22 December is the founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army and All-People’s National Defence Day. It is an occasion to recall the tradition of defending the homeland and honor generations of officers and soldiers who devoted themselves and sacrificed for the country’s independence, freedom and peace. On Côn Đảo, it also recalls revolutionary struggle, the island’s liberation in 1975 and today’s responsibility to safeguard maritime and island sovereignty.
From a small armed force born during the struggle for independence, the Vietnam People’s Army steadily grew into a core force in defending the homeland.
The origins of the Vietnam People’s Army’s founding day, 22 December
On 22 December 1944, in Trần Hưng Đạo Forest in Nguyên Bình District, Cao Bằng Province, the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army Team was officially established under instructions from Hồ Chí Minh.
The team comprised 34 soldiers organized into three squads, with Võ Nguyên Giáp directly responsible for its organization and command. Hoàng Sâm served as team commander and Xích Thắng as political commissar.
It was the first main-force unit of Vietnam’s revolutionary armed forces and the predecessor of today’s Vietnam People’s Army.
Only days after its formation, the team won its first two battles at Phai Khắt and Nà Ngần in Cao Bằng, laying an important foundation for the development of the revolutionary armed forces.
That historical milestone established 22 December 1944 as the founding date of the Vietnam People’s Army.
A tradition of building, fighting and growing
Through resistance wars and periods of national construction and defence, the Vietnam People’s Army has been associated with many important events in the nation’s history.
During the resistance against French colonial rule, the army gradually developed its organization, strength and combat capabilities, contributing to the Điện Biên Phủ victory of 1954.
During the resistance war against the United States for national salvation, the armed forces continued to take part in major campaigns, contributing to the Hồ Chí Minh Campaign’s victory on 30 April 1975 and opening an era of peace and national unity.
After the war, the Vietnam People’s Army continued protecting borders, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity while also participating in national construction.
This tradition is expressed through solidarity, discipline, determination in hardship and close ties with the people.
Beyond military duties, soldiers are also present in rescue operations, disaster recovery, community support and efforts to preserve peaceful life.
These values also shape the image of “Uncle Hồ’s soldiers” in the outlook of generations of Vietnamese people.
All-People’s National Defence Day, 22 December
In addition to being the army’s traditional anniversary, 22 December has been designated All-People’s National Defence Day since 1989.
The day emphasizes the role of all people in building national defence, maintaining peace and protecting the homeland.
National defence is not solely the task of the armed forces but is linked to the responsibility of every citizen, locality and community.
Around 22 December, many localities, agencies, schools and military units organize meetings with veterans, traditional education, visits to historic sites, visits to families entitled to state support for wartime service or sacrifice, and tributes to people who have served the nation.
These activities make 22 December an opportunity for generations to look back at history and better understand independence and the responsibility to maintain peace.
Côn Đảo in the history of the struggle for national liberation
Côn Đảo occupies a special place in Vietnam’s revolutionary history.
From 1862 to 1975, a prison system existed here to confine generations of patriots, revolutionary fighters and political prisoners.
For more than a century, those confined on Côn Đảo faced harsh living conditions, repression, torture and forced labor.
Nevertheless, generations of prisoners maintained resistance, organized study, spread revolutionary ideas and preserved solidarity.
Those imprisoned on Côn Đảo included many revolutionary cadres who later continued contributing to national liberation and to building and defending the country.
The remains preserved today reflect the unyielding spirit of earlier generations and help visitors understand the losses left by war and the prison regime.
Although 22 December is not the anniversary of an event that occurred directly on Côn Đảo, the patriotism, solidarity and determination recalled on this occasion are deeply connected with the islands’ history.
The armed forces and the liberation of Côn Đảo in 1975
1 May 1975 is an important milestone in Côn Đảo’s history.
After the Hồ Chí Minh Campaign’s victory on 30 April 1975, political prisoners on Côn Đảo seized the opportunity, organized their forces and rose to take control.
