From the Viet Bac revolutionary base to the stilt house of the Presidential Palace, from the joy of the Dien Bien Phu victory to the quiet morning of writing his Last Will and Testament, President Ho Chi Minh's birthdays were always imbued with human warmth, leaving a profound mark on the hearts of every Vietnamese person.
President Ho Chi Minh's birthday was celebrated for the first time in the heart of the independent capital.
Children from Hanoi visit President Ho Chi Minh's birthday at the Presidential Palace on May 19, 1958. Photo: VNA
On May 18, 1946, the front page of the Hanoi -published newspaper Cuu Quoc featured a special article titled: "Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese Nation." In this article, for the first time, information about President Ho Chi Minh's birth date, May 19, 1890, was publicly revealed to the people. And on May 19, 1646, the Vietnamese people celebrated the President's birthday for the first time.
From early morning, comrades in the Standing Committee and in the Government came to wish Uncle Ho a long life. Afterwards, at the Northern Government Palace, Uncle Ho received the children of the capital. "The children vied with each other to attach the 'Straight-growing young bamboo' badges to Uncle Ho's shirt, giving Uncle Ho the letters 'i' and 't' symbolizing the Popular Education movement, and small books containing the Regulations and songs of the National Children's Salvation Association" (1). Uncle Ho's gift to the children was a cypress tree with the message: "In the future, this tree will grow a hundred branches. If you take care of the tree so that it grows big and strong, then you will love Uncle Ho very much!" (2). The children happily sang a song to thank Uncle Ho.
Following the children's group was a group of more than 50 brothers and sisters representing the South who came to congratulate Uncle Ho on his birthday. Among them was Ms. Nguyen Thi Dinh, who later became a heroic female general, a woman who exemplified the tradition of "Heroic, indomitable, loyal, and capable" of Vietnamese women. She recounted this special meeting with Uncle Ho in her memoirs. Uncle Ho thanked "the comrades from the South" and emotionally said: "Go back and report to the beloved people of the South that: Old Ho's heart and the hearts of the people of the North are always with the people of the South." (3)
Also on the morning of May 19, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh received several delegations who came to congratulate him on his birthday, including representatives of the General Association of Civil Servants and the National Construction Council; and the Central Committee for the New Life Movement. The youth of Hanoi organized a march to celebrate the President's birthday.
Moved by the affection of the people and comrades, Uncle Ho still said: "...It's only because some journalist knows my birthday that they're making a fuss about it for the people. From the beginning, I have been a person of the people, and from now on I will still belong to the people. I am determined to remain loyal to the Fatherland... Today the people have given me many flowers and cakes. Those things are worth a lot. But please think of the poor people, rather than wasting money on me." (4)
Birthday celebrations of President Ho Chi Minh in the Viet Bac war zone.
President Ho Chi Minh working in Viet Bac during the resistance war against French colonialism. Photo: VNA
Shortly after the success of the August Revolution, the French colonialists plotted to invade our country once again. In December 1946, President Ho Chi Minh, along with the Central Committee of the Party and the Government, returned to the Viet Bac base to continue leading the people's resistance against the French colonialists. During his nine years in the "capital of the mountains," the celebrations of his birthday were simple but always warm, filled with congratulations from his compatriots and comrades.
The birthday of 1948 was one of the most memorable for Uncle Ho. A few days before, Comrade Loc (real name Nguyen Van Ty) – who served as Uncle Ho's cook and was also a close comrade and friend who had worked with him in Thailand and China before returning to Vietnam to participate in revolutionary activities – had just passed away from malignant malaria. Early in the morning of May 19, 1948, when the comrades serving him brought a bouquet of wildflowers to congratulate him on his birthday, Uncle Ho was deeply moved and suggested that the bouquet be used to visit Comrade Loc's grave. Thus, Uncle Ho dedicated that year's birthday celebration to speaking about a role model of loyalty to the Party, a life of service to the Party, without personal gain or the pursuit of status.
Perhaps the happiest and most joyful birthday of President Ho Chi Minh's life was his 64th birthday on May 19, 1954. After nine years of protracted resistance with countless hardships and sacrifices, our army and people achieved great victories, culminating in the glorious Dien Bien Phu victory on May 7, 1954, which successfully concluded the resistance war against French colonialism. The news of the victory arrived just a few days before his birthday, the most special gift our army and people offered to our beloved President. Sharing in the joy of the whole country, President Ho Chi Minh wrote "A Letter to all cadres and soldiers at the Dien Bien Phu front," published in the Nhan Dan newspaper from May 12 to 15, 1954. In the letter, he reminded them, "Do not become arrogant because of victory, do not be complacent and underestimate the enemy, and always be ready to fulfill the tasks assigned to you by the Party and the Government." The People and the Government intend to award the "Dien Bien Phu Soldier" badge to the soldiers and officers who participated in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. The aforementioned issue also published a poem by President Ho Chi Minh, "Our Army Achieves Complete Victory at Dien Bien Phu," signed with the pseudonym CB. The poem praises the courageous and fearless spirit of our army and people in overcoming many hardships and difficulties during the Dien Bien Phu Campaign.
