Circular No. 115/2016/TT-BQP stipulates the model of badges for outstanding soldiers; flags, certificates, frames, boxes for various forms of awards and commendations; badges and commemorative medals; management, issuance, replacement, reissuance, and recovery of award items within the Ministry of National Defense.

CIRCULAR

REGULATIONS ON THE MODELS OF AWARD ITEMS; MANAGEMENT, ISSUE, EXCHANGE, REISSUE, AND WITHDRAWAL OF AWARD ITEMS IN THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE

Pursuant to the Law on Competition and Reward dated November 26, 2003, the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Competition and Reward dated June 14, 2005, and the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Competition and Reward dated November 16, 2013;

Pursuant to Decree No. 35/2013/NĐ-CP dated April 22, 2013, of the Government, stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of National Defense;

Pursuant to Decree No. 85/2014/NĐ-CP dated September 10, 2014 of the Government stipulating models of medals, badges, emblems, commemorative badges; models of certificates, frames, boxes, flags of reward forms and commendation titles; management, issue, exchange, reissue, and withdrawal of award items;

Considering the proposal of the Director of the Political General Department;

The Minister of National Defense promulgates this Circular stipulating models of badges for outstanding soldiers; models of flags, certificates, frames, boxes of reward forms and commendation titles; badges, commemorative badges; management, issue, exchange, reissue, and withdrawal of award items in the Ministry of National Defense.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

Article 1. This Circular stipulates: Models, materials, colors, sizes of award items; management, issue, exchange, reissue, and withdrawal of award items in the Ministry of National Defense.

Article 2. Award items issued together with reward forms and commendation titles of the State, the Government, departments, ministries, agencies, political organizations, political-social organizations, social organizations, provinces, centrally governed cities shall be implemented according to the provisions of Decree No. 85/2014/NĐ-CP dated September 10, 2014 of the Government.

Article 2. Applicability

Article 3. This Circular applies to agencies, units, and individuals within the Military.

Organizations and individuals related to the management, issue, exchange, reissue, and withdrawal of award items in the Ministry of National Defense.

Article 3. Award Items

Clause 1. Award items are products given to collectives or awarded or posthumously awarded to individuals when authorized bodies decide to grant rewards.

Clause 2. Award items in the Ministry of National Defense include: Badges, commemorative badges, flags, certificates, frames, boxes of reward forms and commendation titles; under the authority to grant rewards of the Minister of National Defense and the authority to grant rewards of the Chief of General Staff, Director of the Political Department; Directors of the Departments, Political Commissars of the Departments; Directors, Political Commissars of the Departments; Political Commissars, Commanders of agencies and units directly subordinate to the Ministry of National Defense up to regiment level and equivalent levels; sectors and organizations within the Ministry of National Defense.

Article 4. System of Issuing Award Items

Collectives and individuals who are granted rewards by authorized bodies shall receive monetary awards and award items as follows:

Clause 1. Flags for the titles: "Flag of Excellence of the Ministry of National Defense"; "Flag of Excellence of the General Staff, Political Department, Departments, Military Regions, Services, Border Guard Force, Corps, Arms, and Equivalent Levels".

Clause 2. Badges, badge boxes, certificate frames for the titles: "Outstanding Soldier of the Entire Military", "Outstanding Soldier at the Base Level".

Clause 3. Certificates and frames for the titles: "Victory Unit", "Excellent Labor Collective", "Advanced Unit", "Advanced Labor Collective", "Advanced Soldier", "Advanced Worker".

Clause 4. Certificates and frames for the forms of rewards: "Certificate of Merit from the Minister of National Defense"; "Certificate of Merit, Letter of Commendation from the Chief of General Staff, Director of the Political Department; Directors, Political Commissars of the Departments; Directors, Political Commissars, Commanders of agencies and units directly subordinate to the Ministry of National Defense up to regiment level and equivalent levels".

Clause 5. Commemorative badges, badges; commemorative badge boxes, badge boxes, and certificate frames for commemorative badges, badges in the Military.