On 1 May, revolutionary forces on the island gradually secured key positions, ended confinement and established a new administration.
This was a distinctive victory of the political prisoners’ self-liberation, solidarity and resilient struggle.
In the early hours of 4 May 1975, Vietnam People’s Navy vessels brought forces from the mainland to Côn Đảo, helping consolidate the situation and take over island protection and administration duties.
The event marked an important transition from a place of imprisonment to a period of peace, construction and development.
When recalling the Vietnam People’s Army’s traditions on 22 December, Côn Đảo’s liberation is a meaningful story showing the connection between the struggles of the people, revolutionary fighters and armed forces in the nation’s shared victory.
The armed forces’ role in protecting Côn Đảo today
Côn Đảo has historical value and an important position in Vietnam’s southern waters.
As an archipelago far from the mainland, it plays a role in the maritime economy, shipping, marine environmental protection and security and defence.
Today, maintaining peace on Côn Đảo requires cooperation among local authorities, relevant services, the armed forces and the resident community.
Protecting maritime and island sovereignty, maintaining security, preventing and responding to disasters, search and rescue, and helping residents in difficulty all have practical importance for island life.
For visitors, a peaceful Côn Đảo with clear blue beaches, protected forests and preserved historic sites is also the result of generations of construction, protection and development.
Thus 22 December is also a time to appreciate the quiet contributions of officers and soldiers serving in the nation’s maritime and island areas.
Exploring Côn Đảo’s history on 22 December
On the Vietnam People’s Army’s founding anniversary, travelers can combine a visit to Côn Đảo with historical learning and remembrance.
Notable places include:
Côn Đảo Museum: Displays documents, photographs and artifacts about the islands’ history, prison system and revolutionary movements.
The Côn Đảo Prison system: Includes Phú Hải, Phú Sơn and Phú Thọ prisons, the French Tiger Cages and the American Tiger Cages. These remains help visitors understand confinement conditions and generations of prisoners’ spirit of resistance.
Hàng Dương Cemetery: The resting place of many revolutionary fighters and patriots who died on Côn Đảo. Visitors can offer incense and remember them in solemn surroundings.
Hàng Keo Cemetery: A historic place associated with prisoners who died during the prison system’s existence.
Côn Đảo Memorial Temple: A space commemorating fallen heroes, revolutionary fighters and patriots who died on the islands.
When visiting, take time to read information, listen to guides and learn the historical stories connected with each place rather than only stopping for photographs.
For school and university groups or visitors planning traditional education activities, Côn Đảo is a suitable destination for combining historical study with firsthand experience.
Commemorative activities for 22 December
Activities around 22 December in localities generally focus on learning the army’s traditions, visiting veterans, bringing together generations of servicemen and women and organizing tributes.
On Côn Đảo, agencies and organizations may arrange activities suited to actual conditions, such as incense offerings at historic sites, traditional gatherings or meetings with officers and soldiers.
However, 22 December is not automatically associated with a tourism festival or fixed memorial ritual on Côn Đảo.
Visitors wishing to attend a particular program must check the organizing agency’s official announcement for the relevant year.
22 December: Honoring the past and preserving peace
From the formation of the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army Team in 1944 to peacetime defence duties, the Vietnam People’s Army has traveled a historical path of hardship, sacrifice and growth.
22 December is a time to remember the fallen, honor generations of military personnel and recognize the armed forces’ contributions to building and protecting the country.
On Côn Đảo, that meaning can be felt in the historical traces still present in daily life: former prisons, graves at Hàng Dương Cemetery, memorial places and stories of the island’s liberation.
Reflecting on the Vietnam People’s Army’s traditions on 22 December also helps each person understand the value of peace, appreciate earlier generations’ sacrifices and recognize responsibility for the country’s future.
Amid Côn Đảo’s sea and sky today, these values continue to be preserved in community life, historic-site conservation and efforts to build peaceful, sustainably developing islands.