From a foundation of discipline to a source of innovative energy
President Ho Chi Minh always considered Party branches and Party committees to be the foundation of the Party, the places closest to the people, most closely connected to their work, and the direct link between the Party and the masses.
He repeatedly emphasized that: "Branch activities must be serious; if the branch is good, everything will be good." This teaching is simple but profound, because in the Party's organizational system, strength does not begin with grand things far away, but begins with each Branch meeting, each self-criticism and criticism session, and each small task done thoroughly.
Throughout nearly a century of building and developing the Communist Party of Vietnam, branch activities have always been an environment for honing political skills, fostering revolutionary ideals, and maintaining unity throughout the Party. However, in the context of rapid social change, an increasingly fast-paced work life, and the strong development of digital technology, many places have revealed limitations: activities are still monotonous, heavily focused on document delivery, lacking in exchange, and lacking in practical depth. This raises the requirement for strong innovation while still upholding principles.
Based on this requirement, the Secretariat issued Directive No. 50-CT/TW on July 23, 2025, on continuing to innovate and improve the quality of Party cell activities in the new period, emphasizing the application of digital technology, the implementation of electronic Party member handbooks, and the diversification of activity formats, while still upholding the Party's organizational principles. The spirit of the directive is very clear: innovate to make Party branch meetings more substantive, dynamic, and effective.
Responding to this spirit, the two Party branches of the BIDV Cadre Training School Party Committee determined that innovating Party branch activities is not about making them appear new, but about making them more authentic, more practical, and more influential. And that journey of innovation begins with upholding the most fundamental principles.
First, the Party branch steadfastly maintained the norms and discipline of its activities. No matter how innovative, the Party branch still thoroughly implemented the spirit of "3 rights": right time, right content, right principles. Because an organization wants to be strong must start from seriousness. Discipline does not take away creativity; on the contrary, discipline is the foundation for sustainable creative development.
From that foundation, the Party branch gradually innovates its organizational methods. One simple but effective measure is the establishment of a Zalo group for Party members in the Party branch, with the emblem of the Communist Party of Vietnam flag – both solemn and creating a clear identifying mark. Through this group, all information related to Party branch activities is updated in a timely manner: meeting notices, activity documents, Party member review forms, two-way activities, Party fee collection information, etc. As a result, each Party member is able to quickly grasp and more actively participate in Party branch activities.
Not only sharing information, each Party branch also clearly assigns responsibilities to each Party member: those in charge of regular activities, those in charge of specific topics, those who compile documents, those who monitor attendance, etc. Attendance is recorded electronically during meetings, documents are updated in the electronic Party Member Handbook, and results are reported publicly. As a result, Party branch activities not only comply with regulations but also become more transparent, scientific, and effective.
In order to help Party members gain a deeper understanding of the reasons for the establishment of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the branches took the initiative to edit the video "History of the Establishment of the Communist Party of Vietnam" by the People's Army Newspaper into a concise, focused version that still ensures all the core content is covered. The video was then sent to the branch's Zalo group on February 3, the founding day of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Choosing this timing was not just an internal communication activity, but also served to remind each Party member of the sacred historical origins of the Party. Through this vivid and visual form of delivery, Party members in the branch can more quickly access, deeply understand, and long remember the key content about the circumstances of the Party's founding, its historical mission, and its leadership role in the nation's revolutionary cause.
However, innovating branch activities is not just about technology or organizational methods. More importantly, it is about making the content of the activities lively and touching the emotions of each Party member. Therefore, the Party Committee has boldly innovated its thematic activities in the direction of practical experiences. One of the most notable activities was a thematic meeting combined with an outing to the Gac Ma Soldiers Memorial (Cam Lam, Khanh Hoa) on March 8, 2026. The memorial site covers more than 2.5 hectares and features a 15.15-meter-high statue called "Those Who Lie Beyond the Horizon," which depicts 64 navy soldiers forming an "immortal circle" to protect the national flag. Below is a wind tomb and exhibition hall preserving photos, letters, and mementos of the martyrs who bravely sacrificed their lives in the naval battle on March 14, 1988, at Gac Ma – Co Lin – Len Dao.
Standing before this sacred space, each Party member in the delegation seemed to fall silent. History was no longer dry lines in books, but came alive through faces, letters, and stories of people who had fallen while still very young. In particular, the story of the "Immortal Circle" moved many people. With no guns in their hands, only hoes and shovels—because they were engineers—the soldiers still formed a circle to protect the national flag amid the hail of bullets. That flag continued to fly until the very last moment. In that moment, many Party members in the delegation shed tears. Those were not just tears of emotion, but also tears of gratitude and awakening. Because when faced with such sacrifice, each person could not help but ask themselves: what have I done and what will I do to be worthy of those who have fallen? It is through experiences like this that branch meetings are no longer just meetings, but become a journey of awareness and self-reflection. This is when each Party member feels more clearly their responsibility to the country, to their industry, to their family, and to their daily work.
Looking back on the journey of responding to the movement "Branch Activities - From Routine to Innovation," the branches drew a profound lesson: routine and innovation are not opposites, but complement each other. Routine helps the branch maintain discipline and principles.
Innovation helps Party cell activities become more dynamic and practical. When these two elements are combined, Party cell activities are no longer an administrative obligation, but become a source of political and spiritual energy for each Party member. Therefore, innovating Party cell activities is not a temporary movement, but a long journey. This journey requires each Party member to dare to think, dare to act, dare to innovate, and dare to take responsibility. Above all, they must always keep in their hearts a simple yet profound question:
What have I done today to be worthy of being a Party member?
When each person can answer that question with concrete actions in their daily work, then the Party branch will truly be strong. And when each Party branch grows stronger from such simple things, the foundation of the Party will become increasingly solid. This is precisely how two Party branches of BIDV strive to implement President Ho Chi Minh's advice so that each Party branch truly becomes a solid foundation of the Party, a place to forge ideals, nurture aspirations, and spread the spirit of serving the country.
