The Vietnamese people have been enjoying years of peace, independence and reunification thanks to sacrifices by many generations and always nourishing desire for these three sacred things and standing together in the journey to the desire with the height being the victory on April 30, 1975, wrote Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh in the Special Spring Issue of Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper.
Generation by generation, Vietnam is always a nation loving peace and desires to make friend with all nations in the world, but it is ready to do everything to protect national peace and independence and unification, wrote Deputy Minister of Defense Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh.
Vietnamese military art is a great achievement in national liberation cause
Forty-five years have gone by but the image, in which the tank of the Vietnam Liberation Army knocked down the iron gate and the liberation flag flied in the flag pole of the Independence Palace at noon on April 30, 1975, is still shining in the minds of millions of Vietnamese. That image has become the pride and great happiness of the entire nation. April 30, 1975 is the Victory Day, the Southern Liberation Day and the National Reunification Day. That was a great, comprehensive, thorough and historic victory of 30 years fighting for the national liberation. It was the succession and development of the great victory of the August Revolution and the fight against French colonial rule.
To get the great victory and gain the independence, reunification and freedom for the nation, the whole nation had been persistent overcoming lots of difficulties and hardship during 30 years with victory by victory. From Early March, 1975 under the leadership of the Party, the Vietnamese People’s Army and people launched the General Offensive and Uprising in the Southern region with many key and decisive campaigns such as Tay Nguyen, Hue-Da Nang and the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign. Within 55 days at the fighting speed in which one day was equal to 20 years and with overwhelming power on politics and military, Vietnamese army and residents smashed the giant military apparatus of South Vietnam with the army of over 1.1 million troops of the South Vietnamese military.
The comprehensive victory of the General Offensive and Uprising of the Spring 1975 was the last result of a long enduring resistance process by soldiers and residents in both regions North and South to defeat every war strategy of the US and the Saigon Government. That was the victory of Vietnam’s skills and spirit and culture, of the creative application of advanced military ideologies in the specific circumstance and condition of the Revolution and Vietnam Revolutionary War. That was the victory of the strength of the great solidarity bloc of the entire people, international unity, the newly built socialist regime in the Northern region and the Southern liberation region and the durable solidarity of the people in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The great victory of the Spring of 1975 once again affirmed the military strength of the Vietnamese People’s Army, an army born from people and built, led and trained by true communists.
The Vietnamese People’s Army became the sole army in the world defeating two most powerful invaders at that time.
Power of the champion army
The victory of Vietnamese people and army in the resistance war against the US troops with the peak being the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign and the event on April 30, 1975--the Southern Liberation Day affirmed the truth that only when fighting with patriotism under the leadership of the Party, the Vietnamese People’s Army had enough strength to fight and write an epic song in the 20th century.
For the last 45 years since that historic time, the might of Vietnam including the strength of the righteous army has helped protect the national independence, freedom and territorial integrity and maintain the currently sustainable peace. Talking about the Southern Liberation War of Vietnamese people and army, Henry Alfred Kissinger, United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presidential administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, stressed that Hanoi only fought with the sole reason which is their patriotism.
Vietnamese army was formed from Vietnamese people fighting for the people and excellently fulfilling its role as the key force making the victory on April 30, 1975. Nowadays Vietnam develops a revolutionary, regular, elite and gradually modern military. Of which, there is a force moving straightly to modernity.
From the heroic tradition together with valuable experience drawn from the process of building, fighting and growing up, the Vietnamese People’s Army has continued affirming its skill and spirit and power to implement their fighting and combat readiness missions, promote the meaning and historic lesson of the Spring 1975 and together with the Party and the people defend the country.
With the virtue and tradition of Uncle Ho’s soldiers, the Vietnamese People’s Army always unite and keep the strong attachment to the people, help and rely on them to build an increasingly strong army.
Forty-five years after the country was unified, generations of military soldiers and officials nowadays and afterwards are responsible for keeping the independence, reunification and territorial integrity of the nation. Hence the Vietnamese People’s Army needs to be led by a party that is always royal to the idea for the national independence and socialism.
