General Secretary and President To Lam Awards the Title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces to Military Region 2

On the morning of October 12, the Party Committee and High Command of Military Region 2 solemnly held a ceremony celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Traditional Day of Military Region 2 Armed Forces (October 19, 1946 – October 19, 2026) and receiving the title “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces.” Comrade To Lam — General Secretary, President, and Secretary of the Central Military Commission — attended, presented the noble title, and delivered directive remarks.

General Secretary and President To Lam awarding the title “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces” to the Military Region 2 Armed Forces.

Senior General Luong Cuong — former Member of the Politburo and former President — attended the ceremony.

Attending the anniversary ceremony were Politburo Members: Bui Thi Minh Hoai — Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairwoman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; Do Van Chien — Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Assembly; Nguyen Duy Ngoc — Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Central Organization Commission; Tran Sy Thanh — Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Inspection Commission; Le Minh Tri — Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission; Senior General Trinh Van Quyet — Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Central Propaganda Commission (former Political Commissar of Military Region 2); Nguyen Thanh Nghi — Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Central Strategic Policy Commission; Senior General Phan Van Giang — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense; Senior General Luong Tam Quang — Minister of Public Security; Doan Minh Huan — Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics; Senior General Nguyen Trong Nghia — Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Member of the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission, and Director of the General Political Department of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA).

General Secretary and President To Lam speaking at the ceremony.

Also attending were Comrades: Tong Thi Phong — former Member of the Politburo and former Permanent Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly; Senior General Ngo Xuan Lich — former Member of the Politburo, former Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and former Minister of National Defense; Ha Thi Khiet — former Secretary of the Party Central Committee and former Head of the Central Mass Mobilization Commission; Senior General Do Ba Ty — former Member of the Party Central Committee, former Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, former Chief of the General Staff of the VPA, former Deputy Minister of National Defense, and former Commander of Military Region 2; Nguyen Hai Ninh — Member of the Party Central Committee and Chief of the Office of the Party Central Committee.

Delegates attending the ceremony.

Attending the ceremony were representatives of central commissions, ministries, and sectors; leaders of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense; leaders and former leaders of the Provincial Party Committees and People’s Committees of 6 provinces within the Military Region and several provinces/cities; Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, and Heroes of the People’s Armed Forces. Regarding international delegations, representatives from the Party, Government, and Lao People’s Army attended.

On behalf of Military Region 2 were Lieutenant General Tran Van Bac — Member of the Party Central Committee and Commander of Military Region 2; Lieutenant General Pham Duc Duyen — Secretary of the Party Committee and Political Commissar of Military Region 2, along with comrades in the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and High Command of the Military Region.

On behalf of Phu Tho province were Comrades: Pham Dai Duong — Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Head of the Provincial Delegation of National Assembly Deputies; Tran Duy Dong — Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee; members of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, and leaders of departments, sectors, and localities.

Lieutenant General Tran Van Bac — Commander of Military Region 2 presenting an address reviewing the 80-year journey of construction, combat, and growth of the Military Region Armed Forces.

At the ceremony, Lieutenant General Tran Van Bac — Commander of Military Region 2 — delivered an address reviewing the 80-year journey of construction, combat, and growth of the Military Region Armed Forces. Growing from War Zone 10, established on October 19, 1946, through resistance wars against the French and Americans, fighting to protect the northern border, and fulfilling noble international duties, cadres and soldiers of Military Region 2 Armed Forces overcame countless hardships, achieved outstanding feats, and forged a glorious tradition: “Loyal – Self-reliant – United – Heroic – Victorious.”

Entering the period of renewal, the Military Region Armed Forces continued to leverage their core role in building an all-people national defense attached to an all-people security posture and a solid “people’s heart posture”; actively participating in socio-economic development, natural disaster prevention/relief, and effectively executing defense diplomacy work.

The significant contributions and sacrifices of the Military Region Armed Forces have been recognized by the Party and State through numerous noble awards, including 2 Gold Star Orders, 1 Ho Chi Minh Order, and 2 First-Class Military Exploit Orders. Across the entire Military Region, 330 collectives and 139 individuals were awarded or posthumously awarded the title Hero of the People’s Armed Forces; 5,317 mothers were awarded or posthumously awarded the title Heroic Vietnamese Mother.

General Secretary and President To Lam presenting a statue of President Ho Chi Minh to the Party Committee and High Command of Military Region 2.

On behalf of Party and State leaders, Comrade To Lam — General Secretary, President, and Secretary of the Central Military Commission — presented the title “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces” to the Military Region 2 Armed Forces.

Delivering directive remarks at the ceremony, General Secretary and President To Lam warmly commended and congratulated the outstanding achievements and victories of the Military Region 2 Armed Forces over the past 80 years.

Emphasizing that Military Region 2 holds an especially important strategic location regarding national defense, security, and foreign affairs, he requested the Party Committee and High Command of Military Region 2 to proactively grasp and accurately forecast situation trends, perform well in strategic advisory work, and absolutely avoid being passive or caught off guard in any situation; coordinating closely with local Party committees and authorities to construct solid defense areas, tightly combining socio-economic development with national defense and security consolidation.

In particular, he requested elevating overall quality and combat power; building the Military Region Armed Forces toward “revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern” directions; innovating and raising the quality of training and exercises aligned with actual high-mountainous and border terrain; accelerating science and technology applications, digital transformation, and effectively deploying the “Digital Mass Literacy” movement, building digital units.

Concurrently, execute mass mobilization work well to consolidate the “people’s heart posture”; maintaining forces and equipment ready to assist residents in preventing and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, flash floods, and landslides under the objective “protecting the lives and property of the people above all else”; stepping up defense diplomacy to build a border of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development.

Along with that, push forward gratitude and remembrance activities. Concentrate leadership and direction to effectively execute the “500 Days and Nights Campaign to Accelerate Search, Repatriation, and Identification of Martyrs' Remains,” deeply reflecting the ethical principle of “When drinking water, remember its source.”

General Secretary and President To Lam and delegates taking a commemorative photo at the ceremony.

On behalf of the Military Region 2 Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Pham Duc Duyen — Political Commissar of the Military Region — expressed sincere gratitude for the attention of the Party, State, Central Military Commission, Ministry of National Defense, and localities; affirming that cadres and soldiers of the Military Region will continue promoting tradition, remaining absolutely loyal to the Party, Fatherland, and People, determined to outstandingly fulfill all assigned tasks.

On this occasion, General Secretary and President To Lam presented a statue of President Ho Chi Minh to the Party Committee and High Command of Military Region 2. Prior to the ceremony, the General Secretary and President alongside delegates offered flowers and incense in memory of President Ho Chi Minh and planted a commemorative tree at the Uncle Ho Memorial House within the Military Region compound.

Leadership of the Military Region High Command welcoming General Secretary and President To Lam.

General Secretary and President To Lam along with delegates offering flowers and incense in memory of President Ho Chi Minh.

General Secretary and President To Lam along with delegates planting a tree at the Uncle Ho Memorial House inside the Military Region compound.

General Secretary and President To Lam and delegates visiting the exhibition space celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Traditional Day of the Military Region Armed Forces.

Dinh Vu