Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang: Ho Chi Minh's thought, ethics, and style - an invaluable legacy of the Vietnamese nation and revolution.

Nghe An Newspaper respectfully presents the opening remarks and introductory speech of the seminar by Professor Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang - Member of the Political Bureau, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, and Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council.

Dear Comrade Luong Tam Quang - Member of the Political Bureau, Minister of Public Security!

Dear members of the Central Committee of the Party, representatives of the leadership of central departments, ministries, and agencies, local authorities, and leaders of Nghe An province!

OfficersOh my god!

President Ho Chi Minh – a national liberation hero, an outstanding cultural figure, a brilliant leader, and a great teacher of the Party and the Vietnamese revolution. He paved the way and guided our nation on its journey of struggle for national independence and freedom, and for the happiness of the people. He is the shining embodiment of Vietnamese patriotism, of the will and aspiration of...Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom."It is the embodiment of the beauty of the intellect, character, spirit, and conscience of the nation and the era; it is a noble symbol that endlessly inspires people around the world who always yearn for freedom, justice, and peace."

To commemorate the 135th anniversary of the birth of our beloved President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890 – May 19, 2025), today, in Vinh City, Nghe An Province, his hometown, we solemnly organize this seminar:"President Ho Chi Minh - a sublime symbol of the nation's will and aspirations for independence, freedom, and happiness for the people."Amidst the atmosphere of the historic month of May, filled with excitement and pride, the entire Party, army, and people of Vietnam solemnly commemorate the 50th anniversary of the complete liberation of the South and the reunification of the country; and are striving to successfully implement the Resolution of the 13th National Congress and the political tasks for 2025; moving towards the successful organization of Party congresses at all levels leading up to the 14th National Congress of the Party. On behalf of the Organizing Committee of the conference, I would like to extend my best wishes and greetings to the leaders, scientists, and all participants of the conference.

Comrades!

At the beginning of the 20th century, when our country was immersed in the darkness of colonial and feudal rule, and the national liberation struggle seemed to have no way out, a shining star appeared – the young man Nguyen Tat Thanh, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh, carrying a patriotic heart and a burning desire for independence and freedom, set out to find a way to save the country. With extraordinary willpower, sharp intellect, and a vision ahead of his time, he embarked on a long and arduous journey, carrying the sacred spirit of the nation and the eternal aspiration for independence. With the keen political insight of a genius, he embraced the light of Marxism-Leninism, and from there, found the only correct path to national liberation – the path of proletarian revolution.

From a patriotic young man, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh became the first communist fighter of Vietnam, carrying the sacred historical mission of paving the way for the struggle for national independence. He revealed the truth:A revolution must first have a revolutionary party (...) Only with a strong party can the revolution succeed, just as a ship can only sail if the helmsman is steady."In the spring of 1930, under his leadership, the communist organizations in the country merged into a single political party – the Communist Party of Vietnam, confidently stepping onto the historical stage, affirming its mission to lead the national liberation revolution."

After 30 years of wandering in search of a way to save the country, he returned to his homeland to directly lead the Vietnamese revolution; he perfected the strategic guidelines, placing the task of national liberation at the forefront:To expel the Japanese and the French in order to establish a free and independent Vietnam."Under the banner of the Party, responding to the call of President Ho Chi Minh"Use your own strength to liberate yourself."with burning determination"Even if we have to burn down the entire Truong Son mountain range, we must resolutely fight to achieve independence.In the autumn of 1945, the entire Vietnamese nation rose up to launch the General Uprising, achieving the historic victory of the earth-shattering August Revolution, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. This was a great rebirth of a resilient and indomitable nation, ushering in an era of independence, freedom, and socialism – the most glorious Ho Chi Minh era in our nation's thousand-year history of nation-building and national defense.

President Ho Chi Minh is a symbol of unwavering faith in victory, the embodiment of the iron will and indomitable spirit of an entire nation, as expressed in his oath on behalf of the new Vietnamese government before the entire nation and its people:We are determined to dedicate all our spirit and strength, our lives and possessions, to upholding our freedom and independence."

During the resistance war against the French colonial invasion, he was a symbol of Vietnamese wisdom, courage, and spirit. He ignited the flame in the entire nation with his resounding call:We would rather sacrifice everything than lose our country, than be enslaved."That was the unwavering will, the sacred oath that forged the path of all-people, comprehensive, protracted, and self-reliant resistance. Under his leadership, our nation wrote a great epic – the Dien Bien Phu Victory."Famous throughout the world, shaking the earth."This marked the glorious end of the protracted resistance war, bringing honor to Vietnam and illuminating the golden pages of the Party's history – creating a symbol of the victory of justice and providing enduring inspiration to nations struggling for freedom and independence around the world."

