Đà Nẵng, April 26, 2026 – The Europe Today: Tô Lâm, General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of Vietnam, has called on the armed forces of Military Region 5 to fully promote their core role in building a comprehensive national defence posture closely linked with people’s security and border defence.
Addressing a ceremony in the central city of Đà Nẵng on April 25, where Military Region 5 was conferred the prestigious title of “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces,” President Lâm emphasized the importance of integrating defence development with socio-economic planning.
He highlighted the need to strengthen connectivity between the Central Highlands and coastal regions, border areas and inland zones, as well as coastal and island territories, while ensuring political stability, social order, and national sovereignty.
Tracing its origins to the Ba Tơ guerrilla unit formed during resistance against Japanese forces, Military Region 5 has evolved into a resilient force deeply rooted in Vietnam’s revolutionary history. Over more than eight decades, it has received numerous honours, including the Gold Star Order and the Hồ Chí Minh Order, with many collectives and individuals recognized for their outstanding service.
President Lâm urged the armed forces to thoroughly implement Party guidelines on defence and national protection, enhance strategic research and forecasting capabilities, and remain proactive to avoid any element of surprise in evolving security situations.
He stressed the importance of maintaining firm political resolve and upholding the Party’s absolute leadership over the military, while effectively translating policies of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence into regional practice.
The Vietnamese leader also called for building a strong and modern military region in terms of political strength, organization, and personnel, alongside improving combat readiness and operational capacity. He underscored the need to modernize training, discipline, and education, while promoting science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation.
Emphasizing emerging challenges, President Lâm highlighted the importance of enhancing capabilities in high-tech and electronic warfare, as well as cyberspace operations, while effectively addressing non-traditional security threats, civil defence responsibilities, and search-and-rescue missions.
He reiterated the military’s dual role as a combat force and a contributor to socio-economic development, stressing that these functions are mutually reinforcing in the current context.
The leader further underscored the importance of strengthening public trust, describing the “people’s heart and mind posture” as a cornerstone of national defence. He called for improved livelihoods, particularly in remote, ethnic minority, border, disaster-prone, coastal, and island areas.
President Lâm also emphasized the need to build a clean and strong Party organization within the armed forces, enhance internal unity, and deepen military-civilian ties, while promoting the study and application of the teachings of Hồ Chí Minh.
Expressing confidence in the armed forces of Military Region 5, he said they would continue to uphold their heroic traditions, strengthen unity and innovation, and successfully fulfil their mission of safeguarding the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland.
Earlier, the President and a delegation from the Ministry of National Defence paid tribute by offering incense at a memorial house dedicated to Hồ Chí Minh and Võ Nguyên Giáp at the headquarters of Military Region 5.
