Vietnam People’s Army steadfastly advances under Party’s glorious flag

Under the Party’s glorious flag, the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) has always been an absolutely loyal and trusted political force of the Party, the State, and the people, Party General Secretary To Lam stated in an article released on the occasion of the VPA's 81st founding anniversary (December 22, 1944–2025).

The following is a translation of the article.

THE VIETNAM PEOPLE’S ARMY STEADFASTLY ADVANCES UNDER THE PARTY’S GLORIOUS FLAG

TO LAM

Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee

Secretary of the Central Military Commission

Over more than eight decades of building, fighting, winning, and growing, the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) has consistently demonstrated its revolutionary nature, fully deserving President Ho Chi Minh’s commendation: “Our military is loyal to the Party, devoted to the people, and ready to fight and sacrifice for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland and for socialism. Any task it undertakes, it fulfills; any difficulty it faces, it overcomes; any enemy it confronts, it defeats.” Under the Party’s glorious flag, the VPA has always been an absolutely loyal and trusted political force, worthy of the trust and love of the Party, the State, and the people.

Eighty-one years ago, in a forest located between the Hoang Hoa Tham and Tran Hung Dao areas of Cao Bang province, following President Ho Chi Minh’s directive, the Vietnam Propaganda Unit of the Liberation Army, the forerunner of the VPA, was established with 34 soldiers in “brown clothing.” Throughout its formation, fighting, and development, the VPA has served as a core force, together with the entire Party and people, achieving great victories in the struggle for national liberation and the construction and defense of the Fatherland. Those victories were the crystallization and convergence of many factors, among which the Party’s absolute and direct leadership over the army in all aspects was of decisive significance.

The Party’s leadership over the VPA was affirmed as early as 1930 in the Brief Political Platform, which set forth the strategic thinking of having to “organize a workers’ and peasants’ army,” regarding the building of the armed forces as a key factor in ensuring the success of the cause of national liberation and Fatherland safeguarding. This foundational viewpoint marked the starting point for the creation of a new-type army bearing the working-class nature—absolutely loyal to the goals of national independence and socialism.

With a consistent military policy, the Party built the armed forces from initial workers’ and peasants’ self-defense organizations, gradually developing them into guerrilla units and combat self-defense forces, culminating in December 1944 in the establishment of the Vietnam Propaganda Unit of the Liberation Army placed under the Party’s direct leadership and through Party cells to carry out its tasks in an absolute and direct manner. It was precisely the Party organization within the army that forged a high degree of unity in will, discipline, and combat strength, enabling our army to win from its very first battles, establishing the tradition of “determined to fight, determined to win.” The Party’s leadership was further clearly demonstrated during the August 1945 General Uprising. Under the wise direction of the Party Central Committee and President Ho Chi Minh, the revolutionary armed forces played a spearhead role, coordinating with the political forces of the masses to rise up to seize power nationwide.

During the resistance war against French colonialism, the Party’s leadership over the army was manifested concentratedly in the guideline of “all-people, comprehensive, protracted war relying primarily on our own strength.” Thanks to this, our army, from a young force, developed into a well-organized main force with increasingly refined operational art, making the historic Dien Bien Phu Victory that “resounded across the five continents and shook the globe,” ushering in the collapse of colonialism and powerfully inspiring national liberation movements around the world.

In the resistance war against the US for national salvation, the Party’s leadership became even more prominent. The Party advocated combining military struggle with political and diplomatic efforts, directed the building of the three-component armed forces, and developed the posture of people’s war. The army launched decisive strategic campaigns, notably the Spring 1975 General Offensive and Uprising, culminating in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, which brought the resistance war against the US to a victorious conclusion, gloriously accomplishing the cause of national liberation and reunification, and writing a heroic chapter in the history of the Ho Chi Minh era.

Under the Party’s leadership, our army fought and won victories in the wars to defend the Fatherland along the southwestern and northern borders and fulfilled its noble international obligations, helping the Lao people protect the fruits of their revolution and assisting the Cambodian people in escaping genocide.

