General Secretary To Lam attends the 12th Congress of the Party Committee of Vietnam People's Army

General Secretary To Lam and Minister of Defense Phan Van Giang attended the Congress. (Photo: Nhan dan Newspaper)

Dear Leaders and Former Leaders of the Party, State, and Vietnam Fatherland Front!

Dear Presidium of the Congress,

Dear Delegates of the Congress,

Dear Comrades,

The 12th Congress of the Party Committee of the Army for the 2025-2030 term marks a particularly important milestone for the construction of the Army, strengthening national defense, and safeguarding the Homeland.

On behalf of the Party and State leaders, I extend my warmest greetings and best wishes to the leaders, former leaders of the Party, State, Central Military Commission, Ministry of Defense; leaders of central committees, ministries, sectors, and localities; 448 exemplary delegates representing the courage, intelligence, faith, and will of the Party Committee of the Army attending the Congress, and to all officers, soldiers of the entire army, and the militia forces nationwide. I wish our Congress great success.

Dear Comrades,

In deeply understanding Directive No. 45 of the Politburo, the Central Military Commission has recently led and directed the successful organization of party congresses at all levels within the Party Committee of the Army, with high quality in both documents and personnel; adhering to proper procedures, processes, and principles of congress organization; promoting democracy and unity, ensuring the congress is truly a broad political activity within party cells and party committees, with widespread influence among officers, party members, and the public. This is an important premise for us to organize the 12th Congress of the Party Committee of the Army effectively.

During the preparation for the Congress, the Politburo has directed the preparation work of the Party Committee of the Army, contributed opinions to the Congress documents, and assessed that the Party Committee of the Army is ready to proceed with the 12th Congress of the Party Committee of the Army for the 2025-2030 term.

Today, the Congress solemnly opens in an atmosphere of excitement and pride. The draft documents presented at the Congress, especially the Political Report, are meticulously prepared, concise, profound yet specific, containing many major, important strategic decisions for the construction of the Army, strengthening national defense, and protecting the Homeland in the new era of national development. The speeches just delivered and the papers published in the proceedings are also carefully prepared, reflecting the high political responsibility of the delegates. I agree with the draft documents presented at the Congress and suggest some content for further discussion.

General Secretary To Lam and other Party and State leaders visit the exhibition of the Army's achievements at the Congress. (Photo: Nhan dan Newpspaper)

Dear Comrades,

Over the past five years, in a rapidly evolving, extensive, and complex global and regional context with many unprecedented factors, opportunities, advantages, difficulties, and challenges have arisen for our country's construction and development. However, under the leadership and direction of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, directly the Central Military Commission and party committees at all levels, the entire army has strived to successfully implement the Resolution of the 11th Congress of the Party Committee of the Army as outlined in the Political Report, with many impressive achievements and figures. I would like to summarize six outstanding points:

Firstly, the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense have effectively fulfilled their strategic advisory function on military and defense matters; simultaneously leading and directing the entire army to play a key role in building a comprehensive national defense and protecting the Homeland.

Amidst a turbulent global and regional situation, the Central Military Commission has directed research, assessment, and accurate forecasting of the situation to advise the Party and State on timely, flexible, and effective responses to situations, preventing passivity and surprises, maintaining a proactive stance, preventing conflict risks, and firmly safeguarding national sovereignty and interests. The Central Military Commission has advised on the issuance of many resolutions, conclusions, regulations, and strategic projects on military and defense matters, especially leading the research and proposal to the 13th Party Central Committee to issue Resolution No. 44 on the Strategy for Homeland Protection in the New Situation, with profound theoretical development; advising on the issuance, amendment, and supplementation of laws on military and defense matters suitable to the new context and conditions.

Directing the comprehensive and quality implementation of tasks and solutions to build a comprehensive national defense posture, linked with a comprehensive people's security posture, building a strong people's defense and defensive areas. Particularly, to promptly meet the requirements of organizing local government at two levels and adjusting administrative boundaries at provincial and communal levels, the Central Military Commission has decisively, timely, and effectively advised and directed the arrangement of local military organizations, adjusted the deployment of forces, means, and posture, meeting the requirements of national defense in the new situation.

General Secretary To Lam with delegates attending the Congress.

Secondly, the Central Military Commission has focused on building a politically strong Army as a basis for enhancing the overall quality and combat strength of the entire army. Along with seriously and comprehensively implementing six groups of solutions for building a politically strong Army as identified in the Resolution of the 11th Congress of the Party Committee of the Army, the Central Military Commission has directed the implementation of many practical and appropriate additional solutions to meet the requirements and developments of the situation, notably the solutions for building political and spiritual factors throughout the army, ensuring that officers and soldiers are always absolutely loyal to the Homeland, the Party, the State, and the People, ready to receive and excellently complete all tasks in any circumstances. This is the fundamental factor for the Army to become a solid support for the Party, the State, and the People.

