People’s Public Security Forces Strongly Renovate Thinking on National Security Protection

Expressing high consensus with the draft documents submitted to the congress, Minister Luong Tam Quang noted that, over the past five years, the world has faced natural disasters, big changes, economic difficulties, and supply chain disruptions. Many of these issues were unexpected and unprecedented, which presented unparalleled challenges.

“In this circumstance, our Party continued to demonstrate its strong will and wisdom, leading the entire Party, people and armed forces to successfully implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress. This has steered the Vietnamese revolutionary ship forward rapidly and steadily, achieving great victories in the 40-year Doi Moi (Renovation) process,” the Minister emphasized.

 

According to Minister Luong Tam Quang, in the final years of the 13th term, the Party with its strategic vision, competence and wisdom led the whole nation to attain numerous achievements, creating historic, breakthrough turning points in the Vietnamese revolution. The revolution in streamlining the political apparatus, along with strategic policies to remove bottlenecks, unblock resources and enable development, has ignited a spirit of "self-confidence, self-reliance and national pride." This has shaped a comprehensive strategic framework for the country to steadily advance under the Party's leadership.

Vietnam has further raised its position and prestige internationally over the past years. The country remains among the world’s fastest-growing economies, while the quality of life has steadily improved thanks to people-oriented policies on employment, healthcare, education, poverty reduction and support for vulnerable population groups and those affected by disasters.

 

The Minister shared that the Public Security Forces, who always uphold an exemplary and pioneering spirit and are loyal to the Party, dedicated to the people, have made much progress over the past five years. Since the beginning of the 13th term, the Public Security Central Party Committee has led the Public Security Forces to embrace the siprit of innovation and accountability at work. Key achievements made by the Public Security Central Party Committee over the past years include successfully streamlining the organizational apparatus of the Public Security Forces, deploying professional officers to communal levels, leading the national digital transformation process, building the National Population Database, proactively advising the Party on solutions to major issues, and always being on the frontline to assist people in need.

The Public Security Forces have firmly safeguarded national security and maintained public order and safety over the past five years, keeping Vietnam among the world's safest countries. Complex issues and key opposition targets were handled "early and from afar," even beyond borders. Social order became disciplined, and the crime rate, particularly corruption, wastefulness, drugs-related crime and environmental crime, was sharply reduced. So far, the Public Security Forces in coordination with local governments have built tens of drug-free communes and wards nationwide.

Notably, the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime in Hanoi has marked a milestone in Vietnam’s international relations, which reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment and responsibility to the international community for joining concerted effort to solve global issues. 

Meanwhile, the security belt, the people’s security system and posture, which is rooted in people’s hearts, has been increasingly consolidated, closely linked with the all-people national defense system and posture.

Striving to “surpass themselves” during the 13th term, the People’s Public Security Forces have grown and matured remarkably, basically becoming “truly clean, strong, regular, elite and modern,” firmly affirming their function as the “sharp sword” and “steel shield” to protect the Party, the State, the people and the socialist regime.

Regarding the situation in the next term, Minister Lương Tam Quang assessed that, alongside opportunities and advantages, the four dangers identified by the Party will remain and may manifest more acutely in new forms. The cause of national construction and defense faces four major challenges:

(i) First, identifying and grasping epoch-defining trends and dynamics in time to make appropriate policy decisions to address internal and external relations, balance development and security and manage risks and opportunities while facing increasing pressure to “choose sides” in politics, diplomacy, economics, defense, security and technology.

(ii) Second, identifying new spaces, new fields and new subjects of protection, and effectively recognizing and addressing emerging security risks and new forms of security and order violations driven by rapid scientific and technological development and Vietnam’s enhanced position and capacity after 40 years of renewal.

(iii) Third, rising public expectations for the country’s breakthrough development in the new era, and the successful implementation of the 14th National Party Congress’s Resolution and the Party’s strategic guidelines.

(iv) Fourth, realizing socialist goals of social security, poverty eradication and improving the quality of life for the people.

To address these challenges, the Public Security Forces will focus on four key pillars:

First, maintaining the Party’s absolute and direct leadership over all working aspects of the Public Security Forces while shifting the mindset from "public service responsibility" to "service-oriented public responsibility," and from "command and obedience" to "command, obedience and proactively enabling development." Further, the Public Security Forces will not only protect the nation early and from afar but also proactively turn challenges into opportunities for national development as well as continuously strengthen security capacity and make more contributions to peace and stability in the region and the world.

Second, maintaining Vietnam’s position among the world’s leading safe and secure countries; to build an orderly, disciplined, safe and healthy society and to strive for the peaceful and happy life of the people, so as to create a foundation for national development. This includes strengthening protection of political security, cultural and ideological security, economic security, cybersecurity and data security as well as safeguarding key leaders and strategic-level officials, scientific and technological elites. The Public Security Forces should also basically resolve latent security and order risks, denying any strategic advantage and surprise while proactively protecting security in new spaces and domains, and effectively combating new criminal methods and tactics.

Another important task of the Public Security Forces is to build 50 percent of communes nationwide and 18 localities free of drugs in support of the building of crime-free communities. The Public Security Forces will continue to lead the national digital transformation, create a platform for jurisdiction-free administrative procedures, enable digital trust, build a digital society and digital citizenship and a digital and data economy.

The Public Security Forces will also focus on building a rule of law respect culture and a traffic safety culture, strengthen the outer perimeter of security protection, enhance the protection of national and ethnic interests as well as the legitimate interests of Vietnamese enterprises and citizens overseas while proactively participating in addressing global issues, and intensifying international cooperation in implementing the Hanoi Convention, with the aim of turning Viet Nam into a regional hub for cooperation in combating cybercrime in the Asia–Pacific region.

Third, the Public Security Forces will make more efforts to build revolutionary, regular, elite and modern Public Security Forces that are “the most disciplined, the most loyal and the closest to the people.” Priority will be given to building a contingent of Party members and public security officers with iron discipline, strong political mettle, high professional expertise, competence in laws and technology, and a humane, people-centered approach. The Public Security Forces will follow the principle “when police are always ready for people in need”, actively support vulnerable and disadvantaged population groups, and address root causes of security and order issues.

Fourth, the Public Security Forces will create breakthroughs in developing an autonomous, self-reliant, resilient, dual-use and modern security industry, strengthening security capacity and contributing positively to the country’s sustainable, high-quality development goals. Drawn lessons from practical security and order protection, especially cybersecurity in the digital transformation process, the Public Security Forces will research and develop indigenous technologies, produce security industry products and services to meet requirements for security protection tasks in the current context, master core technologies, reduce imports, and strive to meet the need of the domestic market and gradually produce for export. The focus will be on five product groups: cybersecurity safety and security products and services; big-data industry products and services for digital transformation; professional technical equipment; fire prevention and firefighting products; and products for early detection, early warning and prevention of security and order risks.

Minister Lương Tam Quang emphasized that, thanks to the Party’s leadership, State management, close coordination of ministries, sectors and localities, the support of the people and international partners, the entire People’s Public Security Forces with their glorious proud more-then-80-year tradition are determined to follow the motto “Following Uncle Ho’s teachings – Renewing thinking – Enhancing knowledge – Building a regular and modern force – Devoted to the Party and the people,” thereby laying a solid foundation for the successful implementation of the 14th National Party Congress’s Resolution and the Party’s strategic objectives.