General Nguyen Chi Thanh - a loyal, exemplary communist and talented leader

Updated date: 01/01/2024 05:29:30

DTO - At 53 years old and with more than 30 years of dedication to the Party and the People, the life and career of General Nguyen Chi Thanh is a shining example of a loyal and exemplary communist, a talented leader, an outstanding son of the nation, and an excellent student of President Ho Chi Minh .

General Nguyen Chi Thanh (January 1, 1914 - July 6, 1967)

General Nguyen Chi Thanh's birth name was Nguyen Vinh, born on January 1, 1914 into a peasant family in Niem Pho village, Quang Tho commune, Quang Dien district, Thua Thien province (now Thua Thien Hue ). When he was only 17 years old, Nguyen Vinh was enlightened about the revolution and joined the struggle against the tyrants. In the years 1936 - 1939, Nguyen Vinh participated in the movement to demand people's rights and democracy, and was later admitted to the Indochinese Communist Party in 1937.

As Secretary of the Thua Thien Provincial Party Committee at the age of 24, in September 1938, he led the revolutionary masses to fight and defeat the tax increase project of the French and the Southern Dynasty government. At the end of 1938, he was arrested by the enemy and released due to insufficient evidence and continued to operate, lead and direct many rallies and demonstrations of the people to fight to prevent the repression and terrorism of the French colonialists. Between mid-1939 and the end of 1941, he was arrested by the enemy for the second time and imprisoned in Thua Phu prison (Hue), Lao Bao (Quang Tri) and Buon Ma Thuot prison ( Dak Lak ). At Lao Bao prison, he established a "Secret Organization" to gather forces, unify actions, promote the revolutionary movement, and contact the party organization from outside. At Buon Ma Thuot prison, he joined the "Loyal Force" - a secret organization in prison that acted as a communist cell and continued to fight fiercely and tenaciously. In early 1942, he escaped from Buon Ma Thuot prison, secretly went to Quang Dien with a number of other comrades to establish the provisional Provincial Party Committee of Thua Thien province. In July 1943, while on a business trip, he was arrested by the enemy for the third time and brought back to Buon Ma Thuot prison. After the Japanese coup against the French (March 1945), he was released and continued his revolutionary activities in the Central region, preparing for an uprising to seize power. Although he was imprisoned by the imperialists three times, each time he escaped from prison or was released, he returned to the revolution, to the people, continued his activities, built party bases, and promoted the revolutionary movement in Thua Thien province.

In August 1945, he was elected to the Party Central Committee and was given the name Nguyen Chi Thanh by President Ho Chi Minh. On August 31, 1945, the Conference of Delegates of the Central provinces in Hue decided to establish the Indochinese Communist Party in the Central region and elected Nguyen Chi Thanh as Secretary of the Central Region Party Committee. From the end of 1946 to 1949, in his capacity as Secretary of the Central Region Party Committee, Secretary of the Thua Thien Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Binh - Tri - Thien Sub-region and then Secretary of the Inter-regional Party Committee IV, he creatively applied the people's war policy to the reality of the Thua Thien battlefield. Persisting in the viewpoint that "the people are the root", he made bold decisions, which had the meaning of changing the leadership direction, turning the situation around, creating revolutionary turning points, gradually restoring the resistance war on the Hue front and opening up a new situation. Thanks to that, the revolutionary movement of Binh - Tri - Thien rose up to integrate with the movement of the whole country, contributing to stopping the strategic division plot of the French colonialists. Comrade Nguyen Chi Thanh became the soul of the fiery resistance war of Binh - Tri - Thien, worthy of the title "Guerrilla General" given by Uncle Ho.

In early 1950, he was assigned to be in charge of the Central Propaganda Department. In February 1950, he was elected Chairman of the Vietnam Youth Federation. In July 1950, he was transferred to the Army, holding the position of Director of the General Political Department, Deputy Secretary of the General Political Commissar. In February 1951, at the 2nd National Congress of the Party held in Tuyen Quang, he was elected to the Party Central Committee and elected to the Politburo. From July 1951 to the end of 1960, he was the Director of the Military Intermediate Political School (now the Academy of Politics). In 1959, he was awarded the rank of General of the Vietnam People's Army. In 1960, at the 3rd National Congress of the Party, General Nguyen Chi Thanh continued to be elected to the Central Committee, elected to the Politburo and the Secretariat.

