Hanoi (VNA) – National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man has authored an article highlighting the formation and evolution of the Vietnam People’s Public Security Force over the past eight decades, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the force (August 19, 1945–2025) and the 20th anniversary of the All-People Security Safeguard Festival (August 19, 2005–2025).
The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) respectfully introduces a translation of the article.
VIETNAM PEOPLE’S PUBLIC SECURITY FORCE: 80 YEARS OF FORMATION, FIGHTING AND GROWING, ACTIVELY BUILDING AND PERFECTING INSTITUTIONS IN THE ERA OF THE NATION’S RISE
1. Amid the triumphant atmosphere of the great August Revolution, the Vietnam People’s Public Security Force was established on August 19, 1945, marking a historic milestone in the cause of defending national security and order. In its early days, despite numerous challenges, under the Party leadership, the force displayed intelligence and courage, working alongside revolutionary forces to thwart imperialist and colonial schemes colluding with domestic reactionaries aiming to overthrow our fledgling government, thereby firmly safeguarding the new political system and the lives of the people. During the two resistance wars against the French colonialism and US imperialism, the Vietnam People’s Public Security Force worked closely with the People’s Army to overcome hardships, fight bravely, and persistently mobilise the masses to dismantle enemy control and eliminate traitors, achieving great feats of arms and importantly, contributing to efforts made by the entire Party, army, and people in securing national independence and reunifying the country. After the great Spring Victory of 1975, the nation embarked on building and defending the country while accelerating “Doi moi” (renewal) and international integration. The People’s Public Security Force continued to serve as a strategic advisor and core and frontline force in defending national security; and remained steadfast and resolute, upholding a spirit of revolutionary vigilance, while actively preventing threats and taking proactive action. They timely detected and apprehended most espionage groups, dismantled reactionary organisations, neutralised plots to incite riots and destabilise politics and society, and decisively confronted domestic and foreign hostile forces, including covert networks, political opportunists, and disgruntled elements that exploit “democracy” and “human rights” issues to secretly undermine the Party and State.
In the current period, the Vietnam People’s Public Security Force has excelled in advising and forecasting both domestic and foreign policies, actively providing consultation to the Party, National Assembly, and Government to maintain strategic initiative and contribute to shaping major orientations, policies, and decisions on political security, social order and safety, and protecting territorial sovereignty, national interests and security. The national security protection work has been vigorously directed, achieving breakthrough results. The force has closely monitored situations and promptly addressed all potential internal and external security threats early and from afar, from the grassroots level to beyond national borders, preventing them from escalating. It has also focused on containing and gradually resolving long-standing and complex security issues; taking decisive action against key hostile elements, including those operating from beyond national borders, creating deterrence and safeguarding political and diplomatic objectives. The force has worked hard to ensure absolute security and safety throughout the construction and development of the socialist rule-of-law state; firmly protect national key targets and projects, and major political, cultural, and social events; and guarantee complete safety for Party and State leaders, and international delegations and conferences in Vietnam. The force has also maintained internal political security, safeguarded the Party’s ideological foundation, and protected cultural and economic security, while ensuring public order and social safety in strategic and key areas.
In parallel, the People’s Police Force, particularly the criminal police and investigative police, have proactively identified, analysed, assessed, and accurately forecast the crime situation; comprehensively implemented professional measures and applied many fundamental solutions to prevent and combat crimes both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic; and promptly detected, prevented, and early handled new criminal methods and tricks. Many major cases have been investigated and successfully solved, helping curb the rise of crime, maintaining the rule of law, and gradually building an orderly, safe, and healthy society. They have reformed thinking, awareness, and action in all aspects of social order and safety protection, placing the people at the centre, identifying the people as the key stakeholder, the driving force, and the resource; putting the safety of the people’s lives, health, and property first and above all else; and taking many measures to improve the efficiency of state management over security, traffic order and safety, and fire and explosion prevention, thereby creating strong, positive, and far-reaching improvements across society.
In addition, the People’s Public Security Force has actively advised Party committees and authorities at all levels to care for and effectively implement socio-economic development and social security policies to improve the material and spiritual life of the people. They have promoted the movement of all-people participation in safeguarding national security, in close connection with patriotic emulation movements in localities. Proactively and closely coordinating with ministries, sectors, localities, and philanthropists, they have built tens of thousands of houses for poor households, policy beneficiary families, and families with housing difficulties, along with semi-boarding houses for students in remote locations, areas of special hardship, and strategic areas in terms of national defence and security, with funding from social sources. In this way, the force has contributed to transforming localities and addressing the roots of issues regarding national security and human security.
The communal police force directly go to each village and hamlet to guide locals in how to install electronic identification and integrate health insurance cards into the VNeID application on their phones. (Photo: VNA)
Each contribution, each sacrifice, and each victory of the People’s Public Security Force is a vivid testimony to the spirit of “sacrificing for the country, serving the people,” thereby adding lustre to the heroic tradition of the nation. The force has firmly maintained political stability and safeguarded national security, social order and safety; ensured absolute safety for key targets, vital works, and major events; proactively prevented and suppressed crimes, and foiled all sabotage plots, creating a stable environment for national development and enhancement of Vietnam's position on the international stage.
2. In the process of building, fighting, and growing, the People’s Public Security Force has always proactively and actively taken the lead in institution-building and proposing new issues that contribute to the perfection of the Party’s and State’s guidelines and policies and the building of a rule-of-law socialist State. In particular, it has proposed to the Party, the National Assembly, and the Government many measures for institutional improvement, and many important policies and laws on safeguarding national security and ensuring the country's social order and safety. It has proactively and actively taken the lead in grasping and implementing many reform policies, the revolution of apparatus streamlining, and solutions to improve the efficiency of state management over social order and safety protection. The force has worked to build a revolutionary, regular, elite, and gradually modern Public Security Force, capable of meeting the requirements and tasks in the new situation.
