COMMEMORATING THE 133RD BIRTHDAY OF PRESIDENT HO CHI MINH (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2023): A great and simple man

Writing about President Ho Chi Minh , the famous 20th century Algerian writer Kateb Yacine (1929-1989) commented: "Of all the soldiers of the communist movement, for me, he was the greatest man, because he knew how to live as a simple man and died as he lived; both a poet and a soldier, without any trace of selfishness and arrogance."

Thought for the nation Throughout Ho Chi Minh's thought, we see a consistency in the goal of independence, freedom, and happiness for the nation. From the beginning of his journey to find a way to save the country until he became the leader of the Party and the nation in the long march against the invaders with the will "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom", President Ho Chi Minh always affirmed a consistent stance right from his days in France: "Freedom for my compatriots, independence for my Fatherland, that is all I want, that is all I understand" ⁽¹⁾ . In early 1946, after the victory of the first general election of independent Vietnam, when asked by foreign journalists about his wishes, President Ho Chi Minh reiterated: "I absolutely do not desire fame or wealth at all... I only have one desire, the utmost desire, which is to make our country completely independent, our people completely free, everyone has food to eat and clothes to wear, everyone can study. As for me, I want to build a small house, where there are green mountains and blue water to fish, grow flowers, and be friends with the old people who gather firewood and the young children who herd buffaloes all day and night, without any involvement in the circle of fame and fortune" ⁽²⁾ .

Uncle Ho tested the rice transplanter at the experimental field of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Hanoi (July 1960) Photo: VNA

Ho Chi Minh Thought - in its most general sense - is a comprehensive and profound system of viewpoints on fundamental issues of the Vietnamese revolution, which is a system of ideological values ​​for the nation. Ho Chi Minh did not intend to become an ideologist, in the full sense of the word, because what he said and wrote throughout his life were extremely specific viewpoints, instructions, appeals, advice, sharing... directly related to the Vietnamese revolution, the national liberation revolution. Those are concrete things that need to be done immediately, not general, abstract or elaborate, glossy. However, beyond the superficiality of the language, those concrete things have become the core values ​​of the revolutionary path of liberation, the path to "Freedom for my compatriots, independence for my Fatherland". The strong vitality of Ho Chi Minh Thought is simple, close but also extremely profound. To put it simply, it is close because those are consistent values, distilled from the cultural traditions of the nation, combining the quintessence of human values, placed in the new era, with the specific requirements and tasks of the Vietnamese revolution. To put it more deeply, it is because the entire ideology of Ho Chi Minh is the truth of the nation, things that everyone can understand, everyone should do, but to realize those seemingly simple truths is often not easy, because: "Learning good things is difficult, like people climbing a mountain, having to work hard and struggle to reach the top. Learning bad things is easy, like at the top of the mountain, slipping and falling into the abyss" ⁽³⁾ . Ho Chi Minh's ideology has a strong vitality because Ho Chi Minh's views are not closed, stereotyped but contain core values, are directional, and are therefore always open, suitable for the fluctuations of historical circumstances. Ho Chi Minh's ideology - like all other ideologies - was formed on a certain practical basis. Therefore, the application of ideologies to real life always requires attention to suitability and a spirit of flexibility and creativity in specific circumstances. Regarding Ho Chi Minh's ideology, he clearly stated the constant changes of reality, so it is necessary to always respect reality, taking reality as a measure for human theory: "A nation, a Party and each person were great yesterday, had great appeal, but today and tomorrow they are not necessarily still loved and praised by everyone if their hearts are no longer pure, if they fall into individualism" ⁽⁴⁾ . From there, Ho Chi Minh reminded us to emphasize the significance of continuous learning, cultivating, and practicing: "Learning is something that must continue throughout life. Throughout life, we must combine theory with practical work. No one can claim to know enough or everything. The world is changing every day, our people are progressing more and more, so we must continue to learn and practice to keep up with the people's progress" ⁽⁵⁾ .

The everlasting value of Ho Chi Minh's thought Time has been long enough to test the accuracy and value of Ho Chi Minh's thought through the rapid changes of the times. That space has allowed us to see more clearly the endurance and everlasting value of Ho Chi Minh's thought, and at the same time, it has also posed to the current generations the requirement of promoting the value of Ho Chi Minh's thought on the basis of creative and flexible application in the context of deep and comprehensive integration with the world.

⁽¹⁾ Tran Dan Tien (1975), "Stories about President Ho's life and activities", Truth Publishing House, Hanoi, p.49

⁽²⁾ "Ho Chi Minh - Complete Works" (2011, volume 4), National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, p.187

⁽³⁾ "Ho Chi Minh - Complete Works" (2011, volume 9), National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, p.46

⁽⁴⁾ "Ho Chi Minh - Complete Works" (2011, volume 9), National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, p.672

⁽⁵⁾ "Ho Chi Minh - Complete Works" (2011, volume 10), National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, p.377

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