Remembering comrade Le Van Thanh forever

(Haiphong.gov.vn) - At around 10:00 p.m. on August 22, 2023, when the Vietnam News Agency and official press agencies announced that Comrade Le Van Thanh, member of the Party Central Committee and Deputy Prime Minister, passed away at 8:20 p.m. at his private residence at 217 Lach Tray Street, Hai Phong City, millions of hearts in Hai Phong stopped beating. Although we knew this would happen since he unfortunately fell seriously ill in November 2022, the people of Hai Phong and the whole country were still surprised, shocked and did not believe this was true. Because Comrade Le Van Thanh is always present in the hearts of every Hai Phong citizen, always loved, respected and trusted. Everyone wished that one day, comrade would recover, would be enthusiastic about work again, would travel across the country to direct, urge, and remove difficulties and obstacles for projects with extremely drastic and effective measures. But the miracle did not happen. Comrade Le Van Thanh has forever left his family, the city, and the people...

Lots of love and regret…

In fact, since the night of August 21st, when there were signs from house number 217 Lach Tray Street, the people of Hai Phong had a premonition that something was wrong. Then all day on August 22nd, everyone lived in a state of anxiety and worry; everyone wanted to believe that the comrade was just tired and would return to normal. But that was no longer possible, at exactly 20:20, that heart stopped beating.

Immediately, on the official newspapers as well as on social networking sites, the image of comrade Le Van Thanh was flooded. Hai Phong people cried, extremely sad, mourning the comrade. And on the night of August 22, many people could not sleep.

On his Facebook page, Lam Hai Phong, a classmate of comrade Le Van Thanh since studying at the National Economics University but not knowing each other, sadly exclaimed “Farewell, sir”: Hai Phong embraced him with open arms, tolerance, and wholeheartedly, welcoming him home. Before that, he also had emotional lines written about comrade Le Van Thanh: “I believe that the people of Hai Phong today and forever will never forget Mr. Thanh’s efforts. Mr. Thanh has changed the face of Hai Phong city in a brilliant way. He is so worthy that even a difficult person like me as well as any Hai Phong resident cannot help but praise him. I do not want to list what Mr. Thanh has done for the city, because I am not a statistician. And because there are so many, they are so great. And I think, no matter how the country changes in the future, every era should recognize and have a street in Hai Phong named after Mr. Le Van Thanh - a son of Hai Phong who has changed the face of the city”.

Due to his life, Mr. Lam Hai Phong has spent many years abroad but still yearns for his hometown Port City, wholeheartedly hoping for Hai Phong to develop and when witnessing the changes of the city, he spoke his heartfelt words.

Comrade Pham Van Vuong, former Deputy Head of the Propaganda Department of the Hai Phong City Party Committee, was shocked and heartbroken when he heard the news of comrade Le Van Thanh's passing. On his Facebook page, Vuong Giao Tuyen, he wrote: "As a Hai Phong citizen, almost everyone always had respect and affection for him. Therefore, almost everyone was worried when hearing that he was seriously ill and had to take a long leave from work. And now, the news of his passing has left everyone shocked and sad. A son of Vinh Bao, Hai Phong; a strong-willed example rising from the salty water and sour fields; making a convincing contribution to the process of building and developing the city and the country." Comrade Pham Van Vuong was moved to compose the poem "Bright Mirror of the Homeland" about comrade Le Van Thanh:

Originated from Tan Lien, land of Trang Trinh

Saltwater and acid soil create glory

Tobacco and water spinach nurture perseverance

Ancestral culture illuminates love

Near the simple scene, thousands of people love it

Equal to the politician, all things are born

Love for country is always complete

Worthy of being a hero in this sacred land!

Journalist Le Linh, Dien Dan Doanh Nghiep newspaper wrote: “Perhaps tonight many people in the city of bridges will be restless with the news that "Uncle Le Thanh" has passed away. To the people of Hai Phong, he is a "phenomenon", a person who has changed the city after many years of "hibernation". He came from "business" so he is a leader of economic thinking. There are also few politicians who, when in power, are loved by the people like him. People say: "When he comes to power, families of the regime are deeply cared for, students are exempted from tuition fees, Trang Temple is restored and Trang Kenh is formed". To the people, the person who runs the city and cares deeply about education, health care and especially the cultural roots, he is a leader with vision, with the temperament of a gentleman and truly loves the country, a rare scholar in the past. Hai Phong has become "noble" after these changes. It will be a long story about him, but it will be rare to find any opposing opinions about his passing. Uncle. Hai Phong people always remember his contributions to Hai Phong - a son of the Port city, a person with the full nature of a Hai Phong person".

