 delegates, who fiercely represent a staggering constituency of over 3 million members strictly nationwide.
Just before the preparatory session began, a prestigious delegation of congress attendees, spearheaded by Senior Lieutenant General Be Xuan Truong, arrived to solemnly lay wreaths and pay their deepest respects at President Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. They also offered burning incense to commemorate the fallen heroes at the Monument for Heroic Martyrs located on Bac Son Street in Hanoi.
The 8th National Congress of the Vietnam War Veterans’ Association, unfolding on June 16 and 17, rigorously evaluates the previous tenure’s results, limitations, and experiential lessons. Ultimately, it aims to decisively map out concrete directions, strict targets, and robust solutions for the upcoming 2026-2031 term, while considering necessary amendments to the Association’s Charter.
On the morning of June 16, the congress elected its Presidium, Secretariat, and Eligibility Verification Board, while passing the official Agenda. Following comprehensive reports on draft documents and personnel schemes, the congress officially elected 88 members into the 8th Central Executive Committee that afternoon.
