National spirit 70 years ago in step with the spring of innovation today

Leaning back on the past, looking far and high ahead, we see the national spirit of 70 years ago, walking in step with our country this spring and many springs to come.

Our country has just solemnly celebrated the 70th anniversary of the National Resistance Day (December 19, 1946 - December 19, 2016). Many events, characters, and valuable lessons about that historical moment were reviewed, praised, preserved, and promoted. It is miraculous and also not easy to explain why a nation that had just "rose from the mud", had not yet had time to "shine", had to confront, had to concentrate, unite, grit their teeth to push back the "enemy of hunger", the "enemy of ignorance" and be resilient and indomitable in fighting against foreign invaders.

After 30 years of renovation, our country has achieved many important achievements (photo: KT)

Following the Battle Command and the National Call for Resistance by President Ho Chi Minh broadcast on the Voice of Vietnam Radio on the night of December 19 and early morning of December 20, 1946, the capital Hanoi became a sacred battlefield. The whole country became a sacred battlefield.

At that time, the country's material and financial resources, if only doing simple statistics, were less than 2 million tattered Indochinese piastres left by the old regime. More than 2 million people died of hunger. Floods were terrible. The economy was exhausted. The weapons of our young army were very scarce, mostly primitive, a little more modern, such as three-pronged bombs, to destroy enemy tanks and armored vehicles, each time they charged, at least a few suicide soldiers sacrificed themselves in the smoke and fire, in the sobbing tears of their comrades and relatives. The people were hungry, the soldiers and cadres were hungry, lacking food, clothing, and equipment, even the President skipped a meal every day, sharing a little precious, rare rice for the resistance.

To solve those enormous and heavy difficulties and challenges, two days after reading the Declaration of Independence, President Ho Chi Minh and the Provisional Government decided to establish the Independence Fund and organize the Golden Week. In a short time, the whole country raised over 20 million Indochinese piastres and 370 kg of gold, equal to the tax collected in an entire year under the old regime.

Based on the viewpoint of “taking the people as the root”, the Government started to reform the tax policy, abolished the personal tax; printed and issued the Vietnam Independence banknotes, which the people affectionately called “Uncle Ho’s banknotes”; and implemented a special collection of “National Defense Support” with the reminder: “While soldiers on the frontline sacrificed their lives to protect the Fatherland, the local people could do business in peace and had the obligation to contribute to the common cause”.

In the North and Central regions alone, over 8 million people participated in the contribution and contributed over 40 million Indochinese piastres. The government issued government bonds, made thorough savings, reduced the payroll, rationalized salaries, etc. Many works that were popular, national, scientific, steadfast and humane were carried out with results. The enemy of famine and ignorance was repelled, the foreign invaders, from their strong and proactive positions, were attacked by our army and people from the inside and outside, both inside and outside, "long-term resistance", "all-people comprehensive", "self-reliance"... put them in a passive position, surrounded, bogged down and defeated step by step, so that on May 7, 1954, the Determined to Fight and Determined to Win flag of our Army and People proudly flew on the roof of General Christian de Castries' bunker at the Dien Bien Phu stronghold.

That flag of peace, humanity and pride had to brave the blood, fire, hardships and sacrifices of 21 years of fighting against the American invaders, in both the South and the North, so that on April 30, 1975, it could fly red and yellow in the tears and smiles of the army and people of the whole country. That flag, together with the Party flag, the entire army and the entire people, was dyed red on the borders of the Fatherland in the Southwest, the North, Hoang Sa, Truong Sa; raised high, opening the way, advancing the cause of national renewal and international integration.

Before saying goodbye to 2016, the year of the Fire Monkey, welcoming the new year 2017 and the Lunar New Year of the Fire Rooster, I remember another beautiful, intimate, sacred memory of the first days of the national resistance exactly 70 years ago. That was the Lunar New Year of the Fire Pig 1947, the Lunar New Year of the Resistance, the Lunar New Year of banh chung smoke mixed with gun smoke.

On the night of New Year's Eve of that year, President Ho Chi Minh left the Government Council meeting place in Phu Quoc Oai, Son Tay and got on a simple car to go to the Voice of Vietnam Radio Station to read a poem wishing the people and soldiers of the whole country a happy New Year. At that time, the Voice of Vietnam Radio Station evacuated to Long Son Cave, next to Tram Pagoda, Phung Chau Commune, Chuong My District, Ha Dong (now Hanoi Capital). It was raining heavily, the road was slippery and bad, many sections of the car could not go, Uncle and everyone had to get out and push the car. Near the New Year's Eve, fortunately Uncle arrived just in time.

Uncle Ho went straight into the radio station's machine room, solemnly, affectionately, and emotionally recited the New Year's greeting poem: "The red flag with a yellow star flutters in the wind/ The sound of the resistance trumpet resounds across the country/ The entire people are fighting, the entire resistance/ Our will is determined, our hearts are united/ Forward, soldiers! Forward, compatriots! Our strength is strong, our people are numerous/ Long-term resistance, certain victory! Unification and independence, certain success!" At this moment, exactly 70 years later, listening to Uncle Ho's sacred Call for National Resistance; his hearty, trusting, and urging New Year's greeting verses, reviewing the glorious journey that the country has gone through, we cannot help but be moved, proud, and honored. And along with that are thoughts, concerns, even worries and anxieties.

The revolutionary achievements we have made over the past 71 years are great; the achievements we have made over the past 30 years are enormous and of historical significance; but at the present time, the demands for a second renewal are pressing and urgent every day, every hour for every person, every agency, unit, and enterprise.

The 12th Party Congress stated its determination to “Strengthen the building of a clean and strong Party; promote the strength of the entire nation and socialist democracy; comprehensively and synchronously promote the renovation process; firmly protect the Fatherland, maintain a peaceful and stable environment; strive to soon turn our country into a basically modern industrialized country”. The Resolution of the 4th Central Conference (12th tenure) continued to affirm an important and urgent task of “Strengthening the building and rectification of the Party; preventing and repelling the degradation of political ideology, ethics, lifestyle, and manifestations of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” within the Party”. History has turned a page, through many pages, but there are situations, situations, lessons, solutions... that sometimes seem to repeat themselves, of course, not completely as before.

At this time, leaning on the glorious past, looking far and high ahead, clearly seeing our strengths and weaknesses, being vigilant against foreign invaders, determined not to let "internal invaders" have a chance to rise, we seem to see the national spirit of 70 years ago, many years ago, walking in step, lifting our country and nation this spring, many springs to come./.

According to VOV