When the phoenix flowers are red in the schoolyard, the cicadas begin to chirp loudly, signaling the arrival of summer. June returns with joy to welcome a new day, a very special Tet holiday for children. That is International Children's Day - a Tet holiday of love and kindness.
International Children's Day - this is a day to honor children and promote activities for the benefit of children. International Children's Day is also a time for people to be more aware of the role of children in the development of society in general. The " buds on the branches ", the future young shoots are a priceless asset of the family, society and they will be the ones to inherit, continue the dreams, the life journeys of their fathers and brothers and promote the good cultural values of the nation, continue the unfinished pages of history...
International Children's Day June 1 originated from a heartbreaking and unforgettable historical event of humanity. The event occurred in the years 1942 - 1944, in the early morning of June 1, 1942, the German fascists surrounded the village of Lidice (former Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic), they captured 173 men, 196 women and children. Here, they killed 66 people and sent 104 children to concentration camps, more than 88 children died in gas chambers, 9 others were sent to work as fascist agents. Two years later, on June 10, 1944, the German fascists surrounded the town of Oradour (France), they herded more than 400 people into a church, including many women and more than 100 children, then set fire to the entire church, killing everyone inside.
In 1949, to commemorate the hundreds of innocent children who were brutally murdered by the Nazis, the International Federation of Democratic Women decided to make June 1st of each year the International Day for the Protection of Children, to demand that governments take responsibility for the lives of children, to reduce military budgets to increase education budgets, to protect and care for children and adolescents. Next, in April 1952, in Vienna (the capital of Austria), an international conference on the protection of children was held. This conference required all governments to enact laws for their countries to ensure the happiness of mothers and children, and to prohibit the use of scientific inventions for war purposes. In 1955, the congress of mothers from most countries in the world held in Moscow (Russia) denounced the imperialists' plot to rekindle the war and called on mothers around the world to tighten their ranks to fight for lasting peace in their countries. Since 1950, June 1st has become Children's Day. Since then, women's and youth organizations of all countries have officially taken this day as a day to demonstrate their strength in the fight against evil forces that cause war to protect the happiness of mothers and children around the world.
Vietnam is the first country in Asia and the second country in the world to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child - the first international legal document that comprehensively addresses children's rights based on the principle that children have the right to special care, protection and assistance. From May 15 to June 30 is considered the month of " Action for Vietnamese Children ". In our country, right after gaining independence, June 1 and the Mid-Autumn Festival (August 15 of the lunar calendar) every year have truly become joyful festivals for children nationwide. The first International Children's Day (June 1, 1950) took place during the period when our nation's resistance war against French colonialism was going through the most fierce and fierce period, but beloved Uncle Ho always thought of the children of the whole country.
Uncle wrote: "I love you very much. I promise you that when the day comes when we drive out all the French invaders and the resistance is successful, I, along with the Government and organizations, will try to make it possible for you to gradually have enough to eat, to have fun, to study, to be happy... "
More specifically, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Young Pioneers in May 1961, Uncle Ho sent five sacred teachings to children across the country:
"Love the Fatherland, love the people
Study well, work well
Good unity, good discipline
Keep clean
Honest and brave"
Until today, children across the country still consider it a goal to strive for, a standard to evaluate exemplary members of the Team. Also in this letter, Uncle Ho kindly reminded the children : "In the future, you will be the masters of the country. Therefore, from now on, you need to practice revolutionary ethics to prepare to become good citizens, good cadres of a peaceful, unified, independent, democratic and prosperous Vietnam . "
He also determined that the responsibility of caring for and educating children is not the responsibility of any particular sector or organization, but the responsibility of the entire Party and the entire people. He always reminded us to pay attention to the education of children. In a letter to the National Conference of Cadres in charge of children, dated August 25, 1950, President Ho Chi Minh wrote: “Children's education is a science. The way to teach children is to make them love the Fatherland, love their compatriots, love work, know hygiene, maintain discipline, and study culture. At the same time, we must preserve their cheerfulness, liveliness, naturalness, spontaneity, and youthfulness, and not make them look old .” He also advised adults to pay attention to caring for and educating children. He reminded that on Children's Day June 1, adults, first of all, are parents, teachers, and the Youth Union, remember their duties towards children, and adults must be role models for children, and must "skillfully educate children so that they will become talented and virtuous citizens in the future". From then on, every year on Children's Day and Mid-Autumn Festival, children across the country joyfully receive congratulatory letters from Uncle Ho. Uncle Ho always paid great attention to and taught children to be good people, in which the 5 things Uncle taught children have become educational content for the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneers.
