Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton – two men, one style

(Baonghean.vn) - President Ton Duc Thang was a staunch, exemplary communist soldier, a close and intimate comrade of President Ho Chi Minh. Regardless of their positions in the Party and the State, the two Uncles were still invaluable examples of revolutionary ethics and a noble, pure, and simple lifestyle.

Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton.

After the August Revolution succeeded, from Con Dao prison, Uncle Ton returned to the mainland and participated in leading the Revolution. In March 1946, Uncle Ton was mobilized by the Party Central Committee to the North and for the first time met Uncle Ho - leader Nguyen Ai Quoc, whom Uncle Ton had admired since 1919 in France and during his years of imprisonment in Con Dao.

As for Uncle Ho, he heard about the worker Ton Duc Thang who organized a secret union in 1920. In 1926, in China, when sending two comrades Nguyen Van Loi and Tran Trong Binh to Saigon to establish the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association, comrade Ly Thuy (Uncle Ho's alias) instructed: When you arrive in Saigon, you must find a way to contact Ton Duc Thang!

Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton at the 1st National Assembly.

The revolutionary situation in the days before the National Resistance War was very complicated. In the meeting on November 8, 1946, the second session of the first National Assembly, opened at the Hanoi Opera House, when the President of the Provisional Government Ho Chi Minh announced his resignation, giving the National Assembly the power to choose the person to form a new Government, the Southern delegate Ton Duc Thang immediately stood up and loudly stated: "I would like to introduce Uncle Ho Chi Minh, aka patriot Nguyen Ai Quoc, as the person most worthy of forming a new Government!"

Uncle Ton's words represent the voice of the South, which is heroically fighting to protect the independence and unity of the new Vietnam; they are the will and determination of all Vietnamese people to build a peaceful, unified and prosperous country. With the trust of the people and Uncle Ton's introduction, the National Assembly completely trusted President Ho Chi Minh and authorized him to form the new Government.

Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton with ethnic people in Viet Bac.

The national resistance war broke out. History and revolutionary tasks increasingly linked Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton. In June 1948, Uncle Ho issued a call for Patriotic Emulation. Before that, Uncle Ho and the Party Central Committee Standing Committee decided to appoint Uncle Ton, a member of the Party Central Committee, as Head of the Central Committee for Patriotic Emulation.

In the Viet Bac resistance base, Uncle Ho often invited Uncle Ton to meet him to discuss and exchange ideas on specific tasks to promote the emulation movement of resistance and national construction.

In November 1948, Uncle Ho sent a letter to Uncle Ton, the letter said: “...In my humble opinion, we need to train cadres, and train commune cadres first. Then select the most capable cadres, and gradually promote them to become district, provincial and regional cadres... In short, we need a proper training program... In my humble opinion, I would like you and the Central Emulation Committee to consider and discuss carefully. I wish you good health and send you my warm greetings and determination to win”...

President Ho and Vice President Ton Duc Thang received President Secu Toure, President of the Republic of Guinea, who visited our country in 1960.

In July 1960, Uncle Ton was elected Vice President by the National Assembly. That year, Uncle Ton was 72 years old. He did not accept a personal secretary to help him, saying that there was not much work and that using one official would be wasteful. Uncle Ho did not agree with that idea and told us in the Office to arrange the work so that there would be someone to help Uncle Ton.

In 1958, on the occasion of Uncle Ton's 70th birthday (August 20), the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam decided to award Uncle Ton the Gold Star Medal - the most noble award. At the awarding ceremony, before pinning the Gold Star Medal on Uncle Ton's chest, Uncle Ho was very happy and moved to say: "...Comrade Ton Duc Thang is 70 years old but very young, to the Party, he is 28 years old; to independent Vietnam, he is 13 years old. As a national revolutionary and world revolutionary, Comrade Ton Duc Thang was one of the first Vietnamese to participate in the struggle to protect the great October Revolution...

Comrade Ton Duc Thang is a model of revolutionary morality: a lifelong person of diligence, thrift, integrity, and uprightness; a lifetime of wholehearted service to the revolution and the people... On behalf of the people and the Government, I respectfully present to Comrade Ton Duc Thang the Gold Star Order, the most noble order of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, of which Comrade Ton Duc Thang is the first and most deserving person to receive this Order.

Youth representatives of the year volunteered to gather around Uncle Ton.

Uncle Ton emotionally replied: "President Ho Chi Minh's words today will forever encourage me to be loyal until the last minute in the struggle for peace and unification of our beloved country, for socialism, for happiness and peace of all humanity."

In 1968, when Uncle Ton turned 80 years old, Uncle Ho came to wish his old friend a long life and gave him two verses of poetry:

"The older you get, the stronger your will becomes,

"Fighting America and saving the country, few people are better than Gia."

Uncle Ho was very concerned about Uncle Ton's health. He often told the doctors and staff to take the best care of Uncle Ton. Uncle Ton was an active person, practiced sports, and loved to ride his bicycle to the suburbs early in the morning. Knowing this, Uncle Ho told Uncle Ton to be careful when exercising, especially when riding a bicycle, to ensure safety.

The brave female American fighter Ho Thi Thu is telling about her exploits to Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton.

Whenever receiving guests, especially when receiving delegates from the South or visiting children from the South, Uncle Ho always invited Uncle Ton to attend. During the years when Uncle Ho's health declined, his steps were no longer as agile as before. One time, when appearing with Uncle Ton in front of a large crowd of people, Uncle Ho said: "Let me hold your hand so that the people won't see!" That statement of Uncle Ho brought tears to many of the brothers and sisters serving him.

After Uncle Ho passed away, in a special session in mid-September 1969, the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam elected Uncle Ton as President. Upon receiving this responsibility, Uncle Ton emotionally stated: "To succeed President Ho is a great honor for me."

Uncle Ton Duc Thang with children.

On April 30, 1975, the South was completely liberated. Uncle Ton went to Saigon to attend the victory celebration. On the morning of May 15, 1975, in a solemn ceremony held in front of the Reunification Palace, Uncle Ton read a greeting to the army and people of the whole country, and at the same time expressed his gratitude for Uncle Ho's immense contributions to the nation's revolutionary cause.

Uncle Ton recalled Uncle Ho's will: "On the day of victory, I will travel across the North and South to congratulate our compatriots, cadres and heroic soldiers..." The joy and emotion were clearly shown on the faces of our comrades and compatriots, many of whom could not hold back their tears...

Uncle Ton Duc Thang happily returned to visit the South after the country's reunification.

As an outstanding and exemplary leader, Uncle Ton Duc Thang forever left behind an extremely valuable legacy of ideology, morality and style, not expressed through poems and theoretical works but through his brilliance in practical revolutionary activities that were rich in party spirit, combativeness, humanity and a brilliant expression of dynamic and creative thinking.

Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton, two great souls met and shared the same concern for doing practical and noble things for the people and the country with a simple and shining example; sacrificing their whole lives for the nation.

Peace(Synthetic)