In 1961, agriculture became the leading front in the North, and he was assigned to be the Head of the Central Rural Work Committee - leading and directing an important economic sector of the country. To solve the problem of agricultural cooperativization, he built cooperatives on three fronts (improving management, improving techniques and improving the lives of members), while consolidating the strategic role of agricultural cooperation in the resistance war against the US, saving the country, mobilizing and organizing tens of thousands of young people to go to the front line; thereby not only ensuring an important part of food and provisions for the people but also contributing to building the North into a solid rear, initially supporting the revolution in the South, contributing to the complete victory of the resistance war against the US, saving the country...

As Secretary of the Central Bureau and Political Commissar of the Southern Liberation Army, he contributed to correctly determining the US's strategic shift from "Special War" to "Local War" (1965 - 1968), giving scientific and dialectical assessments and analyses of the real strength of the US, comparing our forces with the enemy, finding out the main contradictions of the enemy, from affirming the determination to fight the US and the belief in defeating the US invaders. General Nguyen Chi Thanh's views on revolutionary heroism are considered a breakthrough in ideology for our army and people in the resistance war against the US, saving the country; demonstrating the military thinking of a talented and prestigious leader of the Party. The General affirmed: "Our revolutionary heroism carries with it a great ideology of the times: not being afraid of the US, daring to fight the US, determined to fight the US, fighting for independence, democracy, peace and social progress".

The history of the resistance war against the US, to save the country of our Party and people forever engraved the combat command ideology bearing the mark of General Nguyen Chi Thanh: "grab the US's belt and fight", "just fight the US and you will find a good way to fight", establish "belts to destroy the US"... The analysis, comments, and assessment of the situation on the southern battlefield by the General contributed to the Politburo and the Central Military Commission to correctly assess the real strength of the US imperialists, the development of the revolution in the South, from which to plan the resistance path. Many viewpoints and thoughts of General Nguyen Chi Thanh expressed the offensive strategy with the belief of certain victory over the US, along with unique combat command principles that were studied and refined by the Party Central Committee and included in the Central resolutions and plans for the 1968 Spring General Offensive and Uprising, contributing to bringing the resistance war against the US, to save the country to complete victory.

In June 1967, at the request of the Central Committee, he went to Hanoi to report on the situation and operational plans of the battlefields and receive new instructions. On July 6, 1967, on the day he was to return to the battlefields in the South, he suddenly passed away after a severe heart attack.

Comrade Nguyen Chi Thanh and his wife Nguyen Thi Cuc in Hanoi in 1957 (Source: People's Police Online)

Throughout his revolutionary career, with a practical style and close ties with the people, General Nguyen Chi Thanh often went to the grassroots to study the situation and find appropriate forms and measures to implement the Party's guidelines. He especially attached importance to rectifying Party organizations and developing mass organizations. From his initiatives, Party and mass organizations were streamlined and their effectiveness was enhanced. Conferences were prepared and shortened in time but were effective. Cadres and Party members' awareness of guidelines was enhanced and their working style was revised.

At the age of 53, with more than 30 years of dedication to the Party and the People, General Nguyen Chi Thanh has been awarded and posthumously awarded by the Party and the State with the Gold Star Order, the Ho Chi Minh Order, the First Class, the Military Exploit Order, the First Class Victory Order and many other noble awards. The 110th anniversary of General Nguyen Chi Thanh's birth (January 1, 1914 - January 1, 2024) is an opportunity for each of us to review the life of activities and the great contributions of Comrade Nguyen Chi Thanh to the Party and the Vietnamese revolution. Thereby, promoting and educating patriotism, revolutionary traditions, history, political ideology, ethics, lifestyle, and determination to successfully implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress; arousing the aspiration to build and develop a strong, prosperous and happy country.

Phu Trong

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