On September 2, 1945, at the historic Ba Dinh Square, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. In response to the urgent need for secure communications on the military communication network to serve the leadership, direction, and command of the Party Central Committee, the Government, and the Military, on September 12, 1945, the first cipher organization was established — the Military Cipher Board (the predecessor of Vietnam’s current cryptographic industry), located within the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army.

Over more than 76 years of construction, combat, and development, under the absolute and direct leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the education and training of beloved President Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam’s cryptographic industry has overcome countless difficulties and challenges, achieving numerous outstanding successes. It has effectively completed the mission of ensuring confidentiality, safety, accuracy, and timeliness of information to serve the Party's leadership, the state's management, and the command of the armed forces through various revolutionary periods. This has contributed significantly to the struggle for national liberation, and the construction and defense of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. September 12, 1945, is a significant milestone marking a glorious, proud journey in the 76-year history, and has become the traditional day of Vietnam’s cryptographic industry.

In the early days of its establishment, despite having little knowledge of cryptography, the officials and staff of the Cipher Board, with a passionate revolutionary spirit, worked day and night to research and develop the first cryptographic laws to protect classified information serving the leadership of the Party and the young Vietnamese Democratic Republic. During the resistance against French colonial invasion, despite harsh war conditions, limited facilities, and a small staff, Vietnam's cryptographic industry promoted self-reliance and creativity, researching and inventing various cryptographic techniques. The recruitment, training, and development of cryptographic staff and the establishment of cryptographic systems gradually expanded, strengthening the organization across the Army, Police, and governmental agencies.

To unify the leadership of cryptographic work across the Party, Government, and Military sectors, on July 21, 1956, the Party Central Committee's Secretariat issued Resolution No. 10/NQ-TW, establishing the Central Cipher Board. The formation of the Central Cipher Board marked a step of maturity and growth for Vietnam's cryptographic industry, responding to the demands of the revolution and being an inevitable historical development.

During the resistance against U.S. imperialism, facing an enemy with advanced signals intelligence technology and the most powerful scientific and military power in the world, the cryptographic industry proactively researched and continuously innovated, improving cryptographic techniques to ensure the confidentiality of the Party’s policies, directives from the Government, and the Central Committee’s orders. The cryptographic industry served to safeguard leadership and command during the defense of the homeland, diplomacy, and security, while also actively supporting the southern front with equipment, personnel, and cryptographic technical materials, ensuring the secrecy of the Party's strategic decisions. Cryptographic staff, especially those in the Central Southern Front and Saigon-Gia Dinh units, were courageous and creative, ensuring that leadership communications were secret and uninterrupted, while also safeguarding cryptographic materials from falling into enemy hands. Their contributions played an important role in the great victory of the nation, the liberation of the South, and the reunification of the country, culminating in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign. Many cryptographic staff members sacrificed their lives to protect the Party’s classified information, becoming part of the nation’s glorious history, contributing to the proud tradition of Vietnam’s cryptographic industry.

Assessing the achievements of the cryptographic industry during the war, at the 1978 National Cipher Staff Conference, General Secretary Le Duan affirmed: “...For many years, while fighting the enemy, we knew for sure that during the most important moments, and with the most classified matters, they were never exposed. You contributed significantly to safeguarding secrecy and strengthening our collective strength to achieve victory... The Cryptographic industry is of vital importance. It must modernize, but the staff must remain pure, and its working methods must be very strict.”

After the historic victory in the Spring of 1975, along with the entire Party, people, and military, the cryptographic force continued to play a central role in safeguarding the Party’s, Government’s, and armed forces’ secret information, defeating enemy plots and intelligence-gathering efforts, contributing to victories in border defense wars and fulfilling international obligations.

Entering the period of renewal, with complex, rapidly changing international and regional situations, as well as fierce opposition from hostile and reactionary forces aiming to overthrow the socialist regime and the revolution’s achievements, cryptographic officials and staff have shown themselves to be a loyal, highly trusted force of the Party, Government, and people. In any circumstance, they have remained politically steadfast, united, and resilient, determined to protect secrecy, ensuring smooth communication for the leadership and command of the Party, Government, and armed forces in all situations.

In response to the needs of the revolution and the development of science and technology, especially in telecommunications, the cryptographic industry has proactively kept up with developments, forecasting trends and advising the Party, Government, and Ministry of National Defense on strategic decisions for building and developing national information security systems. They have been at the forefront of building and developing a modern cryptographic information system, deploying digital signature systems to serve the e-Government, monitoring information security, and researching advanced cryptographic products to meet the nation’s needs for economic and social development. The focus is on streamlining the organization, improving efficiency, building a highly skilled cryptographic workforce loyal to the Party and the nation, capable of mastering modern global technologies, and strengthening international cooperation in cryptography.

With its tremendous contributions to the cause of national liberation and the defense and construction of the homeland, in 1985 and 2015, Vietnam’s cryptographic industry was honored with the Ho Chi Minh Order by the Party and Government. In 2005, it was awarded the Golden Star Order. Many units and cryptographic staff have been conferred with the title of Hero and received other prestigious awards, contributing to the tradition of loyalty, dedication, unity, discipline, and creativity.