Leading experts and scientists of Vietnam gathered at a symposium in Ho Chi Minh City on April 5 to look into some issues about the war defending the country in the southwestern border.

A ceremony to
rebury the remains of Vietnam's voluntary experts and soldiers who laid down
their lives in the national protection war in the southwestern border
(Photo: VNA)
The event was organised by the Vietnam Association of Historical
Sciences, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under the Vietnam
National University - HCM City, and the HCM City Association of Historical
Sciences.
In the opening remarks, Chairman of the HCM City Association of Historical
Sciences Prof. Dr Vo Van Sen affirmed that Vietnam’s move came from the
legitimate demand for self-defence. Facing the provocation of the Khmer Rouge
genocidal regime in the southwestern border, Vietnam exercised utmost restraint
and showed the goodwill and the wish for peaceful and friendly cooperation
between the nations.
That Vietnam’s voluntary soldiers came to Cambodia to perform the international
duty was necessary to prevent the recovery of the genocidal regime, which was
confirmed by Cambodian leaders later, he noted.
More than 50 reports sent to the symposium and opinions of experts and
scientists clarified the necessity and inevitability of the war protecting
Vietnam in the southwestern border (1977 – 1979). They made clear that the war
(before January 7, 1979) and Vietnam’s international mission in Cambodia (1979
– 1989) are two different issues which had different historical backgrounds,
causes and developments but were logically connected.
At the event, participants also proved that the war in the southwestern border
was directly linked with the national protection war in the northern border,
and that the fights greatly changed Vietnam’s international relations and
affected the country’s post-war situation.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Tran Ngoc Long, former Deputy Director of the Military History
Institute of Vietnam, said these historical events should not be considered as
two separate fights but they should be called the "war to protect the
Fatherland in the two ends of the border”.
Many other participants said the national protection war in the southwestern
border happened as fast as a self-defending counter-attack of the Vietnamese
armed forces.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Ha Minh Hong from the University of Social Sciences and
Humanities said it was a just war and obtained many successes of national and
international significance, including defeating the war machine of the Khmer
Rouge, annihilating the genocidal regime, firmly protecting the country’s
border, and helping Cambodia to revive its revolution.
The workshop also analysed many aspects regarding the background, causes and
developments of the national protection war, the art of military and diplomacy
of Vietnam, and lessons from the fight.
Source: VNA
The subcommittee for documents of the 18th Hoa Binh provincial Party Congress, the 2025 - 2030 term, convened on March 3 to review and incorporate public feedback on the congress’s draft documents. The meeting was chaired by Nguyen Phi Long, an alternate member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee. It was attended by senior provincial officials, including Bui Thi Minh, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Council; Bui Duc Hinh, Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee; other members of the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee; and members of the document subcommittee.
Muong Bi - Tan Lac, one of the four major Muong ethnic minority-inhabited regions in Hoa Binh, is known for not only its distinctive cultural identity but also its proud history of heroism, with great contributions to the victory against US invaders in the past. Today, Tan Lac district continues to uphold this legacy while embracing development and renewal.
March 3 marked the first official working day for specialised agencies under the provincial People's Committee following the merger or transfer of functions and tasks from the previous agencies. On this day, the newly merged departments and agencies took proactive steps to arrange personnel, organise workflows, and implement tasks efficiently, ensuring that administrative procedures were carried out smoothly without interruption.
Kim Boi district of Hoa Binh province has thoroughly implemented and adhered to Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW on restructuring the organisational apparatus of the political system towards a streamlined, efficient, and effective direction, ensuring no disruption of work.
By mid-February, Da Bac district completed a plan to streamline its organisational apparatus and personnel work, marking a milestone in efforts to promote restructuring towards a leaner, more efficient organisational system, closely following directives from the Party Central Committee’s Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW, and Conclusion No. 121-KL/TW, and Resolution No. 27-NQ/TU of the provincial Party Committee and Conclusion No. 1103-KL/TU by the provincial Party Organisation’s standing board.
Imbued with President Ho Chi Minh's teaching "The Party cell are the Party’s grassroots foundations. A strong Party cell ensures the effective implementation of the Party’s policies and continuous progress in all tasks," the Party Committee of Kim Boi commune, Kim Boi District, has rolled out the "four-good Party cell" model. The initiative has created a positive change, enhancing the leadership capacity and fighting spirit of Party organisations and their members.