Teacher Vuong Le Thuy, Thai Phien High School wrote: “It was an honor to participate in the 2014 Truong Sa working trip led by comrade Le Van Thanh, who was then Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee. I was not only moved when witnessing the lives and determination of the island soldiers, but also moved by the stories and actions of comrade Le Van Thanh with those soldiers. For me and my colleagues in the working group, and later, there is respect and admiration for the great and happy things that comrade Le Van Thanh did for the beloved Port City. It is truly sad. I would like to say goodbye to the leader I respect and trust. I wish you a peaceful rest in your distant place. I believe that the people of our city will always remember and be grateful to comrade Le Van Thanh.”

There are many, many more lines of emotions, words of regret and above all, deep feelings, love, respect and gratitude for comrade Le Van Thanh. There is even a poem “RED PHOENIX HEART” in memory of comrade Le Van Thanh:

The autumn sky of Hai Phong

The waves of the estuary are bustling.

Whose name does the Port City remind of?

Purple sunset

These are the roads and alleys

Shine a happy smile

Look at the bridges connecting the spans

The vitality of Hai Phong

The red color of royal poinciana flowers

Sacred love of people and Party

Heart of Royal Poinciana

Hai Phong's upright posture.

The person who ignites the fire of enthusiasm, passion for dedication and aspiration for development of Hai Phong city

Now that comrade Le Van Thanh has passed away, the people of Hai Phong Port City still remember his contributions, dedication and devotion to his homeland and country. They all share the same thought and affirm that comrade Le Van Thanh has left special and outstanding marks; he is the one who plays an important role in fanning the flame of enthusiasm, passion for dedication and the desire for development of Hai Phong City.

Cadres, party members and people of Hai Phong city still remember very clearly, right after being elected to the position of Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Hai Phong city in 2016, the first message of comrade Le Van Thanh was: "Innovation and stronger innovation in both thinking and action is an order for each of us". This is not a slogan but a call that has a strong influence on millions of hearts, igniting a new spirit and new determination of the entire political system and all classes of people. He also repeatedly affirmed that in the process of building and developing the city, there is no room for stagnation, apathy, harassment, and annoyance and publicly declared "to resolutely eliminate cadres who deliberately obstruct the development of the city from the government apparatus at all levels".

From here, a creative, serving, honest and active government of Hai Phong was officially established, creating a new working atmosphere full of enthusiasm, creativity, passion and dedication in agencies, units, sectors and levels of the city... Then, the bottlenecks hindering the city's development were gradually removed, the potential of the Port City was gradually awakened and Hai Phong officially entered a new stage of development with new, shining images, recognized by the Central Government, admired by the whole country and proud of Hai Phong people.

It is easy to see in Deputy Prime Minister, former Secretary of Hai Phong City Party Committee Le Van Thanh a spirit of working without eating or sleeping and acting decisively, decisively and courageously. Working sessions until 1-2 pm and 3-4 am are not rare. Especially, each of his leadership and direction is very clear and specific in terms of quality and time so that the whole machine can work with the highest quality and efficiency.

What Secretary of the City Party Committee Le Van Thanh always cares about most is progress, quality and time. Cadres, party members and people of the city also feel very clearly that the meetings and working sessions chaired by Secretary of the City Party Committee Le Van Thanh are always "fiery", always lively, attractive and very clear and specific. He does not easily accept unreasonable reasons for delays and stagnation and points out the work that needs to be done in the most convincing way.

His far-sighted vision has breathed life into every development plan, every project, every construction, every work of the city and is especially easy to remember and understand, so that from here, every citizen of the city can visualize the development in each area, each locality and the whole city to join hands and agree to achieve the set goals.

