Vietnam's People's Security Force: 80 Years of Protecting National Security

Over 80 years, Vietnam's People's Security Force has transformed into a highly trained and modern unit, acting as a crucial defense for national security. Even after the country's reunification in 1975, the force continued to face intense, covert struggles against dangerous post-war schemes by hostile forces.

In the years following reunification, remnants of the former regime formed over 1,100 reactionary organizations. The Fulro movement in the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) saw a surge in members, establishing a governing structure and commanding thousands of armed fighters. This group launched attacks on transportation routes and government offices, seizing control of villages. Fulro's influence later expanded to the South Central region, affecting ethnic Chăm and Khmer communities.

To counter these threats, the Ministry of Public Security convened a conference in late 1975 and early 1976 to unify the national police force and establish police departments in southern provinces. The conference outlined eight key tasks for the police, emphasizing effective struggle against counter-revolutionaries and criminal offenses to maintain political security and social order nationwide in 1976.

In response, security forces from the North deployed experienced cadres and leaders to southern provinces to focus on specialized investigations. The Ministry of Public Security established anti-espionage departments and teams in key provinces. Specialized units were also formed to direct operations against Fulro and to combat reactionaries, spies, and internal threats in Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces. The security forces strategically reorganized and redeployed personnel for specialized operations in critical areas.

From 1976 to 1986, the security forces concentrated on combating internal threats. They reviewed tens of thousands of files, investigated hundreds of former intelligence officers, and uncovered numerous internal plots. The force also expelled over 100 foreign spies in 1978 and arrested hundreds of embedded spies and former agents tasked with operating for the enemy after the war.