President Trần Đại Quang delivers speech at a ceremony in Hà Nội marking the Defence Ministry’s National Defence Academy’s 40th annual traditional day. — VNA/VNS Photo  Nhan Sáng

HÀ NỘI — President Trần Đại Quang yesterday urged the Việt Nam People’s Army, in general, and the Defence Ministry’s National Defence Academy, in particular, to uphold their crucial role in strengthening defence and safeguarding the nation. He spoke at a ceremony in Hà Nội marking the academy’s 40th annual traditional day. 

The President stressed that the academy needed to improve its strategic forecast capacity in order to provide timely advice to the Party, State, the Central Military Commission and the Defence Ministry on national defence and military issues. 

He also called on the academy to pay greater attention to research and science to serve its training tasks, develop Việt Nam’s own defence and military science and theory, as well as provide scientific ground for the Party and State’s policies on national construction and defence. 

Over the past four decades, the National Defence Academy has trained tens of thousands officials, many of them currently holding high-ranking positions in the Party, State and army. It has also offered 70 training courses to high-ranking officials from Laos, Cambodia, Cuba and other countries. 

The academy sent experts and scientists to the US, the Republic of Korea and Mozambique to give lectures, contributing to the Party and State’s external defence relations and improving Việt Nam’s stature on the international stage. 
At the ceremony, the State awarded the Independence Order, first class, to the academy. — VNS