What did President Ho Chi Minh usually do on his birthday in the last years of his life?

In the book "Memoirs of Uncle Ho writing his Will", comrade Vu Ky, Uncle Ho's Secretary, wrote about May 19 as follows:

During his 24 years as head of state, only in 1946 did President Ho Chi Minh allow his birthday to be announced. The reason was that at that time, the conflict between Vietnam and France was tense. According to the plan, on the afternoon of May 18, High Commissioner of Indochina, Dar-Jiang-Lieu, a belligerent figure, would fly from Saigon to Hanoi .

The birthday celebration that year was not simply a personal affair, but was organized as an affirmation of the people's solidarity around the head of a young nation facing enormous challenges related to the nation's destiny.

On the morning of May 19, 1946, comrades in the Central Standing Committee, the Government , representatives of the capital's children, the delegation of the Southern people and many departments and branches came to congratulate Uncle Ho on his birthday. The Capital's Youth Force organized a march to celebrate Uncle Ho's birthday.

Uncle Ho working on the second floor of the stilt house in the Presidential Palace in 1960. (Photo: VNA)

Faced with the people's affection, Uncle Ho humbly said: "I am not worthy of the people's care, because I am still a young man, only 56 years old, and have not yet received my people's birthday wishes... Up until now, I have been a man of the people, so from now on I will still belong to the people."

When the resistance war against the French took place, President Ho Chi Minh celebrated his birthday on the resistance roads. On the morning of May 19, 1947, when the comrades serving brought bouquets of wild flowers to congratulate his birthday, he suggested that those flowers be used to pay respects to comrade Hoang Van Loc - a close supporter who had just passed away on May 3, 1947.

On his 58th and 59th birthdays, Uncle Ho did not allow them to be celebrated, but when he received congratulations from comrades in the National Assembly, the Government, organizations and many classes of people, he sent letters of thanks.

In 1950, the Central Party Standing Committee earnestly requested President Ho Chi Minh to allow him to hold a celebration for his 60th birthday. The celebration that year, although simple in material terms, was filled with comradeship and brotherhood.

After his birthday, Uncle Ho wrote a thank you letter to the National Assembly, the Government, organizations and all the people.

Also according to the memoir "Uncle Ho writes his will", on the morning of May 10, 1965, Uncle Ho told his secretary to get him ten sheets of white paper and a large envelope when he came to work.

At exactly 9am, Uncle Ho sat down and attentively wrote the first lines in the "Top Secret" document to leave behind for the future. That day, Uncle Ho wrote the opening lines of his will: "Choose a day in May, on the occasion of my birthday; choose exactly 9am, the most beautiful hour of the day; choose exactly when I was in the best health in recent years... to write about the day of my departure, how peaceful and leisurely!".

On May 19, 1968, in addition to receiving comrades Vo Nguyen Giap and Pham Van Dong to congratulate him on his birthday, President Ho continued to write his will, specifically adding 6 handwritten pages about the plan to rebuild the country after the war.

On his 79th birthday, May 11, 1969, President Ho Chi Minh visited and spoke with delegates of the Conference of Senior Military Cadres.

Comrade Vuong Thua Vu, on behalf of the conference, wished Uncle Ho a long life. On May 18, 1969, Uncle Ho received office staff, comrades in the Politburo and some Central Committee members who came to wish him a long life. The birthday celebration was simple and friendly. After that, Uncle Ho continued to review and edit his will.

On the afternoon of May 19, 1969, he spent time writing a letter praising the children of Mang Non cooperative in Phu Man village, Ham Son commune, Yen Phong district, Ha Bac province for their achievements in caring for cattle. Also on his 79th birthday, Uncle Ho expressed his love for his homeland by presenting the Party Committee, cadres and people of Nghe An province with his portrait.

The will was written from May 10, 1965 to May 19, 1969, on Uncle Ho's birthday. After Uncle Ho passed away, on September 9, 1969, during the memorial service for President Ho Chi Minh, General Secretary Le Duan was moved to announce the will. This is a complete will compiled from the previous wills that Uncle Ho had written, edited, supplemented or replaced.

Currently, the original copy of Uncle Ho's Will has become a national treasure, kept at the Central Archives of the Communist Party of Vietnam, preserved by the Central Party Office Archives under a special regime.

Libra (Synthesis)

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/ngay-sinh-nhat-nhung-nam-cuoi-doi-chu-president-ho-chi-minh-thuong-lam-gi-ar943948.html