During the resistance war against the US to save the nation, President Ho Chi Minh was a symbol of courage and wisdom of the era, a blazing torch of patriotism and revolutionary heroism. He led the Party and our people to continue writing the heroic epic of the era, with the immortal truth:Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom.”, “NVietnam is one, the Vietnamese people are one; rivers may dry up, mountains may erode, but that truth will never change."His invincible banner led the way, bringing about the Great Victory of Spring 1975, with the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, named after him, completely liberating the South, reuniting the country, and fulfilling the aspiration of 'North and South united as one family.' That was a victory of century-long significance."like a Chi Lang, a Bach Dang, a Dong Da of the 20th century"...bringing our nation into a new era – an era of independence, unity, peace, and the whole country moving towards socialism."

Comrades!

The life of President Ho Chi MinhTruly pure and beautiful: Beautiful from adolescence to the very end; beautiful in intellect, morality, and style; beautiful in small things to big things; beautiful in the past, in the present, and shining brightly into the future."

Throughout his life, President Ho Chi Minh had only one desire, one ultimate desire:"The goal is to ensure that our country achieves complete independence, our people enjoy complete freedom, and our compatriots..."usEveryone has enough to eat, everyone has access to an education."That is also the aspiration of an entire nation, the guiding truth for millions of Vietnamese hearts. With the ideal of serving the country and the people, President Ho Chi Minh once affirmed:"Whenever and wherever I am, I pursue only one goal: to benefit the nation and its people."That was the sacred oath, the guiding principle for all of his actions throughout his life of work and dedication.

After the country gained independence, imbued with the principle of continuous revolution, President Ho Chi Minh led the Vietnamese revolution to continue its progress, linking the national democratic revolution with the socialist revolution to liberate humanity and bring prosperity and happiness to the people. He clearly demonstrated the superiority of the new regime, with the noble goal of building a just and compassionate society."Without exploitation, everyone would be happy, glorious, free, and equal—a world worthy of humankind."He emphasized:"An independent country where the people do not enjoy happiness and freedom is meaningless."Based on that ideology, he led the Government in formulating comprehensive socio-economic development strategies, aiming to build the economy of the new regime – for the people, for the happiness of the people, so that:"The goal is to ensure that the poor have enough to eat, those who have enough to eat become moderately wealthy, and those who are moderately wealthy become even wealthier."

In the process of building the new regime, President Ho Chi Minh initiated the nationwide patriotic emulation movement, igniting the spirit of patriotism through practical actions and motivating the entire population."Using the people's talents and strength to benefit the people."He was not only a great revolutionary leader but also an outstanding cultural figure, who early on laid the foundation for a cultural development strategy where culture became the soul of the nation."Culture guides the nation's path."And human beings are the goal of all development; every citizen must live in equal conditions and have the opportunity for comprehensive development in the new regime. As a great educator, President Ho Chi Minh understood that:"An ignorant nation is a weak nation."Therefore, right from the early days of independence, he led the fight against "ignorance"...bringing the light of knowledge to every village, every home, every heart of Vietnam. He was the one who directed...""Building the education system"new, innovative"National, scientific, and popular"and nurture a new generation of revolutionaries for all time to come.

With strategic vision and astute thinking, President Ho Chi Minh paid special attention to building a national defense system based on the entire population, a people's security system, and a people's war strategy linked to "the people's support"Solid. Those concerned with building the people's armed forces, with the Army and the Police as the core, must...""Every task will be completed, every difficulty will be overcome, every enemy will be defeated."He is also a symbol of national unity, harnessing the strength of the people, combining national strength with the strength of the times, of the noble spirit of international solidarity, of a foreign policy of peace, friendship, and cooperation, and of the motto "Maintain constancy while adapting to change.,"Make more friends, fewer enemies."Extending our arms to friends from all over the world to develop together.

As the founder, leader, and mentor of our Party, President Ho Chi Minh always emphasized the importance of Party building and rectification, so that our Party would truly be effective."It is morality, it is civilization."He continuously nurtured and strengthened the close relationship between the Party and the people, resolutely fought against individualism, and enhanced the political acumen and revolutionary ethics of each cadre and Party member. He himself was a vivid and noble embodiment of revolutionary ethics – with a simple yet approachable, sincere, selfless, and benevolent lifestyle. He inherited the essence of the nation's traditional ethics, distilled the progressive values ​​of humanity to build revolutionary ethical standards, becoming a tremendous source of strength in the cause of national liberation, social liberation, and human liberation.

President Ho Chi Minh was a brilliant symbol of the democratic spirit – from thought to practice, from small matters to large ones. He always affirmed that practicing democracy is the universal key to solving all problems. On that foundation, he dedicated his entire life to building a new type of state – the democratic state."Of the people, by the people, for the people."

Before his passing, he left behind for the entire Party and the entire nation a heartfelt admonition, a noble and enduring goal that remains the guiding principle for all our actions today:"The entire Party and all the people of Vietnam unite and strive to build a peaceful, unified, independent, democratic, and prosperous Vietnam, making a worthy contribution to the world revolutionary cause."

