On May 10, 1958, the Ministry of Public Security established the Internal Political Protection force, the predecessor of today’s Internal Political Security force, which has always played the role of a “precious sword” protecting the survival of the regime. In Điện Biên province, a historic land renowned across five continents and shaking the globe, the Internal Political Security force has fully inherited and promoted that spirit and mettle. Throughout various historical periods and under different names, generations of officers and soldiers have always excellently fulfilled their silent task of protecting the purity of the internal Party, the government, and crucial agencies.

For Điện Biên province, an area with a particularly important strategic location, the task of protecting internal political security always poses high, comprehensive, and sensitive requirements. This is especially true in the context of hostile forces increasing their sabotage activities in cyberspace, thoroughly exploiting issues of democracy, human rights, ethnicity, and religion to impact internal affairs.

Despite of not directly confronting dangerous criminals like many other forces, internal political security work is a silent, complex, and highly pressured battle of wits. With the motto of proactive prevention from early on, from afar, and from the grassroots, the Internal Political Security force has synchronously deployed professional measures to excel in protecting internal politics, state secrets, the ideological foundation, and security in the fields of information and communication, education, health, press, and publishing.

Prominently, the force proactively grasps the situation to detect and recommend solutions for complex issues arising internally, including signs of internal disunity, violations of democratic centralism, and negativity. Furthermore, they coordinate with functional agencies to review and verify tens of thousands of personnel profiles for cadre work, Party congresses at all levels, and elections for National Assembly deputies and People’s Councils at all levels, contributing to protecting the purity, discipline, and order of the Party.

In the protection of state secrets, the force has advised the provincial Party Committee and the provincial People’s Committee to issue numerous directive documents, regulations, and plans to enhance the effectiveness of state management in protecting state secrets. They have organized multiple inspection rounds, guidance, and professional training for agencies and units in the area while detecting and advising the strict handling of cases violating laws on state secret protection. This has contributed to raising the awareness and responsibility of cadres, Party members, and the people in complying with the law on safeguarding state secrets.

On the front of protecting the Party’s ideology, the Internal Political Security force has actively coordinated with functional agencies to struggle against and refute toxic, bad, and false information in cyberspace. They have advised on handling violations, removing, and neutralizing dozens of cases involving the posting and spreading of wrongful information that affects the reputation of organizations and individuals as well as the local security and order situation.

Particularly, amidst the implementation of streamlining and arranging the political system, the internal political security force has proactively grasped the ideological situation of the contingent of cadres, Party members, civil servants, and public employees at agencies and units subject to arrangement and merging. They have promptly advised Party committees and leaders at all levels to stably resolve arising issues related to cadre work and policy regimes. The force has also coordinated in reviewing political standards serving the planning, arrangement, mobilization, and appointment according to the regulations of the Party and State. They proactively monitor, detect, struggle against, and prevent activities that take advantage of the streamlining and arrangement to distort, incite, cause internal division, and spread false information in cyberspace, while performing well the task of protecting state secrets during the drafting, issuance, and implementation of merging and streamlining schemes for the organizational apparatus.

In addition, the Internal Political Security force has coordinated with agencies and units inside and outside the sector to absolutely protect the security and safety of delegations of high-ranking leaders of the Party and State, as well as international guest delegations visiting and working in the province. They have ensured absolute safety for major political events taking place in the area, including Party congresses at all levels, the 14th National Party Congress for the 2025–2030 term, and the elections for deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term.

Facing the robust development of science, technology, digital transformation, and cyberspace, hostile and reactionary forces, as well as criminals, are increasingly escalating their sabotage activities with more sophisticated and complex methods and tricks. The risks of exposing and losing state secrets, the spread of toxic, bad, false information and fake news, and the activities of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” internally continue to pose many new requirements and tasks for the Internal Political Security force.

In this context, the force continues to promote its glorious tradition by focusing on effectively implementing several key tasks. Primarily, they proactively grasp the situation early, from afar, and from the grassroots, assigning forces to directly deploy grassroots security assurance to promptly monitor the situation while guiding commune and ward police in executing internal political security work. Promptly advising on the resolution of complaint letters right from the grassroots level contributes to eliminating the seeds of political instability, alongside coordinating the review and verification of political standards for the appointment, mobilization, arrangement, and use of cadres.

Furthermore, the force continues to enhance the effectiveness of state management regarding the protection of state secrets, increasing the organization of inspections and guidance on implementing laws related to state secret protection to proactively prevent the risks of exposing and losing state secrets during the streamlining of the political system, digital transformation, and the application of information technology. The force also strengthens the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation, fighting and refuting wrong and hostile views, and improving the effectiveness of ensuring security in cyberspace, information and communication security, and cultural and ideological security.

Moreover, they advise and coordinate with relevant agencies to excel in ensuring security in the fields of education and training, healthcare, press, publishing, and social labor to promptly detect, struggle against, and handle law violations. Finally, they aim to build a truly clean, strong, regular, elite, and modern internal political security force where every officer and soldier continuously cultivates their political qualities and revolutionary ethics, strictly implements the “three bests” emulation movement, and improves their professional qualifications, career bravery, and spirit of responsibility in serving the people.

Promoting the heroic and glorious 68-year tradition, the Internal Political Security force of the Điện Biên Provincial Police vows to continue to unite, innovate, be resourceful and creative, and achieve even more outstanding feats and accomplishments. This contributes to creating a strong cultural and ideological security “array,” worthy of being a “steel shield” to protect the Party and the regime, effectively serving the cause of building and developing a rich, beautiful, and civilized Điện Biên province in the country’s new era of development.

Senior Colonel Dương Quốc Hoàn, Head of the Internal Political Security Division under the provincial Police