>> Yen Bai Airfield – where Hero Pham Tuan took off to down ‘flying fortress’ B-52

The resounding "Hanoi – Dien Bien Phu in the Air” victory came as a result of the determination and unyielding trust of the heroic and steadfast Vietnamese people. It was a demonstration of the upholding and development of Vietnam’s military art traditions in the Ho Chi Minh era and deserved to be the pinnacle of the country’s modern military culture.

In the national construction and defence period nowadays, local armed forces have thoroughly grasped the Party’s viewpoint and directions on the performance of two strategic tasks: building and firmly defending the socialist Fatherland; and properly proposing advice so that local Party committees and administrations direct and organise the successful implementation of military and defence duties, building an incorruptible and strong military Party organisation in Yen Bai, and building comprehensively strong armed forces that bring into play their core role in performing local military and defence tasks.

Notably, the forces have advised local Party committees and administrations to direct the close coordination between socio-economic development and defence - security enhancement, the building of people-based national defence and security, and the consolidation of the province’s defence zone.

Over the past years, Yen Bai province has ensured annual funding for hundreds of plans and projects on national defence such as those on building militia and self-defence forces for 2010 - 2015, on training reserve officers for 2010 - 2015, on enhancing defence and security safeguarding and another on building the military intelligence - reconnaissance force for 2016 - 2020, on improving the effectiveness of the militia - self-defence force, and on building and improving the effectiveness of military intelligence - reconnaissance activities for 2021 - 2025.

In addition, local armed forces have always performed training and combat readiness tasks, proactively grasped the situation, reviewed and amended combat readiness plans, and frequently held training and exercises at different levels.

They have also actively and effectively engaged in performing economic, cultural, and social development tasks, assisted with poverty reduction and new-style rural area building, carried out military and military rear policies, and brought into play their core role in natural disaster prevention and control, disease outbreak response, search, and rescue.

With their achievements, the armed forces of Yen Bai province have been honoured with the second-class Fatherland Protection Order twice by the Party and State. Thirty-eight collectives and 11 individuals have been granted or posthumously granted the "Hero of the People’s Armed Forces” title, and 297 women the "Heroic Vietnamese Mother” title. In 2017, the provincial Military Command received the emulation flag presented by the Government, and the emulation flag by the Ministry of National Defence in 2018 and 2020.