Senior Lieutenant General Le Quang Minh said that the inaugural Military Women’s Award 2026 was an important milestone in women’s affairs and the military women’s movement. For the first time, an award specifically honoring outstanding military women has been organized across the whole military, reflecting the attention and recognition of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defense, and the General Department of Political Affairs for the contribution of female officers and cadres.
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Leaders of the General Department of Political Affairs present certificates of merit to outstanding individuals at a program honoring advanced military women in the 2020-2025 period in October 2025. |
He emphasized that the significance of the award went beyond recognizing achievements. It was also intended to create fresh momentum for women’s affairs and the military women’s movement, encouraging female military personnel to continue promoting their qualities and capabilities, pro-actively striving to advance, and making increasingly practical contribution to military building in the current context.
Regarding the principles and criteria applied during the selection process, Senior Lieutenant General Le Quang Minh explained that the council had consistently pursued a substantive, objective, democratic, transparent, and regulation-based approach. Given the large number of nominations, the council focused on three main requirements: using standards and practical effectiveness as the yardstick; ensuring democracy, objectivity, and comprehensiveness throughout the appraisal process; and ensuring the representative and exemplary nature of the award.
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Women of Factory Z176 under the General Department of Defense Industry promote initiatives and technical improvements to enhance the quality of export tents. |
The council thoroughly reviewed 81 dossiers submitted by 48 units before unanimously selecting 15 collectives and 64 individuals for the inaugural award. According to Senior Lieutenant General Le Quang Minh, the council placed particular emphasis on quality and practical effectiveness to ensure that every honored example was truly deserving. The assessment therefore focused on not only achievements presented in dossiers but also the actual results and contribution made by each collective and individual.
Assessing the award recipients, Senior Lieutenant General Le Quang Minh noted that they represented diverse fields and positions but shared common qualities of responsibility, solidarity, dedication, and determination to advance. Their achievements demonstrated the growing professional qualifications, capabilities, and readiness of military women to meet increasingly demanding missions.
He highlighted the proactive spirit of many female military personnel who had dared to think and act, actively promoted innovation, applied science and technology, and made direct contribution to building a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern military. Their contribution could be seen across a wide range of fields, from training and combat readiness to education, scientific research, production, communications, culture, and sports.
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Women of Factory Z176 under the General Department of Defense Industry research and develop export backpacks for Decathlon of France. |
The award therefore serves not only to honor achievements, but also to identify and spread effective models and valuable experiences throughout the military. Senior Lieutenant General Le Quang Minh stressed that the achievements and initiatives of award recipients should be introduced more widely, while creating opportunities for exemplary individuals and collectives to share their practical experience with female officers and members at other agencies and units.
He also underscored the important role of Party committees, commanders, political commissars, political chiefs, and political agencies at all levels in discovering and fostering new role models. In addition to recognizing achievements, agencies and units need to encourage a spirit of innovation, initiative, and creativity so that the military women’s movement would become increasingly substantive and effective.
From his point of view, the value of the Military Women’s Award would ultimately be measured by its ability to turn individual achievements into practical experience and create broader motivation for military women to learn, innovate, and contribute. Rather than simply replicating existing models mechanically, agencies and units should identify suitable elements and apply them creatively in line with their own missions and conditions.
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Production at Factory Z115 |
Speaking about the values that the award should help promote, Senior Lieutenant General Le Quang Minh identified four qualities as particularly important: will, intellect, discipline, and compassion.
He explained that will is reflected in steadfastness, a high sense of responsibility, and readiness to undertake difficult tasks. Intellect is demonstrated through a willingness to learn, innovative thinking, scientific and technological capabilities, and the ability to adapt to new requirements. Discipline means strictly observing the Party’s guidelines, the State’s laws, and the military’s discipline while maintaining a high sense of responsibility and proper conduct. Compassion is reflected in sharing, caring for, and standing by comrades, families, and the people.
According to the general, these four values are closely intertwined and complement one another, shaping the image of military women in the new era as those who possess strong will, sharp intellect, strict discipline, and a compassionate heart. These qualities also reflect the continuation of the fine traditions of Vietnamese women while meeting the requirements of building a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern military.
Senior Lieutenant General Le Quang Minh expressed his hope that these values would not remain merely qualities recognized through an award but would be translated into practical actions by military women in their daily work. Through concrete contributions and continued self-improvement, the values would gradually spread from individuals to agencies and units, helping further advance women’s affairs and the military women’s movement.
Looking ahead, he stressed that the inaugural Military Women’s Award should be regarded as a starting point rather than an end in itself. The achievements of the honored collectives and individuals should serve as a source of inspiration for other female officers and members to continue studying, training, innovating, and taking on difficult tasks.
He expressed his appreciation for the persistent contribution of military women to military building, national defense consolidation, and Fatherland safeguarding. He hoped that every military women’s union member would continue promoting her fine qualities and traditions, improving her professional qualifications, proactively adapting to mission requirements, and confidently undertaking difficult and new tasks.
The senior officer also emphasized that the growth of each individual, the successful fulfillment of assigned missions, and practical contributions to agencies and units are the most concrete ways for military women to demonstrate their value and spread positive examples throughout the military.
On the occasion of Vietnamese Women’s Day (October 20), Senior Lieutenant General Le Quang Minh extended his best wishes and appreciation to women’s union members across the military. He expressed his hope that they would remain confident and united, continue striving to advance, and fully promote their qualities and capabilities, thereby further enhancing the image of Uncle Ho’s soldiers and making practical contributions to building the military, consolidating national defense, and firmly safeguarding the Fatherland.
Translated by Minh Anh