On May 19, 1954, President Ho Chi Minh met with and hosted a banquet for the soldiers who had achieved outstanding success in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign and their Soviet comrades. He praised them and inquired about their combat experiences at Dien Bien Phu, as well as their family circumstances. He was moved by the soldiers' stories of hardship and encouraged them, saying, "The country will eventually be independent, and surely the people will have enough to eat." He personally pinned a medal on Hoang Dang Vinh, who had captured General De Castries, and suggested that Soviet director Roman Karmen take a photo with the soldiers.
During those special days in May, Uncle Ho wrote the document "Absolutely Secret".
President Ho Chi Minh meets with young heroes from the South at the Presidential Palace in 1968. Photo: VNA
The North was liberated. The Central Committee of the Party and the Government returned to the capital, Hanoi. From May 1958, Uncle Ho lived in a simple, modest stilt house. However, on each of his birthdays, specifically May 19th, he would often leave the stilt house to work or visit the people in another place, in order to avoid troublesome and costly ceremonies.
President Ho Chi Minh's birthday in 1965 was a very special occasion - he turned 75 years old - the time he chose to begin writing his "Testament" to leave to the entire Party, army, and people of Vietnam.
On the morning of May 10, 1965, in the office of the stilt house in the Presidential Palace, Uncle Ho put pen to paper to write the first lines of his Last Will and Testament. In his moving memoir, Comrade Vu Ky, Uncle Ho's private secretary, recounted: "At exactly 9 o'clock, Uncle Ho sat attentively writing. The issue must have been pondered for a long time. The office on the stilt house was quiet. The wind was gentle, carrying the faint fragrance of garden flowers... It was at that very moment that Uncle Ho put pen to paper to write the first lines in the 'Absolutely Secret' document to leave instructions for future generations." (5)
The person writing the will did not call it a "will," but simply referred to it as a "Document," "Letter," or "A Few Words... summarizing a few things." In the margin of the page, Uncle Ho emphasized: "Absolutely secret," because he did not want anyone to know, fearing it would affect the fighting spirit of our army and people during the fierce resistance war against the US to save the country.
Then, during the following days of May that year, or the middle of May in subsequent years, Uncle Ho continued to write, revise, and supplement his Last Will and Testament in his study in the stilt house.
In 1969, President Ho Chi Minh's health had deteriorated considerably. On his birthday that year, he did not travel for work as in previous years. On the morning of May 10, 1969, he rewrote the entire opening section of his Last Will and Testament on the back of the last page of the special reference bulletin (published by the Vietnam News Agency) issue number 7, May 3, 1969. On the morning of his 79th birthday, he reviewed and revised the Last Will and Testament one last time. His Last Will and Testament encapsulates his profound thoughts, his deep reflections, and his comprehensive vision for the struggle to unify the Fatherland and rebuild the country. Therefore, President Ho Chi Minh's Last Will and Testament has become an invaluable spiritual asset, a guiding light for the revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese nation today and in the future.
On May 18, 1969, officials from the Presidential Palace organized a celebration for President Ho Chi Minh's birthday. Everyone enthusiastically reported to him on the victories achieved by the army and people of South Vietnam, offering them as a tribute on his birthday. That afternoon, members of the Politburo and some Central Committee members visited President Ho Chi Minh at the Politburo meeting house near the stilt house in the Presidential Palace complex to offer their best wishes. The celebration of President Ho Chi Minh's 79th birthday was simple but warm. Everyone stood around him; Comrade To Huu presented flowers, and Comrade Le Duan read a birthday message . President Ho Chi Minh smiled happily and offered everyone sweets and cakes, reminding them to "remember to take some home for the ladies and children." No one imagined that this would be the last time they would celebrate their birthday with the beloved President Ho Chi Minh.
Commemorating President Ho Chi Minh's birthday not only reminds us of the people's affection for him, but also illuminates the values he left behind: a life of integrity, compassion, and unwavering loyalty. Celebrating his birthday is an opportunity for us to reflect, contemplate, and continue to follow Ho Chi Minh's thought, morality, and style – the solid spiritual foundation for building a prosperous and happy nation.
(1), (2): Ho Chi Minh's biographical chronicle, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2006, volume 3, pp. 220, 221
(3) Uncle Ho lives forever with us, memoirs, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi 2005, volume 2, p. 316
(4) Following Uncle Ho to the resistance war, Youth Publishing House, Hanoi 1980, pp. 90-91
(5) Vu Ky - The more I remember Uncle Ho, Youth Publishing House. Hanoi. 1999. Page 130
Minh Hieu/VNA (compiled)
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/nhung-dau-an-va-bai-hoc-tu-sinh-nhat-bac-20250516063041420.htm
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