During the 80 years of establishment, combat and development (25 March 1946 – 25 March 2026), under the leadership of the Party, directly the Central Military Commission (CMC), Ministry of National Defence (MND), the Engineering Soldiers have upheld the revolutionary heroism, overcome all difficulties and challenges, together with the people achieved glorious victories, created the tradition of “Paying the way to victory”. This is a great motivation for the Corps to continuously manage to successfully accomplish all assigned tasks, meeting the requirements of building and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new era.
From “Department of Public Transportation” to the miracle of Dien Bien Phu and the Legendary Truong Son Route
From the important position and role of the military engineering and transportation, on 25 March 1946, President Ho Chi Minh signed Decree No. 34/SL stipulating the organisation of the MND and specialised departments including Department of Public Transportation – the predecessor of the Engineering Corps.
After its establishment, the Engineering Corps, despite having been simply equipped, under the direct direction and command by the MND, has participated in war, supporting for most of major campaigns, such as: the Border Campaign, Hoa Binh Campaign, Upper Laos Campaign, especially the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. In this Campaign, for the first time, we mobilised almost all engineer forces together with conscripted labourers to cut through mountains, break rapids, open and repair hundreds of kilometres of roads and bridges for the transportation of forces, vehicles and materials from the rear to the frontlines; dug hundreds of kilometers of trenches, built the command headquarters and shelters; dug the tunnel to the centre of Hill A1 and ignite the 1-ton explosive charge, opening the door for our forces to march in and destroy the final stronghold, making the decisive contribution to the victory of Dien Bien Phu Campaign that “resonated across five continents and shook the globe”. Given such glorious achievements, the Engineering Corps was awarded the Flag embroidered with golden words of “Paving the way to victory”.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets and encourages forces building Phong Chau floating bridge in 2025 |
Entering the resistance war against the US for national salvation, the mission scale and nature of the Engineering Soldiers had major changes. The engineering companies and battalions in the anti-French resistance war were upscaled to regiments and brigades, which were equipped with many types of modern weapons and technical equipment, successfully accomplished the task of supporting for all kinds of combats, from every single battle to the large-scale campaigns with the combination of all services and arms.
Especially, on maintaining the traffic safety, despite facing magnetic bombs, chemical agents and fierce attacks from the enemies, with the Vietnamese courage and intelligence, the Engineering Soldiers skillfully combined the simple and modern methods, human power and machines to fight bravely, work dedicatedly, blast through mountains, level hills, build bridges, connect ferries, open roads, clear mines and explosive ordnance, together with other forces built the historical Truong Son Strategic Supply Route, also known as Ho Chi Minh Trail, which connected the great Northern rear and the vast Southern frontline with the total length of nearly 20,000 km, making a crucial contribution to the great national victory, liberating completely the South and reunifying the country.
“Paving the way to victory” in other new fronts
When the country was reunified and advanced towards socialism, together with executing the central mission of training and combat readiness, the Engineering Soldiers directly took part in healing the wounds of war, safeguarding the Fatherland, performing international duties, building defence structures and border patrol routes. Besides, it also conducted other important tasks, such as: unexploded ordnance clearance, disaster prevention and relief, search and rescue, structure collapse recovery, counter-terrorism, and other unexpected, difficult, dangerous and heavy tasks. In any conditions, the Engineering Soldiers have raised their bravery, intelligence, creativity, daring to think, do and face difficulties and challenges, continuously manage to successfully accomplish their assigned tasks. Notably, since 2001, the Corps has cleared and disposed thousands of tonnes of bombs, mines and explosive ordnance, cleared hundreds of thousands of hectares of land for production and socio-economic development. In prevention and recovery of disasters, search and rescue, the engineering soldiers have always taken the lead regardless of difficulties, mishaps even sacrifice to respond to the approach span collapse of Can Tho bridge, address the rockslide in Ve village in Nghe An, or “reenact” the historical days of blasting mountains, digging tunnels in Lam Dong highland, successfully saving 12 workers in the tunnel collapse in Da Dang hydropower plant in 2014, building floating bridges across the Red river and the Duong river, clearing the traffic congestion in Hanoi at Khuyen Luong and Chem coach station, etc. Particularly, from 29 September 2024 to 28 September 2025, in the former Phong Chau district of Phu Tho province, with the a floating bridge and military ferries, the Corps maintained the traffic safety for 4,880,663 residents and vehicles, leaving a good impression in the hearts of the people, which was highly appreciated by the Party, the State, the CMC and the MND.
