The simple life and strategic vision of former General Secretary Le Kha Phieu

In an emotional and choked up mood, he said...

Peeled sweet potatoes

“Four days ago, a friend of mine called from Hanoi to say that he had just visited Senior Lieutenant General Le Kha Phieu. My friend said: “He can no longer speak.” Although we knew this day, this moment would come, the general mood of the soldiers who had worked with and met Senior Lieutenant General Le Kha Phieu could not help but feel disappointed. This is a great loss not only for the Senior Lieutenant General’s family but also for the Party and the Army.

General Secretary Le Kha Phieu visited the 370th Air Division in 1997 while still in office. Photo courtesy

When he was still the Chief of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army, Senior Lieutenant General Le Kha Phieu visited and worked at Military Region 4. During this working trip, he visited the 414th Engineering Brigade stationed in Nam Dan district. At lunch, knowing that he did not like to sit and eat at a separate table, the Brigade arranged 5-6 tables for the entire working delegation and the unit.

When everyone was seated at the dining table, he waved to a soldier serving and said: "Come in and lend me a few plates". Everyone was surprised and did not understand why the General "borrowed plates". When the young soldier brought the plates, with a simple and quick action, the general immediately picked up and divided the food from the plates already placed on the tray. He said: "There is a lot of food, please take separate portions for the children to serve". At the end of lunch, when everyone was sitting around drinking water, the voice of the general who had fought in many battles seemed to calm down.

He said: In 1969, the Tri Thien battlefield was very fierce. After the Mau Than campaign in 1968, we encountered many difficulties, and on the battlefield, our soldiers were very deprived. Bureau-level cadres like him were only given 100g of rice each day, while the soldiers had to mainly eat vegetable porridge for meals. Chief Phieu, a soldier in charge, went to the Pa Co Van Kieu people's fields every day to pick up sweet potatoes to boil for him to eat.

Former General Secretary Le Kha Phieu. Photo: NT/LĐO

Strangely, every time the orderly brought the potatoes up, he saw that the potatoes were already peeled. At first, he thought that the young soldier wanted to pay more attention and take better care of his boss. Later, he learned that the orderly had given the potatoes to his boss, and he only ate the peels. He was also very hungry. A feeling of regret, love, warmth, and sorrow welled up in his heart. The most regrettable thing was that the kind orderly had died from a B52 bomb while on a business trip with him.

Decades have passed, but the image of that handful of potato peels is still a haunting concern in the old general’s heart. He said this is an image of his life that he will never forget, and must not forget.

Through the story, each person has their own feelings, but for me it is the noble humanity of a person who has experienced fire and smoke, regardless of life or death, the feelings of a true general for the soldiers he considers his own flesh and blood, his children.

Building a coastal defense route combined with economic and cultural development

When he was the Standing Member of the Secretariat, during another visit to Military Region 4 and Nghe An, comrade Le Kha Phieu outlined many key, strategic suggestions and directions for this region during his working sessions.

For Military Region 4, he outlined the orientation of building a coastal defense line combined with economic development. According to him, it is necessary to quickly form a coastal route to strengthen national defense from the East, while promoting socio-economic development for coastal localities. He directed Military Region 4 to coordinate with Ha Tinh province to build the Nghi Xuan - Ho Do traffic route; coordinate with Nghe An province to form the Hoang Mai - Cua Lo traffic route.

A fishing village in Quynh Long commune (Quynh Luu). Photo: Nhat Thanh

According to Senior Lieutenant General Le Kha Phieu, the most important thing in building a coastal route is to form a cluster of defense lines, besides creating conditions for developing the marine economy and spreading new cultural values ​​to the local community. Right from that time, comrade Le Kha Phieu realized a reality: only a few kilometers from National Highway 1, the material and spiritual life of the coastal community is still backward, the people's education is low, many people are illiterate. Therefore, wherever the traffic goes, the economy and culture will open up, and this also has the meaning of better ensuring national defense and coastal defense strategy.

Developing the marine economy and improving the lives of fishermen also has other profound meanings. According to Senior Lieutenant General Le Kha Phieu, each fishing boat in the East Sea is a milestone of the Fatherland's sovereignty over the territorial waters and exclusive economic zones of the country. In the strategy of protecting sovereignty over seas and islands, building a Navy is the core, but the sea and islands are mainly protected and preserved by fishermen. Wherever there is the presence of Vietnamese fishermen in the East Sea, there the sky and sea of ​​our ancestors are preserved.

This is truly the foresight, profound perspective, and sharp intelligence of a military-political strategist in the strategy of building and protecting the Fatherland in the face of an international context of many risks and fluctuations as history has proven.

Nghe An province starts construction of the coastal road project from Nghi Son (Thanh Hoa) to Cua Lo (Nghe An). Photo: Thanh Duy

Following the direction of comrade Le Kha Phieu, the 22/12 route from Nghi Xuan to Ho Do was formed in Ha Tinh province, while it was only later that the coastal defense traffic route was formed in Nghe An province.

Vision of building new human

When he was still the Chief of the General Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army, when he visited Military Region 4, wherever he went, Senior Lieutenant General Le Kha Phieu saw banners and slogans about building a cultural environment. He asked Colonel Trinh Ba Gian, then Chief of the Political Department of Military Region 4, about this: Building a cultural environment is building new people, to implement Military Region 4, what factors should be based on to come up with common criteria but still have its own unique characteristics? And he immediately answered: That is the criterion of Uncle Ho's soldiers in Uncle Ho's homeland.

Senior Lieutenant General Le Kha Phieu explained: Being a soldier means being a new person of the whole country, but Uncle Ho's hometown is only Nghe An and Military Zone 4. According to him, the assessment of the youth of Zone 4 as brave, resilient, and creative is correct but not enough. The new people in Zone 4 must access modern intelligence and knowledge through self-study and learning.

Former General Secretary Le Kha Phieu visited Nghe An Newspaper in 2012. Photo: Document

Assessing the construction of a cultural environment at that time, Politburo Standing Committee member Le Kha Phieu frankly pointed out: The movement to build a cultural environment was like a "fashion", everywhere you go you see banners, slogans, flags, and rallies. This easily falls into formalism. According to comrade Le Kha Phieu, the nature and depth of culture is to build human values ​​in 3 aspects: Ethics - humanity - intelligence.

"The movement to build a cultural environment is like a "fashion", everywhere you go you see banners, slogans, flags, and rallies. This can easily fall into formalism."

General Secretary Le Kha Phieu

In particular, to build a strong political foundation, we must start by building new people, promoting human values ​​in the development trend. This is the depth and height of thinking of a Head of State in the face of changes and demands of development.

Forming a development strategy for Western Nghe An

Working with the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, Comrade Le Kha Phieu paid special attention to the development of the western region of the province. The former General Secretary said that the socio-economic development of the western region is vital not only for Nghe An but also for the whole country.

Western Nghe An is home to a biosphere reserve of the highest importance in the region and the world. Photo: Hai Vuong

The huge difference in economic, cultural and social life between the mountainous and delta regions of Nghe An is the fault of the leaders. "If we let one million people in the West become poor, what are we doing as officials?" - Comrade Le Kha Phieu emphasized, at the same time requesting the leaders of Nghe An province to build a separate strategy for socio-economic development for the West, thereby submitting to the Politburo to issue a separate resolution for the region that accounts for more than 80% of the province's area.

The basis for comrade Le Kha Phieu to direct this content probably comes from the fact that he was trained and matured in the Army. That is why the general affirmed: Western Nghe An is a strategic issue of the nation, the strategy of the Vietnamese revolution and the Lao revolution. The history of revolutionary struggles and national defense has proven this.

"The huge difference in economic, cultural and social life between the mountainous and delta regions of Nghe An is the fault of the leaders. If we let one million people in the West go hungry, what are we doing as officials?"

General Secretary Le Kha Phieu

Colonel, Journalist Nguyen Khac Thuan, who had the honor of meeting General Secretary Le Kha Phieu many times. Photo: Dao Tuan

In my opinion, the thinking and guidance of General Secretary Le Kha Phieu on the Western Nghe An region is one of the factors that formed Resolution No. 26, dated July 30, 2013 of the Politburo on the direction and tasks of developing Nghe An province until 2020. To implement this resolution, in 2013, the Prime Minister also issued Decision No. 2355 on approving the Project on socio-economic development of the Western Nghe An province until 2020.

Thach Giam Commune, Tuong Duong District received the title of new rural area. Photo: Ho Phuong

However, when directing the local socio-economic development of Western Nghe An, General Secretary Le Kha Phieu also reminded that this is a very "pure" land, so the first requirement is to develop the economy to where the environment must be protected, to protect the unique values ​​of the ecosystem in the biosphere reserve of utmost importance in Vietnam and the world. Along with protecting the ecological environment is protecting the unique traditional culture of the ethnic communities living in the Western Nghe An region.