Southern localities hold strategic significance for Vietnam’s national defense, security: Ho Chi Minh City deputy Party chief

On Monday afternoon, Tap chi Cong san (Communist Review), in coordination with Military Region 7, held the scientific conference on nation building and national defense in the new context in the southern provinces and cities.

The event was attended by Hoang Trung Dung, Editor-in-Chief of Tap chi Cong san; Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thanh Nghi; Major General Tran Vinh Ngoc, Political Commissar of Military Region 7; Major General Le Xuan The, Commander of Military Region 7; along with leaders from central and local agencies, experts, and scholars.

Speaking at the conference, Nghi affirmed that nation building and national defense are two strategic missions throughout Vietnam’s revolutionary history.

Building the country must go hand in hand with defending it, a rule of survival and development. 

Constructing socialism and defending the nation are integral laws of Vietnam's revolutionary progress, Nghi noted.

He added that the rapidly evolving and complex global and regional landscapes, characterized by fierce strategic competition among major powers, emerging regional conflicts, tensions in the East Vietnam Sea, armed confrontations, and regional instability, have heightened the burden on national defense and security efforts.

Additionally, climate change, natural disasters, pandemics, terrorism, transnational crime, and cybercrime continue to expand, posing global threats and jeopardizing stability and development across all aspects in many countries and regions, Nghi said.

Domestically, while Vietnam’s overall strength and international standing have grown, the country still faces numerous challenges.

The southern region plays a strategically critical role in politics, economics, society, culture, defense, security, and foreign affairs.

Therefore, strengthening national defense and security in this region is an urgent priority, forming a foundation to build national strength for the protection of sovereignty, borders, and islands, the official analyzed.

Nghi further highlighted that over the past few years, the people, Party committees, and authorities in the southern provinces and cities, especially Ho Chi Minh City, have achieved notable success in building political and spiritual strength, fostering public support, and enhancing the capacity of the armed forces.

He expressed hope and confidence that the scientific insights gained from this conference would contribute significantly to the theoretical and practical foundation for firmly defending Vietnam, particularly the southern region, in the current context.

In his remarks, Major General Ngoc stated that the conference was a meaningful activity in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2.

He said that nation building and national defense go hand in hand — a rule that has ensured the Southeast Asian country’s survival and development.

This principle has been deeply embedded in Vietnam’s military and political thinking under the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh.

He noted that Vietnam has inherited, adapted, and applied valuable lessons from its long history of resistance and national defense.

As the country continues to advance into a new phase of stronger, more comprehensive, and deeper reforms, the task of national construction and defense presents both opportunities and challenges in economics, culture, society, defense, security, and foreign relations, particularly amid recent armed conflicts and wars around the world and in the Southeast Asian region.

The conference served as an important opportunity for officers and soldiers of Military Region 7 to gain a deeper understanding of the achievements, contributions, and valuable experiences of the military region over the past 80 years of nation building and defense, according to Ngoc.

Major General Le Xuan The, Commander of Military Region 7, shared that under Resolution No. 76 of the National Assembly Standing Committee on administrative restructuring, Military Region 7 will oversee four provinces and cities, encompassing 483 commune-level administrative units (including two special zones), with a population of over 24.6 million people, a natural area of 52,558km², a 768.5km border with Cambodia, and a 322km coastline.

This region is home to many major economic centers and serves as a vital hub for international exchange, holding strategic significance in the nation’s construction and defense.

Given its military geography and socio-political characteristics, the mission of building a strong all-people national defense posture in this region is more important and urgent than ever.

Upholding the motto 'All people build national defense, with the armed forces as the core,' the Party Committee and Command of Military Region 7 have implemented a wide range of activities to strengthen the all-people national defense system, yielding many notable achievements, The added.