A remarkable milestone in the development journey of the heroic Engineering Soldiers was the participation in the United Nations peacekeeping forces; the humanitarian aid and earthquake relief in Turkey and Myanmar, which contributed to spreading the beautiful image of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the international arena, and embellishing the tradition of “paving the way to victory” of the Engineering Corps in the new situation.
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| Leader of the Corps inaugurates the construction of P15 project |
Bringing into play the tradition of “paving the way to victory” in the new era
Presently, when the world is experiencing epoch-making changes, our country is implementing historic policies in the new era of development. This sets out higher and new requirements for the mission of building the Army, strengthening the national defence, safeguarding the Fatherland in general, and building the Engineering Corps, in particular. To inherit and bring into play the tradition of “paving the way to victory”, gaining achievements in the new era, the Corps need to pay attention to grasping and implementing several missions and solutions as follows:
1. Continuing to build the Corps adept in organisation, strong in politics and ideology.
Bringing into play the achieved results and experience, the Corps’ Party Committee and Command continue to seriously grasp and implement the resolutions of the Politburo and the CMC, plans of the MND on organising the Vietnam People’s Army in the 2021-2030 period and the following years. In the short term, it is necessary to research and advise the CMC, MND about the organisation of the engineering forces in the entire army, focusing on building and adjusting the organisation and staff of the engineering forces in military regions, corps and services in peacetime and wartime; the ones in areas which were reorganised with the military authorities, and in newly-established reserve engineering brigades according to the Standards of the modern Engineering Corps.
Together with the reorganisation, the Corps intensively leads and directs the effective implementation of political education and legal dissemination to all targeted groups; attaches more importance to educating traditions and imparting experience, making cadres and soldiers imbued with Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s thought, guidelines of the Party, missions of the Army and the Corps; deeply understand partners, adversaries, and the plot of “peaceful evolution” by hostile forces, and then raise the revolutionary vigilance. The Corps also enhances their management, makes accurate grasp and forecast, timely orients and solves any problems related to ideology of all cadres, especially the forces doing their tasks in units which are in remote and difficult areas, or the ones which have been merged or removed their position, etc.; continues to seriously grasp and implement the direction by General Secretary To Lam on “2 steadfast, 2 accelerations, 2 preventions” and the motto of 5 steady in order to stimulate, prove and spread cultural values of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers”, the tradition of “paving the way to victory” of the Engineering Soldiers in the new era.
2. Consulting, directing and implementing the engineering tasks in the entire army and other political missions of the Corps
Based on the thorough grasping of guidelines and viewpoints of the Party on the military and defence tasks of safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation, focusing on the Resolution of the 14th National Congress of the Party, the Resolution of the 12th Military Party Congress, the Corps intensely leads and directs the construction of leading resolutions, programmes and plans of implementation. The Corps pays attention to researching and grasping the situations, proactively consults the CMC and MND on the engineering tasks in the entire army; gives advice on the projects, construction, management and protection of the defence structures; coordinates with the military regions to direct the military commands in provinces and cities to advise the local party committees to mobilise all sources of investment to build combat works in defensive zones, strictly manage and protect the CT229 structure, etc.; participates in protecting the security and absolute safety of all national and international events.
