His whole life was dedicated to the nation.
For volume 5, the final volume of the epic novel series "Vietnam, a Thousand Miles of Land and Water" about the life and revolutionary struggle of the great President Ho Chi Minh, author Nguyen The Ky decided to choose a highly generalized title: Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh.
Nguyen Hoai NamMay 14, 2025
With volume 5, the epic novel series concludes.A land stretching for thousands of miles.When writing about the life and revolutionary struggle of the great President Ho Chi Minh, writer Nguyen The Ky decided to choose a title that is highly generalized:Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh.
It could be said that if a literary work begins with its title – as Alexander Pushkin, "the sun of Russian poetry," once remarked – then the titleVietnam - Ho Chi MinhThis type of title encapsulates the core idea of the work right from the start.
"Vietnam"and"Ho Chi Minh"The two components in the novel's title are connected by a hyphen, suggesting to the reader a balance and the possibility of transformation: To speak of Vietnam is to speak of President Ho Chi Minh, because President Ho Chi Minh is considered the most complete, perfect, and beautiful representative of Vietnam. This is perhaps similar to an idea that Nguyen Dinh Thi wrote in 1950, in his poem.Viet Bac homeland: "Here lives a white-haired man / A man without children, yet with millions of children / Our people call him Uncle Ho / His whole life was dedicated to the nation."
The timeline of the stories in this fifth volume begins with:16 hours On October 9, 1954, the last French soldiers silently crossed the Long Bien Bridge, withdrawing from Hanoi.", and it concludes at the moment when Uncle Ho forever leaves his compatriots and comrades, returning to the eternal world of the virtuous:The clock on the wall stopped at 9:47. The calendar stopped at the page indicating September 2, 1969."
That timeframe encompasses the last fifteen years of Uncle Ho's life. For fifteen years, as Chairman of the Vietnam Workers' Party and President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam – the Democratic Republic of Vietnam whose legitimacy the world was forced to recognize after the 1954 Geneva Accords ending the Indochina War, not the Democratic Republic of Vietnam whose government had to temporarily abandon the capital and retreat to Viet Bac for a nine-year resistance against the French – Uncle Ho led the entire Party, the entire people, and the entire army into a new long march: restoring the war-torn economy, boosting production and striving towards socialism in the North; building and strengthening the fighting forces, formulating strategies and resolutely fighting against the Republic of Vietnam government in the South, bravely repelling the aggressions of the US imperialists against Vietnam, leading to the complete liberation of the South and the reunification of Vietnam.
Overall, the events that writer Nguyen The Ky recounts in the story in volume 5 of the series are...A land stretching for thousands of miles.These are all events recorded in official historical documents, "solidified" and widely disseminated for a long time. All of this indicates that, in the 15 years from the time he left the Viet Bac war zone to take over Hanoi until his death, President Ho Chi Minh was always present as a supreme leader, a strategist, and the soul of the revolutionary movements and the history of the nation.
Nguyen The Ky – as a literary creator, a historical and cultural researcher, and a professional political activist – did not construct his novel by stating what was outside or different from reality. Instead, his approach was to firmly adhere to the "unbelievable" facts that everyone knows, while simultaneously finding gaps within those facts that allowed the writer to infuse his imagination with energy, creating details that may not exist in reality but are very plausible, and sometimes even "more real than reality itself."
For example, to understand and feel the pain of the South being divided, and the deep affection and love of President Ho Chi Minh for his compatriots in the South, we have the story of Uncle Ho embracing lawyer Nguyen Van Hieu, head of the delegation of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam visiting the North in October 1962, and saying:The image of my beloved South will always remain in my heart.But Nguyen The Ky made it even more poignant by having Uncle Ho – as a character in the novel – add:In our South, each Each person, each family, has its own suffering. Combining the individual sufferings of each person and each family creates the suffering of Uncle Ho. As long as the country was not unified, and the people were still enduring much suffering and sacrifice, Uncle Ho could not eat or sleep peacefully."And immediately following that, there is a description/comment from the anonymous narrator: "All those present fell silent, tears of emotion, sobs, and longing welled up, soaking their Southern Vietnamese checkered scarves."
As the head of an independent nation with full sovereignty on the international stage, Ho Chi Minh naturally had to conduct diplomatic activities with other countries, both with friendly countries within the socialist bloc and countries with opposing political ideologies. In this respect, as we all know, Ho Chi Minh's core principle was to take Marxist-Leninist viewpoints as his guiding principle, maintain a firm communist stance, and place national interests above all else. With this principle, he demonstrated in historical reality as a highly successful diplomat and always commanded the respect of his partners.
In the novelVietnam - Ho Chi MinhNguyen The Ky delves deeper into this point. For the writer, Ho Chi Minh's diplomatic style was one of humility yet great initiative, full of confidence, elegance, and skill. It wasn't the kind of "diplomatic" skill—sweet talk, smooth talk, solely aimed at winning the other party's favor—but rather the skill of understanding and sincerity.
Ho Chi Minh's 1960 visit to India is a case in point. When attending a rally, he refused to sit in the massive, throne-like chair that Indian Prime Minister J. Nehru had graciously prepared for him, saying:It is an honor for me to be here. Please make me feel at home.And when attending a party, he "adapted to local customs" by humorously remarking to the guests, such as the Indian way of eating with one's hands:Chicken tastes best when eaten with your hands; eating it with a spoon and fork is like talking to your lover through an interpreter."
