Citizens must voluntarily comply with the conscription order.
(Baonghean)On January 22, 2013, the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular No. 13/2013/TTLT-BQP-BGDĐT amending and supplementing several articles of Joint Circular No. 175 dated September 13, 2011, guiding the implementation of several articles of Government Decree No. 38/ND-CP dated March 15, 2007, regarding the temporary postponement of conscription during peacetime for male citizens of conscription age.
Accordingly, Circular 13 stipulates that conscription may be temporarily postponed when citizens have completed the enrollment procedures and are studying at schools within the national education system in the form of full-time, concentrated education. If a citizen receives both a conscription order and an admission notice to a school at the same time, they must comply with the conscription order and are not eligible for temporary postponement. Previously, Circular 175 stipulated that candidates receiving admission notices to universities and colleges must report to the commune/district Military Command 10 days before the conscription date; candidates receiving admission notices to vocational schools and colleges must report no later than 3 days after receiving the conscription order to be eligible for temporary postponement.
Other eligible for deferment include: students enrolled in full-time continuing education programs at the lower or upper secondary level at continuing education institutions; and citizens studying abroad at schools with a training period of 12 months or more. This includes schools within the national education system operating in full-time, concentrated formats: high schools, multi-level general education schools, ethnic boarding schools, ethnic semi-boarding schools, specialized schools, gifted schools, and pre-university schools; vocational secondary schools, vocational colleges; colleges and universities; academies and research institutes tasked with training at the master's, doctoral, and equivalent levels; and schools owned by foreign organizations, individuals, international organizations, or Vietnamese residing abroad that are permitted to invest in Vietnam.
Citizens who are not eligible for temporary deferment of military service during peacetime include those who initially attended a full-time training course but dropped out to enroll in a training course at another institution. According to Circular 13, those eligible for temporary deferment of military service also include citizens whose siblings are non-commissioned officers or soldiers currently serving in the military, and students who are non-commissioned officers or soldiers studying at military schools or non-military schools under the Ministry of National Defense's plan.
Another new requirement is that candidates must bring their military service registration certificate issued by the District Military Command and their absence registration confirmation certificate issued by the Commune Military Command where they reside when they come to the school to complete the enrollment procedures. Furthermore, citizens who have already enlisted in the army, if they have received an admission notice to a university, college, vocational school, or vocational college before or after their enlistment, must report this to their managing unit so that they can inform their family (the issuing authority) to reserve the candidate's admission until they complete their military service.
It is difficult to ensure sufficient numbers and meet political and health standards before each recruitment drive; conducting ideological work to prevent people from questioning why some are called up while others are postponed is also not simple. In reality, many young people who lack the means to leave their homes join the army, while most children from well-off families enroll in universities, colleges, vocational schools, and professional training centers. Circular 13 has, to some extent, ensured fairness in the recruitment of citizens for military service, especially in effectively implementing the Law on Military Service.
However, to eliminate the "excuse" for students and well-off families to "circumvent the law" and evade military service, especially during the second recruitment period (September every year) - the time when colleges and universities announce admission scores and call candidates to enroll - universities, colleges, vocational schools, and professional training centers need to strictly adhere to regulations regarding the acceptance and transfer of military service registration. This will ensure effective management of students of military service age and the efficient transfer of records of graduates to their respective localities.
And, to encourage young people to enthusiastically enlist to defend the Fatherland, Party committees, government agencies, and mass organizations need to do a better job of disseminating and educating the people, especially citizens of military age, about the Military Service Law and the traditions of their homeland, so that they voluntarily comply with the conscription order, while also doing a good job of supporting the families of soldiers; and strictly punishing those who are absent when summoned for examination or health check-up, as well as those engaging in fraudulent activities (Article 8, Decree No. 151 on regulations for administrative penalties in the field of national defense).
Hoang Tung (Nghe An Provincial Military Command)
