A bustling day of military enlistment.

(Baonghean) - Every year, as the country enters a new spring, tens of thousands of young people from all over the country enlist in the army, fulfilling the sacred duty of protecting the Fatherland as soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army... We have witnessed and immersed ourselves in that bustling, vibrant, and deeply moving atmosphere of pride.

New recruits on the day of enlistment. Photo: D.T.

The Nghi Loc district center on the morning of March 6th. Amidst the misty rain and the faint scent of incense, the atmosphere was filled with the warmth of a conscription ceremony. From early morning, thousands of people flocked to the district center's stadium to see their sons and daughters off to join the army. The worn military uniforms of veteran fathers stood side-by-side with the pristine, still-folded uniforms of their sons; the loving, gentle gazes of mothers and sisters... all shared a common belief, a common will, a common aspiration to fulfill their civic duty in response to the call of their homeland and country...

In the first recruitment drive of 2015, Nghi Loc district was assigned a quota of 140 soldiers to join the army. Of the 140 new recruits performing military service, 61 met health category I and 52 met health category II.

There are 85 soldiers who graduated from high school, 38 who graduated from junior high school, 17 soldiers with university, college, or vocational school degrees, and 12 soldiers who are children of Catholic families… Nghi Loc district also has the highest number of recruits with college or university degrees in the entire province. We met Nguyen Dinh Hai, from Nghi Tien commune (Nghi Loc district), wearing his navy uniform, with stars and cap neatly in place, his hands trembling as he handed a bouquet of flowers to his girlfriend. Before leaving, Hai managed to buy flowers to congratulate his girlfriend on International Women's Day (March 8th). With his deep, unmistakable Nghi Loc accent, Hai shared: “Since I was very young, I have dreamed of joining the ranks of the Vietnam People's Navy. Now that dream has come true. Now I only wish to immediately go to sea, to contribute my strength to the country and the army”...

In Vinh City, just after 7 a.m., the courtyard of the Provincial Labor Culture House was already filled with flags, banners, and slogans, creating a vibrant and enthusiastic atmosphere for the conscription ceremony. A large number of officials, departments, organizations, family members, friends, and students were present to see off the young men from the Red City as they departed for military service. After the traditional flame was lit on the platform, the rhythmic drumming of the conscription ceremony resonated, moving everyone. Firm handshakes, heartfelt words of encouragement, and smiles filled with affection created a solemn yet moving atmosphere, brimming with camaraderie, family affection, and the bond between soldiers and civilians.

Young man Dong Quoc Khanh from Hung Binh ward (Vinh City) emotionally shared: “I just graduated from Vinh University of Technology Education. With the care and encouragement of my family and local officials, I have clearly understood my responsibility and duty to my homeland and country, so I volunteered to enlist in the army this time. I believe that studying and training in the military environment will help me become more mature and responsible, and when I leave the army, I will have more job opportunities…”

Thai Ba Thuan, a young man from Dien Bich commune, Dien Chau district, who enlisted in the Navy, confided: “My father was a Navy soldier before, so I always dreamed of becoming a Navy soldier. Today, that dream has come true, and I promise to train hard to contribute to protecting the sacred sovereignty of our country's seas and islands.”

In the border district of Kỳ Sơn, this year there were 60 recruitment quotas, but more than 100 citizens volunteered. Cụt Văn Bún, a young man from Ca Da village, Bảo Thắng commune, despite his difficult family circumstances, volunteered for military service this time. The Youth Union and the Veterans' Association of Ca Da village helped Thắng's family repair their roof, plant the remaining corn crop, and various departments and organizations gave him a gift of nearly 1 million VND, so Bún felt very secure. Bún is determined to dedicate his youth to firmly protecting the Vietnamese Fatherland...

In the first recruitment drive of 2015, 12 districts, towns, and cities in Nghe An province (Vinh City, Cua Lo Town, and the districts of Hung Nguyen, Nghi Loc, Do Luong, Dien Chau, Con Cuong, Tuong Duong, Ky Son, Quy Hop, Quy Chau, and Que Phong) carried out military service. A total of 1,350 young men from the province enlisted, of which 540 were assigned to units under the Ministry of National Defense (Navy, Air Force, Mausoleum Command, Border Guard Command, Armored Corps, Special Forces, and the General Department of Engineering), and 810 were assigned to units within Military Region 4 (General Staff, Nghe An Provincial Military Command, 324th Division, 283rd Brigade, and 206th Brigade).

