Uncle Ho - a shining example of maintaining good health.

(Baonghean.vn) - Not only did President Ho Chi Minh call on the entire nation to improve their health, but he was also a shining example of the spirit of proactively and creatively improving one's health to serve the Fatherland and the people.

During his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh once said: "If each citizen is weak, the whole country is weak; if each citizen is healthy, the whole country is strong. Practicing physical exercise and improving health is the duty of every patriotic citizen."

Even during his years living in France, President Ho Chi Minh was conscious of maintaining his health for long-term revolutionary activities. During the cold winter months, before going to work, he would place two bricks in the kitchen stove of the hotel where he stayed. In the evening, he would take the bricks out, wrap them in old newspapers, and use them as a mattress pad to keep warm.

During his time in Russia, even in the harsh winter, President Ho Chi Minh regularly woke up early to do exercises without equipment, combined with weights and resistance bands... And in Yunnan (China), in the cramped living quarters of the people and while operating secretly in many locations, President Ho Chi Minh still exercised regularly, combining it with cleaning the house and garden.

Uncle Ho returned to Vietnam from China on February 8, 1941, and stayed in the mountainous region of Cao Bang. Whether in Pac Po cave, Khuoi Nam hut, or the Lam Son guerrilla base in the mountains, wherever he stayed, he maintained a regular routine of eating, living, studying, and daily activities.

Uncle Ho practiced martial arts with his bodyguards.

Uncle Ho had a habit of avoiding overeating, exercising in the morning, not taking a nap, and in the afternoons he would work in the garden and carry firewood for the villagers... Veteran revolutionaries also recounted that during the period leading up to the 18th Central Committee Meeting of the Party in 1941, every morning, Uncle Ho would go to the huts to wake everyone up to exercise by the Khuoi Nam stream, then spend some time farming and bathing in the stream before starting his research and writing.

While in Liuzhou (China), President Ho Chi Minh regularly practiced physical exercise. Many days he practiced Tai Chi and ran 4-5 km, then went to the river to bathe, even on very cold days. Thanks to this regular exercise, he survived a critical illness before the August 1945 General Uprising. Upon returning to Hanoi in 1945-1946, despite his busy schedule, President Ho Chi Minh maintained his habit of waking up early to exercise.

Uncle Ho played volleyball with the security guards.

Recognizing the importance and practicality of physical education and sports, in his capacity as President of the Provisional Government of independent Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh signed Decree No. 14 on January 30, 1946, establishing the Central Physical Education Department within the Ministry of Youth. He understood that physical education was essential for improving the health of the nation and enhancing the Vietnamese race.

At the end of March 1946, President Ho Chi Minh personally wrote an appeal for the entire nation to participate in physical exercise. This appeal was first published in the newspaper Cuu Quoc on March 27, 1946. This was the origin of the "healthy for the nation" movement, which was enthusiastically launched throughout the country by the Central Physical Education Department in 1946.

In his appeal, President Ho Chi Minh instructed us: "Every day upon waking up, do a little exercise. If you exercise every day, your blood will circulate, your spirits will be high, and that will be good health... I myself exercise every day." President Ho Chi Minh himself was a shining example of physical exercise for each of us to follow. He regularly trained with cadres and soldiers by running, walking, swimming, climbing mountains, playing volleyball, etc.

He not only regularly practices martial arts and plays volleyball, but he also diligently takes swimming lessons.

On many occasions, he visited training sites in Nha Trang (now the Friendship Cultural Palace), the Grand Theatre Square, and the SEPPO Stadium (now Hang Day Stadium) early in the morning to encourage the general military and sports training classes. On March 8, 1946, he kicked the ceremonial ball, opening the match between the Hoang Dieu National Salvation Youth Team and the National Guard Team.

During the period 1954-1975, Uncle Ho devoted much time to sports: watching a friendly football match between Hanoi and Khmer teams at Hang Day Stadium (June 1957), attending the inauguration ceremony of Hang Day Stadium and the football match between the Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and Hanoi teams (August 24, 1958), attending the First Northern Youth Swimming Championship (1958, Ba Dinh swimming pool), attending the closing ceremony of the First Hanoi Sports Festival (1961), receiving foreign sports delegations, etc.

Despite being a leader and head of state, Uncle Ho diligently and assiduously maintained his physical fitness like any other person. It was these actions that made him so much more approachable and down-to-earth with us.

On December 19, 1966, while receiving the Vietnamese athletes returning victorious from the Asian GANEFO Games (including renowned athletes like Tran Oanh (shooting), Tran Huu Chi (athletics), Vu Thi Sen (swimming), etc.), President Ho Chi Minh instructed them: “Fighting the American invaders was so arduous and difficult, but our army and people were determined to win. You must be determined to achieve even higher results. To do so, you must unite, help each other in training and competition, and strive hard to be worthy athletes of our heroic nation.”

President Ho Chi Minh's attention has created a Vietnamese sports system that is modern, scientific, advanced, and rich in national identity, and this achievement has established the position of Vietnamese sports in the region and the world.

In particular, besides urging the entire nation to improve their health, President Ho Chi Minh was also a shining example of a proactive and creative self-disciplined approach to health training to serve the Fatherland and the people. His practice of physical exercise and sports remains the most exemplary model for us today and for future generations to follow.

Peace

(Synthetic)