In the 13th, 14th and 15th tenures of the National Assembly, the Ministry of Public Security has chaired consultation on and submitted 32 draft laws and eight draft resolutions to the National Assembly for approval. Among them, there are many particularly important draft laws that have effectively served national construction and development in the new era, supported the country’s international integration, and protected the rights and legitimate interests of the people. They have adhered to the Party's guidelines and policies, accorded with international practices, met the requirements of the fight against crimes, ensured the humanity and deterrence of the law, and received great attention from cadres, Party members, and the public. They include the amended Penal Code; the Law on Data; the Law on Personal Data Protection; the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety; the amended Law on Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking; the Law on Identity; the Law on Forces Participating in Protecting Security and Order at the Grassroots Level; and the Law on Fire Prevention, Fire Fighting and Rescue, etc. Beyond that, the Ministry of Public Security has also made many breakthroughs and strong reforms in the law-building mindset while closely coordinating with relevant agencies to enable the National Assembly to, for the first time, collect opinions on the draft Resolution amending and supplementing some articles of the 2013 Constitution via the VNeID application. The laws with drafting processes chaired by the Ministry of Public Security have boosted the reduction of administrative procedures to create favourable conditions for people and businesses (such as the Law on Fire Prevention and Fighting with 27 procedures cut...).
These are the strong marks of the Public Security Force on the work of law-building and institutional perfection over the recent past, reflecting the force’s active and leading role in thoroughly grasping and promoting the implementation of the institutional breakthrough – "the breakthrough of breakthroughs", as in line with the direction of the Party Central Committee and General Secretary To Lam.
3. To continue to effectively carry out the Politburo’s Resolution 12-NQ/TW, dated March 16, 2022, on promoting the building of a truly clean, strong, regular, elite, and modern People's Public Security force to meet the requirements of tasks in the new situation; at the same time, to further promote its role in the cause of protecting security and order to help build and safeguard the Fatherland, and develop the country's socio-economy, especially in institutional building and perfection, the Central Public Security Party Committee and the Ministry of Public Security need to closely coordinate with agencies of the National Assembly, ministries, sectors, and relevant agencies to focus on effectively performing the following key tasks:
First, it is necessary to proactively grasp the situation and increase giving advice to Party and State leaders about the leadership and direction of the building and perfection of laws, as well as the making of decisions about important security and social order issues; thereby, creating a complete and comprehensive legal corridor and a solid political and diplomatic foundation to meet the requirements of the Fatherland safeguarding and international integration. At the same time, it is important to organise the enforcement of laws in a strict and fair manner, preventing laxity or abuse of power; resolutely fight against crimes and law violations; improve the effectiveness of protecting human rights, the rights and legitimate interests of organisations and individuals; and contribute to the building of a safe and disciplined social environment, creating a solid foundation for socio-economic development.
Police help residents in Khau Phieng village of Tuyen Quang province overcome flood consequences. (Photo: VNA)
Second, it must strengthen close coordination based on the spirit of companionship, and proactive engagement, starting early and from afar, in the process of reviewing legislative proposals and draft law dossiers as well as during the process of receiving and explaining feedback of National Assembly deputies, ensuring quality and progress for reporting the National Assembly Standing Committee, and submitting them to the National Assembly for consideration, comments, and approval of laws, resolutions, and ordinances, meeting the requirements in the Politburo’s Resolution No. 66-NQ/TW dated April 30, 2025 on reforming law making and enforcement, Resolution No. 197/2025/QH15 dated May 17, 2025 on a number of special mechanisms and policies to create breakthroughs in the law making and enforcement, meeting the requirements of national development in the new era.
Third, it should actively participate in the supreme thematic supervisions on national security protection, social order and safety, crime prevention and control, and the development of the People's Public Security Force in the spirit of the Politburo’s Resolution 12-NQ/TW dated March 16, 2022, thereby contributing to continuing to improve the effectiveness of state management in maintaining security and social order. At the same time, the efforts help foster nationwide voters and people's understanding on the highly demanding, complex and challenging work undertaken by the People's Public Security Force; and reinforce greater attention to policies and welfare for police officers and personnel.
Fourth, it is necessary to improve the effectiveness of coordination in advising the Party, National Assembly and Government leaders on important national issues regarding security, order and other issues of national importance. In particular, it must be proactive and avoid being passive and taken by surprise under any circumstance; to protect national security, human security, economic security and cybersecurity. Absolute safety must be guaranteed for key targets and important political events. In immediate future, efforts should focus on ensuring the utmost security for the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Party congresses at all levels, towards the 14th National Party Congress; the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term; and the 80th anniversary of the first General Election to elect the National Assembly of Vietnam.
Fifth, it is essential to actively and proactively shift the state of operations and coordination efforts in the spirit of the Politburo’s Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024 on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation. This includes strengthening data connectivity and sharing across national databases and sectoral databases to serve digital transformation and enhance the effectiveness of state management, while focusing on the coordination regulations signed between the Ministry of Public Security and NA bodies to develop detailed annual plans, and implement them regularly and closely in accordance with the set goals and requirements.
The leaders of the Party, National Assembly and Government always believe that with 80 years of proud and heroic tradition, solidarity and unity, the People's Public Security Force will fulfil all assigned tasks with excellence, worthy of being an important, trusted and absolutely loyal armed force of the Party, State and people. They will make even greater contributions to national renewal, industrialisation and modernisation. Their efforts will help propel the country’s rapid and sustainable development in the era of the nation’s rise, standing shoulder to shoulder with the world’s powers as President Ho Chi Minh’s cherished wish during his lifetime./.