Thanks to effective propaganda and education, registration, resource management, preliminary examination, and rigorous selection processes, all localities met their recruitment targets. The quality of young men enlisting in the first recruitment wave this year ensured they met the criteria for health, political background, culture, and morality. Of the 1,350 young men enlisting this wave, 5 are Party members; 607 received Party membership training; 54 belong to various religions; and 376 are from ethnic minority groups. 1,090 young men are aged 18-20 (80.8%); and 260 are aged 21-25 (19.2%). Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dinh Tuc, Head of the Air Defense - Air Force Command's recruitment team, shared: "For many years, the Air Defense - Air Force Command has regularly received recruits from Nghe An province. Through practical training and management, we have seen that the quality of soldiers here has quite good results in their studies and training. This year, the Command continues to receive 100 young men from the province. We will fulfill our responsibilities well, train and educate these young men to become high-quality soldiers, and after their discharge, they will become useful citizens for their homeland and country..."

New recruits bid farewell to Vinh City as they head off to join the army. Photo: Phan Minh Tuan.

The most notable achievement this year is that localities have excellently met and exceeded the targets set by higher authorities regarding health standards and educational qualifications. In terms of educational qualifications, 389 young people graduated from junior high school (28.8%); 863 young people graduated from high school (63.9%). Notably, 98 young people graduated from university or college (7.3%), exceeding the target set by the Ministry of National Defense in the first phase of 2015 (5%) by 2.3%; and exceeding the number of young people graduating from university or college in 2014 (only 0.6%) by 6.5%. Regarding health, 492 young people have health category 1 (36%), 677 have health category 2 (50.2%), and 181 have health category 3 (13.4%). In particular, localities in the province have exceeded the target for the number of young people with a height of 1.65m to 1.70m to serve in parades and marches to celebrate major national holidays in 2015...

Colonel Ha Tan Tien, Standing Committee Member and Commander of the Nghe An Provincial Military Command, stated: “The challenge in this year's recruitment is the high quality of recruits, especially the percentage of university and college graduates and those with a height between 1.65m and 1.70m. Furthermore, there is no possibility of replacements, so the Provincial Party Committee and Military Command have directed localities to adhere to the principle of ‘Recruit only those who are certain to be suitable.’ After finalizing the list, localities focus on encouraging, visiting, and giving gifts to the selected recruits, especially those from disadvantaged families; organizing cultural and artistic exchanges, seminars, and meetings between soldiers who have completed their military service and returned to their localities with those preparing to enlist;…”.

Following the directives of the Provincial Military Party Committee, before the enlistment day, districts, towns, and cities organized activities such as visits, gift-giving, and cultural exchanges to encourage young people to enlist and defend the Fatherland. In the mountainous districts of the province (Kỳ Sơn, Tương Dương, Quế Phong, Quỳ Châu, Quỳ Hợp), due to the complex terrain and difficult roads, cadres and young people enlisting from remote mountainous communes arrived in the district one to two days in advance. On the afternoon before their departure, these mountainous districts organized a cordial meal between leaders at all levels and various departments and organizations with the families and young people enlisting, creating a warm and joyful atmosphere. Localities organized the enlistment ceremony in a solemn and serious manner, adhering to the regulations of the Ministry of National Defense, while also possessing high educational value. It truly was a day of enlistment, a nationwide celebration with profound political and social significance.

At exactly 9:30 AM, at 12 military recruitment points throughout Nghe An province, the task of handing over newly enlisted youths to receiving units was completed. 1,350 young men from the beloved homeland of President Ho Chi Minh officially set off to join the army, dedicating the meaningful years of their youth to the country and their homeland. Bidding farewell to their hometowns, families, friends, and teachers, these young men, eighteen and twenty years old, will continue to uphold the heroic Soviet spirit, carry on the traditions of the Hong Mountain and Lam River, and steadfastly embark on their journey, making practical contributions to the cause of building and protecting the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Dao Tuan - Phong Quang - Ngoc Thang