Thirdly, the Central Military Commission has led the entire army to basically complete the adjustment of a streamlined, strong organizational structure, creating a solid foundation for building a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern People's Army. It can be affirmed that in the past term, the Central Military Commission has been decisive in leading and directing the adjustment of the Army's organizational structure with a scientific and methodical roadmap and steps.

The Army has become a highlight in implementing the Party and State's policy of streamlining the organizational apparatus. Importantly, after the adjustment, units quickly became operational, leaving no gaps in performing military and defense tasks. Notably, this arrangement and adjustment have contributed to enhancing the combat strength of the entire army, preparing all conditions to immediately at this Congress decide on the policy of building a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern People's Army. This is five years ahead of the goal set by the 11th Congress of the Party Committee of the Army and the 13th National Congress of the Party.

Fourthly, the Central Military Commission and party committees at all levels have led the entire army to effectively perform the functions of a combat army, a working army, and a production army. Under the leadership of the Central Military Commission and party committees at all levels, agencies and units have focused on innovating and improving the quality of training, exercises, and education-training.

During the term, the entire army organized thousands of exercises ensuring safety and high quality, including dozens of large-scale exercises directly directed by the Ministry of Defense, with various forms of combat at different scales, using many types of weapons and technical equipment produced by our Army. Units strictly maintained combat readiness; regularly grasped the situation of airspace, sea, borders, interior, and cyberspace, especially in key areas and hotspots, promptly and successfully handled situations; coordinated closely with the People's Public Security and other forces within the political system, ensuring absolute safety for important political events of the Party and State, especially commemorating major national holidays such as the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory, the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification, the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, with the participation and direct observation of millions of compatriots, soldiers nationwide, and international friends.

Communication, mobilization, and assistance to the people have achieved many results and notable marks. The Army always stands by the people in economic, cultural, and social development; accompanies the people in poverty alleviation, eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses, with many meaningful and humanitarian activities. Particularly, Army officers and soldiers are always the core, pioneering force in disaster prevention, disease control, search and rescue; not afraid of hardships and sacrifices, ready to be present in critical and dangerous places to help and protect the lives and property of the people, both domestically and internationally.

In the field of production, economic development, combining defense with the economy, the Army has also left many good marks. Not only are they excellent in training and combat readiness, but units are also proactive and actively engage in production, practice thrift, and practically improve and enhance the living standards of soldiers. Military enterprises have affirmed their credibility through productivity, quality, and efficiency in production and business; many large projects and national key projects have been entrusted by the State to military enterprises, especially projects in difficult areas, borders, and islands.

Leaders, former leaders of the Party, State, and delegates perform the flag-raising ceremony. (Source: Nhan Dan Newspaper)

Fifthly, the defense industry has made breakthrough developments, international integration, and defense diplomacy have recorded many new marks. The Central Military Commission has directed the entire army to effectively implement Resolution No. 08 dated January 26, 2022, of the Politburo on promoting the development of the defense industry until 2030 and the following years, with many results and breakthrough successes; notably, we have mastered some foundational and core technologies, successfully researched and manufactured many types of modern weapons and technical equipment. These include missile systems, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, self-propelled artillery, naval guns, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and many other modern weapons, equipment, and means. This is a very important premise for us to advance faster and stronger in the roadmap to modernize the Army. This is an especially outstanding highlight of the Army in the past term. This is proof of the truth: When the policy is right and the action is decisive, there will be good results.

International integration and defense diplomacy have been actively, proactively, firmly, flexibly, and effectively implemented, affirming their role as one of the pillars of the Party's foreign affairs, State diplomacy, and people's diplomacy. The Army has actively and responsibly participated in the international community's response to non-traditional security challenges; actively and effectively participated in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Sixthly, the Party Committee of the Army has been built to be exemplary in politics, ideology, ethics, organization, and personnel, being one of the exemplary party committees within the entire Party. The Central Military Commission has effectively implemented four major tasks and solutions for building the Party Committee of the Army as outlined in the Resolution of the 11th Congress.

Notably, the team of officers and party members has a firm political stance, clean and healthy ethics and lifestyle, high sense of responsibility, pioneering, exemplary in all fields. There are many solutions to strictly maintain discipline, promote the "Uncle Ho's Soldiers" qualities, resolutely combat individualism; prevent manifestations of political, ethical, and lifestyle degradation, corruption, waste, negativity; actively and proactively protect the Party's ideological foundation, counter wrong and hostile viewpoints. The leadership capacity and combat strength of the entire Party Committee are continuously enhanced, contributing to maintaining and strengthening the Party's absolute and direct leadership over the Army.

In general, the Party Committee of the Army has excellently completed the tasks as outlined in the Resolution of the 11th Congress of the Party Committee of the Army, making an important contribution to the successful implementation of the 13th Party Congress's tasks, building a streamlined, strong, regular, elite, modern Army, politically steadfast, absolutely loyal to the Party, the country, and the people, effectively implementing the Homeland Protection Strategy, preventing passivity and surprises. Building a proactive, masterful, and self-reliant comprehensive national defense strategy, producing many modern weapons and means, completing many special national defense tasks, maintaining a peaceful environment for the country's stability and development.

The achievements in the leadership and direction of the Party Committee of the Army in the past term are significant, making a very important contribution to the achievements and results of implementing the 13th Party Congress's Resolution. On behalf of the Party and State leaders, I warmly congratulate the achievements and results that the Party Committee of the Army and the entire army have achieved over the past five years.

Besides the outstanding advantages mentioned above, in leadership and direction of task implementation, the Party Committee of the Army and the entire army still have some limitations and shortcomings as outlined in the Political Report. With the spirit of looking straight at the truth, speaking the truth, respecting the truth, I propose that the Congress continue to discuss, analyze, and clarify these limitations and shortcomings, identify the causes and responsibilities, propose solutions to completely overcome them, preventing limitations and weaknesses from prolonging, accumulating from small to large, from less serious to serious.

Leaders, former leaders of the Party, State, and delegates perform the flag-raising ceremony. (Source: Nhan Dan Newspaper)

Dear Comrades,

A vast horizon full of opportunities and challenges lies ahead of us. How can we successfully achieve the two centennial goals of the country? How can we successfully implement the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress? How can the country have a peaceful and stable environment; to develop the economy-society quickly and sustainably; to ensure the people's life is truly free-prosperous-happy? The Army must be the core force in carrying out these tasks.

This situation poses new and higher demands for military and defense tasks, requiring us to have strategic decisions that adapt to the new situation. The Political Report presented at the 12th Congress of the Party Committee of the Army has identified the direction, goals, military and defense tasks, and the construction of the Party Committee of the Army for the 2025-2030 term with comprehensive content, strategic significance, and high feasibility.

To successfully implement these directions and goals, I propose that comrades study and effectively implement "2 steadfastness, 2 enhancements, and 2 preventions".

The two steadfastness are:

Firstly: Steadfast in the Party's military and defense line. This requires the Party Committee of the Army and the entire army to deeply grasp and effectively implement the Party and State's viewpoints, lines, policies on military and defense matters; especially the comprehensive national defense line, people's war, the "four no" defense policy with a peaceful and defensive nature; effectively implement the motto of relying on the people, the people are the root, the subject, the center of the cause of building and protecting the Homeland.

At the same time, fully promote the core role of the People's Army in the cause of strengthening national defense, protecting the Homeland, together with the people and the entire political system, building a strong, modern comprehensive national defense, with sufficient potential and strength to firmly protect our beloved Homeland.

Secondly: Steadfast in building a politically strong Army, contributing to maintaining and strengthening the Party's absolute and direct leadership over the Army. This is an immutable principle in building a new, revolutionary army, from the people, for the people, closely linked with the people.

In this, the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defense, and party committees and commanders at all levels within the entire army need to pay special attention to building political and spiritual factors for the troops, ensuring the Army always adheres to Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh's thought, the Party's viewpoints and lines, steadfast in the goal of national independence and socialism, always being a politically loyal and reliable force of the Party, State, and People; ensuring that officers and soldiers always have high fighting spirit, dare to face and overcome difficulties and challenges, dare to fight, determined to fight, and know how to fight and win.

Presidium of the Congress. (Source: People's Army Newspaper)

The two enhancements are:

Firstly: Enhance the building of a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern People's Army. In this, the elements of "revolutionary, regular, elite" have been continuously built and developed over more than 80 years of construction, combat, victory, and growth of the Army; however, they need to be further enhanced and promoted in the new phase.

Especially in the current phase, it is necessary to emphasize the promotion of the cultural values of "Uncle Ho's Soldiers"; strengthen education, training, and discipline for the troops so that officers and soldiers are not only politically steadfast, elite in combat, but also elite in civil defense, quickly and effectively responding to non-traditional security challenges.

The "modern" element has made a breakthrough in the past term. Now the foundation is solid, the conditions have converged, we need to enhance modern construction right now, in this term. Modernity must be compared with countries around the world and the region, not just compared to ourselves in previous years.

To realize the goal of modernity, along with enhancing the construction of modern people in the Army as a decisive factor, the fundamental, sustainable solution is to enhance the breakthrough development of a self-reliant, self-sufficient, dual-use, modern defense industry; at the same time, enhance the breakthrough development of science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation according to the spirit of Resolution No. 57 of the Politburo.

Secondly: Enhance international integration and defense diplomacy. The focus is on thoroughly understanding and effectively implementing Conclusion No. 53 of the Politburo on international integration and defense diplomacy until 2030 and the following years, Resolution No. 59 of the Politburo on international integration in the new situation; enhance defense cooperation both bilaterally and multilaterally; handle harmoniously and flexibly in defense relations and cooperation with countries, especially in the context of fierce competition and increased attraction and coalition by major countries.

Our goal is to maintain strategic balance in general foreign relations, in particular defense diplomacy, contributing to creating and maintaining a peaceful, stable environment, safeguarding the Homeland from afar. At the same time, continue to effectively participate in United Nations peacekeeping operations, search and rescue, disaster relief, contributing to bringing the image and cultural values of "Uncle Ho's Soldiers" to the international level.

General Secretary To Lam, Secretary of the Central Military Commission speaks at the Congress. (Source: People's Army Newspaper)

The two preventions are:

Prevent the risks of war and conflict. This is an important, consistent, and urgent requirement in the current phase; requiring the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defense, and the entire army to regularly grasp, research, and clearly assess the development trends of the situation, promptly advise the Party and State on strategic responses to successfully handle military and defense situations; responses to maintain "internal warmth, external calm", "domestic peace, external tranquility", associated with building a strong People's Army and comprehensive national defense to preserve peace, prevent any plots to infringe on independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity of the Homeland, and push back any risks of war and conflict.

Prevent any manifestations of political, ethical, and lifestyle degradation, "self-evolution", "self-transformation" within the Party Committee of the Army and the entire army. The Party and State place great trust and high demands on the Party Committee of the Army and the entire army in implementing this content, which is to prevent degradation right from its embryonic stage, right at its manifestation, absolutely not allowing it to develop into degradation and higher into "self-evolution", "self-transformation".

To achieve this, the Party Committee of the Army must particularly emphasize party building, linking the construction of a clean and strong exemplary Party Committee with building comprehensive strong "exemplary, typical" agencies and units. Regularly maintain the organizational and operational principles of the Party, especially the principle of democratic centralism, the principle of self-criticism and criticism; strengthen inspection and supervision; continuously enhance the leadership capacity and combat strength of party committees and organizations.

Focus on building a strong team of Army officers with heart, vision, and high prestige before the unit and the people, well meeting the task requirements in the new situation.

General Secretary To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, Standing Member of the Secretariat Tran Cam Tu, and other Party and State leaders with delegates attending the Congress. (Source: Nhan Dan Newspaper)

Dear Comrades,

The Party, State, and People always trust and have great expectations for the Vietnam People's Army. To effectively implement the six main contents mentioned above, I hope the Party Committee of the Army and the entire army need to "gather unity, gather will, gather talent, gather strength".

Accordingly, the entire army must be highly united internally and united with the people to create strength. The entire army with one will; the army and the people with one will to act decisively and correctly oriented. The entire army must enhance attracting, training, and utilizing talents to effectively serve the cause of building the Army, strengthening national defense. These are also important factors for the entire army to successfully perform the functions of a combat army, a working army, and a production army, excellently completing tasks in all situations.

With that spirit, immediately after this Congress, we must quickly implement the contents that the Congress resolves, bringing the Resolution into life immediately; not allowing delays or gaps between the Resolution at the Congress and its implementation in practice.

Promoting the heroic and glorious tradition of over 80 years of construction, combat, victory, and growth, along with the great achievements that the Party Committee of the Army and the entire army have achieved in recent years; under the absolute and direct leadership of the Party, the concentrated and unified management and administration of the State, we believe that the Vietnam People's Army will continuously grow stronger, with high overall quality and combat strength, being the core force together with the entire people to firmly safeguarding the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, maintaining and strengthening a peaceful and stable environment for building and developing a prosperous, civilized, and happy country, steadily advancing towards socialism.

Wishing you all good health, happiness, and success,

Thank you, comrades.

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