Chapter II

MODELS OF AWARD ITEMS

Section 1

MODELS OF BADGES AND COMMEMORATIVE BADGES

Article 5. Badge "Outstanding Soldier of the Entire Military Force"

1. The badge consists of two parts: the badge stem and the badge body.

2. The badge stem: Made of yellow-plated copper material, with a horizontal edge length of 28 mm, vertical edge length of 13.5 mm, thickness of 1.5 mm; at the center is a five-pointed star embossed, with the diameter of the circumscribed circle of the star's apexes being 5 mm, red background painted, outer border painted gold; the entire badge stem is coated with a transparent synthetic resin layer; at the lower part of the outer border there is a button connecting to the badge body.

3. The badge body: A stylized five-pointed star shape embossed, made of yellow-plated copper material, with the diameter of the circumscribed circle of the star's apexes being 41.6 mm, thickness of 4.5 mm; at the center of the five-pointed star is a circle with a diameter of 21.8 mm, inside which is the embossed Flag of Determination, below the flagpole are two embossed golden ears of rice; above is the embossed phrase "Outstanding Soldier," below is the embossed phrase "of the Entire Military Force," both in uppercase letters, font "Arial," size 5; the entire central circular area of the badge body is coated with a transparent synthetic resin layer; at the top of the star's apex is a button connecting to the badge stem.

The model of the Badge "Outstanding Soldier of the Entire Military Force" is illustrated in Model No. 01 of Appendix I attached hereto.

Article 6. Badge "Outstanding Soldier of the Base Unit"

1. The badge consists of two parts: the badge stem and the badge body.

2. The badge stem: Made of silver-plated copper alloy material, with a horizontal edge length of 28 mm, vertical edge length of 13.5 mm, thickness of 1.5 mm; at the center is a five-pointed star embossed, with the diameter of the circumscribed circle of the star's apexes being 5 mm, red background painted, outer border painted silver; the entire badge stem is coated with a transparent synthetic resin layer; at the lower part of the outer border there is a button connecting to the badge body.

3. The badge body: A stylized round flower shape embossed in silver, made of silver-plated copper alloy material, with the diameter of the circumscribed circle being 33.1 mm, thickness of 4.5 mm; at the center of the stylized flower is a circle with a diameter of 21.8 mm, inside which is the embossed Flag of Determination, below the flagpole are two embossed silver ears of rice; above is the embossed phrase "Outstanding Soldier," below is the embossed phrase "of the Base Unit," both in uppercase letters, font "Arial," color yellow, size 5; the entire central circular area of the badge is coated with a transparent synthetic resin layer; at the top of the flower's apex is a button connecting to the badge stem.

The model of the Badge "Outstanding Soldier of the Base Unit" is illustrated in Model No. 02 of Appendix I attached hereto.

Article 7. Badges, Commemorative Medals

1. When implementing badges, commemorative medals within the Ministry of National Defense, they fall under the authority of the Minister of National Defense to issue.

2. Before implementation, relevant agencies and units must study and design models, report to the General Political Department for approval by the Minister of National Defense to issue and register with the Central Board of Awards and Honors.

Section 2

MODELS OF AWARDS AND HONORIFIC TITLES

Article 8. Model of Certificate of Merit, Certificate of Honor "Outstanding Soldier of the Entire Military Force" under the authority of the Minister of National Defense to award

1. Form

a) Size: The certificate is printed on paper with a horizontal edge length of 360 mm, vertical edge length of 237 mm; the external decorative floral pattern edges have a horizontal length of 310 mm, vertical length of 187 mm.

b) Decorative floral patterns around: - The decorative patterns around consist of emblematic symbols of military branches interspersed with stylized lotus flowers. - At the very top center is the Emblem of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. For the Certificate of Honor "Outstanding Soldier of the Entire Military Force," there are three red flags on each side of the Emblem. - Below the decorative floral pattern edge at the bottom center is the symbolic image of the three armed forces (Navy, Army, Air Force) intertwined and surrounded by two pine branches. For the Certificate of Honor "Outstanding Soldier of the Entire Military Force," it is the Badge "Outstanding Soldier of the Entire Military Force."

c) Background: It is a shining star on a light yellow background with white decorative patterns.

