National Defense

Article 64

To defend the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland is the business of the entire people.

The State shall consolidate and strengthen national defence by the entire people and the people’s security, the people’s armed forces being regarded as the core, shall develop to the full the aggregate strength of the country to defend the national territory, and shall contribute to the protection of peace in the region and in the world.

State organs, organizations, and individuals shall fulfil all their national defence and security obligations.

Article 65

The people’s armed forces must show absolute loyalty to the Fatherland, the People, the Party, and the State; their duty is to protect national independence and sovereignty, the country’s unity and territorial integrity, national security and social order, to protect the People, the Party, the State, and the socialist regime and the fruits of the revolution, and to join the entire people in national construction and fulfillment of international duties.

Article 66

The State shall build a revolutionary people’s army which shall be a well-trained regular army to be gradually modernized, have proper permanent forces, powerful reserves, and strong and comprehensive self-defence militia, and serves as the core of the business of national defence.

Article 67 The State shall build a revolutionary people’s police which shall be a well-trained regular army to be gradually modernized, and serves as the core of the business of national security and social order, preventing and fighting against crimes.

Article 68

The State shall develop to the full the people’s patriotism and revolutionary heroism, educate the entire people in matters of national defence and security, build up the national-defence industry to ensure proper equipment for the armed forces. It shall harmonize national defence with the economy and vice versa, enforce an appropriate policy with regard to soldiers’ families, and seek to ensure proper material and spiritual living conditions for officers and soldiers, national-defence workers and employees in consistence with the nature of military and policing activities. It shall build powerful people’s armed forces and unceasingly reinforce the country’s national-defence potential.