On the other hand, when dealing with opposing and hostile forces like the American empire, represented by President Lyndon Johnson, Ho Chi Minh showed extreme determination, rigorous argumentation, and forceful, uncompromising language. Below is the full text of the letter Uncle Ho sent to Lyndon Johnson, which means direct dialogue, not a self-conversation about the enemy:
"To Mr. L. Johnson, President of the United States,
Sir,
On February 10, 1967, I received your letter. This is my reply.
Vietnam is thousands of miles away from the United States. The Vietnamese people have never interfered with the United States. However, contrary to the commitment made by the US government representatives at the 1954 Geneva Conference, the US government has continuously intervened in Vietnam, instigating and expanding the war of aggression against South Vietnam in order to permanently divide Vietnam, turning South Vietnam into a new type of colony and a US military base. For more than two years, the US government has also used its air and naval forces to attack the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, an independent and sovereign nation.
The U.S. government committed war crimes, destroyed peace, and committed crimes against humanity. In South Vietnam, half a million American and allied troops used the most brutal weapons and savage tactics, including napalm bombs, chemical weapons, and poison gas, to mass murder our compatriots, destroy crops, and wipe out villages. In North Vietnam, thousands of American planes dropped tens of thousands of tons of bombs and ammunition, destroying cities, villages, factories, bridges, dams, churches, temples, hospitals, and schools. In your letter, you expressed your sorrow over the suffering and destruction in Vietnam. May I ask you...,Who committed those heinous crimes? It was the American military and its allies. The American government bears full responsibility for the extremely serious situation in Vietnam today.
The American war of aggression against the Vietnamese people was a challenge to the countries in the alliance.XSocialism. That war was a threat to the independence movements of nations; at the same time, it seriously jeopardized peace in Asia and the world.
The Vietnamese people deeply yearn for independence, freedom, and peace. However, in the face of American aggression, the Vietnamese people, united as one, unafraid of sacrifice and hardship, rose up in resistance and are determined to fight until they achieve true independence, freedom, and genuine peace. Our just struggle has received strong sympathy and support from people around the world, including broad segments of the American population.
Since the US government waged a war of aggression against Vietnam, the path to peace in Vietnam is for the US to end its aggression. The US government must permanently and unconditionally cease bombing and all other acts of war against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam; withdraw all US and allied troops from South Vietnam; recognize the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam; and allow the Vietnamese people to resolve their internal affairs themselves. This is the basic content of the four-point position of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, reflecting the main principles and provisions of the 1954 Geneva Agreement on Vietnam. It forms the basis for a correct political solution to the Vietnam issue.
In the letter, he suggested that the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the United States should talk directly. If the US government truly wanted to talk, it must first unconditionally cease bombing and all other acts of war against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Only after the US unconditionally ceases bombing and all other acts of war against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam can the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the US talk and discuss issues relevant to both sides.
The Vietnamese people are determined not to submit to force and will not talk in the face of the threat of bombs and bullets.
Our cause is righteous. We hope the US government will act in accordance with what is right.
Hello sir.
Ho Chi Minh"
Of course, this isn't Nguyen The Ky's writing. But the way the author creates situations to incorporate texts by President Ho Chi Minh—in various forms: articles, speeches, appeals, letters of reply, and his Last Will and Testament—into his novel is also noteworthy. Because they fit together organically and very effectively to speak about a great Vietnamese man: President Ho Chi Minh.
Furthermore, unlike the previous four volumes of the novel series.A land stretching for thousands of miles.This fifth volume is purely a chronological narrative style.Vietnam - Ho Chi MinhWe can notice that the author uses the "flashback" technique, similar to that in cinema, in a few places, and it's quite effective. For example, the scene where Uncle Ho visits his hometown in 1957. Entering the old house, looking at the old objects, lighting incense before the altar of his parents, siblings, he suddenly returns to live with fragments of memories, both dear and deeply saddened. This scene is concluded by the author with two commentary sentences, conveying the core idea of the entire novel:In the end, he was the only one left of his family of six. His family now and forever is the Fatherland, the People of North and South Vietnam."
And the work concludes with the author Nguyen The Ky, who in Volume 1 "followed Uncle Ho" from the time the boy Cung was born, "witnessing" the final moments of his life in Volume 5. A peaceful and serene departure, but one that leaves behind an immense legacy and immeasurable sorrow for the entire nation.
"In his restless dreams, he saw his father, mother, his sister Thanh, his brother Khiem, his younger brother Nhuan, and especially his grandmother. His grandmother sat on the porch while the lilies bloomed, filling the air with their fragrance.
He wondered: Is it lily season now?
He recalled the days of sailing the seas, climbing onto chairs to scrub pans or dragging bags of charcoal across the ship's deck. He remembered shoveling snow and clearing chimneys. He remembered the warm meals with loved ones in Philippe's restaurant. It had been so long since he'd heard from those dear friends...
Occasionally he heard a soft murmur, whether from those around him or from his memory. He even heard children laughing and singing. Little one, chubby cheeks...
He felt neither tired nor in pain, only his body growing heavier and heavier, making it difficult even to lift his arm. Ah, there it is, the beeping sound of medical equipment.
A sharp pain shot through his chest. A slight pang, but enough to lull him into an eternal sleep."