2. Content

a) State Emblem: "Socialist Republic of Vietnam" presented in uppercase letters, font "Times New Roman," size 14, upright bold black.

b) Motto: "Independence - Freedom - Happiness" presented in lowercase letters, font "Times New Roman," size 14, upright bold black, immediately below the State Emblem; the first letter of each phrase is capitalized, phrases are separated by hyphens, with spaces between them; below is a solid line equal in length to the phrase.

c) Authority to award: Written as "Minister of National Defense" in uppercase letters, font "Times New Roman," size 20, upright bold red.

d) Nature of the award: Written as "Presented" for "Certificate of Merit from the Minister of National Defense" and "Awarded the title" for the Certificate of Honor "Outstanding Soldier of the Entire Military Force"; in uppercase letters, font "VnBlackH," size 20, upright bold black.

đ) Name "Certificate of Merit" or "Outstanding Soldier of the Entire Military Force": In uppercase letters, font "Times New Roman," size 40, upright bold red.

e) Name of the unit or individual receiving the award: In uppercase letters, bold black; address (or position and working unit for individuals currently working in agencies or main management units for groups), in uppercase letters, bold black; achievements of the group or individual receiving the award; in lowercase letters, font "Times New Roman," size adjusted to fit the certificate size, slanted bold black.

f) On the left bottom, record Decision No.: .../QĐ-BQP, date ... month ... year ... issued by the Minister of National Defense; "Golden Book Number" records the serial number of the awardee in the decision or in the list attached to the decision; two lines in lowercase letters, font "Times New Roman," size 11, slanted bold black.

g) On the right bottom, record place name, date, month, year: In lowercase letters, font "Times New Roman," size 13, slanted bold black.

h) Position of the person authorized to award: Written as "Minister," in uppercase letters, font "Times New Roman," size 13, upright bold black.

i) Space for signing, stamping, and writing the full name of the Minister of National Defense in lowercase letters, font "Times New Roman", size 14, upright style, bold, black color.

3. The Certificate of Merit of the Minister of National Defense and the title "Outstanding Soldier of the Entire Military" shall be printed on paper with a weight of 150g/m2, high quality, clear and sharp images when printed, with long-lasting stable color durability.

The model of the Certificate of Merit of the Minister of National Defense is illustrated in Model No. 03, the title "Outstanding Soldier of the Entire Military" is illustrated in Model No. 04 in Appendix II attached to this Circular.

Article 9. Models of certificates of merit, commendation papers, and excellence titles within the authority to award of heads of agencies and units directly under the Ministry of National Defense up to regiment level and equivalent levels.

1. Form

a) Size:

The size of the "Certificate of Merit" is printed on A4 paper with horizontal edge 360 mm, vertical edge 237 mm; the outer size of the decorative border horizontal edge 310 mm, vertical edge 187 mm.

The size of the "Commendation Paper", "Victory Unit", "Excellent Labor Collective", "Advanced Unit", "Advanced Labor Collective", "Outstanding Soldier at the Base Level", "Advanced Soldier", "Advanced Worker" is printed on A4 paper with horizontal edge 297 mm, vertical edge 210 mm; the outer size of the decorative border horizontal edge 257 mm, vertical edge 160 mm.

b) Decorative patterns around the border:

- The decorative pattern around the border consists of insignia of military branches interspersed with stylized lotus flower images. - In the center at the top is the Emblem of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. For the "Victory Unit", "Excellent Labor Collective", "Advanced Unit", "Advanced Labor Collective", "Outstanding Soldier at the Base Level", "Advanced Soldier", "Advanced Worker", there are three red flags added on each side of the Emblem.

- In the center at the bottom is the insignia of the Navy, Army, Air Force intertwined and surrounded by two pine branches. For the "Outstanding Soldier at the Base Level", in the center at the bottom is the image of the Emblem "Outstanding Soldier at the Base Level".

c) Background: A shining star on a yellow background with white decorative patterns.

