Vietnam People's Navy - 69 years of journey to protect the sea

Vice Admiral Tran Thanh Nghiem, Commander of the Navy, inspects the Radar Station of Naval Region 5 - Photo: VGP/ QCHQ.

On August 24, 1955, the Coastal Defense Department solemnly held the founding ceremony of the two flotillas Song Lo and Bach Dang at the Coastal Training School, on the banks of the Cam River, Hai Phong city. General Vo Nguyen Giap, Minister of National Defense - Commander-in-Chief and comrade Do Muoi, Chairman of the Military and Political Committee of Hai Phong city, along with many officers and soldiers of the Coastal Defense Department and people of Hai Phong city witnessed the launching ceremony of the two flotillas. These were the first bricks, the predecessors of the combat ship force of the Vietnam People's Navy later.

By the end of 1963, the Vietnamese Navy had made remarkable progress. After nearly 9 years of construction (May 1955 - December 1963), the Vietnam People's Navy had coastal patrol boats, torpedo boats, submarine hunters, transport boats, reconnaissance boats and a number of other service ships such as oil tankers, water tankers, marine survey ships, salvage ships, etc., capable of independent or coordinated combat at sea; a system of wharves, engineering units, support and service forces, along with technical facilities, had been built; a radar system and observation stations were arranged along the coast from Quang Ninh to Cua Tung. Along with that was the rapid development in both quantity and quality of the naval officers and soldiers, meeting the requirements of the mission.

When the resistance war against the US entered a fierce phase, in response to the requirements of the new situation, on January 3, 1964, the Ministry of National Defense decided to change the name of the Navy Department to the Navy Command with the task of leading and commanding the construction of the Navy, taking on the task of combat operations in the airspace, sea and coast of the North. This was an important event marking a new development in the history of the Vietnam People's Navy in terms of organizational scale and combat strength on the path to building a new service - the Navy, a service that fights with combined arms and modern technical means, the core force of the people's war on the battlefields of rivers, seas and islands of the Fatherland.

Preserving weapons and technical equipment at Brigade 167, Naval Region 2 - Photo: VGP/ QCHC.

Less than 10 years after its establishment, the Vietnam People's Navy achieved victory in its first battle on August 2 and 5, 1964 - bravely repelling the American destroyer Maddox that had invaded the northern waters, shooting down one plane; coordinating with the Air Defense Force and the military and people of coastal areas in the North to shoot down eight planes, injure many others, capture the pilots, and achieve victory in its first battle. This victory continued the tradition of "hundred battles, hundred victories", of the Vietnam People's Army.

That victory was just one of the milestones of the Vietnam People's Navy in the resistance war against the US to save the country. Together with the army and people of the whole country in that great journey, the Navy raised the determination to "Fight the enemy and go, open the channel to advance", acting as the core to coordinate and cooperate with the armed forces to defeat the blockade of rivers and seas in the North by mines and magnetic bombs of the US imperialists. The Navy opened the route, cleared the channel, reconnected the strategic sea transport route to support the South, bravely, boldly, and promptly attacked to liberate and control the Truong Sa archipelago... contributing with our army and people to completely liberate the South and unify the country.

Entering the cause of building and protecting the country, including the sovereignty of the sea, islands, and continental shelf of the Fatherland, facing many challenges and hardships, especially with extremely complicated developments in the East Sea, the Vietnam People's Navy has promoted its glorious tradition, acting as the core to firmly protect the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland. The Party Committee and the Command of the Service regularly grasp the situation in key sea areas; promptly advise and propose to the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense to successfully handle situations, avoid being passive and surprised, protect sovereignty and strategic goals, and marine economic activities, while maintaining a peaceful and stable environment at sea for national development.

Ships of Brigade 172, Naval Region 3 practice firing torpedoes - Photo: VGP/ QCHC.

With the attention and investment of the Party, State, Army and People, the years 2010 - 2015 were the period when the Vietnam People's Navy developed at a very fast pace, creating important changes in both quantity and quality. By 2014, the Navy had all 5 combat force components: Surface ships, Submarines, Naval Air Force, Coastal Artillery-Missile, Marine Corps-Naval Special Forces and forces serving logistics, engineering, and naval military science and technology research. Educational training facilities at all levels of naval technical expertise from elementary to university and post-graduate were equipped and improved with modern teaching and learning equipment and advanced teaching materials. Factories and enterprises continued to be consolidated, upgraded and built. Other defense production and economic establishments are equipped with modern new technological equipment, improving production and business capacity and competitiveness to continuously develop to serve defense and economic tasks.

Squadron 015-Tran Hung Dao, 016-Quang Trung, Brigade 162, Naval Region 4 training at sea.

Closely following the Party's leadership resolutions, the direction of the Politburo, the Secretariat and the Central Military Commission, the Navy proactively and promptly advises the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense on handling and resolving issues related to the situation at sea, performing the task of protecting sovereignty over seas and islands and building a modern Navy; regularly maintaining good management activities, improving the ability to protect and maintain sovereignty over seas, islands and continental shelves; strengthening the consolidation of all-people national defense and people's national defense posture in seas and islands; actively organizing propaganda activities on seas and islands, mobilizing resources for the task of protecting sovereignty and building a regular, elite and modern navy.

After 69 years of building, fighting, winning and growing up, generations of officers and soldiers in the Navy, with their sweat, effort and even blood, have successively built and embellished the glorious tradition of "Fighting bravely; being resourceful and creative; mastering the sea; determined to fight, determined to win". The Vietnam People's Navy has achieved many outstanding and especially outstanding achievements and feats, including legendary feats, contributing worthily to the cause of fighting the US, saving the country and building and defending the Fatherland.

In the current period, the task of protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland is posing higher requirements. Promoting the tradition of 69 years of building, fighting, winning and growing, the collective of officers and soldiers of the Navy vows to strive to build a revolutionary, disciplined, elite and modern Navy, always ready to fight in all situations, contributing to preventing and repelling the risk of war and conflict to firmly protect the sacred sovereignty of the sea and islands, and protect the Fatherland early and from afar.

Vu Huong - Tai Ba

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