Part I: The "Commander-in-Chief" of the People's Hearts

A great heart has stopped beating! The passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong – a staunch communist fighter, an outstanding leader, intelligent, courageous, a great personality and compassionate – has left immeasurable sorrow among cadres, Party members, and the people of the whole country in general, and Thai Binh in particular. Throughout his life, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong dedicated himself to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, leaving behind profound feelings in the hearts of the people.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong with officials, Party members and people of Thuy Van commune (Thai Thuy district), January 21, 2014.

In 2014 and 2018, Thai Binh province had the honor of welcoming General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong for visits and working sessions. The General Secretary left a deep impression on the cadres, Party members, and people of the province as a leader dedicated to the Party, the country, and the people; a conscientious, exemplary leader who was always close to and deeply concerned about all segments of the population. The General Secretary provided crucial guidance, direction, and suggestions to help Thai Binh province leverage its potential and strengths, and confidently integrate and develop in the new era.

A leader who is close to the people and works for the people.

On the morning of July 20, 2024, the village of Thuy Van (Thai Thuy district) was quiet. The profound sadness and grief over the passing of the revered leader of the Party were evident on the faces of every local resident. Many officials and Party members arrived at An Dinh village communal house very early to feel the "warmth" and recall memories of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit and work in Thuy Van commune on January 21, 2014. For Mr. Vu Huu Khai, from Hoanh Son village, although the time spent meeting and talking with the General Secretary was short, the deep impressions of a simple, approachable, and friendly leader remain vivid in his mind.

Mr. Khai recalled with emotion: "In early 2014, although not a model commune of the province or district, with the determination of the local Party committee, government, and people, after three years of implementation, Thuy Van commune achieved the new rural development (NRD) goal and had the honor of welcoming General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. What impressed me most was the General Secretary's simplicity and approachability. Immediately after arriving at the village communal house, the General Secretary approached to chat, kindly inquire about, and encourage the people. I was honored to be an elderly Party member to speak that day; after I finished speaking, the General Secretary came closer to greet me and shook my hand very warmly. Although I know that everyone must go through the cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death, when I heard the news of the General Secretary's passing, I still couldn't help but feel choked up, saddened, and regretful."

Like Mr. Khai, Mr. Dao Van Sy, former Chairman of the Elderly Association of Thuy Van commune, also had the honor of meeting and speaking with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Unable to hide his tears of emotion, Mr. Sy shared: "I still vividly remember the image of the kind and approachable General Secretary with his warm, gentle voice when talking to local officials and people. When visiting Thuy Van, the General Secretary highly appreciated the locality for upholding the heroic revolutionary traditions of the homeland, especially the spirit of self-reliance and self-improvement, developing internal resources, and proactively building new rural areas; and for launching a widespread mass movement mobilizing all strata of people to participate. The General Secretary expressed his confidence and hope that Thuy Van will develop even more and innovate even more strongly. This year I am 84 years old, but following the example of the General Secretary, as long as I have the health, I will continue to contribute to the general movement of the locality, contributing to building a more developed homeland."

The officials, Party members, and people of Thuy Van commune (Thai Thuy district) always cherish and preserve the handwritten notes of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Remember the General Secretary's advice.

January 21, 2014 was a special day for the Party Committee and people of Thuy Van commune, as they had the honor of welcoming the highest leader of the Party to visit and work there, just as the locality was preparing to receive the provincial decision recognizing it as having achieved national standards for New Rural Development. At An Dinh village communal house, in a warm and friendly atmosphere, after listening to the commune leaders' report and the Party members' speeches, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong highly appreciated the local experience in mobilizing and propagating the people's strength in combination with state investment in building New Rural Development. The motto was to primarily utilize internal resources, starting from the fields and alleys, and finally reaching public offices; identifying the people as the main actors, with the people doing the work and the State providing support. The commune's budget and people's contributions alone amounted to over 70 billion VND out of a total of 92 billion VND invested in building welfare facilities according to New Rural Development criteria. The commune prioritized the construction of transportation and irrigation infrastructure within the fields, followed by inter-village roads, schools, health stations, and waste treatment facilities. Deeply impressed by the local achievements in building new rural areas, the General Secretary noted that this movement has brought together many elements, not only building infrastructure but also cultivating new people and lifestyles, as well as improving the cultural and spiritual lives of the people. A particularly noteworthy aspect of Thuy Van is its policy of "the people do the work, the State provides support," instead of the previous model where the State and the people worked together. Another important factor is that Thuy Van has successfully mobilized the masses to contribute to building their homeland through financial contributions and land donations. Achieving the goals ahead of schedule is a source of pride for Thuy Van.

