Communist Review - “Preventive defense” strategy is the art and the method designed to “early and afar” defend the Fatherland. At the same time,   it represents an invaluable tradition, lesson, and experience, which is worthy in all ages. Therefore, it is the political duty of the whole Party, people and army to study, grasp, further develop and apply  this principle in a creative manner into the country’s current situation, making a contribution to firmly safeguarding Vietnam Socialist Fatherland under any circumstance. 

During the history of national construction and protection, Vietnamese ancestors have always attached importance to national interests, proposing a so-called “deep root, stable trunk” strategy to secure territorial integrity and firmly defend national independence. The principle “prior-to-risk national defence” is central to the thorough guideline, evolving into the all-time art of national defense.

As significant and essential contents, studying, applying and developing this viewpoint and ideology in the cause of national construction and defense are aimed to make adequate preparation for all aspects, especially security and defense. Those include raising the country's defense ability right in peacetime, recruitment readiness during wartime, defeating all invaders; firmly defending the country’s independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity; protecting the Party, the State, the socialist regime, protecting the people and the national interests, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment to build and develop the country rapidly and sustainably.

The “early, faraway” defense plan, even in peacetime results from the inheritance of prominent ideas and perspectives over the history of nation-building and defending, for instance: Commander Tran Quang Khai generalized: “Thái bình tu trí lực. Vạn cổ cựu giang san”⁽¹⁾  (“Once every effort is made in peacetime, territorial integrity is maintained forever”); another example regarding the preparatory work of national defense as King Le Thai To put: “Biên phòng hảo vị trù phương lược. Xã tắc ung tu kế cửu an”⁽²⁾ (“The border guard needs a good strategy. The country must have a long-term plan") and instructed his descendants and the whole people to focus on “prior-to-risk national defense”. In additions, our forefathers implemented plenty of policies aiming at such goals as “rich people, strong country”, “rich nation, strong army”, closely combined “national defense” and “farming”, “nurturing people’s strength”. When the country was in peace, people were encouraged to actively participate in labor force, production and economic development; when at war, they turned back to their jobs of defending the country. This reduced the cost of raising the armies as well as provided the armed forces for national defence.

Our ancestors also paid attention to nurturing the heart of the people and took them as the core; available for military reserve deployment, assigned officials to govern and safeguard each region; built strongholds, formed defensive lines, divided controlling areas, reclaimed and set up hamlets in strategic places, “troops lying in ambush to destroy the fierce enemies” from afar, strengthened border controls; forged and casted weapons, built warships, prepared operational rations, encouraged men to recruit should the threat of an invasion arise, among others.

In order to proactively “protect the country from potential danger”, Vietnamese ancestors implemented many policies to recruit the talented, enacted laws, built a strong state government that associated with the people, guaranteed centralized political power, the whole country was governed by one king, “rightful kings - loyal courts”, unanimity of the whole nation, “military commanders and soldiers as fathers and sons”, the whole country shared one’s part; the supreme command of unity and no partisanship.

Resolutely stick to the motto “maintaining peace both inside and outside the fence”: domestically, actively fought against ruling as a feud and establishing bases, severely punished treason; built up armies according to the motto “elite better than  numerous troops”, combined the imperial army with the army of the locals and from the people in accordance with the policy of “sending soldiers to farms”, “being soldiers during wartime and civilians in peace”, ensured “strong army, well-trained commanders, talented marshals”, “nationwide fighting the enemies, all people are soldiers”, exercised extra vigilance about the enemies at the gates. On the other hand, they formulated flexible, smart but resolute foreign diplomacy, to avoid, prevent or end wars, to maintain peace and to safeguard the borders. In particular, our ancestors soon asserted independence and sovereignty over national domains and territories, as a legal basis to fight against or prevent the aggressive scheme of foreign powers: “The mountains and rivers that carved the southern empire, dwelled by the Southern Emperor. Its sovereignty is of nature's will and is allotted in script from the heaven. What gives these invaders the right to trespass it? They shall, in doing that, see themselves be defeated and shamed!”