Comrades!

Applying and creatively developing Ho Chi Minh's thought, ethics, and style in every step and strategic decision, our Party has led the comprehensive and synchronized acceleration of the renovation, development, and deep international integration process, achieving great achievements of historical significance. From a poor and backward country, Vietnam has become a developing country with near-high middle income, a dynamic economy, stable politics and society, strong national defense and security, and an increasingly improved standard of living for its people. On these foundations, we have the right to be proud, confident, self-reliant, and strong, advancing into a new era of development – ​​an era of national progress, as General Secretary To Lam affirmed.

Commemorating the 135th anniversary of the birth of the great President Ho Chi Minh, and together with the whole nation remembering and expressing gratitude for his immense contributions, today's seminar is a significant event, an opportunity for us to continue to honor and deeply internalize Ho Chi Minh's thought, morality, and style – an invaluable legacy of the Vietnamese nation and revolution – in the cause of building, developing the country, and defending the Fatherland. With that spirit, I propose that you focus your discussions on and further deepen the following key points:

The first, Continuing to apply and creatively develop Ho Chi Minh's ideology, working together in unity, seizing every opportunity and advantage, overcoming all difficulties and challenges, and resolutely striving to successfully achieve the goal of Vietnam becoming a developing country with modern industry and high middle income by 2030; and becoming a developed country with high income by 2045, following the socialist orientation; realizing the aspiration to build a Vietnam that is "peace, unity, democracy, and prosperity”, “more decent, bigger and more beautiful”, “standing shoulder to shoulder with the world's leading powers."as was the sacred wish of Uncle Ho during his lifetime."

It is necessary to concretize the ideas of President Ho Chi Minh to effectively implement current strategic decisions on economic growth targets; to comprehensively improve development institutions, remove all bottlenecks and barriers to unleash all resources, especially those within the people; to develop the private sector to truly become the most important driving force of the national economy; to establish a new growth model associated with breakthroughs in science and technology, innovation, and national digital transformation; to combat corruption, negative practices, and waste; to reorganize provincial-level administrative units, abolish district-level units, merge commune-level units, and build a two-tiered local government model, creating a fundamental transformation in national governance methods, local socio-economic development management and operation, and optimizing the mobilization and allocation of resources in line with the country's new development foundation; To build a regular, elite, and modern armed force and a comprehensive, modern diplomacy with a distinct Vietnamese identity in the new era.

Monday,Deeply imbued with and creatively developing Ho Chi Minh's thought on "the people are the foundation," the people being the center and subject of the revolutionary cause, President Ho Chi Minh always kept in mind:"In the sky, nothing is more precious than the people. In the world, nothing is stronger than the united force of the people."It is necessary to thoroughly understand this ideology in order to effectively implement the Party and State's guidelines and policies on strengthening national unity, promoting the strength of the people, expanding the people's right to self-governance, and ensuring that the people are truly masters and rulers. In particular, utmost attention must be paid to improving the people's lives, linking economic growth with social progress and equity, inclusive and sustainable development, ensuring "no one is left behind," raising the intellectual level of the people, and developing culture and human resources... It is crucial to effectively implement practical policies that the people expect, such as tuition fee exemption, elimination of temporary and dilapidated housing, and moving towards basic medical fee exemption, support for those in difficult and vulnerable circumstances, and poverty eradication... This will promote the superiority of the socialist system – a system for the people, for their freedom and happiness, as President Ho Chi Minh always wished.

Tuesday,Applying and creatively developing Ho Chi Minh's thought, ethics, and style to build our Party into a truly clean, strong, and genuine organization.It is morality, it is civilization."Continue to vigorously innovate leadership methods, enhance the Party's governing capacity; educate and train cadres and Party members."both pink and professional”, “Diligence, frugality, integrity, righteousness, impartiality, selflessness”, “Enhance revolutionary ethics and eradicate individualism."...to continue writing the golden pages of 100 years of the Party's leadership of the Vietnamese revolution, so that our Party will forever remain..."He is worthy of being a leader and a truly loyal servant of the people."as He instructed."

Comrades!

"Our nation, our people, our land and country gave birth to President Ho Chi Minh – the great national hero, and it was he who brought glory to our nation, our people, and our land and country."Under the glorious banner of the Party, the entire Party, army, and people of Vietnam are united in their determination to successfully achieve the goals of national development; to be self-reliant, confident, and to advance strongly in the new era of development, for a peaceful, independent, democratic, prosperous, civilized, and happy Vietnam, steadily progressing towards socialism, fulfilling the wishes of President Ho Chi Minh during his lifetime and the aspirations of the entire nation.

I would like to extend my best wishes to the leaders,theDistinguished delegates and all comradesgood health, happiness, and new successes.!

Wishing our workshop success.Excellent work!

(Title provided by Nghe An Newspaper)