Definition

1. Noun:
   • Entrenched fortification; stronghold: A military position with solid fortifications, used as a base or support point for other positions. This is the primary and most common meaning.
   • Base; fortified point: A strategic location, often heavily defended, serving as a focal point in a defensive or offensive military system.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Quân đội đã chiếm được cứ điểm then chốt của địch. (The army captured the enemy's key stronghold.)
  • Các cứ điểm phòng thủ được xây dựng rất kiên cố. (The defensive fortifications were built very solidly.)
  • Kế hoạch là bao vây và cô lập cứ điểm đó trước khi tấn công. (The plan was to surround and isolate that fortified position before attacking.)

Advanced Usage

• "Cứ điểm quân sự": Military stronghold/fortified position. This phrase specifies the military context but the core meaning remains with "cứ điểm".
  • Vùng núi hiểm trở là nơi lý tưởng để thiết lập các cứ điểm quân sự. (The rugged mountainous area is an ideal place to establish military strongholds.)

Variants and Related Words

• Căn cứ (noun): Base, headquarters. While "căn cứ" is a broader term for a base (which can include logistics, command centers), a "cứ điểm" is specifically a fortified tactical position.
• Đồn (noun): Outpost, garrison. A "đồn" is typically a smaller military post, while a "cứ điểm" implies a more significant, entrenched point.
• Pháo đài (noun): Fortress, fort. This is a more general term for a large, permanent fortified building or complex.

Synonyms

• Stronghold: A place that has been fortified so as to protect it against attack.
• Fortification: A defensive wall or other reinforcement built to strengthen a place against attack.
• Redoubt: A temporary or supplementary fortification, typically square or polygonal and without flanking defenses.
• Entrenchment: A system of trenches and fortified positions.

Notes on Meaning

The word "cứ điểm" is almost exclusively used in a military or strategic context. Its core meaning revolves around a point ("điểm") that one relies on or holds ("cứ"). It does not have common idiomatic or figurative uses in everyday modern Vietnamese outside of discussions about history, strategy, or military affairs. It is not used for general "points" like in a discussion or a game.

noun

1. entrenched fortification