Ho Chi Minh’s thought on building all-people national defence is the crystallisation of the tradition of national construction and protection; that is one of the fundamental parts in his ideological system on the Vietnamese revolution. In response to the requirements of Fatherland protection in the new situation, creatively applying his thought to building strong, modern all-people national defence has profound theoretical and practical significance.
The 14th National Party Congress continues to affirm the steadfast goal of national independence and socialism, while advocating “enhancing national potential and overall strength, building and consolidating all-people national defence, the posture of all-people national defence, and the people’s security associated with the development of a firm posture of people’s hearts and minds and proactive, solid defensive zones”.
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| Supplies transported by frontline workers during the battle of Dien Bien Phu (file photo) |
According to the Resolution of the 12th Military Party Congress, resources will be mobilised and effectively used to “build a revolutionary, regular, elite, modern Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and strong, modern all-people national defence”. To realise these strategic orientations, the application of Ho Chi Minh’s thought in building all-people national defence is not only a continuation of tradition, but also an important foundation for creating potential and strength to defend the Fatherland in the nation’s new development era.
Ho Chi Minh’s thought on all-people national defence is a comprehensive and profound system of viewpoints on building strength to defend the Fatherland. These viewpoints not only illuminated the previous struggle for national liberation but continue to serve as an ideological foundation and important orientation for building all-people national defence in the new period. Practice shows that many of the Party’s lines and viewpoints on building all-people national defence (its nature, forces, potential, posture, etc.) today are the inheritance, application, and creative development of Ho Chi Minh’s thought in line with the requirements of Fatherland protection in the new conditions. Within this article, several points are clarified to achieve a more complete, comprehensive understanding of the theoretical and practical values of this thought in building strong, modern all-people national defence.
First, building all-people national defence from the strength of the people. This is a revolutionary, scientific, consistent viewpoint in Uncle Ho’s thought on building all-people national defence. Based on the clear identification of the people’s role in the revolutionary cause: “In the sky, nothing is more precious than the people/In the world, nothing is stronger than the united strength of the people”, from the very early days of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, President Ho Chi Minh affirmed: “Our country has just regained independence and freedom and must go through many difficult steps to consolidate such independence and freedom; Therefore, all our people, regardless of age or gender, must take on their share of responsibility”. This viewpoint clearly reflects the thought that national defence is the cause of the entire people, by the people, and for the people; in this regard, the people serve as both the builders and decisive source of strength of national defence. The real strength of national defence comes from great national unity bloc, from patriotism, from the will for independence, and from each citizen’s responsibility to defend the Fatherland. This thought inherits the tradition of national construction and protection with the viewpoints, namely “all people are soldiers” and “the whole country joins hands to fight the enemy”. In the Directive on establishing the Vietnam Liberation Army Propaganda Unit, President Ho Chi Minh clearly required “mobilising the entire people, arming the entire people…”.
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| Special training for commando troops (photo: qdnd.vn) |
In modern warfare, adversaries may use non-military measures, information warfare, psychological warfare, and cyber warfare to undermine social trust and create internal disorder. Hence, building strong, modern all-people national defence must begin with building a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds”. In applying Uncle Ho’s thought, it is necessary to keep improving the people’s material and spiritual life, effectively implementing social welfare, ethnic, and religious policies, and harmonising interests among regions and social strata to cement social consensus. It is essential to raise the quality of mass mobilisation, promote the people’s right to mastery, adhere to the viewpoint that “the people are the root”, as reaffirmed by the 14th National Party Congress, and strictly realise President Ho Chi Minh’s teachings: “whatever is beneficial to the people must be done to the best of one’s ability; whatever is harmful to the people must be avoided at all costs”. When we win the people’s hearts and minds, and great national unity is consolidated, that becomes the most solid “fortress” of modern all-people national defence.
Second, building a politically strong VPA absolutely loyal to the Fatherland, Party, State, and people. President Ho Chi Minh consistently upheld the principle “men first, guns later”, and therefore clearly stated: “Military affairs without politics are like a tree without roots, useless and even harmful”. According to him, the strength of the Military first and foremost comes from its revolutionary nature and from its combat purpose for the people, for national independence, and for socialism.