National protection on focus
The world’s peace and security are the desire of every nation. Still the world is facing new security challenges comprising traditional and untraditional ones. Many issues have gone beyond forecast. The United Nations Charter and international law are not always respected. When partial benefit and unilateralism are pushed up and the trust and harmony among big nations are frozen, undercurrents will be created threatening security and concerning the remaining nations in the world. Big gaps in benefits and political calculations are too big to untie knots for the human being’s sustainable peace.
The scramble or compromise for power, supremacy and strategic benefits among powerful countries always take place with only means and method of war and conflict changing according to situation. Being aware of these difficulties and challenges, the Politburo has provided orientations on defense strategy, military strategy, cyber strategy on national protection, national border protection strategy for the last years. The Central Military Commission and the Ministry of Defense have worked to make these strategies to be fully aware of. This is a basic to build military personnel, organize training to be ready for fighting, buy weapons to make the army streamlined and strong to meet requirements of modern war in the new situation.
“Di bat bien, ung van bien” (target is immutable, measure is flexible) is the valuable lesson of President Ho Chi Minh which should be inscribed and flexibly and creatively applied in the currently defensive operations. The unchanged thing is the justifiable benefit of Vietnam which has been recognized by the history, international law and international community. Thousands of variables comprise complicated progress in the regional situation, in relations between Vietnam and other nations. The relationship with big and neighboring nations demands Vietnam to have the right awareness of national benefits, advantages and disadvantages. When variables are being fully aware of, it will be possible to choose beneficial things. No one can force Vietnam to move contrariwise with things that are suitable with international law and moral codes of the era.
Being fully aware that the world now must cope with global issues which no nation can settle alone, Vietnam has been broadening multifarious cooperation including bilateral and multilateral relations and closely cooperating with nations, international and regional organizations. Vietnamese people and army had fought for the nation’s independence, freedom, reunification and for peace so they really treasure factors making peace.
First, Vietnam maintains peace and friendship relationship with friend nations. Secondly, Vietnam takes advantage of the support of other nations in the world to the cause of building and protecting the country. Thirdly, Vietnam is always willing to live in peace with opposite objects if they respect the country’s independence and sovereignty and give up their invasion intention.
The consistent policy of the Party and the State determines the common mission is to protect the country’s territory, independence and sovereignty; defend the national benefit with the protection of the socialist regime, the Party and the people being on focus; preserve the durable peace for the nation. These are common purposes in the national protection mission and the direct mission of the army.
Vietnam is determined and patient in fighting on the basic of having a thorough grasp of international law and exploiting it to hold the national sovereignty, prevent conflicts and war and internal instability from occurring, not to use army forces to settle internal conflicts of people. Vigilance is heightened in order not to be tricked to create a pretext for military intervention by hostile forces and to prevent a compromise between those with territory ambition and hostile forces.
The foundation of the endogenous power to protect the country is building a strong national defense across the country with general potential and strength, built from national resources and resources from the people. The national defense is for self-defense not for threatening any nation. The important solution is to boost the development of the regular, elite and gradually modern army with synthetic quality, high fighting characteristics. It will be the core force for the entire people to implement national protection mission.
Building goes together with holding the country, it is the law of existence of Vietnam. Nowadays, this rule is shown through two strategic missions including building socialism and protecting socialist Vietnam. Vietnam is always determined and ready to defend the country, fight for the national independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and uphold the peaceful and stable environment to develop the country; plans the way and policy in defense, security, national protection and foreign relation as well as strategies to efficiently handle circumstances; makes sure not to be passive in strategies and gets ready to protect the country.
Living in peaceful days, each Vietnamese has nurtured the desire for peace as well as national independence and implement that desire together. Hence, there is no challenge unable to overcome, there is no mission unable to fulfill. When Vietnamese people and army unite together to get their common purposes and maintain their common determination, the country will always move forward.
