Vietnam Military to Host National Mechanical Skills Competition in 2026

Vietnam's military will host the 6th National Mechanical Skills Competition from July 27-31, 2026, at the Z129 Factory. This event aims to cultivate and enhance the professional skills and expertise of union members and laborers within the military's mechanical sector. The competition is designed to promote the "Skilled Labor, Creative Labor" emulation movement and develop a high-caliber technical workforce capable of meeting new challenges. It will allow Party committees, unit commanders, and enterprise leaders to objectively assess the professional competence, skill levels, and worker grades of union members and laborers. Based on these assessments, strategic plans for training and skill enhancement, including the application of science and technology, will be formulated to boost productivity, product quality, and the efficiency of production and business activities. The competition comprises two parts: a theoretical examination and a practical test. The theoretical part will assess participants' political awareness, labor safety and hygiene knowledge, general fundamental theories, and specialized theories through a multiple-choice test. In the practical part, each participant will complete a product or a stage of a product according to the given test requirements. During a meeting on July 13 to unify preparations and implementation, it was reported that as of July 12, 16 delegations from across the military had registered, with a total of 109 contestants. They will compete in six trades: universal lathe operation, universal milling operation, welding, filing, CNC lathe operation, and CNC milling operation. Four of the contestants are female. Colonel Nguyen Hong Loi, Head of the Defense Ministry's Labor Union and Head of the Organizing Committee and Chairman of the Judging Panel, concluded the meeting by emphasizing the need for committee members, the judging panel, and examiners to uphold their responsibilities, closely coordinate, and implement all tasks synchronously to ensure timely and quality completion, contributing to the success of the competition. Colonel Loi instructed the Judging Panel to expedite the finalization of the competition rules, test questions, and answers, ensuring absolute confidentiality. He also requested Z129 Factory and the National Defense Industry College to meticulously prepare facilities, machinery, materials, and contingency plans, and to facilitate participants' familiarization with the equipment prior to the competition. Furthermore, he urged the Defense Ministry's Labor Union, as the standing body, to continue coordinating with relevant agencies and units to perfect propaganda, reception, logistics, security, safety, fire prevention, and other services for the competition. According to the plan, the 6th National Mechanical Skills Competition will officially open on July 28 and conclude with an awards ceremony on July 31.