Hanoi (VNA) – National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man highlighted the importance of building a regular, elite and modern external security force while addressing a ceremony in Hanoi on July 1 marking the 80th anniversary of the force’s traditional day (July 12, 1946 – 2026).
Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu, along with incumbent and former Party and State leaders, sent baskets of flowers to the ceremony to congratulate the force.
Delivering remarks on behalf of Party and State leaders, Chairman Man commended and congratulated the external security force for its sustained efforts and achievements over the past years, noting its contribution to the cause of national construction and protection.
He stressed that under all circumstances, the force must remain absolutely loyal to the Party, the nation and the people, while upholding the principle of the Party’s absolute, direct and comprehensive leadership – specifically through the Central Public Security Party Committee and the leadership of the Ministry of Public Security.
The top legislator also called for close coordination with relevant forces, ministries, sectors and local authorities.
The NA Chairman urged the force to proactively implement professional measures to gather intelligence and enhance analysis, assessment and forecasting of international and regional developments. He emphasised the need to prevent attempts to influence policy and interfere in domestic affairs by hostile forces.
He further instructed the force to provide strategic policy advice to the Party and State in responding to geopolitical developments, ensuring preparedness and preventing surprises, while identifying and neutralising threats to national security beyond national borders and within cyberspace.
At the same time, the top legislator called for continued innovation in operational mindset and organisational methods, with greater attention to monitoring and preventing risks of policy deviation and misuse of international cooperation, treaties and agreements that could undermine national sovereignty, interests and security.
Chairman Man also highlighted the importance of building a professional, elite and modern people’s public security force in general and external security force in particular.
Priority should be given to developing personnel with strong political mettle, professional expertise, foreign language skills and knowledge of international law, alongside the ability to master advanced technologies and modern technical systems.
He added that organisational structures should remain streamlined and operate efficiently to meet increasingly complex requirements in a multipolar international environment and an era of rapid digital transformation.
On international security cooperation, the leader called for deeper and more substantive engagement with foreign security and police agencies as well as international organisations, based on the principles of respect for national independence, sovereignty and interests.
At the ceremony, on behalf of the Party and State leaders, Chairman Man presented the Ho Chi Minh Order to the force in recognition of its outstanding contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation./.
