Commemorating the 112th anniversary of Uncle Ho's departure to find a way to save the country (June 5, 1911)

Most of us know this story, because it is told in many books, included in textbooks, and retold by many people.

Do the impossible

"… One day I invited him to eat ice cream. He was very strange. It was the first time he tasted ice cream. After a few days, he suddenly asked me: "Mr. Le, do you love your country?". I was surprised and replied: "Of course!". "Can you keep a secret?". "Yes". "I want to go out, see France and other countries. After seeing how they do it, I will come back to help our people. But if I go alone, it is actually risky, for example, if I get sick... Do you want to go with me?". "But my friend, where will we get the money to go?". "Here, here is the money".

My friend said, holding up his hands. "We will work. We will do anything to live and to go. Then will you come with me?" Attracted by his enthusiasm, I agreed. But after thinking carefully about the adventure, I did not have enough courage to keep my promise. A few days later, I did not see my friend again. I guessed he had gone abroad. How did he go? I do not know. Later, I only knew that enthusiastic patriotic young man was Mr. Nguyen Ai Quoc, our President Ho today"...

The above story is recorded in the book "Stories about the life of President Ho" by author Tran Dan Tien. And it is one of the typical stories about the motivation, desire, and determination of the patriotic young man Nguyen Tat Thanh - who later became the great President Ho Chi Minh - before embarking on a journey of thousands of miles abroad to find a way to liberate the nation and liberate the country.

When reading the detail of "raising two hands", many people must have remembered the famous poem by Hoang Trung Thong in "Breaking Earth Song" written in 1948: "Our hands make everything/With human strength, stones can also become rice". That is almost a truth: With labor, with action, with enthusiasm and great determination, we can do things that seem impossible.

The patriotic young man Nguyen Tat Thanh worked as a kitchen assistant at the Carlton Hotel in England, 1913. Photo: VNA

Strong belief

That was absolutely true of Uncle Ho. He passed away at the age of 21, without much knowledge of revolutionary paths, and without being able to determine how to liberate the country.

But with his passionate patriotism, extraordinary will and determination, he boldly boarded a ship to go abroad on a path that could not be fully imagined, but with a very clear goal: "After seeing how they do it, I will return to help our people."

The way to carry out that path is: "We will work. We will do anything to live and to go." And He really did many things "to live", "to go", and of course "to work" such as working as a kitchen assistant, waiter, sweeping snow, developing photos, lacquering, writing for newspapers...

Those two raised hands affirmed a strong belief in oneself, the ability to adapt and change circumstances, inner strength, the results of hard work.

Writer Lu Xun once said a famous sentence: "On the road to success, there are no footprints of lazy people." Obviously, almost everyone has two hands, but why can some people work to earn a living, can act to achieve results, can reach their destination... while others cannot? Is it because they lack diligence, direction, determination, courage...? Perhaps all factors are related, but through that, we clearly see that Uncle Ho reached his destination because he had all of those things.

Those two hands are of course not just two simple hands but are the concrete image of the mind, enthusiasm, responsibility, determination, desire, skills... In us, if we want to succeed, we cannot lack similar "two hands", even when working and acting at a low level, on a small scale. The more we want to achieve great things, the more those "two hands" must be equally great. We cannot expect great success without enthusiasm, dedication, perseverance, and relentless efforts...

The story of Uncle Ho's search for a way to save the country, after 112 years, can still be examined from many angles. In terms of suggesting a philosophy of life and a person's motto for action, we can completely see the lesson of the image of "two hands" to apply in life, action, and work to achieve perfect success!

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