In the Ho Chi Minh era, the strategy of “prior-to-risk national defense” continued to be inherited and developed to a new level. During his lifetime, Uncle Ho asserted: “The country of Vietnam is one, the people of Vietnam are one; the river may run dry, the mountains may wear, but that truth remains unchanged”, and recommended our whole people and army: “The Hung Kings founded the nation, you and I must hang on to it”; "Peace or war, we must act on our own initiative as well as must foresee, prepare in advance". Imbued with those valuable perspectives, ideas, and lessons, the Communist Party of Vietnam has always applied them creatively and flexibly in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland, stayed proactive and alert. The Resolution of the 8th Plenum of the 9^th and the 11^th Plenum on “Strategy of national defense in the new context” and the resolutions and conclusions of the Politburo on defense and security have identified basic issues on  the Fatherland "early and far-sighted" defense; it was studied, generalized, concretized and implemented by the Party and State in all fields and aspects of the country; it has become the thought that completely guides the acts of the whole Party, all people and the entire army.

In particular, on the basis of summarizing the realities of the cause of defending the Fatherland, forecasting the world, regional and domestic security and political situation, the Communist Party of Vietnam continued to affirm: “prevent war and conflict risks early and from afar; proactive prevention, early detection and elimination of adverse factors, especially the internal ones that might cause sudden changes”; “Use immutability to cope with multi-changes, in which the national interests are mutable, remain consistent with strategic goals and principles, apply flexible strategies; ... maintain peace at home and abroad, defend the country “early, from afar”, ahead of dangers”(6). In summary, the Party's thinking about defending the country “early and from afar” has been further developed, it has connotations of not only protecting borders but also preserving domestic stability; not only fighting against invaders but also defending and preventing in advance; proactively preparing in all aspects (political, economic, national defence, security, foreign affairs, ..) right in peacetime. In fact, in the recent business of national construction and defense, the Party and the State have provided a number of remedies to prevent and repel border wars; effectively handled and resolved internal problems that posed risks of political and security instability, such as corruption, “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, attaching much importance to economic development, taking national defense and security, among others for granted.

Effectively implementing the motto “peace at home and abroad” because Vietnam’s history has summed up: When the people live in solidarity and harmony, borders will remain undisturbed. But when the people are in contention, people’s hearts disperse; the country will be threatened by foreign invaders.

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In the coming years, the situation, at both regional and global levels, will become more complicated and have many unfavorable and destabilized factors. World powers have strengthened their strategic adjustments and competed for influence; trade and technology wars and fierce territorial sovereignty disputes; armed conflict, terrorism, cyber-attacks resulted in destabilization in many countries. Especially, there are potential risks of instability in security, politics and national sovereignty in the East Sea. The hostile forces continued to support the strategy of “peaceful evolution”, overthrowing riot, promoting “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, “depoliticization” of the Army; the partners of cooperation and the objects of struggle are changing quickly and unpredictably; security and political situation in some localities and grassroots organizations have not been really stable; The opening, deep and comprehensive international integration pose many difficulties and challenges for the cause of Fatherland construction and protection. In this situation, the whole Party, the entire army and the entire people should be acutely aware of the meaning and the need to protect the Fatherland “early and from afar”; inherit and promote the tradition and the policy of “preventive national defense” in the nation’s history in new revolutionary conditions; in which, implementing comprehensively and synchronously solutions to ensure “a strong Party, a wealthy country, a peaceful population, a strong army, more friends and fewer enemies”.

Firstly, strengthening the Party’s leadership, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the State’s management over the task of defending the Fatherland.

