Thanh village follows Uncle Ho's teachings

A corner of Nghi Son Economic Zone - the "heart" of Thanh Hoa's industry. Photo: Minh Hang

When writing “The Verdict on the French Colonial Regime” (1925), He mentioned the great historical figures of Thanh Hoa : “Le Dai Hanh bravely refused to submit to the demands of his much more powerful neighbors. He defeated the enemy and killed the enemy general. Therefore, he freed his people from slavery...”; “Le Loi bravely led the revolution of the South to smash the brutal and oppressive regime that those who called themselves protectors forced us to endure”... Or in “The Epic of Our Country’s History” written by Him in 1941, there were also many historical figures of this land that He praised, such as Ba Trieu: “Thanh Hoa province had a Lady/ Her name was Trieu Au, just twenty years old/ Her talent and courage were more than others/ She raised an army to save the country and will be remembered forever/ Our women are not ordinary/ She fought in the East and pacified the North, setting an example for all generations”...

With special affection and concern for Thanh Hoa, despite the extremely urgent situation, taking advantage of every minute and every hour to prepare for the resistance war against French colonialism, President Ho Chi Minh still took time to visit Thanh Hoa (February 20, 1947). His first visit to this land left many deep impressions, because of his concern and high expectations for Thanh Hoa. When talking to the provincial leaders in Rung Thong (Thanh Hoa City today), he advised: “Cadres are the chain of the machine. If the chain is not good, does not run, then no matter how good the engine is, the whole machine will be paralyzed. Cadres are the ones who bring the policies of the Government and organizations to implement among the people. If the cadres are bad, good policies cannot be implemented”.

When talking to the delegates of scholars, intellectuals, and the wealthy, he reminded: “Before I came here, I received a letter from Mr. Le Thuoc about the work of building Thanh Hoa province into a model province. While destroying houses and roads, is it contradictory to talk about construction? No, to build, we must destroy. Destroy to fight and win, then build. Now I would like to have some opinions, to contribute about the construction. A model province must not only be exemplary in one aspect but also in many aspects; resistance on all sides, construction on all sides. In my opinion, Thanh Hoa province, if it wants to become a model province, it must definitely succeed because it has a large population, large land, and a lot of wealth, but it only lacks control and arrangement. If there are fields, we must plow to get rice, if there are people, we must distribute them.” In short, “Thanh Hoa province must become a model province, so it must make all aspects of politics, economy, and military model. Be a model person, a model house, a model village, a model district, a model province. If you are determined to do it, you will become a model. A model province, a model country, then the world will know that our country is a country worthy of independence, national freedom, victory in the resistance war, and unity”. Uncle “called on the people in the province to roll up their sleeves and get to work”, so that the next time he returned “they would see that each person was a model person”.

Taking to heart Uncle Ho's teachings, the people of Thanh Hoa, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or religion, rose up to drive out the invading French colonialists, with the determination "We would rather sacrifice everything than lose our country or become slaves". During the 9-year resistance war against the French, Thanh Hoa actively contributed to the great victory of the nation, culminating in the Dien Bien Phu victory. When he returned to visit Thanh Hoa (in 1957), President Ho Chi Minh praised: "During the resistance war, our people and all classes of people showed solidarity in participating in the resistance war. I will only mention a few points. For example: Our laborers made great efforts in the Dien Bien Phu campaign, Thanh Hoa contributed 120,000 laborers to transport food for the army. Now, wherever the Vietnamese language goes, the Dien Bien Phu language goes there. Wherever the Dien Bien Phu language goes, the Thanh Hoa people also have a part of the honor".

Thanh Hoa organized a meeting to pay tribute to Dien Bien soldiers, youth volunteers, and frontline laborers who directly participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign.

When entering the cause of building socialism in the North and fighting to liberate the South, unify the country, and promote Uncle Ho's teachings, Thanh Hoa both made great efforts to build and develop the socio-economy and contributed to the fight against the sabotage of the American invaders. In particular, the resounding victory of our army and people on the Ham Rong front (April 3-4, 1965) became an immortal epic of the Ho Chi Minh era. At the same time, with the spirit of "All for the beloved South", "Determination to defeat the American invaders", Thanh Hoa launched many emulation movements in production and labor, patriotic emulation to provide the highest human and material support to the Southern battlefield, contributing to the glorious golden milestone of April 30, 1975 of the nation.

It has been nearly 80 years since Uncle Ho first visited Thanh Hoa. This land of hardship and bravery has changed day by day, gradually realizing his aspiration to become a model province as he wished. Ham Rong Bridge - a symbol of the spirit of determination to fight and win of our nation - has been rebuilt after many years of bearing the brunt of bombs and bullets. The presence of the historic bridge next to Hoang Long Bridge not only reminds us of the past, but also looks forward to a future full of hope. And the truth is, the city on the banks of the Ma River is full of vitality, with modern streets mixed with the colors of history and culture typical of the ancient land. From the provincial center, spreading out to urban areas and villages from the plains to the mountains, everywhere is arousing a new vitality, a new rhythm of life from the process of urbanization, new rural construction, building cultural life in residential areas... "Living villages" exist everywhere and can be seen as the image of "model villages", "model districts" that Uncle Ho once mentioned. There, the living standards and quality of life of rural residents are being brought closer to that of urban residents, thanks to economic development policies, traffic infrastructure, social security and especially the coverage of information technology and telecommunications. The cultural and spiritual life of the people is also being improved day by day, towards the goal of prosperity and happiness for everyone.

National historical site and scenic spot Pine Forest - where Uncle Ho visited and talked with Thanh Hoa province officials.

Among the many achievements that Thanh Hoa has achieved, we can mention a few impressive growth figures, which have contributed to affirming Thanh Hoa's rising position on the country's socio-economic development ladder. For example, in 2024, the growth rate of gross regional domestic product (GRDP) is estimated at 12.16%, ranking second in the country (after Bac Giang province). GRDP per capita is estimated at 3,494 USD, an increase of 427 USD compared to 2023. This is also a year of "bumper harvest" for the province's budget, with a "record" figure of more than 56,000 billion VND, the highest ever.

The country is facing a great opportunity to make a strong breakthrough and affirm its national position in the international arena. In that general context, many favorable opportunities for Thanh Hoa to rise up are also present. These are the specific mechanisms and policies that the Party, State and National Assembly have reserved for Thanh Hoa, notably Resolution No. 58-NQ/TW of the Politburo on building and developing Thanh Hoa province to 2030, with a vision to 2045 and Resolution No. 37/2021/QH15 of the National Assembly on piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Thanh Hoa province. These are resolutions that can be considered extremely important "policy levers" for Thanh Hoa to develop rapidly and sustainably. Along with that is the spirit of high determination, great efforts, drastic actions; solidarity, creativity, daring to think, daring to do, daring to overcome challenges and daring to take responsibility; is the will of self-reliance and self-improvement of the Party Committee, the government, the entire political system and each citizen of Thanh Hoa. This will be the "lever of motivation" for Thanh Hoa to move towards the goal of becoming a model province as desired by President Ho Chi Minh.

Article and photos: Le Phuong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/que-thanh-lam-theo-loi-bac-day-249141.htm