Reporter: In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic had great impacts on all aspects of life in general and the task performance of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) in particular. Could you elaborate more on how the VPA promoted its role and responsibility and performed its missions in that context?
General Phan Van Giang: 2021 was the first year that the whole country carried out the resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, and the whole military realized the resolution of the 11th Congress of the Military Party Organization in the context of the quick and complicated developments of the international and regional situations with both opportunities and challenges. Especially, the COVID-19 pandemic with new variants negatively affected all sectors, causing many major powers to fall into crisis. In Vietnam, despite the joint efforts and drastic pandemic prevention measures by the Party, State, the entire people and the entire military, which have been highly appreciated by international friends, the fourth wave of the pandemic caused heavy socio-economic losses, seriously affected people’s health and lives, and directly impacted the performance of military and defense tasks.
In that context, the Central Military Commission (CMC), the Ministry of National Defense (MND), and party committees and chains-of-command of agencies and units at all levels stayed united and brought into play the beautiful traditions of the military; focused on leading and directing the whole military to adapt to the new developments of the COVID-19 pandemic; overcame difficulties and tried their utmost to basically complete set targets in 2021. The military was entrusted with many missions, especially the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control, by the Party, State, and people. In addition, national defense consolidation in combination with foreign relations promotion created a solid base for safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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The Vietnamese team winning the “Sniper Frontier” contest at the Army Games 2021. |
Addressing the CMC’s conference, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong acknowledged achievements in task implementation obtained by the CMC, the MND, and Party committees and chains-of-command in 2021. Especially, the Party General Secretary and leaders of the Party and State highly appreciated the military for giving strategic advice to the Party and State on military and defense missions, firm protection of national sovereignty and territorial integrity; being key and vanguard force in natural disaster response and disease prevention and control to protect people’s lives and assets. Since the pandemic broke out, the military has performed different tasks to contain the pandemic, ranging from managing border areas to receiving and quarantining those coming from pandemic-hit localities, building field hospitals, conducting COVID-19 testing and vaccination, supporting pandemic-affected people, and helping local people harvest and transport agriculture products. Their contribution has been highly appreciated by the Party, State, and people. The Party leader emphasized that the VPA’s prestige, position, and honor have been enhanced. It is really the heroic military of the heroic Vietnamese people, loved and respected by the people.
Reporter: While leading the military to carry out missions, especially unprecedented tasks of combating the COVID-19 pandemic, what pleased you the most?
General Phan Van Giang: I have seen the values of the spirit of great solidarity, patriotism, and readiness to sacrifice and work selflessly for the Fatherland and the people displayed by Party and State leaders, troops, and people. That is what I was pleased with the most. For many times, leaders of the Party, State, military, agencies, ministries, and localities had to work all night to discuss measures to contain the pandemic, help people, and remove difficulties to promote socio-economic development.
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A checkpoint of the An Giang provincial Border Guard Command on the Tien River in charge of preventing illegal border crossings and COVID-19 pandemic |
In the military, tens of thousands of troops and militiamen have voluntarily rushed to work on the front-line of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the most dangerous areas. Despite difficult family circumstances, many troops asked their parents to look after their children, so that they could volunteer to work in pandemic hotbeds or go to border areas to prevent the pandemic from entering the country. In those perilous times, most of the troops were ready to undertake the most difficult and dangerous tasks and put aside their private and family affairs to wholeheartedly serve the people.
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc in his speech at the whole military’s Politico-Military Conference in 2021 and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in his address at the “Military-civilian sentiment” program to honor outstanding individuals in COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control affirmed that the military has successfully fulfilled their combat missions in peacetime, contributing to protecting the people’s health, lives, and property. In difficult times, we see the quality of Uncle Ho's soldiers being promoted and brightly shined!
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People in Binh Tan district, Ho Chi Minh City receiving food supplies at a program launched by Military Region 7 |
I myself and leaders of the Ministry of National Defense were very touched and at the same time very excited and proud of the military’s iron will and responsibility for the country and the people. We reaffirm that the military has been and will always do its best for the Fatherland, for the people. The whole military will constantly strive to forever deserve the Party, State and people's trust.