Following the guideline “The task of economic development as the center, the construction of the Party as the key, and strengthening of national defense and security as the essential regular task”, we need to put in place key tasks of Party building in four dimensions of politics, ideology, organization and ethic; strengthen the solidarity and the unity throughout the Party. Continuing to consolidate, innovate, improve the quality and performance of the party’s grassroots organizations; well performing the task of protecting the Party, protecting internal politics, preventing the hostile forces from assigning people to our forces or our personnel from being hooked up with, and precluding negative practices in personnel work. Focusing on building a contingent of cadres at all levels, particularly at the strategic level those are qualified, capable and prestigious, on par with their tasks. Strengthening the inspection and control of the Party Committees and Party organizations at all levels, while simultaneously improving the effectiveness of social supervision and criticism, power controls, strictly observe the Party’s discipline and the laws of the State; thoroughly overcome the situation of “hot at the top, cold at the bottom” - the central leadership and direction were drastic and rigorous, but the grassroots organizations seem to be hesitated and relaxed, or the guidelines and policies were correct but fail to implement thoroughly and effectively. Paying attention to and well performing the task of mass mobilization, building close relationships between the Party and the people, solidifying the trust of the people in the Party, and strengthening the great national unity bloc.

Innovating and improving the effectiveness of ideological and theoretical work, improving the Party’s leadership mode and mechanism on national defense. Researching new issues, developing theories on Party building, as well as theories on construction and defend the Fatherland to advice and propose to the Central Government in the next term. Continuing to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement the Resolution of the Fourth plenum of the 12th Central Party Congress on “Strengthening the work of Party building and rectification, preventing and repelling the degradation in political ideology, ethics, and lifestyle and the expressions of internal “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”; Regulation No. 47-QĐ/TW of the Central Executive Committee dated 1st November 2011, “On things that party members cannot do”; Regulation No. 101-QĐ/TW of the Secretariat dated 7th June 2012, “On responsibility of cadres and Party members in setting examples, especially the key leaders at all levels”; Directive No. 05-CT/TW of the Politburo, dated 15th May 2016, on “Promoting learning and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and style”; Regulation 205-QĐ/TW of the Politburo, dated 23th September 2019, “On the control of power in personnel work and prevent illegal lobbying for position and power”, etc. Actively fighting to defeat the conspiracy and tactics of “peaceful evolution” of hostile forces, preventing and reversing the degradation of political ideology, morality, lifestyle, corruption, wastefulness and the expressions of “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, resolutely fighting to protect the Party’s ideological foundation, not to form opposition ideas and political organizations.

Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of state management and the operation at all levels of government; strictly implementing the Constitution, the Law on National Defense, strategies on defense and security in both peacetime and wartime; consolidating and perfecting agencies and officials that are in charge of defense works in ministries, branches and localities. At the same time, improving the capacity of guidelines planning, institutionalizing and organizing the implementation of policies, resolutions on defense at all levels and in all sectors from the central government to grassroots levels; the ability to actualizing objectives, perspectives, guidelines, tasks and solutions of defense and security strategies(7) in practice. Regularly upholding the principle of the Party’s absolute and direct leadership in all aspects on the People’s Army, the People’s Police and the tasks of national defense and security; promoting the status of the People’s Army and its core role in consolidating national defence and protecting the Fatherland.

Secondly, focusing on socio-economic development, building a powerful and prosperous country, improving the quality of life and promoting the people’s ownership. In order to achieve the goal of early turning Vietnam into a basically industrial country towards modernity, strengthening economic potentials, and staying ready for mass mobilization for national defense missions should incidents arise, we need to synchronously implement a range of scientific and appropriate solutions. Accordingly, it is necessary to continue innovating in socio-economic leadership and management, focusing on perfecting socialist-oriented market economy institutions. Building a market economy towards modernity, international integration, diversifying economic models, forms of ownership, as well as fully, effectively and synchronously operating according to the market economy’s rules. Implementing various measures to ensure rapid and sustainable development of the country on the basis of macroeconomic stability, constantly improving productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness. Focusing on building institutions, mechanisms, policies, creating more favorable and safe conditions for people, enterprises, especially private enterprises that will have more freedom to innovate, invest, do business, gain more autonomy, compete fairly and transparently in the market economy, creating driving forces for the development of other economic sectors. Ensuring the harmony between the depth and the width of the development process, prioritizing for the development in depth, developing the knowledge economy and green economy; addressing the importance of combining economic development with cultural and social development, environmental protection, and coping with climate change. Proactively taking part in and making the best use of opportunities brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution to promote economic development in a rapid and sustainable manner. In particular, incorporating socio-economic development with national defense and security that are reflected in development strategies, schemes and plans; all socio-economic development goals must be closely linked to the objectives of national defense and security, attaching importance to ensuring economic security, establishing, expanding and enhancing the efficiency of defence economic zones, especially in key and strategic regions. Preparing complete and thoughtful plans and scenarios for mobilizing all sectors of society, focusing on the economic field for war, and also organizing strict inspection, regular review and supplementation. Along with the economic development, we must attach importance of promoting scientific and technological potentials, a strong defense and security potentials, in order to meet the requirements and tasks of national defense and security in all possible scenarios.

Implementing the practice of democracy, social progress and justice, ensuring social security, enhancing social welfare, looking after and improving people’s lives; continue researching and implementing policies on tax reduction in agriculture, showing determination on gradually narrowing the wealth gap; speeding up the implementation of programs, campaigns and movements, such as “building new-styled rural area”, “The whole country joins hands for the poor – no one is left behind”, etc. Ensuring the people’s absolute confidence in the Party’s leadership, the government’s management and administration; since then, encouraging people to take responsibility, devote their intelligence, and enthusiastically emulate in production, business, construction, economic development, maintaining security and order in localities, grassroots. Vigorously promoting the democratic rights of the people in perfecting and enforcing laws, mechanisms and policies of socio-economic development; guaranteeing human rights and citizens’ rights; building a modern, professional, dynamic and responsible administration, serving the people, and national - ethnic interests are considered as the highest goals. In implementation, it is necessary to combine the best use of domestic resources with the initiative in intensive international integration, in order to mobilize and effectively use the external resources to achieve the socio-economic development goals. That is the goal of building a strong and prosperous country, strengthening a firm posture of “the people’s hearts and minds”.

Thirdly, building a strong people's armed force as the core in performing the task of defending the Fatherland "early and afar".

Strengthening the national defence potential, raising the country's defence capability, firmly safeguarding the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is an important and regular task of the whole Party, people, the entire army and the whole political system, in which the people's armed forces act as the core. Promoting the combined strength, notably military one and majorly the Army’s to retain the country, associating national defense with security, politics, economy, culture, science and foreign affairs aim to prevent and repel the risks of war, defeat all intrigues and acts of sabotage, encroachment, subjugation and overthrow orchestrated by hostile forces in peacetime, upholding peace, creating favorable environment to develop the country in all aspects, ready to defeat the wars of aggression in all sizes and forms. To this end, first and foremost, it is necessary to focus on building the “revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modernized” People's Army on political basis, improving the general quality and militant strength, fulfilling the key role in defending the Fatherland. Building up a contigent of officers and soldiers with firm political stuff, steadfast goals for national independence and socialism, strong determination, absolute loyalty, ready to fight and sacrifice to protect the Party, the State, the people, the socialist regime, and the national interests. In addition, it is of importance to maintain vigilance, proactively prevent and combat conspiracy and tricks of promoting “peaceful evolution” and fostering “self-evolution”, “self-transformation” and “depoliticization of the military”; resolutely fight against “civilization of the army”, degradation and denial of the Army’s role, as well as provocation of conflicts between the Army and the Police by hostile forces, among others; continuing to preserve and bring into full play the Army’s qualities and traditions in the new context.

