Uncle Ho with the Spring of the Party, the country and the people

Our Party was born in the spring - the spring of the country and the people. So from then until now, especially since the country's independence and reunification, every time Tet comes, Spring comes, our people celebrate the New Year, celebrate Spring, celebrate the Party, celebrate the country, celebrate the people. Those celebrations blend together into one, creating great spiritual strength for the Fatherland to move forward.

Uncle Ho, the beloved leader of our Party and people, is the shining embodiment of revolution and resistance, of national independence and socialism. From the successful August Revolution, the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam until his eternal departure, he spent 24 years with the entire people and army celebrating Tet and enjoying Spring. Every year, Uncle Ho sent letters or poems wishing him a happy New Year.

If anyone were to ask which of the 24 Tets was the most special for Uncle Ho, the answer would be: No! It is impossible to say which Tet was the most special, because each of Uncle Ho's Tets had its own unique features that cannot be simply measured. But if I had to choose any, this spring, I would take Tet Mau Ty 1948 as an example. Mau Ty 1948 is exactly 70 years from Mau Tuat 2018.

Mau Tuat 2018 is the third year of implementing the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress, and also the third year of the sprint period, aiming to soon turn our country into a basically modern industrialized country.

Mau Ty 1948 was also the third year of the resistance war against French colonialism, since the outbreak of the National Resistance War; it was the opening year of the holding period to prepare for the general counterattack in the next stage.

That year, our army and people had just gone through a test of fire, crushing the enemy's strategic Autumn-Winter offensive aimed at destroying the resistance forces right at the Viet Bac base. That year, in the still-warm echoes of victory, Uncle Ho sent a "New Year's greeting letter" to the people and soldiers across the country:

The Year of the Pig has passed.

The Year of the Rat has just arrived

Send greetings to compatriots

The resistance was victorious…

On February 7, 1948 (ie December 28, Dinh Hoi year), Uncle Ho invited delegates of the National Assembly Standing Committee, the Government Council, the Party Central Committee Standing Committee, the General Command... to attend the New Year's Eve dinner and welcome the New Year. Discussing the resistance war, he said: "Long-term resistance war requires long-term mobilization. Mobilize spirit, mobilize material, mobilize human and financial resources to carry out the entire people's resistance war, comprehensive resistance war, both resistance and nation building, to quickly change our position and strength".

On February 24, 1948 (ie the 15th day of the first lunar month of the year of the Rat), Uncle Ho wrote a letter praising all the troops of Zone 2 and Zone 3 for their achievements in eliminating illiteracy. In the letter, he stated: “Ignorance is also an enemy. An ignorant enemy helps foreign invaders... The colonialist enemy relies on an ignorant enemy to carry out the strategy of keeping people ignorant. The ignorant enemy relies on the colonialist enemy to lead our people into blindness”. He also advised: “Learning is endless... An army that is good at literature or martial arts is an invincible army”.

At night, after attending a conference in a “deep and peaceful place”, he sailed back to his base. Taking advantage of the bright moonlight and beautiful scenery, he composed a poem in Chinese characters titled “Nguyen Tieu”; translated as:

Full moon in January

The full moon of spring shines brightly,

Spring river water mixed with sky color adds spring.

In the midst of military discussions,

Late at night, the boat is filled with the silver moon.

(Translated by Xuan Thuy)

Discussing military affairs, the poetry is so elegant and profound!

Before and after the Tet Mau Ty 1948, President Ho Chi Minh made major decisions to strengthen the resistance. He chaired the (enlarged) Central Committee Conference of the Party to assess changes in the comparison of enemy and our forces and to propose political, military and economic tasks. He chaired many meetings of the Government Council and the Inter-Ministerial Council to discuss organizational and personnel issues, conferring military ranks, and developing emulation movements.

He signed a series of decrees to confer military ranks on many generals with outstanding martial arts achievements, to merge regions into inter-regions, to appoint leaders of administrative resistance committees of regions, zones, ministries and central branches, marking an important step in reforming the military apparatus and government at all levels.

According to Decree No. 110/SL dated January 20, 1948, President Ho Chi Minh promoted the rank of General to the Commander-in-Chief of the National Army and the Militia and Self-Defense Force Vo Nguyen Giap. Other decrees promoted the rank of Lieutenant General to the Chief of War Zone 7 and Military Commissioner of the Southern Region Nguyen Binh; promoted the rank of Major General to: Chief of the General Staff of the Army Hoang Van Thai, Chief of War Zone 4 Nguyen Son, Chief of War Zone 2 Hoang Sam, Chief of War Zone 1 Chu Van Tan, Head of the Cadre Inspection Department Tran Tu Binh, Director of the Political Department Van Tien Dung, Political Commissar of War Zone 2 Le Hien Mai, Director of the Military Equipment Department Tran Dai Nghia.

Regarding the government, he signed a decree recognizing the following: Le Dinh Tham as Chairman of the Resistance Committee and Administration of South Central Vietnam; Ho Tung Mau as Chairman of the Resistance Committee and Administration of Inter-zone 4...

Sending a letter to the National Intelligence Conference, he praised the efforts and initiatives of the cadres and reminded: “From top to bottom, everyone must try to research and study. We must not hide our ignorance, must not be ashamed, learn from each other, learn from outsiders. Our organization is still young, with little experience. We have only one way to keep up with and surpass others: Try to learn.”

In a letter to the Director of the Police Department of Zone 12, he raised six points about the "qualities of a revolutionary police officer", which to this day, the police force continues to launch study movements.

Sending a letter to the National Judicial Conference, he advised: As a law enforcement officer, "we must uphold the example of 'serving the public, upholding the law, being impartial and selfless' (serving the public, upholding the law means taking care of public affairs and upholding the law).

Uncle Ho always reminded leaders to know how to value talented people, respect and learn from the people, and listen to the opinions of scholars and intellectuals. He presented General Nguyen Son, a talented and charismatic general, with a letter in Chinese characters, which roughly read:

For Uncle Son:

The liver must be big

(but) The mind should be delicate and mature.

The mind must think comprehensively.

(and) Virtue must be square and upright.

The Spring of Mau Ty 1948, like every other spring, before and after, Uncle Ho always devoted himself to caring for the country, the people, the Party, work and every person.

This year, the Mau Tuat Spring 2018, like every other spring since he passed away, we still feel as if Uncle Ho is always with us. We hope that this spring will start a new year full of prosperity. The work of building and rectifying the Party, building a streamlined and effective leadership and management apparatus will reap many new results; the study and following of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style will continue to be promoted, so that the country's spring garden will increasingly blossom, blossom and bear fruit.

Spring of the Dog 2018