President Ho Chi Minh expressed his love for children with all the heart of a grandfather, an uncle, a father, and with the vision of a genius leader caring for the future generations of the country. In any circumstance and anywhere, he always thought of the children, guiding them into useful recreational activities and discipline. Although he was busy with a thousand and one tasks of leading the country, he always took time to visit schools, kindergartens, children's camps... to encourage, advise and play with the children. In particular, he often wrote letters to inquire about and sent gifts to encourage the children in the South who were living under the oppression of the US - puppet regime, without a single day of true peace. That love, that special care stemmed from the ideal: "to strive all his life for the cause of national liberation, human liberation". In him, the view on protecting, caring for and educating children soon became a part of the ideology of national liberation and building a civilized society. Uncle Ho always had a close attachment, a warm, gentle and thoughtful affection for children. That was the immense warmth of a great leader. Uncle Ho never forgot to prepare candy and cake packages as gifts for children, showing his thoughtful care. For children, especially little ones, Uncle Ho was always so caring, close and warm. He always taught children with very simple words, creating a feeling of comfort and love for them.
With all his heart and with his loving care for children, Uncle Ho firmly believed in the important responsibility of children for the future of the country. In a letter to students in September 1945, Uncle Ho wrote: "Whether Vietnam's mountains and rivers become beautiful or not, whether the Vietnamese people can step up to the stage of glory to stand shoulder to shoulder with the great powers of the five continents or not, depends largely on your studies."
Talking about Uncle Ho's feelings for the Southern people in general and the teenagers and children in particular, it is the care, concern, and love that was formed and nurtured over the years. From the first days of his journey to find a way to save the country, the young man Nguyen Tat Thanh carried with him the image of half of the country still under colonial rule, where the people were still suffering day and night from the cruelty of the enemy. Until the day Uncle Ho returned to the country to do revolutionary activities in 1911, until the years after the resistance war against France, the North was free, but the Fatherland was still in pain of division, President Ho Chi Minh always had the concern of how to liberate the South, unify the country, "try to liberate quickly so that Uncle can visit the Southern people". Before leaving for eternity, Uncle Ho left behind a lot of love for the Vietnamese people, in his Will, he mentioned children and the South twice. In the opening paragraph, Uncle Ho wrote: “I intend to travel to both the North and the South on that day to congratulate our heroic compatriots, cadres and soldiers; to visit our beloved elders, youth and children!…” In the concluding paragraph, Uncle Ho wrote: “Finally, I leave behind my endless love for all the people, the whole Party, the entire army, the youth and children. I also send my warm greetings to my comrades, friends and international youth and children” . Although Uncle Ho has passed away, his advice, actions and feelings will forever be engraved in the minds of youth and children in particular and every Vietnamese person in general.
In gratitude to Uncle Ho, all Vietnamese children vow to try their best to study, cultivate and practice well, to become good children and good students to be worthy of being "Uncle Ho Chi Minh's grandchildren" as he always expected.
Responding to the Month of Action for Children 2025 with the theme " Prioritizing resources to complete goals for children ". Organizations and individuals should promote activities to disseminate laws, policies, programs, and plans on child protection and care; strengthen the dissemination of programs and plans on child protection and care in Ho Chi Minh City...; organize visits and give gifts to children in special circumstances, children from households with revolutionary contributions, children from poor and near-poor households who have overcome difficulties and are good students; children with serious illnesses, children who have suffered violence and abuse, child protection and care facilities... in accordance with actual conditions; organize activities to promote children's participation; implement many activities on International Children's Day June 1 and strengthen inspection and supervision of child protection and care. We need to fight to protect children's rights to help them develop and be happy. Outside the family, in the whole society, this is a day to remind each of us to strongly fight to protect children from all unnecessary abuse, especially physical and mental abuse. Issues such as child abuse and pedophilia need to be strongly condemned and those who have caused harm to children need to be severely punished. With their innocent and naive souls, children need to be protected and educated in a reasonable and scientific way to have comprehensive development. With such meanings, parents and teachers are the ones who need to help children understand their rights and obligations. International Children's Day June 1 is the day when children deserve more love than ever. Child care, protection and education is a regular and continuous, comprehensive and long-term work. Let children enjoy their legitimate rights and have the conditions to reach their noble dreams in life. Everyone has different experiences and childhoods, but Children's Day or Mid-Autumn Festival always engraves peaceful memories of innocent childhood. No matter where we go or what we do, we always remember that childhood. Therefore, let's give children beautiful memories of childhood, let them play and enjoy their happiness.
Ho Chi Minh City, May 28, 2025
Pham Tuan Truong
Department of Communication - Education and International Relations
REFERENCES :
- Ho Chi Minh (2011). Complete works, Volume 4. National Political Publishing House.
- Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (2023). Summary report on child protection work .
- United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), ratified by Vietnam in 1990.
Source: https://baotangphunu.com/thieu-nhi-viet-nam-trong-trai-tim-bac-ho-tu-ky-uc-lich-su-den-trach-nhiem-hom-nay/
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