2. Content:

a) The national motto "Socialist Republic of Vietnam" is presented in uppercase letters, font "Times New Roman", size 12, upright style, bold, black color.

b) The slogan "Independence - Freedom - Happiness" is presented in lowercase letters, font "Times New Roman", size 12, upright style, bold, black color, immediately below the national motto; the first letter of each phrase is capitalized, hyphenated between phrases, with space between characters; below it is a solid line equal in length to the line of text.

c) Awarding authority: Indicates "position of the person authorized to decide on the award"; in uppercase letters, font "Times New Roman", size 18, upright style, bold, red flag color.

d) Nature of the award: Indicates "Present" for certificates of merit and commendation papers, "Present Title" for certificates of "Victory Unit", "Excellent Labor Collective", "Advanced Unit", "Advanced Labor Collective", "Advanced Soldier", "Advanced Worker", and "Outstanding Soldier at the Base Level"; in uppercase letters, font "VnBlackH", size 18, upright style, bold, black color.

đ) Name of the award form or excellence title: Uppercase letters, font "Times New Roman", size 35, upright style, bold, red color.

e) Name of the unit or individual being awarded: Uppercase letters, upright style, bold, black color; address (or position, working unit for individuals currently working in agencies or units, or the main managing agency for collective groups), uppercase letters, upright style, bold, black color; achievements of the collective group or individual being awarded; lowercase letters, font "Times New Roman", size adjusted to fit the certificate size, italic style, bold, black color.

f) On the left bottom: Record the decision number, date, month, year; according to the decision number issued by the authority issuing the award decision and the date, month, year of issuing the award decision; the golden book number placed below the award decision number line, recording the order number of the awardee in the decision or the order number in the list attached to the award decision; font "Times New Roman", size 10, lowercase letters, italic style, bold, black color.

g) On the right bottom: Record the place name, date, month, year; font "Times New Roman", size 12, lowercase letters, italic style, bold, black color.

Below the line of place name is the line indicating the position of the person authorized to decide on the award, font "Times New Roman", size 11, uppercase letters, upright style, bold, black color.

h) Space for signing, stamping, and writing the full name of the person authorized to decide on the award, lowercase letters, font "Times New Roman", size 11, upright style, bold, black color.

3. Certificates of merit within the authority to award of heads of agencies and units directly under the Ministry of National Defense have the same font style and size as the Certificate of Merit of the Minister of National Defense.

4. Certificates of merit, commendation papers, and excellence titles of heads of agencies and units directly under the Ministry of National Defense up to regiment level and equivalent levels are printed on paper with a weight of 150g/m2, high quality, clear and sharp images when printed, with long-lasting stable color durability.

The models of certificates of merit, commendation papers, and excellence titles of heads of agencies and units directly under the Ministry of National Defense up to regiment level and equivalent levels are illustrated from Model No. 05 to Model No. 13 in Appendix III attached to this Circular.

Section 3

MODEL OF FLAG

Article 10. "The Merit Flag of the Ministry of National Defense," "The Merit Flag of the Steering Committee of the Ministry of National Defense for Competition Movements and Campaigns"

1. Form: The flag has a horizontal side length of 800 mm and a vertical side length of 600 mm; the main face is embroidered on silk satin, the back face is made of silk, both layers are red.

2. Embroidery content: The flag is embroidered with yellow thread, containing the following main contents:

a) First line: Embroider the phrase "Ministry of National Defense" in uppercase letters, font "VnTime," size 140, bold upright style (For the flag of the Steering Committee for Competitions and Campaigns, it reads "Steering Committee of the Ministry of National Defense").

b) Second line: Embroider the word "Awarded" in uppercase letters, font "VnBlackH," size 110, bold upright style.

c) Below the second line, centered, embroider a five-pointed golden star, with the diameter of the circumscribed circle around the star's points being 160 mm.

d) Below the central star, embroider the phrase "Outstanding Unit in the Competition Movement" in uppercase letters, font "VnHelvetins," size 150, bold upright style or embroider the phrase recording the achievement received from the Steering Committee of the Ministry of National Defense (for the Merit Flag of the Steering Committee of the Ministry of National Defense, the size of the embroidered text recording the achievement varies according to the content to ensure appropriate alignment); below the center, embroider the names of five units with outstanding achievements receiving the merit flag in uppercase letters, font "VnHelvetins," size 90, bold upright style.

