Vietnam is a shining example for the Venezuelan people in their struggle for independence and building socialism.

Dr. Carolus Wimmer, President of the Venezuela-Vietnam Friendship House. (Photo provided by the character)

That was the comment of Dr. Carolus Wimmer, President of the Venezuela-Vietnam Friendship House, in an interview with Nhan Dan Newspaper reporters about the historical significance of the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising of the Vietnamese army and people.

Reporter: It is known that you are a person who always has special affection for the country and people of Vietnam. Although you are 80 years old, you still actively participate in preserving and restoring the Venezuela-Vietnam Friendship House, a typical project, demonstrating the friendship between the two countries. It is known that you have visited Vietnam, could you please tell us about your special impressions and feelings about that visit?

Dr. Carolus Wimmer: I have visited Vietnam three times in 2016, 2017 and 2022. 2016 was my first visit to Hanoi to attend the International Conference of Communist and Workers' Parties. In addition to the official activities of the Conference, including meetings with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and other senior Party leaders, I had the opportunity to meet many figures and work with a number of Vietnamese agencies.

Among them, I was most impressed by the meetings with a number of figures working in the field of people's diplomacy such as: Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh, former Vice President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Mr. Vu Xuan Hong, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations; Professor, Dr. Nguyen Viet Thao, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, President of the Vietnam-Venezuela Friendship Association.

Also during this visit to Vietnam, I had the honor to give a speech at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics; and at the same time, attend the opening ceremony of the Vietnam-Venezuela Cooperation Office to implement the Vietnamese rice planting project in Venezuela.

Before coming to Vietnam, in my mind I always imagined a heroic Vietnam, bravely fighting against American imperialism; about activities demonstrating the solidarity of proletarian internationalism towards Vietnam, especially the "Nguyen Van Troi Campaign" in 1964 in Venezuela.

However, as soon as I set foot in Vietnam, I saw a peaceful Vietnam, without any remnants of war. I felt the preservation of traditional cultural values ​​in Vietnam, along with dynamic development towards the future.

The Vietnamese people work hard, especially the young generation, making efforts to study and contribute to building an industrialized, modernized country, moving towards socialism. I am very impressed with the cheerful, gentle, and hospitable nature of the Vietnamese people. I especially love Vietnamese cuisine. I hope to visit Vietnam again soon.

Reporter: As you have shared, in your mind, Vietnam has always been a heroic and resilient country in the struggle against American imperialism, for national independence and national reunification. In just a few days, the Vietnamese people will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025). Could you please share your assessment of the significance of this historic victory?

Dr. Carolus Wimmer:   The victory of the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising ended the resistance war of the Vietnamese army and people against American imperialism, liberated the nation, unified the country, and opened a new era for Vietnam, the era of independence, unity, and socialism.

Dr. Carolus Wimmer speaks at a seminar on the life and career of President Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese Revolution organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela in coordination with the Venezuela-Vietnam Friendship House on the occasion of the 94th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 - February 3, 2024) (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela)

This victory demonstrates the heroism, morality and intelligence of the Vietnamese people in the Ho Chi Minh era . This is also a major international event of profound significance.

In my opinion, the April 30 victory of the Vietnamese army and people stemmed from many factors, of which the most decisive factor was the correct and skillful leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam. On the basis of creatively applying Marxism-Leninism, the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh, based on the actual situation of the world and the country, determined the resistance line and organized its implementation in accordance with each stage of development of the Vietnamese revolution.

Holding high the banner of national independence and socialism, in 1964, the Communist Party of Vietnam decided to carry out two strategic tasks at the same time. One was to carry out the socialist revolution in the North. Two was to carry out the people's national democratic revolution in the South with the aim of gaining national independence, unifying the country and moving towards socialism.

During the revolutionary period from July 1954 to May 1975, the Communist Party of Vietnam considered the North as a solid rear base, so the socialist revolution in the North was of great significance to the Vietnamese revolution. The South was a large front and the people's national democratic revolution in the South directly determined the cause of liberating the South and unifying the country. The socialist revolution in the North and the people's national democratic revolution in the South had a close, close relationship and supported each other. This showed the wisdom and correctness of the Communist Party of Vietnam, which played a decisive role in the victory of the fierce, arduous and prolonged resistance war against the US.

For the Vietnamese people and country, the devastation of war is difficult to measure by statistics. However, the numbers partly show the brutality of the Vietnamese people's war against the US. The number of bombs and mines that the US army dropped on Vietnamese territory was four times more than the number that the US used in World War II. Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese people died in this war.

The unanimity and solidarity of the army and people under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, especially the role of leader Ho Chi Minh, brought victory to the Vietnamese people. In addition, the Vietnamese people also acknowledged the contributions and assistance of international friends in this victory. The Vietnamese people fought for the right and won a glorious victory 50 years ago.

The victory of April 30 not only had historical significance for Vietnam but also for the Indochinese countries and the world, marking the cause of national liberation of the Lao and Cambodian people, and at the same time "losing face" for the US imperialists and their allies.

Reporter: As you have said, the April 30 Victory is not only of historical significance to Vietnam but also to the Indochinese countries and the world. So what is the significance of this victory to the struggle for national liberation in Venezuela, sir?