Further grasping thoroughly and executing Conclusion No. 16-KL/TW, dated July 7, 2017, of the Politburo, “On the organization of the Vietnam People's Army until 2021”, to build the Army approaching “refined, compact, strong, flexible”, to have a rational organizational structure, combined strength and increasing militant skills and spirits, to successfully fulfill the assigned missions. Accordingly, the Party committees and military commanders at all levels should concentrate on comprehensively leading and providing concrete guidance in proposing the solutions, combining ideology and organization with policy; renewing contents, training methods, developing the competence and combat readiness of the regular army, the local army, the reserve forces, the militia and the self-defense forces. At the same time, continue to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the training contents and targets in Resolution No. 765-NQ / QUTW, dated 20 December 2012 launched by the Central Military Commission, on “Enhancing the military training quality in the period of 2013-2020 and beyond” and “The strategy for education - training development in  Vietnam People’s Army for the period of 2011-2020”; combine education and training with coaching, fighting and the practice at agencies and units; fully realize the logistic assurance, the regime of making preliminary and final reviews and drawing upon training experiences. Strictly stick to military rules and state of combat readiness; improve advisory service and strategic forecast quality; regularly adjusting and supplementing the system of combat documents; organize training and drills in variety of forms, scales and rubrics that are similar to practical requirements and tasks. Strengthen regular training, strict adherence to the military discipline and the State laws, which contributes to raise the legal awareness and culture for officers and soldiers as well as develop the military power. Arrange research and compilation of the system of textbooks and documents for training and teaching; conduct research on dual-use technologies, developing defense industry, science-technology, military technology and military arts of Vietnam in accordance with the development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the demand of cyber national defence. Adopt more solutions to build the all-people's national defense, the people's security, couple the all-people's national defense posture with the people's security one; attach importance to facilitating better coordination between the Army and the Police together with the self-defense force, generate synergies to successfully accomplish the assigned tasks.

Fourthly, promoting international integration, strengthening the diplomacy, enhancing the position and the prestige of the country and the army.

Continuing to consistently implement the diplomatic policy on the principles of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and mutual development; diversifying and multilateralizing diplomatic relations; actively engaging in international integration; keeping the perspective that Vietnam is a friend, a reliable partner and a responsible member of the international community. Adopting reinforced measures to enhance the diplomatic effectiveness, both bilaterally and multilaterally, creating a sustained position of interwoven interests. In particular, the priority is given to the comprehensive and stable cooperation with China, Laos, Cambodia, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), major powers, and long-standing friendly countries; fully complying with the signed international treaties; fostering diplomatic relations in a more in-depth, nature and effective manner; attaching importance to multilateral diplomatic relations, building up and consolidating strategic trust with countries and partners. Implementing the strategy of simultaneous cooperation and struggle, in which resoluteness and persistence are needed to defeat the conspiracy, the interference in internal affairs, and the infringement upon the independence, sovereignty or territorial integrity, national security and political stability of our country. Expanding, intensifying and enhancing the effectiveness of the Party’s foreign affairs, State diplomacy and People’s diplomacy; fostering the close and smooth coordination among the Party’s foreign affairs and the State diplomacy, among People’s diplomacy and defense, security, cultural, and political diplomacy, forging key pillars in diplomatic front, promoting synergy in relations, cooperation and struggle, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for national construction and development. Regarding defense diplomacy, it is necessary to promote cooperation in the fields of training, military science and technology, defense industry, and mobilize and effectively use the external resources to accelerate the process of modernizing the Army, national defense, and serve the cause of national defense.

Improving the strategic research and forecast; enhancing the work of diplomacy propaganda and dissemination; proactively taking part in multilateral activities on regional, inter-regional and global scale. In the short term, successfully assuming the ASEAN Presidency in 2020, and well performing the role of a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure, contributing to improving the prestige and position of Vietnam in the international arena, successfully implementing Ho Chi Minh’s diplomatic ideology: “Strength is the gong, diplomacy is the sound. The bigger the gong is, the louder the sound gets”./.

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(1), (2) Ngo Si Lien: Complete Annals of Đại Việt, Vietnam Culture and Information Publishing House, 2006, Vol.1, p.328, 471 (3) Ho Chi Minh: Selected works on peace, democracy and gender equality, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2019, p.2
(4) Ho Chi Minh: Complete, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, Vol. 8, p.552
(5) Documents of the 12th National Congress of Delegates, the Party Central Committee’s Office, Hanoi, 2016, p. 149
(6) Politburo’s Resolution 24-NQ / TW, dated April 16, 2018, on “Vietnam National Defense Strategy”
(7) “Strategy for defending the Fatherland in the new contexts”, “Vietnam National Defense Strategy”, “Vietnam Military Strategy”, “Cyber Defense Strategy”, “Strategy for Safeguarding National Borders”, “National Security Strategy”, “National Cyber Security Strategy”, among others.

Source: Communist Review Vol. 931 (December 2019)