Memories of meeting General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong twice

On the afternoon of July 19, 2024, when he heard the news of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's passing, Mr. Pham Huy Cam, Secretary of Lao Ly Village Party Cell, Ta Phoi Commune, Lao Cai City, was stunned for a long time. His hands holding the phone paused at the sad news for a long time, unable to continue reading because the words blurred. From within the heart of that elderly party member, so much sorrow and loss arose.

In that moment of grief, Mr. Cam flipped through the souvenir photos taken with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and typical examples of studying and following Uncle Ho in November 2023. The words of encouragement, the warm handshakes and the image of the General Secretary, simple and close to the people, kept coming back to his mind.

Mr. Pham Huy Cam is originally from Phan Lan village, Ta Phoi commune. In 2019, he was mobilized to become the "leader" in the extremely difficult village of Lao Ly, where 100% of the Xa Pho people live. The man with gray hair, a quick gait and wholehearted dedication to the village's work has been attached to the poor village for many years. With the assigned responsibility, promoting the spirit of a party member, Mr. Cam has led, together with the Party cell and the Xa Pho people here, to push back poverty and backwardness, and to arouse confidence in the village of "5 no's": no association of the elderly; no association of war veterans; no children going to high school or learning a trade; no one weighing 65 kg or more; no household earning 100 million VND/year.

Five years have passed since Mr. Cam returned to the village, the bad things have gradually been pushed back, bringing a new look to the highlands, and rekindling the faith of the Xa Pho people in the Party's care and leadership. Recognizing the contributions and efforts of a party member who is always dedicated and devoted to the common cause, in 2023, Mr. Pham Huy Cam was the only typical example of Lao Cai province to attend the meeting of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong with typical examples in studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style in 2023.

On the journey from the remote poor village of Lao Cai to the capital, Mr. Cam was filled with pride, emotion, mixed with excitement and sleepless anticipation. On the afternoon of November 2, 2023, at the Party Central Committee Headquarters, Mr. Cam and 66 delegates, who are typical examples, representing thousands of shining examples in studying and following Uncle Ho's example across the country, had the honor to attend the meeting.

In his memory, the General Secretary, with a leisurely, slow, and friendly voice, congratulated, praised, and thanked delegates from all over the country for their dedication in all positions and fields.

The General Secretary emphasized that during his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh left our Party, our nation, and our people an extremely precious legacy: Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality, style, and the Ho Chi Minh era. In particular, Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality, and style are a priceless treasure of revolutionary spirit that we - every generation of Vietnamese people today and tomorrow - must always strive to learn and follow, forever preserve and promote; consider it the crystallization of noble spiritual values, becoming the standard for building, reviving culture, and building Vietnamese people in the new era...

The General Secretary expects and believes that the collectives and individuals who have the great honor of being honored will continue to strive, learn and practice regularly; preserve and promote the noble title being honored, spread the effects and influence and set an example in society.

In the friendly atmosphere, Mr. Pham Huy Cam and the delegates were extremely moved and proud to be here, listening to the attention, encouragement and motivation of the leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Everyone hoped that they would have more opportunities to return to the Capital in the commendation program in the following years and that the country would have more and more typical examples of learning and following Uncle Ho.

On the sidelines of the meeting, many delegates expressed their desire to take a souvenir photo with the General Secretary. Looking at the delegates standing in a large group, Mr. Pham Huy Cam thought that he would probably not have the opportunity, so he stood quietly in a corner. However, what he did not expect was that the General Secretary waved his hand and called out, "Please invite the silver-haired delegates to come in and take a photo with me." Mr. Cam was delighted and walked towards the General Secretary with much surprise and emotion. After he stood next to him, the General Secretary continued to talk to delegate Pham Huy Cam about shaking hands in solidarity.

That intimate, affectionate image has been deeply imprinted in the mind of the elderly party member Pham Huy Cam and has been recorded in commemorative photos that he has always cherished and preserved throughout the years.

Mr. Cam was moved: That was the second time I met and shook hands with Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong. Before that, in 2011, when I attended the conference to honor advanced models nationwide in Hanoi, I had the honor to meet and shake hands with Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong for the first time, when he was the Chairman of the National Assembly. Every time we met, I was always impressed by the high-ranking leader of the Party and State with his calm, simple and approachable demeanor.

Speaking of this, Mr. Cam was silent, his old hands holding the corner of the photo taken at the end of 2023, after a long while he spoke: That was the last time I met General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

On the afternoon of July 19, the whole country mourned the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Mr. Cam sat in a daze for a long time in his old house, occasionally looking at the enlarged photo, in which the General Secretary and typical delegates were smiling. How sad it is that the image of the General Secretary now only exists in memory.

After putting the photo back in its original place, Mr. Cam quickly went to the market to buy a bunch of white lilies to burn incense in memory of the General Secretary. For him, the loss was as painful as losing a loved one. After finishing, the old party member trudged from his home to the highlands of Lao Ly to broadcast on the village loudspeaker about the great loss of the Party, the State and the Vietnamese people, about the sadness that the people of the whole country were experiencing when General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong passed away. That afternoon, the people of Lao Ly silently listened to the sad news from the loudspeaker through the sad, hoarse voice of Party Cell Secretary Pham Huy Cam.

Putting aside his memories, Mr. Cam choked up: I myself was so lucky and proud to have met and shaken hands with the General Secretary twice. That is a memory that I will always cherish, respect and preserve. That honor and the encouragement of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the meeting with typical examples of studying and following Uncle Ho are the support, motivation, and also the reminder for me to continue to try and contribute to the community and villages, worthy of the trust and expectations that the General Secretary placed on the typical examples.

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