General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong with villagers of Kon Ro Bang, Kon Tum province. Photo: VNA

Professor, Doctor, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, according to many intellectuals, is admired by cadres, people, and highly appreciated by international friends. He is an exemplary moral personality, an excellent political scientist , sharp-witted, steadfast in his stance, a great cultural figure of the country, and a talented political journalist of the Vietnamese revolution in the Ho Chi Minh era. It can be said that in all aspects, comrade Nguyen Phu Trong is a shining example for everyone to follow.

After graduating from the Faculty of Literature of Hanoi University in 1967, he worked at the Communist Magazine, the theoretical agency of the Central Committee of the Party. Growing up as a document compiler, then editor, secretary, department head, and then Editor-in-Chief, Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong had nearly 30 years of professional journalism experience, writing many outstanding works in the political genre. Later, in many senior leadership positions of the Party, State, and National Assembly, he still regularly wrote articles and devoted much time to journalism.

As people working in the field of journalism, we have read many articles by Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong published in the Communist Magazine and Nhan Dan Newspaper, many of his books have been published; had many opportunities to listen to him speak when he was still Chairman of the National Assembly, and when he visited Thua Thien Hue in 2014; again in his position as General Secretary, he gave a speech at the 10th Congress of the Vietnam Journalists Association in 2015. For Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, no matter what job you do, especially a journalist, you must first of all be fair, must keep yourself upright so that your pen will not be bent, and must know how to sacrifice petty personal interests, devote yourself to the very end of the problems that life creates, so that the good side becomes better and better, the bad side becomes less and less, making our society better and better.

In terms of theory, his writings have a sharp effect as an opening for new approaches, new thinking but not far from the reality of the Vietnamese revolution. He always ponders over each article and speech, clarifying the content of the socialist-oriented market economic model so that cadres, party members, especially the press and the people have a correct understanding, not being distorted about the policies and guidelines that our Party has built. His research thinking is to combine Marxist-Leninist theory with the reality of the Vietnamese revolution according to Ho Chi Minh's thought. As an excellent leader and political journalist of the Party, he deeply understands the role, position and great effect of the press in the cause of innovation initiated and led by the Party.

As the General Secretary and Head of the Central Steering Committee on preventing and combating corruption and negativity, he encouraged, motivated, inspired and trusted the revolutionary press team. The openness and democracy that allowed the press to venture into a place with “no forbidden areas, no exceptions” with the responsibility of cadres and party members, the press must be accurate and have contributed to the Steering Committee bringing many negative cases to light, making the Party and State apparatus increasingly clean, impartial and humane. Whenever a cadre (including a high-ranking cadre) violated the law and had to be dealt with, he said that it was very painful and regrettable, but he could not let it go, but had to be done strictly and thoroughly so that the people could trust the Party's leadership.

In the process of building the Party, the General Secretary has always been trusted and highly respected by the people. He has left behind a valuable legacy of communist ethics, political theory, and extremely rich revolutionary journalism in our country.

Regarding Thua Thien Hue, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong always pays attention to and highly appreciates the steps in Party building, economic development, especially in preserving, embellishing, maintaining and promoting the values ​​of Hue cultural heritage left by our ancestors. He reminds and always emphasizes that: "Culture is the soul of the nation, expressing the identity of the nation. As long as culture exists, the nation exists". Culture must be placed on par with politics, economics...

Today, although we know that life and death are the laws of human life. But when we heard the news that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong passed away, following his ancestors to the world of the wise, we could not help but be shocked and deeply saddened by the noble personality and wise soul of a Communist. We pray that his soul will rest in peace and soon become a true saint who protects the nation and the people, helping our beloved Vietnam become more and more peaceful and developed.

Duong Phuoc Thu