The model of "The Merit Flag of the Ministry of National Defense," "The Flag of the Steering Committee for Competitions and Campaigns" is illustrated in Model 14 of Appendix IV attached to this Circular.

Article 11. "The Merit Flag of the General Staff, Political Bureau, various general departments, military region level commands, corps, Border Guard, army corps, arms services, and equivalent levels"

1. Form: The flag has a horizontal side length of 750 mm and a vertical side length of 550 mm; the main face is embroidered on silk satin, the back face is made of silk, both layers are red.

2. Embroidery content: The flag is embroidered with high-quality yellow thread, including the following main contents:

a) First line: Embroider the name of the authority granting the flag; in uppercase letters, font "VnTime," size 140, bold upright style.

b) Second line: "Awarded"; in uppercase letters, font "VnBlackH," size 110, bold upright style.

c) Below the second line, centered, embroider a five-pointed golden star, with the diameter of the circumscribed circle around the star's points being 150 mm.

d) Below the central golden star, embroider the phrase "Outstanding Unit in the Competition Movement" in uppercase letters, font "VnHelvetins," size 140, bold upright style. Below the center, embroider the names of five units with outstanding achievements receiving the merit flag in uppercase letters, font "VnHelvetins," size 90, bold upright style.

The model of the Merit Flag of subordinate levels of the Ministry of National Defense is illustrated in Model 15 of Appendix IV attached to this Circular.

Section 4

FRAME AND BOX FOR AWARD FORMS AND COMPETITION TITLES

Article 12. Frame

The frame is issued together with the Certificate of award forms and competition titles. The frame model is specified as follows:

1. The frame of Certificates of award forms and competition titles within the authority to award of the Minister of National Defense and the Commendation Certificate of heads of agencies and units under the Ministry of National Defense has an outer edge dimension of 420 mm horizontally and 297 mm vertically; the inner edge dimension of the frame is equal to the outer edge dimension; material is gold-colored composite, ensuring shine, beauty, and solemnity, with the frame color ensuring long-lasting durability.

2. The frame of Commendation Letters and competition titles of heads of agencies and units under the Ministry of National Defense at the regiment level and equivalent levels has an outer edge dimension of 357 mm horizontally and 270 mm vertically; the inner edge dimension of the frame is equal to the outer edge dimension; material is gold-colored composite, ensuring shine, beauty, and solemnity, with the frame color ensuring long-lasting durability.

3. For the Certificate of commemorative medal acceptance, no frame is used.

Article 13. Box

The box is issued together with badges and commemorative medals. The box model is specified as follows:

1. The box for the badge "Outstanding Soldier of the Entire Military Force" and the badge "Outstanding Soldier at the Base" has a horizontal side length of 70 mm and a vertical side length of 90 mm; it is made of plastic, with the bottom part being red, lined inside with foam and a red silk cloth. The top lid is made of transparent white plastic, with the emblem image embossed on the outside of the lid.

2. The box for badges and commemorative medals has a horizontal side length of 70 mm and a vertical side length of 90 mm; it is made of plastic, with the bottom part being red, lined inside with foam and a red silk cloth. The top lid is made of transparent white plastic, with the badge and commemorative medal images embossed on the outside of the lid.

Chapter III

MANAGEMENT, ISSUE, REPLACEMENT, REISSUE, AND RECOVERY OF AWARD ITEMS

Article 14. Management and issuance of award items

1. The Department of Propaganda and Training, General Political Department shall be responsible for ensuring award items for collectives and individuals when they are awarded by the Ministry of National Defense according to the models of award items stipulated in this Circular.