The will, courage, enthusiasm, determination and fierceness of the city's highest leader have truly inspired and ignited the fire to mobilize the combined strength of the entire political system and all classes of people, overcoming all obstacles, pushback, even opposing opinions and actions, all for the common goal of developing the city.

Hai Phong people are happy, excited, and proud of the city and of comrade Le Van Thanh. For him, the requirements for the development of Hai Phong city are always a constant pain in his heart, always urging him and the entire Party to take action. Therefore, each year, Hai Phong sets bigger and higher goals; each stage has new development requirements worthy of the expectations of the Central Government and the wishes of the city's people.

From that enthusiasm, with the support and assistance of the Central Government, under the direction of comrade Le Van Thanh, Hai Phong proactively proposed and the Politburo issued Resolution 45 with clear development orientations and goals: basically completing the industrialization and modernization by 2025; affirming the role of the country's development driving force, aiming to become a leading city in Asia in the near future.

These goals have been led, directed, transformed and concretized by comrade Le Van Thanh into Action Program No. 76 of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee and Resolution of the 16th Congress of the City Party Committee. Generations of leaders of Hai Phong city are continuing and successfully implementing those orientations, adding many new contents and issues so that Hai Phong always shines.

It is truly touching that over the years, the guiding viewpoint initiated by the Secretary of the City Party Committee, Le Van Thanh: "Social security policy is always one step ahead of the speed of socio-economic development" has always been consistently implemented by the city and left a strong impression. Every year, Hai Phong has social security policies that are meaningful, sincere, very popular and welcomed, agreed with and supported by the people.

These are policies on building and renovating old apartments, improving living conditions for tens of thousands of urban households; on supporting cement to renovate and upgrade rural and urban roads; supporting pavement bricks; trees, urban lighting; policies on visiting and giving gifts to families of policy beneficiaries and meritorious people, increasing year by year and up to now reaching 5.5 million VND/household on the occasion of July 27 and Lunar New Year; giving gifts to poor and near-poor households; supporting cement and bricks to build and repair houses for some families of meritorious people with housing difficulties and poor households; policies and mechanisms in discovering, training and fostering excellent students; selecting, using and rewarding excellent teachers in the field of training and fostering excellent students at national and international levels; raising the standard level of social assistance and some other social assistance policies in the city; The policy of supporting tuition fees for students from kindergarten to secondary school... really makes the city's people happy.

To the cadres, party members and people of Hai Phong city, comrade Le Van Thanh is not only simple and close but also always attentive to every task, regardless of whether it is a big or small task. Many ordinary people were deeply moved by the very practical concern of the highest leader of the city, very sincere, emotional and responsible. All the people of Hai Phong have feelings of love, respect, admiration and great pride for comrade Secretary of the City Party Committee Le Van Thanh.

Remember, in 2016, when he was elected as Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the City People's Council, comrade Le Van Thanh emphasized: "The people's expectations are very high, our responsibilities are great, the tasks are very heavy. As Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the City People's Council, I promise to make every effort, strive tirelessly, wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly for a prosperous, happy, and peaceful life for all people, for a peaceful, civilized, and modern Hai Phong city, soon to become a city of regional and international stature". Reviewing everything that he has led, directed, and directly implemented, it shows that he has excellently fulfilled his promise. Hai Phong City's strong, dynamic, and breakthrough development today is the result, the inheritance of more than 35 years of implementing the renovation process, the efforts and intelligence of the entire Party, the entire army, and the entire people; of the city's leaders through the periods, in which, Secretary of the City Party Committee Le Van Thanh made important contributions, leaving a strong, impressive and effective mark.

The Party Committee, the government, the army and the people of the city are extremely saddened and regretful that the comrade has passed away due to serious illness. There are still so many ideas and wishes to contribute to the city and the country; so many planned tasks that the comrade has not yet been able to carry out. The more we miss the comrade, the more determined the Party Committee, the government, the army and the people of the city are to act, to strive continuously and tirelessly to fulfill the comrade's wishes, to build Hai Phong to be more and more beautiful, civilized, modern, and quickly become one of the leading cities in Asia as the comrade always wished during his lifetime. Farewell to the excellent son of Hai Phong city. The people of Hai Phong will forever remember and be grateful to comrade Le Van Thanh.

Hong Thanh (ANHP Special Topic - People's Police Newspaper)

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