Symbol of Vietnamese people's faith and modern conscience

“President Ho Chi Minh is the crystallization of the intelligence, morality, dignity, spirit, and conscience of the nation and the era, with the power to spread and influence beyond space and time. Therefore, protecting Ho Chi Minh's legacy is not only protecting truth and morality but also contributing to protecting the lasting heritage values that Ho Chi Minh has contributed to human culture”. That is the affirmation of Professor, Dr. Hoang Chi Bao, senior expert, former member of the Central Theoretical Council, one of the leading prestigious researchers on Ho Chi Minh studies in Vietnam.

Outstanding representative of the “culture of the future”

Reporter (PV): Through research, can you tell us the context of the birth of the comment of poet and journalist O. Mandelstam: "From Nguyen Ai Quoc, a culture has radiated, not European culture, but perhaps a future culture"?

Professor, Dr. Hoang Chi Bao: When he was only 33 years old, in difficult conditions, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc was still determined to go to Russia with a desire to meet Lenin, the great leader of the world working class that Nguyen Ai Quoc greatly admired. Because Lenin was seriously ill and could not be met, at this time Nguyen Ai Quoc met and talked in Russian with journalist and poet O.Mandelstam. During the meeting, O.Mandelstam felt that the conversation with Nguyen Ai Quoc was natural, friendly, and interesting, and he was very impressed with Nguyen Ai Quoc's style and demeanor. Moved and deeply impressed after that conversation, O.Mandelstam wrote the article "Visiting an international communist soldier - Nguyen Ai Quoc" published in the Soviet Union's "Small Flame" newspaper, published on December 23, 1923. In the article, the author exclaimed: "From Nguyen Ai Quoc radiated a culture, not European culture, but perhaps a future culture."

PV: What does the poet and journalist O. Mandelstam's comment about Ho Chi Minh say, sir?

Professor, Dr. Hoang Chi Bao: That is not only a scientific prediction but also a deep feeling about the soul, intelligence, morality, and cultural character of Ho Chi Minh, a great man, when he was only 33 years old. That shows that Ho Chi Minh always had the power to attract and convince those who talked to him, no matter who they were; at the same time, his words, gestures, and demeanor created trust and inspiration for listeners in all conditions and circumstances. Therefore, O. Mandelstam felt: "Through the noble demeanor, in the warm voice of Nguyen Ai Quoc, we seem to hear tomorrow, as if we see the immense silence of friendship around the world".

More deeply, the prediction that "Ho Chi Minh is the culture of the future" comes from O. Mandelstam's perception that in Ho Chi Minh's thinking, he combined the understanding of both the quintessence of Eastern and Western cultures, both traditional cultural values and the progressive values of modern human civilization.

Professor, Dr. Hoang Chi Bao.

PV: As a long-time expert in Ho Chi Minh studies, in your opinion, what are the outstanding heritage values of Ho Chi Minh with the stature of human culture?

Professor, Dr. Hoang Chi Bao: In my opinion, Ho Chi Minh's human cultural stature is most prominently concentrated in two brilliant points: Ho Chi Minh is a symbol of the culture of peace and a symbol of the culture of tolerance.

Ho Chi Minh's culture of peace is expressed in theses that are rich in humanistic meaning and of contemporary significance such as: Peace must be associated with independence, freedom and happiness of the people; ensure peace for one's own people and all other peoples; the struggle for national independence cannot be separated from the struggle to protect world peace. According to statistics, in his speeches, articles, statements, and press interviews, Uncle Ho mentioned the word "peace" more than 1,000 times. That shows how deeply he cared about peace.

Ho Chi Minh's culture of tolerance has a very broad connotation. Tolerance does not stop at generosity and altruism, but is democracy, listening, respecting, and persuading others; knowing how to create a voice of empathy, sharing, and trust for others; accepting diverse and different voices but not affecting the common interest. The core of Ho Chi Minh's culture of tolerance is benevolence, humanity, and humanity, the crystallization of truth, goodness, and beauty. Patriotism and genuine national spirit blend together with communist humanism and humanism of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, reaching out to the times and being enlightened by the thoughts of the times, striving and sacrificing one's whole life for the cause of class liberation, national liberation, and social liberation to liberate people.

I would like to emphasize further that, in the two wars of national liberation in the 20th century, the reason why our people received great support and assistance from socialist countries and international friends, including progressive people in colonial and imperialist countries that invaded our country, partly stemmed from Ho Chi Minh's thinking and diplomatic style, which was both reasonable and emotional, and because Ho Chi Minh was a great man and a celebrity in terms of ideology and culture, a messenger of peace and friendship.

Recently, I was invited to participate in the scientific workshop "Six teachings of President Ho Chi Minh - priceless spiritual heritage of the People's Public Security Force" organized by the Ministry of Public Security in coordination with a number of agencies on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the day Uncle Ho taught the People's Public Security Force 6 teachings (March 11, 1948 / March 11, 2023). Through research, I learned that a senior commander of the British Royal Police Force, when working with representatives of the Vietnamese Public Security leadership, was very surprised to find that the 6 teachings of Uncle Ho to the Vietnamese Public Security Force had profound content. He said that the 6 teachings of Ho Chi Minh to the Vietnamese Public Security Force (to himself, to his colleagues, to the government, to the people, to work, to the enemy) were very meaningful and the British police force could also refer to and study and apply them in their practical operations.

