Lenin Monument in Vinh City: Further cementing traditional friendship

As a Vietnamese citizen who has lived in Germany for many years but has always been concerned about the situation of the country, especially the development of Nghe An - my homeland, I was extremely excited to hear that the statue of Lenin is about to be inaugurated in the center of Vinh city. Thus, from now on in my homeland Vietnam, after the capital Hanoi, Vinh is the second city to have a majestic and imposing statue of Lenin.

It is known that in 2015, Nghe An province coordinated with Ulyanov province (Russian Federation) to build a statue of President Ho Chi Minh in Ulyanov province. In 2017, the delegation of Nghe An province led by comrade Nguyen Xuan Son - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council coordinated with the government of the neighboring country, the Association of Vietnamese Solidarity in Ulyanov to organize the inauguration ceremony of the statue of President Ho Chi Minh made of pure copper, 5m high, 3m high pedestal, according to the prototype in Ho Chi Minh Square, Nghe An province in an area of ​​over 2,000m2.²The location of the statue of President Ho Chi Minh is the central area of ​​the city of Ulyanov of the province of the same name, at the intersection of Ho Chi Minh Avenue, located in the complex of Ho Chi Minh Square - High School 76 (now renamed Ho Chi Minh High School).

The Central Party Secretariat agreed to the policy of building a statue of Lenin in Vinh City at the proposal of Ulyanov Province with the agreement that Ulyanov Province would cast the statue of Lenin in the Russian Federation and transport it to Vinh City for installation. Nghe An Province would be responsible for building the grounds for the statue. The Ulyanov Provincial Government's gift of the statue of Lenin to Nghe An Province was to contribute to tightening the good cooperative relationship between the two provinces, consolidating the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Russian Federation.

Despite all the distortions and slanders (even brutal acts) aimed at negatively affecting the reputation of the genius leader of the working class and laboring people around the world, the system of scientific and revolutionary viewpoints of the enlightening nature of V. Lenin is still widely disseminated and responded to; statues of the genius leader of the working class, laboring people and oppressed peoples around the world are still erected in many places for humanity to admire and remember.

Right in the Federal Republic of Germany - one of the leading countries in the West, on June 20, 2020, in front of its headquarters in the city of Gelsenkirchen, the Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD) held an inauguration ceremony for the VI Lenin monument to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his birth. It was the first VI Lenin monument built in Western Germany.

I remember when I went to high school in my hometown, I learned and read a lot about the exemplary man VI Lenin. When I was in grade 10 of high school (10/10 system), I studied politics and became familiar with the basic concepts of Marxism-Leninism. At the Law University in the GDR, I learned and became familiar with Lenin's doctrine, especially the theory of building a rule-of-law state. Later, when the Vietnamese government allowed me to immigrate to the GDR for family reasons, and then became a scientific officer of the Faculty of Law at the University of Jena, I had the time and opportunity to study the classic works of VI Lenin. That in-depth knowledge helped me have a clear and solid political viewpoint based on Marxism-Leninism. That is the reason why I have always steadfastly defended Lenin's doctrine, fought without compromise to expose the faces of anti-communist forces at home and abroad.

It must be said frankly that the argument that Leninism is outdated is part of the psychological warfare against Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought. In both theory and practice, this argument is completely unconvincing to those who have an objective and sober view. The financial and economic crisis of the capitalist system on a global scale in recent decades has shown that Marxism-Leninism has made accurate predictions. The recent upheavals in the overthrow of pro-Western governments in a number of African countries - which were once colonies of the colonialists - show that Leninism continues to be the guiding principle for the struggle for independence and the abolition of colonialism in all its forms.

That helps explain why there are still many works in the world named after Lenin. Those works are present from Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Moldova, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan,... to Albania, Bulgaria, England, Hungary, Venezuela, Vietnam, Germany, Greece, India, Zimbabwe, Denmark, Italy, Cuba, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, USA, Finland, France, Czech Republic, Sweden... That widespread shows Lenin's prestige, his image is still deeply imprinted in the world's people.

Following the news, I am increasingly indignant at the nonsense of anti-communist forces, disgruntled elements, individuals and organizations with ill will towards the Party and State of Vietnam, when they loudly proclaim that this is a waste of money and unreasonable because Nghe An is one of the poorest provinces, and Lenin's doctrine is outdated! According to my observations and assessments, such arguments can only have a negative impact on people with bad intentions or who lack understanding.

Regarding the cost, first of all, it must be said that the statue of VI Lenin is a gift from Ulyanov province, which means that the monumental work of art is given free of charge to Vinh City. Moreover, the transportation cost to Hai Phong Port is also covered by the province, Nghe An province only takes care of the transportation cost from Hai Phong to Vinh, organizing the planning and construction of the foundation to place the statue.

This happy event is a golden opportunity for the "democratic radicals" to attack the Nghe An provincial government, using the trick of mentioning GRDP. But the scale of GDP/GRDP is only part of a perspective, not the whole picture, and certainly not the only factor used to evaluate the economic, social and cultural development of a country or a locality. As we know, Nghe An belongs to the group of localities with a large population, and very difficult natural conditions... Therefore, Nghe An cannot be in the group of leading provinces in the country in terms of per capita income.

Meanwhile, the economic, social and cultural development of Nghe An in reality shows a completely different picture, full of optimism and encouragement. Many times returning to Nghe An, I am truly amazed at the positive changes of the province in recent years. I would like to add that my father's two elder brothers lived almost their entire lives in Cau Giat town, Quynh Luu district and passed away there. Their descendants now live in many different places in Nghe An province. When I visited them, I saw that they all had a very comfortable and prosperous material life.

Another reason for the Ulyanov and Nghe An provincial governments to erect a statue of Lenin in the Soviet homeland of Nghe Tinh is humanity, the practice of the Vietnamese people's morality of "When drinking water, remember its source" and "When eating fruit, remember the person who planted the tree". In the struggle to regain national independence and unify the country, the Government and people of Lenin's country wholeheartedly helped us in every aspect. The children of the Soviet Union, later the Russian Federation, stood shoulder to shoulder with us in the fight for independence, for the survival of the Fatherland and for national construction. The Communist Party of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh's skillful application of Lenin's doctrine to Vietnamese practice led the Vietnamese revolution to overcome countless difficulties, and has been bringing Vietnam's position to a new height. In the context of a changing world, Vietnam's foreign policy requires a deeper and more creative understanding of Lenin's assessment and evaluation of the process of human development, human relations, and the construction of socialism...

It must be affirmed that the placement of the Lenin statue in Vinh City is a manifestation of the friendship between Vietnam and Russia, and at the same time a cultural and artistic symbol, expressing the affection that the people of the two provinces have had and will have for each other. The Lenin statue will create more beautiful space and be a highlight in the modern urban appearance in the center of Vinh City. Moreover, it can be believed that, from this cultural diplomacy activity, the two provinces will be more closely linked in bilateral cooperation activities in the fields of investment, trade, health, education and training, tourism, etc.