The victories achieved in resistance wars against colonialism and imperialism and in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity affirmed the indomitable will of our entire Party, army, and people, attesting to the great strength of the military–civilian great unity bloc under the Party’s leadership and the VPA's core role. These victories not only helped create a peaceful and stable environment for national development but also contributed to the maintenance of peace and stability in Southeast Asia and the wider world.

Implementing the Party’s renewal policy, the military has continued to affirm its role as a trusted political force of the Party, the State, and the people. The entire army has excellently fulfilled all of its three functions: a fighting force, a working force, and a labor-production force. It has always proactively grasped situations, enhanced its strategic advisory capacity, and effectively handled situations, preventing passivity or surprise, particularly in protecting sovereignty over seas and islands, safeguarding independence and territorial integrity, contributing to strengthening the all-people national defense posture in close association with the people’s security posture, creating a proactive defense stance, and building strong defensive zones.

Defence diplomacy has been strengthened, making positive contributions to a peaceful and stable environment for national development. The army has consistently set an example in Party building and rectification, taken the lead in studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality, and style, and actively struggled against erroneous and hostile viewpoints.

Under the Party’s leadership, the VPA has always upheld the spirit of self-reliance and self-resilience, proactively and actively participated in socio-economic development, and greatly contributed to the success of the “Doi Moi” (Renewal) cause. The entire army is well versed in “peacetime combat missions,” promoting its core role in helping the people prevent natural disasters and overcome their consequences, conducting search and rescue operations, eradicating hunger and reducing poverty, building new-style rural areas, and strengthening grassroots political systems. The image of military officers and soldiers present in critical, difficult, and dangerous places, selflessly risking their lives to protect the lives and property of the people, has further illuminated the qualities and traditions of Uncle Ho’s Soldiers in the new era, tightened the close-knit bond between the military and the people, and helped build a firm “people’s heart posture.”

Entering a new stage of development, the international and regional landscapes continue to evolve rapidly and complexly, with many unpredictable factors. Strategic competition among major powers is intensifying; a mix of traditional and non-traditional security challenges is exerting sweeping impacts on the task of safeguarding the Fatherland. Domestically, after nearly 40 years of Doi Moi (renewal), our country's overall strength and position have kept growing, but the cause of consolidating national defense and protecting sovereignty and territorial integrity now faces new requirements. The task of defending the Fatherland and building a "revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern" army demands higher standards, greater proactiveness, and stronger actions. To continue maintaining and upholding the role of the army in national construction, development, and defense in the new era, the Party Organization of the VPA and the entire army need to focus on effectively following the following key and crucial tasks:

Firstly, it is essential to steadfastly maintain and strengthen the Party’s absolute and direct leadership over the army in all aspects. This is a matter of vital importance, determining the nature and power of our army. Under any circumstances and in all conditions, the principle of the Party’s leadership over the army remains a prerequisite. The army must preserve its revolutionary nature and steadfastly adhere to Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought in building and performing its functions and missions.

The VPA’s Party Organization must regularly grasp thoroughly and strictly follow the Party’s viewpoints and guidelines on military, national defense, and Fatherland protection; first and foremost, the 13th Party Central Committee’s Resolution 44-NQ/TW on the strategy for safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation. It is necessary to firmly grasp developments, make accurate forecasts, provide timely advice, and effectively handle defense-related situations, ensuring that the country is never caught off guard under any circumstances. At the same time, it must effectively perform its role as an advisory body to the Party and the State in military and defense affairs, efficiently realize the Party and State’s resolutions and directives on building the people's armed forces and consolidating the all-people national defense and the all-people defense posture closely linked with the people’s security posture, and improve the overall quality and combat strength of the army.

In advancing the centennial strategic goals marking 100 years of the Party’s leadership and the 100th founding anniversary of the nation, the army must be one of the core forces continuing to advise the Party and the State on seizing opportunities and overcoming challenges; it must truly be a fighting force, a working force, and a labor-production force; in particular, it must effectively achieve breakthroughs in the development of the defense industry to meet modernization requirements within the overall policy of building an independent and self-reliant economy. At the same time, it should further enhance its contributions to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world.

Secondly, efforts must be made to build a truly clean, comprehensively strong, exemplary, and outstanding VPA Party Organization. This is a decisive factor to uphold the Party’s absolute, direct leadership over the army in all aspects and ensure that the army fulfills all assigned tasks.