The Corps continues to make research and coordinate to well perform their staff and state management functions on overcoming post-war bomb and mine consequences; build the National Action Programme on overcoming post-war bomb and mine consequences in the 2026 – 2045 period; implement the Project on improving the mine and explosive ordnance capabilities in the 2025-2030 period and the following years, the National strategy on mine and explosive ordnance education to 2030, with a vision to 2050; well perform the tasks of natural disaster prevention, search and rescue; readily take part in the international disaster relief, etc.
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| Brigade 229 in disaster response in Myanmar in 2025 |
3. Improving the quality of education, training and combat readiness
Closely following the goals, criteria and guiding viewpoints in Resolution No. 1659-NQ/QUTW dated 20 December 2022 by the CMC on improving the training quality in the 2030 - 2030 period and the following years, the Corps frequently holds the situation, especially the plots, operation methods, new weapons and equipment of the opponents, and the area features, organisation, staff, weapons and equipment of ours in order to make suitable adjustment and supplementation, standardise the contents, programmes and situations of education and training for all learners, especially the forces doing the specialised missions, or the units which have been newly established and merged. In the implementation process, it is necessary to apply the “basic - practical - solid” motto, and attach more importance to synchronous and intensive training towards modernity and close-to-combat reality; increase the training to master new weapons and engineering equipment, night training, mobile training and intensive training in difficult and complicated conditions.
In order to improve the quality of education, training and combat readiness, the Corps pays attention to improving the organisation, training methods, operation and training consultation for cadres at all levels; combines military training with political education, physical training and foreign languages so that soldiers could sufficient capabilities to work in the international environments. The Corps also directs schools to enhance the renovation of training contents and programmes, organisational forms, teaching-learning methods; actively apply the information technology and simulation software into the management, education and training; combines the regular training with extra-curriculum activities, between theories with practice, proactively responding to the non-traditional challenges, etc.
The Corps continues to direct the entire engineering soldiers and subordinate units to adjust and supplement the system of documents, and thoroughly practise all operation plans and situations; promote the renovation of drilling contents, organisation and methods to provide proper engineering support for the combined operation of services and arms, and the defensive operation at all scales in all battlefields; actively apply the digital transformation and automated command in training and military exercises to respond to situations of counter-terrorism, search and rescue; make proper consultation and direction to strengthen international cooperation in holding military exercises, supporting the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations and defence foreign affairs.
4. Making breakthroughs in scientific and technological development, renovation, creativity and digital transformation
Grasping and implementing Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, dated 22 December 2024 by the Politburo, Resolution No. 3488-NQ/QUTW, dated 29 January 2025 by the CMC on the scientific and technological development, renovation, creativity and digital transformation in the Army, the Corps continues to make breakthroughs in science, technology and digital transformation. Especially, from the reality of recent military conflicts, and the strategic orientations by the MND, the Corps has been enhancing the coordination and cooperation with other departments and units whose functions are to research and manufacture specialised engineering equipment such as mine and bomb detection equipment, engineering robots, multi-purpose remote-controlled motorised vehicles, UAVs for engineering reconnaissance, camouflage equipment, smart engineering weapons, etc., which are suitable with conditions in Vietnam and requirements of modern warfare. The Corps has also researched and applied new materials including lightweight concretes, quickly-assembled modules, multispectral camouflage materials, 3D-printing technology into building combat structures; actively mobilised all sources to develop digital infrastructures, digital data and digital workforce, build models of “digital units”, “digital soldiers”, master digital platforms, and possess digital skills to do the assigned missions; optimised the process, uploaded the leadership, direction, management, and some activities of training and combat to the electronic environment, building the safe, interconnected and wide digital environment.
“Paving the way to victory” is the glorious tradition of the heroic Engineering Soldiers, which has been forged in blood and bone, hard work and intelligence of generations of cadres and soldiers over 80 years of construction, combat and development. Inheriting and bringing into play such glorious tradition, all cadres and soldiers of Engineering Corps continue to stay united, make effort to build the comprehensively strong, “exemplary, typical” Corps, excellently accomplish all assigned tasks, meeting the requirements of building and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new era.
Major General TRAN TRUNG HOA, The Corps Commander