Uncle Ho's sacred testament and Nghe An's development aspirations

That is why, in addition to the two visits to his homeland (1957 and 1961), from 1945 to 1969, he sent 23 private letters to the Party Committee, government, army and people of Nghe An to convey his feelings, wishes and aspirations for the development of his homeland.

The letter sent to the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Workers' Party in Nghe An Province, dated July 21, 1969, was the last letter. What is special is that, with a length of only 1,112 words, the letter has expressed some of the contents of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality, and style on the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country. Thereby, not only affirming the meaning and theoretical value of the letter, but also having practical significance in the current cause of building and defending the Fatherland.

Uncle Ho visited his homeland for the first time in 1957. Photo: Archive

He said: “I have only one desire, an utmost desire, which is to make our country completely independent, our people completely free, everyone has food to eat, clothes to wear, everyone can study”... While he was alive, he devoted all his kindness and warmth to his compatriots, children and grandchildren, old and young, men and women, in the North and South, in the lowlands and highlands. When he passed away, he “left behind a lot of love for all the people, the whole Party, the whole army, the youth and children”[4].

Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality, and style on the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country in his last letter to the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee are expressed in the following basic contents: Building and developing Nghe An to be rich, strong, and prosperous, improving the people's knowledge, and seeking happiness for the people.

President Ho Chi Minh mentioned the aspiration to build and develop Nghe An into a rich and prosperous one, to improve the people's knowledge, and to seek happiness for the people in many articles, speeches, and letters to Nghe An. That demonstrated the leader's responsibility for the local development and his deep affection for his beloved homeland.

The homeland of Nghe An always existed deep in Uncle Ho's heart. He not only recognized the disadvantages and difficulties of his homeland, but also clearly understood the advantages of natural conditions and the cultural values ​​of Nghe An people: "A large province, with rich resources, with hard-working and very revolutionary people". Therefore, in the letter dated July 21, 1969, Uncle Ho expressed an aspiration: "I sincerely hope that the people and comrades of the province will strive to make Nghe An quickly become one of the most prosperous provinces in the North" [1]. This aspiration became his Testament for his homeland of Nghe An.

Along with the aspiration for Nghe An to become “the most prosperous province in the North”, in the letter, President Ho Chi Minh also mentioned the aspiration to improve the people’s knowledge and seek happiness for the people. To do that, according to Uncle Ho, the Nghe An Party Committee needs to make every effort to lead the implementation of comprehensive economic recovery and development, considering this an urgent task and must be done well, because “Nghe An has forests and seas”. Uncle Ho pointed out specific directions and tasks to develop Nghe An’s economy. Regarding agriculture: It is necessary to promote livestock breeding and industrial crop cultivation to have more raw materials for industry and goods for export. In the immediate future, it is necessary to strive to fight drought, try to plant crops on time, in order to “produce more food to improve people’s lives and meet the requirements of the State”[2];

Regarding forestry, fisheries, and salt production: It is necessary to do better in exploiting wood and forest products; have plans for planting trees and protecting forests, quickly restore and develop fishing, and develop salt production; Regarding economic development in mountainous areas: do well in settling down mountainous people, need to direct closely and have good ethnic cadres to mobilize the people; Regarding industry and handicrafts: Must produce many tools for tilling the land, irrigation, transportation, etc. to "provide many good and cheap consumer goods for the people" [3]. Only then, economic development will truly bring prosperity and happiness to the people.

Image of Uncle Ho visiting his hometown for the second time. Documentary photo

Realizing Uncle Ho's aspiration and testament, through the revolutionary stages, the Party Committee, government and people of Nghe An always clearly identified the responsibility of Uncle Ho's hometown people, united, unanimous, and made efforts to develop the province's economy, culture and society to bring prosperity and happiness to the people.

It can be affirmed that the basis for forming Ho Chi Minh's thoughts, ethics, and style about the aspiration to develop Nghe An into a prosperous and happy one through his last letter to Nghe An comes from inheriting the traditional cultural values ​​of the Vietnamese people, the quintessence of human culture; from his homeland Nghe An; from Ho Chi Minh's personal qualities.

For Nghe An, in the myriad of Uncle Ho's love for "the homeland of great affection", there is also the responsibility of the head of the country towards a locality. More than anyone else, President Ho Chi Minh always understood the difficulties of terrain, soil, natural conditions... And Uncle understood clearly, it was from that harshness that the culture of Nghe An people was forged with good values, overcoming difficulties, in the struggle for national liberation and being rich in love, optimism and steadfastness.

Nghe An people welcomed Uncle Ho to visit his hometown for the second time on December 9, 1961. Photo: Archive

With his personal qualities, the most outstanding is the quality of a patriot, a passionate communist revolutionary soldier, loving the people, loving the suffering, ready to accept the highest sacrifices for the independence of the Fatherland, for the freedom and happiness of the people. As written in the eulogy of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Workers' Party before saying goodbye to him: "President Ho's greatest ambition is for the Fatherland to be liberated, for the people to be happy".

Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style on self-reliance, self-improvement and the aspiration to develop Nghe An province are invaluable spiritual assets and "compasses" for the Party Committee, government, army and people of Nghe An to act through revolutionary periods, especially in the period of promoting industrialization, modernization of the country, integration and development, achieving many important victories. As affirmed by comrade Truong Dinh Tuyen - former Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, former Minister of Trade, Head of the Economic - Social Advisory Group of Nghe An province: "In the last letter, Uncle said that Nghe An is a large land area, populous, with traditions, so Nghe An must strive to soon become one of the most prosperous provinces in the North. That is Uncle's wish, many generations of leaders of Nghe An province have struggled to realize Uncle's wish".

Cua Hoi Bridge seen from above. Photo by Le Thang

In 2021, the entire Party, the entire army and our people will step up the implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress; the theme of studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and lifestyle for the entire term and the resolutions of the Party Congresses at all levels... We will further appreciate the great theoretical values ​​in Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and lifestyle on the will to be self-reliant and self-reliant, the aspiration to develop Nghe An province to be prosperous and happy. At the same time, we will clearly recognize the responsibility to thoroughly grasp and study his ideology, morality and lifestyle in order to contribute to the successful implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress; effectively apply and implement the theme of the entire term on "Studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and lifestyle" for the 13th National Party Congress term; determined to successfully implement the general goal set by the 19th Nghe An Provincial Party Congress, term 2020 - 2025: "Building a clean and strong Party and political system. Promoting the historical and cultural traditions, the people of Nghe An, the will to be self-reliant and the aspiration to rise up; proactively innovating and creating, bringing Nghe An to develop rapidly and sustainably; firmly ensuring national defense and security; striving to make Nghe An a fairly developed province in the Northern region by 2025, and a fairly developed province in the whole country by 2030"[5].

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[1], [2], [3], [4] Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, vol.15, pp.597, 595, 596, 627-628.

[5] The 19th Congress of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee (2020), Resolution of the 19th Congress of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, term 2020-2025, Nghe An.