The VPA Party Organisation must continue to thoroughly grasp and strictly follow the resolutions, directives, regulations, and conclusions on Party building issued by the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, and the Central Military Commission, linking the Party Central Committee's Resolution on Party building and rectification with the realization of the Directive on studying and following the thought, morality, and style of President Ho Chi Minh and the Central Military Commission’s Resolution No. 847-NQ/QUTW on promoting the qualities of Uncle Ho’s Soldiers and resolutely combating individualism in the new situation. Priority must be given to building a strong VPA Party Organization, first and foremost in politics, steadfastly adhering to Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, and the goal of national independence linked with socialism; maintaining the principle of democratic centralism, collective leadership, and individual responsibility, self-criticism, and criticism; and strengthening solidarity and unity within the Party.

At the same time, importance should be attached to renewing the content and methods of leadership, especially at the grassroots level. Efforts to build clean and strong Party organizations must go hand in hand with building comprehensively strong, “exemplary and outstanding” agencies and units and fostering a healthy, democratic, and highly disciplined military cultural environment. A resolute fight must be waged against corruption, negative phenomena, wastefulness, bureaucracy, the gap between words and deeds, manifestations of alienation from the people, and actions that harm the prestige of the Party and the army.

Thirdly, continuous efforts are needed to enhance the comprehensive leadership capacity and combat strength of the VPA Party Organization and the effectiveness of Party and political work.

First, focus should be given to reviewing, amending, and supplementing regulations and rules and perfecting the Party's leadership mechanism over the army in the new situation. It is a must to promptly reorganize Party committees and organizations at all levels in sync with the army's reshuffling, strictly adhere to the Party's organization and operation principles, effectively uphold self-criticism and criticism, and make substantive and accurate evaluations of Party organizations and members.

It is also necessary to renew the content and methods and improve the quality of Party cell meetings while enhancing the political mettle, leadership capacity, skills, and professional competence of grassroots Party committee members. Coordination should be strengthened to improve the quality and effectiveness of leadership in performing local military and defense tasks, border guard work, and the activities of commune-level military Party cells in line with the two-tier local administration model.

Party and political work must truly be a central focus that connects, guides, and spreads influence throughout the entire army. Party committees, leading cadres, and political agencies need to closely monitor the situation and promptly translate the Party’s guidelines and policies into appropriate programs and plans. They must proactively grasp and accurately forecast the thoughts of the troops, provide timely guidance, and maintain solidarity and unity. They must also closely integrate ideological work with organizational work, personnel management, mass mobilization, policy, internal political protection, and inspection and supervision, creating a combined strength from each agency and unit. Strengthening personnel work, building a team of qualified political experts and scientists, and attracting talent to meet new requirements are also crucial.

Fourthly, resolute action must be taken to thwart and defeat the plots, tricks, and subversive activities of hostile forces.

At present, hostile, reactionary, and opportunistic political forces are intensifying “peaceful evolution,” promoting “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” within the Party, particularly before, during, and after the 14th National Party Congress. Party committees and organizations and political agencies at all levels must continue to thoroughly grasp and strictly follow the Politburo’s Resolution No. 35-NQ/TW on strengthening the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation and countering erroneous and hostile viewpoints in the new situation, in close alignment with schemes and plans of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence. It is necessary to build specialized and core forces to fight on the ideological and theoretical front, especially in cyberspace, while closely combining building and combating.

Efforts should also be made to strengthen building and rectification for a clean and strong Party and political system and firmly uphold principles governing Party organization and activities, discipline, and order. Greater attention should be paid to education and training to enhance the political and ideological “resilience” and “immunity” of officers and soldiers against harmful and toxic information. The role of information, communication, the press, and publishing should be fully brought into play, closely aligned with the revolutionary mission of the army, maintaining the Party's political orientations, viewpoints, and guidelines, and actively countering erroneous and hostile stances.

Proud of the glorious 81-year tradition of the heroic VPA, the Party, State, and people always believe that our army will continue to uphold its fine qualities, build a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern people's army, firmly safeguard the Fatherland, and contribute to building a peaceful, prosperous, and happy country in the new era of the nation.