Reporter: Is there anything that makes you concerned about?
General Phan Van Giang: Other defense leaders and I are deeply concerned about troops’ hardships and sacrifices during their task performance. Over the past two years, the majority of soldiers, especially those on duty on the frontline of pandemic fight, such as military medical forces in pandemic-hit areas and border guard force, have rarely come home to be reunited with their families. In fact, many troops could not return to their home when their relatives passed away or were seriously ill. Many others had to postpone their wedding, house building, and other personal plans. Although supports to troops are still limited, all of them still do not hesitate to temporarily put aside their personal work and are determined to overcome all difficulties to complete their tasks well.
Our biggest concern is troops’ nostalgia for their families. Despite that, we strongly believe that troops are always ready to overcome all challenges to serve people and work for the people and for the nation’s sustainable development.
In difficult times, the VPA must prove their role, stance, and highest sense of responsibility before the Party, State, and people. In any circumstances, troops firmly uphold and promote virtues of Uncle Ho’s soldiers, deserving to the VPA’s tradition of “being loyal to the Party, pious to the people, and ready to fight and sacrifice for national independence and freedom and socialism, fulfilling any assigned task, settling any hardship, and defeating any enemy.”
Reporter: In 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic and the domestic and international situation are forecast to continue posing challenges and difficulties to the military’s task performance. Could you elaborate more on the military’s orientations and missions in the coming time?
General Phan Van Giang: The CMC’s third conference of the 2020-2025 tenure and recent politico-military conference clearly sketched out orientations and key missions that the VPA should strictly and effectively carry out in 2022.
Apart from striving to successfully carry out regular missions of closely following, evaluating, and accurately forecasting the situation to give strategic advice on military, defense, and national protection to the Party and the Sate to protect the nation early and from afar, the military should focus on following tasks. Firstly, military units should focus on strictly and effectively carrying out resolutions, directives, and conclusions on Party building and rectification and the CMC’s thematic resolution on “Promoting virtues of Uncle Ho’s soldiers, resolutely fighting individualism” and be determined to build strong Military Party Organization in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organization, and personnel.
Secondly, the military should implement three breakthroughs set in the Resolution of the 11th Congress of the Military Party Congress with the focal point of streamlining the organizational structure of the military in line with the guidelines of the Party Central Committee while striving to create a solid foundation for building a modernized military in accordance with goals and roadmaps outlined in the 13th National Party Congress’s Resolution and the Resolution of the 11th Congress of Military Party Organization.
Finally, troops in the whole military should prepare and ready to participate in pandemic prevention and control, respond to natural disasters and mitigate their consequences, conduct search and rescue, and help the people in the spirit of "where people face difficulties, hardships, and dangers, there are soldiers." The VPA must try to do its best for the people and for the nation.
Reporter: On the occasion of the lunar New Year, what do you want to say to troops and their families?
General Phan Van Giang: I would like to express my confidence, excitement, and pride in the solidarity, stance, determination and achievements obtained by the military over the past time, especially in 2021. At the same time, I understand and sympathize with the difficulties, hardships, and sacrifices of troops and their families. As the lunar New Year is around the corner, parents, spouses, children, relatives, and friends are definitely looking forward to seeing their sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers who have not come home for a long time.
However, to respond to the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic and requirements of ensuring combat readiness to protect the nation and people in any circumstances during the lunar New Year, the majority of troops have to be on duty during the holiday. The CMC and MND’s leaders hope that troops’ families will continue sympathizing with, encouraging, and creating favorable conditions for troops to fulfill their noble missions, contributing to protecting peace of the nation. The military will strive to ensure that troops will have a happy, cozy, and safe lunar New Year and observe highest sense of combat readiness.
Despite higher task requirements, with virtues, traditions, and honor of Uncle Ho’s soldiers, troops in the whole military will certainly perform their tasks well.
On the occasion of the lunar New Year 2022, I wish officers, non-commissioned officers, soldiers, defense workers, militiamen, and their families to always be healthy, happy, and successful and contribute to building a stronger army which is capable of fulfilling all missions assigned by the Party, State and people!
Reporter: Thank you, Mr. Minister!
Translated by Tran Hoai