2. The Office of the Steering Committee of the Ministry of National Defense for the movement of emulation and mass organizations shall be responsible for ensuring award items for collectives and individuals when they are awarded according to the models of award items stipulated in this Circular.

3. Political organs of units directly under the Ministry of National Defense shall be responsible for ensuring award items for collectives and individuals when they are awarded by the immediate superior commander according to the models of award items stipulated in this Circular.

4. For forms of awards and titles of emulation within the authority of the unit commanders at division, brigade, regiment levels and equivalent levels, the political organs at the same level shall be responsible for ensuring award items for collectives and individuals when they are awarded. In particular, for units equivalent to division, brigade, and regiment levels without legal personality, the political organ of the immediately superior unit shall be responsible for ensuring award items for collectives and individuals when they are awarded by the competent authority according to the models of award items and titles of emulation stipulated in this Circular.

5. Units directly under the Ministry of National Defense shall organize the presentation of State, Government, and Ministry of National Defense awards and titles of emulation along with award items for collectives and individuals who have been awarded according to the models of award items stipulated in this Circular and State award items stipulated in Decree No. 85/2014/NĐ-CP dated September 10, 2014 of the Government.

6. When organizing the presentation of State, Government, and Ministry of National Defense awards and titles of emulation to collectives and individuals who have been awarded at conferences organized by the Ministry of National Defense, the award items and cash prizes shall be ensured by the Department of Propaganda and Training, General Political Department and the Office of the Steering Committee of the Ministry of National Defense.

7. When organizing the presentation of State, Government, and Ministry of National Defense awards and titles of emulation to collectives and individuals who have been awarded at conferences organized by the immediate subordinate level of the Ministry of National Defense, the award items and cash prizes shall be ensured by the political organs of the units at the immediate subordinate level from the budget and award items provided by the Department of Propaganda and Training according to the award decision.

8. When organizing the presentation of State, Government, and Ministry of National Defense awards and titles of emulation to collectives and individuals who have been awarded at conferences organized by division, brigade, regiment levels and equivalent levels, the award items and cash prizes shall be ensured by the political organs at the same level from the budget and award items provided by the Department of Propaganda and Training according to the award decision.

9. Collectives and individuals receiving awards and titles of emulation shall be responsible for preserving and using award items for a long time, in accordance with their purpose and significance. Collectives may use the symbols of the awarded award items for propaganda on official documents and materials of the collective.

Article 15. Replacement and Reissue of Award Items

1. The replacement and reissue of award items shall only be carried out when the award items are damaged and no longer usable due to objective reasons such as natural disasters, floods, fires, or errors in names, addresses, units during the reporting process or writing of awards and commendations.

2. The application dossier for the replacement and reissue of award items includes:

a) For groups, there must be a letter of request; for individuals, there must be a request form (for replacement, Forms 5.1a and 5.1b; for reissue, Forms 5.2a and 5.2b in Appendix V), accompanied by the award item being requested to be replaced or reissued, along with electronic data files and the old, damaged award item (In cases where the award item no longer exists, the reason must be clearly stated and confirmed by the competent authority).

b) A letter of request for replacement or reissue from the political agency of the group or individual, or from the unit commander (In cases where the organization or unit does not have a political agency).

3. Procedure for the replacement and reissue of award items

a) Groups and individuals submit their request forms for replacement or reissue and the old, damaged award items to the political agency at the same level.

b) The political agency at the same level compiles and processes the information, and requests the political commissar, political officer, or commander to resolve the replacement or reissue of award items for groups and individuals within their authority, or sends a letter with attached electronic data files and old, damaged award items to the higher-level political agency, requesting the competent authority to resolve the replacement or reissue.

c) The procedure for replacing and reissuing award items at the Ministry of National Defense, Government, and State levels is as follows:

- Political agencies of units under the Ministry of National Defense send letters with lists (according to Form 5.3 in Appendix V) and electronic data files and old, damaged award items to the Political General Department (through the Propaganda Bureau) to request the replacement of national, government, and ministry-level award items.