Currently, hostile forces are intensifying “peaceful evolution” and promoting the “de-politicisation” of the VPA in an attempt to separate the Military from the Party’s leadership. Hence, greater importance should be attached to building a politically strong VPA as the foundation for improving its overall quality and combat strength, and as the core of all-people national defence. Accordingly, it is necessary to continue to thoroughly grasp the Party’s viewpoints on building a revolutionary, regular, elite, modern VPA, maintain and strengthen the Party’s absolute, direct leadership in all aspects over the VPA. Due attention should be paid to intensifying education in Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s thought, and improving troops’ political steadfastness and “self-resistance” against wrong, hostile viewpoints. The VPA must not only be modern in weaponry, but first and foremost modern in thinking, organisational capacity, combat methods, and mastery of new military science and technology.
Third, building independent, autonomous, self-reliant, self-strengthening all-people national defence. President Ho Chi Minh placed special emphasis on the role of national internal strength and affirmed: “A nation that does not rely on its own internal strength but waits for help from others is not worthy of independence”. This viewpoint reflects his consistent thinking that national defence must be built primarily on internal strength as the decisive factor in defending the Fatherland. According to him, independence and autonomy do not mean isolation or seclusion from the world, but rather knowing how to take advantage of international support and the advances of the times to enhance national defence potential; however, all partnerships must ensure the principles of non-dependence and non-sacrifice of national independence and sovereignty.
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| Kilo-636 submarine on duty at sea (photo: chinhphu.vn) |
In compliance with that thought, building strong, modern all-people national defence must be associated with expanding and improving diplomacy and international integration in defence and security to contribute to maintaining a peaceful, stable environment for national development and raising Vietnam’s international position and prestige. However, in any circumstance, it is vital to uphold the principle of independence and autonomy, as President Ho Chi Minh instructed: “Real strength is the gong, and diplomacy is the sound; The bigger the gong is, the louder the sound is”.
Fourth, all-people and comprehensive warfare. According to President Ho Chi Minh: “Regardless of men or women, young or old, regardless of religion, party affiliation or ethnicity, whoever is Vietnamese must rise up to fight French colonialists to save the Fatherland; Whoever has a gun uses a gun; Whoever has a sword uses a sword; Whoever does not have a sword uses a hoe, a spade, or a stick; Everyone must strive to resist French colonialists and save the nation”. This is not only a call during the resistance war but also a profound generalisation of the law of national construction and defence in Vietnam: the strength to defend the Fatherland does not come from any single force; it is created by the combined strength of the entire nation under the leadership of the Party. From realities of the Vietnamese revolution, President Ho Chi Minh developed the tradition of “the whole country unites to fight the enemy” into a people’s war line that is comprehensive, independent, autonomous, and rich in contemporary value.
Amid the robust developments of new forms of warfare, where the boundary between peace and war is increasingly blurred, building all-people national defence cannot be limited to developing the armed forces alone; this work must be also aimed to strengthen political - spiritual, economic, cultural, scientific, technological, security, and diplomatic potential, closely link national defence with national development, and develop the potential and posture of the all-people national defence and a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds”. This is also a creative application of Ho Chi Minh’s thought in building strong, modern all-people national defence through the combined strength of the nation, the great national unity bloc, and the country’s strategic autonomy capacity.
Fifth, maintaining revolutionary vigilance and proactively defending the Fatherland early and afar. President Ho Chi Minh repeatedly reminded: “our cadres, soldiers, and people must always raise vigilance”, while stressing the need to “consolidate national defence forces and maintain social order and safety”. According to him, national defence is not only a task when war breaks out but must be prepared in peacetime and proactively prevent all threats to national independence, sovereignty, and stability. This reflects his profound strategic thinking on defending the Fatherland “before danger arises” and on closely combining national construction and protection.
Today, applying this thought requires proactively grasping situational developments, promptly identifying and effectively addressing traditional and non-traditional security threats, ensuring no passivity or surprise in any situation. At the same time, building strong, modern all-people national defence must be closely linked with socio-economic development, defence - security consolidation, and the development of increasingly strong potential, forces, and posture of the all-people national defence as a foundation for firmly safeguarding the Fatherland “early and from afar”.
Ho Chi Minh’s thought on building all-people national defence is an invaluable spiritual asset of our Party and nation. Applying his thought in building strong, modern all-people national defence today is not only a theoretical requirement but also a political task aimed at firmly protecting the Fatherland in the nation’s new development era.
Col. VU TRUONG GIANG, PhD
Faculty of Military Pedagogy
Political Officer College