This story shows that Ho Chi Minh’s legacy has transcended political ideology to gradually become a part of human culture and has influenced, spread and “gradually permeated” other nations. That is something we are very proud of!

Preserving and promoting Ho Chi Minh's heritage so that "the more polished the gem, the brighter it shines"

Reporter: International friends recognize and highly appreciate the cultural stature and heritage of Ho Chi Minh, but why are there still stray, evil voices that distort and denigrate the idol Ho Chi Minh in the hearts of the Vietnamese people, sir?

Professor, Dr. Hoang Chi Bao: Because the saboteurs always understand that Ho Chi Minh is the "soul" of the Party, of the nation and of the Vietnamese people. Ho Chi Minh's legacy is the ideological legacy of the Party, the cultural heritage of the Vietnamese nation and the spiritual value of the Vietnamese people. Therefore, if we want to destroy the ideological foundation of the Communist Party of Vietnam, if we want the Vietnamese people to lose faith in the current socialist political regime, we must find every way to distort, defame, and degrade Ho Chi Minh's ideology, and erase Ho Chi Minh's image in the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people.

Their cunning, craftiness, and insidiousness are to sabotage Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality, and style. In terms of ideology, they consider Ho Chi Minh’s political and revolutionary arguments to be just a copy of Marxism-Leninism. In terms of morality, they deliberately distort and defame his private life, considering Ho Chi Minh’s morality to be just “asceticism” that cannot be learned or followed. In terms of style, they consider Ho Chi Minh to have left no significant mark, and even his words to be empty, far from reality, and fanciful.

In the context of the current information explosion, with the plot of "slow and steady wins the race", they use the youth, the gullible and a group of intellectuals with multi-dimensional and complex thoughts to shake the faith of Ho Chi Minh, thereby gradually "transforming" their awareness and thoughts in a negative direction, opposing and counterbalancing the orthodox ideology of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

PV: When hostile forces and bad elements overthrow the idol Ho Chi Minh, we no longer have a symbol of cultural belief for the entire nation and from there we may lose political direction?

Professor, Dr. Hoang Chi Bao: That is a danger that requires us to never be subjective or negligent in the “war” against all plots, tricks, and actions that sabotage Ho Chi Minh’s ideology and bring down the idol Ho Chi Minh. Because after all, protecting Ho Chi Minh’s heritage is also practically contributing to protecting “future culture”.

PV: Can you elaborate on protecting Ho Chi Minh's heritage as protecting "future culture" in the current context of globalization?

Professor, Dr. Hoang Chi Bao: Ho Chi Minh entered history with an indelible mark, a rare leader who became a legend while still alive, as assessed by international friends. When he passed away on September 2, 1969, thousands of telegrams and letters of condolence from all over the world were sent to our Party and people, including the brotherly Cuban people, with the profound assessment of Comrade Fidel Castro Ruz: "Comrade Ho Chi Minh belongs to a class of special people whose death sowed the seeds of life and is an eternal source of encouragement."

“He lives forever in the hearts of the people and in the hearts of humanity”, that is not only a respectful and sacred praise for Ho Chi Minh but also a testimony of history, beyond time and space, from the nation to humanity. It is also an affirmation of the true value of Ho Chi Minh. Therefore, protecting Ho Chi Minh’s ideology and Ho Chi Minh’s heritage is not only an attitude of respecting historical truth, protecting truth and morality but also contributing to protecting the lasting heritage values that Ho Chi Minh has contributed to human culture. Or in other words, it is also a way to protect the conscience of the times.

Here, I would like to mention a hot news story that all of humanity is interested in, which is the issue of environmental protection, living with nature, and combating climate change. During his lifetime, Uncle Ho was very interested in the movement/work of planting trees and afforestation, saving natural resources, personal hygiene and cleaning village roads, preventing soil erosion, preventing floods, preventing environmental pollution... He himself is an exemplary expression of a simple lifestyle, living in harmony with nature, and according to environmental experts, Ho Chi Minh is a pioneer of the times in implementing a "green lifestyle", an environmentally friendly lifestyle. That is a vivid expression of Ho Chi Minh's "future culture".

It can be affirmed that Ho Chi Minh's heritage, through the test of time, has become a lasting value, a cultural resource of our Party and people, and the more we study and exploit it, the more new and useful values it brings us. Our responsibility is to preserve and promote this special resource so that it becomes one of the invaluable political-spiritual motivations, helping us affirm the position of Vietnamese culture, the Vietnamese national brand in the flow of human culture.

PV: Thank you very much!

“There are few historical figures who have become part of the legend while still alive, and Ho Chi Minh is clearly one of them. He will be remembered not only as the liberator of the Fatherland and the colonized people, but also as a modern philosopher who brought a new perspective and hope to those who are fighting relentlessly to eliminate injustice and inequality from this earth.” (Speech by Dr. Modagat Ahmet, Director of UNESCO Asia-Pacific at the International Conference “President Ho Chi Minh - Hero of National Liberation, Great Cultural Man”, March 1990)

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