In his guestbook, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong wrote: "...I warmly welcome and congratulate the results and achievements that the Party Committee, government, and people of Thuy Van commune have achieved in the past, especially in the movement to build new rural areas and to build a cleaner and stronger Party. I believe and hope that Thuy Van will develop even further and innovate even more strongly..."

For the past 10 years, the Party Committee and people of Thuy Van have preserved the handwritten notes of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at An Dinh village communal house as a guiding principle for unity in building a more prosperous homeland. According to Mr. Vu Huu Tiep, Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune: The recognition, encouragement, and expectations of the General Secretary have become a driving force, motivating cadres, Party members, and the people of Thuy Van to strive and achieve many successes in recent years. To date, the commune has completed 16 out of 19 criteria for advanced new rural development; the rural landscape is increasingly modern and improved; and the material and spiritual lives of the people are constantly improving. The local Party Committee and people are focusing their efforts and are determined to achieve advanced new rural development status in 2024, fulfilling the expectations and wishes of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong during his visit to the locality. The passing of the General Secretary is a great loss for the Party and the nation, but now more than ever, this is the time when we must uphold the spirit of unity—unity within the Party, unity around the Party—as called for by the Politburo, in order to successfully fulfill the tasks set forth.

We hope Thai Binh will develop even more strongly and achieve even more significant breakthroughs.

During his visit to Thai Binh on January 21, 2014, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the Central Committee delegation visited and offered incense in commemoration of Comrade Nguyen Duc Canh and planted a commemorative tree at the Nguyen Duc Canh Memorial Site in Diem Dien town (Thai Thuy district). Writing in the guestbook, the General Secretary wrote: "...I hope that the Party Committee, the government, and the people of Thai Binh will always remember the contributions of Comrade Nguyen Duc Canh, strive to learn, continue to uphold the heroic traditions of their homeland, be dynamic and creative, develop the economy and society, constantly improve the lives of the people, build a more prosperous, beautiful, civilized, and modern homeland, and contribute to the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country...".

Working with the Provincial Party Committee, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong commended and highly appreciated the achievements of the Thai Binh Party Committee and people in the first three years of implementing the Resolution of the 18th Provincial Party Congress. In particular, Thai Binh has shown a proactive and creative spirit in exploring and implementing socio-economic development tasks with many innovative models and approaches.

Offering guidance and direction for the development of Thai Binh, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong urged the Party Committee and people of the province to continue striving to achieve the goals and tasks set forth in the Resolution of the 18th Provincial Party Congress in the remaining nearly two years of the 2010-2015 term. Based on the achievements, and analyzing the advantages, potential, strengths, difficulties, and opportunities, Thai Binh needs to outline a development plan for the coming period and subsequent years that is appropriate to the province's conditions of limited land and high population density. According to the General Secretary, Thai Binh still has potential and prospects for developing the marine and coastal economy, gas, electricity, and coal. The challenge is for Thai Binh to develop even more strongly, achieve more significant breakthroughs, and still build upon its agricultural foundation. Agriculture must be high-quality agriculture, commodity-producing agriculture, and agriculture linked to processing and product consumption.

In Party building work, the General Secretary requested that Party committees at all levels continue to better implement resolutions on Party building and the construction of the political system, especially Resolution No. 4 of the Central Committee (11th term) "Some urgent issues concerning Party building today," in conjunction with the implementation of Directive No. 03-CT/TW of the Politburo on continuing to promote the study and emulation of Ho Chi Minh's moral example.

Bearing in mind the advice of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, for the past 10 years, the Party Committee, government, and people of Thai Binh have always upheld the spirit of unity, striving to develop socio-economic aspects, build a clean and strong Party and political system, and care for improving the people's lives. Now that the General Secretary has passed away, the special feelings and respect for him remain forever in the hearts of every Vietnamese person in general, and every person in Thai Binh in particular. "Transforming grief into action," the entire Party, people, and army will continue to promote the spirit of unity, patriotic emulation, and diligently work, study, and train to build a prosperous and happy country, as was the General Secretary's lifelong aspiration.