- The Propaganda Bureau, Political General Department bases on the request letters for the replacement of award items from the political agencies of units under the Ministry of National Defense, compiles and issues a document requesting the Ministry of National Defense's Office to stamp and replace the ministry-level award items and commendation titles.

- The Propaganda Bureau compiles and requests the replacement and reissue, attaching lists (replacement Form number 5.3, reissue Form number 5.4 in Appendix V) together with electronic data files and old, damaged award items, sending them to the Central Board of Awards and Commendations for review and replacement.

4. Timeframe for resolving the replacement and reissue of award items

a) The timeframe for resolving the replacement of national, government, and ministry-level award items: Within 15 (fifteen) working days from the date of receiving the request for replacement and reissue of award items from subordinate agencies and units of the Ministry of National Defense, the Propaganda Bureau must submit the dossier to the Central Board of Awards and Commendations and the Ministry of National Defense's Office.

The timeframe for the replacement and reissue and return of results for national and government-level award items and commendation titles is implemented according to Point a Clause 4 Article 41 and Point a Clause 4 Article 42 of Decree No. 85/2014/ND-CP dated September 10, 2014 of the Government.

The Ministry of National Defense's Office within 5 (five) working days from the date of receipt of the request for stamping and replacement in accordance with regulations, is responsible for returning the stamped certificates to the Propaganda Bureau, Political General Department.

b) The timeframe for resolving the replacement and reissue of award items from the provincial-level to battalion-level and equivalent levels: Within 15 (fifteen) working days from the date of receipt of the request for replacement and reissue of award items from subordinate agencies and units, the competent authority for rewards resolves the replacement and reissue of award items.

5. Award items collected due to replacement and reissue, the competent authority for replacement is responsible for liquidating them in accordance with current regulations.

The format of the letter of request for groups and individual request forms for the replacement and reissue of award items is illustrated in Appendix V accompanying this Circular.

Article 16. Recovery of Awarded Items

1. Recovery of national-level, Government, and Ministry of National Defense award items.

a) Within fifteen working days from the date of receipt of the decision to revoke state honor titles, cancel, or adjust the award decision of the competent authority, the responsible collective or individual must return all awarded items fully to the agency that recommended the award for the collective or individual.

b) Political agencies at all levels are responsible for urging collectives and individuals to return awarded items within the deadline and sending them back to the Propaganda Department, General Political Department within fifteen working days from the date of receiving the recovered items.

c) The Propaganda Department, General Political Department is responsible for urging political agencies of subordinate units under the Ministry of National Defense to organize the recovery of awarded items within the deadline and record the recovery according to the State's regulations.

2. Recovery of award items within the awarding authority of subordinate levels of the Ministry of National Defense up to regiment level and equivalent.

a) Within fifteen working days from the date of receipt of the decision to revoke commendation titles, cancel, or adjust the award decision of the competent authority, the responsible collective or individual must return all awarded items fully to the political agency where the award was recommended for the collective or individual.

b) Political agencies at all levels are responsible for urging collectives and individuals to return awarded items within the deadline and record the recovery according to the State's regulations or send them to the immediate superior political agency within fifteen working days from the date of receiving the recovered items.

c) Political agencies at the same level are responsible for urging collectives and individuals to return awarded items within the deadline and organizing the recovery.

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 17. Effective Date

1. This Circular takes effect from October 10, 2016; replacing Decision No. 297/QĐ-QP dated March 6, 2000 of the Minister of National Defense on issuing certificates, badges, flags for the Quyet Thang competition movement in the Vietnam People's Army and other documents contrary to this Circular.

2. Within ninety days from the date this Circular takes effect, existing award items produced can continue to be issued along with commendation titles and award forms.

Article 18. Responsibility for Implementation

1. The General Political Department is responsible for guiding, inspecting, and urging all levels and sectors to implement this Circular.

2. The Chief of General Staff, Director of the General Political Department, Heads of agencies and units, and Heads of related agencies are responsible for implementing this Circular./.