The victory of the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising ended the resistance war of the Vietnamese army and people against American imperialism, liberated the nation, unified the country, and opened a new era for Vietnam, the era of independence, unity, and socialism.

This victory demonstrates the heroism, morality and intelligence of the Vietnamese people in the Ho Chi Minh era. This is also a major international event of profound significance.

Dr. Carolus Wimmer, President of the Venezuela-Vietnam Friendship House

Dr. Carolus Wimmer: Vietnam is a shining example for the Venezuelan people in their struggle against imperialism, for independence and for the building of socialism. The Venezuelan people admire the steadfastness, discipline and faith of the Vietnamese people in the current cause of building and defending the Fatherland. President Nicolas Maduro stated that “the Venezuelan people congratulate the descendants of Uncle Ho for their determination and courage. An example for the world”.

In Venezuela, the new military doctrine focuses on military-civilian solidarity, learning from Vietnam's experience of "people's war" that helped win the resistance wars against France and the United States.

In my opinion, Vietnam's victory in the war against the US came from two key factors. First, the Vietnamese people had a lot of experience from the war against Japanese fascism in the 1940s and the war against French colonialism in the 1950s. Through these wars, the Vietnamese people strengthened their sense of independence and sovereignty, and recognized the important role of the army and economy in a war.

Second is the solidarity and attachment between the Vietnamese people, the Communist Party of Vietnam and the People's Army. Vietnam has successfully carried out the "people's war" by taking the armed forces as the core, combining them with the building of an all-people armed force, turning workplaces, universities, and fields into combat units, with each citizen being a soldier, determined to protect independence and territorial sovereignty. This has mobilized the strength of the people, ensuring the victory of Vietnam's long and arduous resistance wars.

Reporter: It is known that in the past 10 years, you have visited and worked in Vietnam 3 times. With your observations and practical experiences, how do you feel about Vietnam's development process after 50 years of national reunification, especially in the current period?

Dr. Carolus Wimmer: Vietnam is a shining example not only in its steadfast fight for national independence and territorial integrity but also in its efforts to develop the country. The Venezuelan people greatly admire the achievements that Vietnam has made on the path to realizing the goal of a prosperous people, a strong country, democracy, equality and civilization.

After the country's reunification, in addition to the terrible devastation of war, Vietnam also faced a backward agricultural economy, in which agricultural workers accounted for 80% of the population. The infrastructure was backward and degraded. Hostile forces continued their policy of isolation and embargo to strangle Vietnam's economy.

In that context, the Vietnamese Government tried to improve the economy through the application of centralized planning and subsidies, but the results were not as expected, and people's lives encountered many difficulties.

In 1986, the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Government decided to reform and restructure the economy, carry out the "Doi Moi" process, and transform the Vietnamese economy from bureaucratic and subsidized to a market mechanism.

After nearly 40 years of Doi Moi, Vietnam has made a breakthrough in development, changing its economic thinking, from a planned economy to a socialist-oriented market economy. In 2023, the size of Vietnam's economy reached 430 billion USD, belonging to the group of 40 largest economies in the world and especially in the group of 5 leading economies in ASEAN. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita has reached nearly 4,300 USD. Vietnam has deeply integrated into the international community, creating an open economy and increasing export turnover as well as attracting investment. Vietnam's open economy is very large, one of the 5 most open economies in the market.

It can be affirmed that Vietnam has achieved many important achievements in socio-economic development, especially focusing on economic growth associated with social security.

However, it must also be recognized that Vietnam still faces many challenges, including the difficulty of dealing with the consequences of war, as approximately 30,000 Vietnamese people are still missing, in addition to victims of Agent Orange and remaining bombs and mines.

Dr. Carolus Wimmer speaks at the flower offering ceremony in memory of President Ho Chi Minh, at Bolívar Avenue, Caracas, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Venezuela diplomatic relations (December 18, 1989 - December 18, 2024), the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army (December 22, 1944 - December 22, 2024) (Source: Embassy of Vietnam in Venezuela)

Reporter: Currently, as President of the Venezuela-Vietnam Friendship House, can you share information about the artifacts on display here?

Dr. Carolus Wimmer: The Venezuela-Vietnam Friendship House was established in 2020, however, due to many difficulties, it was not until January 2025 that we had our headquarters in the center of the capital Caracas.

Currently, we are renovating 2 offices and 3 meeting rooms, one of which will be designed specifically for Ho Chi Minh Cadre School, one conference room. Accordingly, we will try to design a separate space for practicing traditional Vietnamese dance and Vovinam martial arts.

For the exhibits to be displayed at the Venezuela-Vietnam Friendship House, we actively cooperate with the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela, the Venezuela Friendship Association, and the Venezuela-Vietnam Friendship Association to search for and collect images and exhibits; contributing to making the Venezuela-Vietnam Friendship House a “red address” for the young generation of Venezuela to better understand the traditional friendship and the Venezuela-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership.

Reporter:   Many thanks to Dr. Carolus Wimmer!

Source: https://nhandan.vn/viet-nam-la-tam-guong-sang-doi-voi-nhan-dan-venezuela-trong-cuoc-dau-tranh-giang-independence-va-xay-dung-chu-nghia-xa-hoi-post872826.html