Right now, the Party must act resolutely.

Over thousands of years of building and defending the country, our people have written heroic pages of history. But also on that long journey of dozens of centuries, our people have experienced many bitterness and hardships. History is not only the past but also a teacher who teaches us to understand the present and helps us predict the future. Lessons from history also help us to perceive ourselves...

During my many years working in the thousand-year-old land of Thang Long, I often passed by the Imperial Citadel and West Lake, early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Sometimes I stopped by the vestiges of the golden age of Ly - Tran, or looked at the misty West Lake, pondering the prosperous and declining periods of the country, and the rise and fall of the times.

Every time like that, the verse "The old soldier with white hair, forever tells the story of Nguyen Phong" (Bach dau quan si tai, vang vang thuyet Nguyen Phong) in the poem Xuan nhat biet Chieu Lang (Spring day visiting Chieu Lang) by King Tran Nhan Tong flashed through my mind. The story of Nguyen Phong's defeat of the Mongols, the battle of the Vietnamese that shocked the world, was always told by old soldiers to their children and grandchildren and became the pillar of strength for the army and people of Dai Viet to continue to defeat the powerful Yuan-Mongol enemy for the second and third time.

History always has such power! The moments of immersing myself in history have also shaped many thoughts and actions in me.

Luckily, when a friend of my age gave me the historical novel Storm of Tran Dynasty by writer Hoang Quoc Hai, I read it and found many things to like. The novel is the writer's creation but it reflects the reality of life and brings valuable contemplations.

The character Mr. Hoang in Storm of the Tran Dynasty told Duc Ong Tran Thu Do: protecting the country, not governing the country; protecting the country is much more difficult, only by doing that can we ensure its longevity, that is the founding of our ancestors. Protecting the country is the work of hundreds of families, of all people, while governing the country is only the work of a few people.

Every dynasty, every king, established himself and established the country through many different paths, but once in power, everyone had to build legitimacy: when the Tran Dynasty usurped the Ly Dynasty, it was because the Ly Dynasty was in decline, no longer able to control and build the country, bandits arose everywhere, and foreign powers were watching. The Tran Dynasty ascended to the throne, and its foundation was as solid as a rock because society regained its balance, the people settled down, worked happily, and the court relied on the people's hearts. If we measure the country's fate by the people's hearts, it will always be accurate.

In 1258, after more than 30 years of establishing the dynasty, Tran Thai Tong, the first Emperor of the Tran Dynasty, together with the royal family, revived a nation that was weak and in turmoil during the last period of Ly Hue Tong's reign, becoming a powerful nation respected by neighboring countries, capable of leading the entire people to defeat the mighty Mongol army. The miracle of defeating the Yuan-Mongol empire under the Tran Dynasty did not stop there. In 1285 and 1288, the Yuan-Mongol army, which had won every battle and trampled all over Eurasia, had to stop and be defeated by the army and people of the Tran Dynasty.

The victory of Dai Viet against the army of one of the most powerful empires in the world at that time demonstrated the invincible strength of our people and pointed out a truth of national history: once the people are united, brothers are in harmony, and the whole country contributes its efforts (words of King Hung Dao Tran Quoc Tuan), no enemy can subdue our nation.

Although he is a controversial historical figure, Tran Thu Do is also famous for his virtue, clear distinction between public and private matters, knowing right from wrong, and uprightness. When he was the Grand Tutor, the pillar of the court, he ordered the cutting off of his toes to distinguish his wife Linh Tu Quoc Mau's nephew from other petty officials, because this one asked the Quoc Mau to ask for a Cau Duong position, a small position in the village, which made this one beg for forgiveness. This is a person who puts the national interest above all else, does not mix personal feelings with public affairs. The same character Hoang Tien Sinh in Storm of the Tran Dynasty advised Tran Thu Do before parting that the most taboo thing is to only decide things that benefit those in power, but harm the people, because that will be the source of chaos.

Avoiding that taboo helped the Tran Dynasty last 175 years, but alas, because of not being able to follow that commandment, the Tran Dynasty eventually collapsed... This is also a lesson for future generations.

More than 100 years since the first Emperor of the Tran Dynasty, on the early morning of the day when the Imperial Academy's Vice-Chancellor Chu An (Chu Van An), the national teacher who taught the two Emperors Hien Tong and Du Tong, had to wipe away his tears with his sleeves, hang his hat at the Huyen Vu gate and return to his hometown to teach, the capital city of Thang Long was still quiet. The petition in which he risked his life to request the beheading of seven treacherous officials of the early days of the dynasty still lay somewhere in the secret chamber or on the royal table... That was also the day that signaled the shaking and collapse of the once glorious Tran Dynasty.

Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu recorded: Du Tong was fond of playing around, lazy in government affairs, and many of his powerful ministers violated the country's laws. An advised Du Tong but he did not listen, so he submitted a petition to behead seven sycophants, all of whom were powerful and loved by the king. People at that time called it the Seven-Execution Petition. The petition was submitted but received no response, so he hung up his hat and returned home.

Dai Viet Su Ky also recorded that although he was no longer an official, Chu Van An still cared deeply about the country's fate. Every time there was a big court meeting, he returned to the capital. On those occasions, the king often wanted to let him participate in politics, but he refused to accept. He often gave gifts to others. The ancestors taught through the Tet couplet: "Knowing enough, not being greedy, the mind is always calm; not asking for favors, dignity is inherently noble."

The foundation that Grand Tutor Tran Thu Do had worked so hard to establish, through the Tran Dynasty, leading the entire people to unite and defeat the Yuan-Mongol three times, unfortunately, fell into the hands of Du Tong, a debauched and extravagant monarch. Even though I have fulfilled my duty as a loyal subject, but the king no longer fulfills his duty as a wise king, hates virtuous people, does not like straightforward words, favors incompetent people, allows corrupt officials to run amok, corruption is rampant... then the Name is no longer Righteous. The end is not far away.

Looking back at history, although the dynasties governing the country were different, their decline, as Chu An said, all had the same cause, from "not liking straightforward words, hating virtuous people, abandoning talented people, despising the people, doubting scholars, and valuing the incompetent and immoral". Du Tong died (in 1369) leaving behind a legacy, the Tran Dynasty still existed for 31 more years with 5 kings, until 1400 when it fell into the hands of the Ho Dynasty. After taking the throne, the Ho Dynasty did many things, but because they had the country but not the people, they could not hold on for long, only 7 years before letting the country fall into the hands of the Ming invaders.

In the next stage of the country's history, unlike the Tran and Ho dynasties, the Le dynasty stepped onto the political stage on the basis of the victory of the resistance war against the invading Ming army. The rebel leaders were seen as saviors who saved the nation from the disaster of being enslaved by foreign powers.

As a matter of course, dynasties founded by heroes are worshiped by the people as sacred values. The Le Dynasty with wise emperors like Le Thanh Tong, who ordered the famous scholar Than Nhan Trung to compose a stele with the sentence "talent is the vital energy of the nation", relied on talented people to create a series of cultural values ​​to pass on to future generations, bringing Dai Viet to the rank of a powerful country in the region.

Yet that dynasty itself collapsed completely at the end of the 18th century. The paths to power and the heights of prosperity of each dynasty were very different, but the causes of their downfall were not much different. It was due to the weak talent and moral decay of those in power.

During the Later Le Dynasty, the scholar Le Quy Don (1726 - 1784) summarized five dangers that led to the nation's decline: Children not respecting their elders, students not respecting their teachers, arrogant soldiers and retreating generals, rampant corruption, and scholars turning their backs. All five of these are internal factors. The Vietnamese people never fear foreign invaders, they only fear those in power who do not have enough courage to correct themselves and to strictly practice internal discipline.

Learning history is the path that leads us to the treasure trove of invaluable experiences that our ancestors have accumulated with sweat and blood.

Today we enter a new year with a cheerful mood, people's confidence has returned, the economy has somewhat recovered, and the country's position has been widely spread. Looking back at last year, we must affirm one thing: what our Party has done in personnel work and Party building is in line with the wishes and aspirations of the entire people.

It is also necessary to affirm that the work of exposing and washing away the dirt and negativity will not stop, but from now on, with the faith that has been awakened, the whole country will unite and join forces to eradicate the internal invaders. Aren't the people and each Party member always indignant and angry at corruption and degradation? Have we not witnessed those with bottomless greed taking advantage of policy loopholes, abusing power to pick the pockets of the people, and then those very people and their gangs find every way to "crawl deeper and climb higher" to ensure that the stolen assets continue to grow and flourish?

If corruption and degradation are not eliminated, where will this Party, this regime, and this country go? Historians never write the word "if". That is why right now, the Party and those who hold the role of steering the country must act resolutely.

The people always stand by the Party, unanimously following the Party with both mind and heart to carry out this struggle to the end. Each of us will have to stand before the fair judgment of history and the nation. With that belief, we happily step into the year of Mau Tuat 2018./.

Written in Ho Chi Minh City, late 2017

(Title by VOV.VN)

Truong Tan Sang

Former member of the Politburo, former President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam