Nguyen Tat Thanh and the desire to save the country

FINDING THE WAY TO NATIONAL LIBERATION

At the end of the 19th century, the Vietnamese people were dominated by French colonialism, and the feudal regime became increasingly corrupt. Patriotic movements broke out one after another and in many different directions. Many famous patriots such as Phan Chu Trinh, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoang Hoa Tham, Luong Van Can... sought ways to save the country, but all ended in failure.

In the midst of that dark situation, on June 5, 1911, at Nha Rong Wharf, the patriotic young man Nguyen Tat Thanh, with a strong will to save the country and a deep love for the nation, determined to leave to find a way to save the Vietnamese people, to realize his ambition of liberating the country from the slavery of colonialism and imperialism.

Illustration of young man Nguyen Tat Thanh searching for a way to save the country. Source: Ho Chi Minh Museum

Abovethe path to finding one's truth, Nguyen Tat Thanh went to "free lands, slave skies", to learn about the lives of the working class, the workers, the poor farmers to the remote countryside in New York, London, Paris, Thailand, China... to learn, participate in the mobilization and organize revolutionary movements. He studied the revolutions that won in the most developed capitalist countries. Those were the American Revolution (1776), the French bourgeois revolution (1789) and the national liberation movement in the colonies against colonialism. He admired the revolutionary spirit in these countries, but could not follow their revolutionary path. Because as he said: "The American Revolution as well as the French Revolution means a capitalist revolution, a revolution that does not reach its destination, in name it is a republic and democracy, in reality it deprives the workers and peasants, and on the outside it oppresses the colonies"⁽¹⁾.

November 1917,October Revolution in Russiagreat victory, opening a new era in the history of human society. In mid-1923, Nguyen Ai Quoc left France for the Soviet Union to directly learn and work in Lenin's homeland, learn about the experience of the October Revolution, directly observe the first socialist country in the world, and participate in the activities of the Communist International. With the strategic vision of a revolutionary combined with the practice of the October Revolution, Nguyen Ai Quoc determined the path to national liberation, correctly explained the issue that he was very interested in. That was the path to liberate oppressed people, national independence and progress to socialism, contributing to orienting the path of national salvation, national independence associated with socialism of the Vietnamese people.

From here, Nguyen Ai Quoc stood firmly on the path of the October Revolution, on Marxism-Leninism, on the Communist International. As he recorded in his work The Revolutionary Path: “In the world today, only the Russian Revolution has succeeded and succeeded completely, meaning that the people enjoy true happiness, freedom, and equality, not the false freedom and equality that French imperialism boasted about in Annam. The Russian Revolution has driven out the king, capitalists, and landlords, and has made great efforts to help workers and peasants of oppressed countries and peoples of the colonies make revolution to overthrow all imperialism and capitalism in the world.”⁽²⁾.

Nha Rong Wharf, where the young man Nguyen Tat Thanh left to find a way to save the country in 1911. Photo: Document

With a correct patriotic stance, he pointed out a shining truth for the Vietnamese people: "To save the country and liberate the nation, there is no other way than the proletarian revolutionary path."⁽³⁾He also pointed out: "Only socialism and communism can liberate oppressed peoples."

Along with the above changes, the Vietnamese revolution at this time began to have new changes associated with the activities of leader Nguyen Ai Quoc.

In 1921, Nguyen Ai Quoc and a number of revolutionaries in French colonies established the Union of Colonial Peoples to gather forces against colonialism.

In 1924, after 13 years of searching for a way to save the country, he left Soviet Russia and returned to the East, Guangzhou (China) near the homeland of Vietnam to spread Marxism-Leninism in Vietnam and directly lead the Vietnamese revolution. Arriving in Guangzhou, he and the revolutionary leaders of China, Korea, India, Thailand, Indonesia, etc. founded the Association of the Oppressed Peoples of East Asia.

In 1925, Nguyen Ai Quoc founded the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association on the basis of reforming the Tam Tam commune. Along with the process of spreading Marxism-Leninism, which created direct impacts on the transformation of the workers' movement and the patriotic movement, he prepared politically, ideologically and organizationally for the establishment of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

FROM PATRIOTISM, UNCLE HO CAME TO COMMUNISM

As the first Vietnamese who came to communism out of patriotism, during 30 years of traveling abroad, Uncle Ho set foot in 28 countries, 4 continents, earning a living by many different jobs to participate in revolutionary activities. He deeply realized the cause of national liberation in today's era, the era of transition from capitalism to socialism in the whole world starting from the October Revolution, that is: To liberate the nation, we must carry out a proletarian revolution. The victorious socialist revolution not only continued to consolidate the cause of liberating the country politically but also liberated it to a higher level economically, implementing democracy, justice, freedom, equality, bringing about civilization, socialist democracy. The socialist revolution turned our nation into a scientific, intellectual and modern nation, going through thousands of challenges, gaining more and more new victories.

Nguyen Ai Quoc speaks at the Tours Congress of the French Socialist Party, 1920. Photo: Archive

National independence associated with socialism has been the consistent line of our Party, State and People since the founding of the Party. Firmly and creatively implementing that consistent line. On January 28, 1941, Nguyen Ai Quoc returned from abroad to directly lead the national liberation struggle, leading to the success of the August General Uprising, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the first workers' and peasants' state in Southeast Asia, marking a brilliant milestone in the history of building and defending the country of the Vietnamese people; proving the talented and correct leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, of which President Ho Chi Minh was the founder and trainer. Throughout his life of serving the country and the people, the invaluable legacy he left to our Fatherland and our People is Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style that shines through time.

On the occasion of the 111th anniversary of Uncle Ho's departure to find a way to save the country (June 5, 1911 - June 5, 2022), we always remember this as a precious milestone, a golden milestone in the history of the nation, meaningful in the hearts of every Vietnamese person. Remembering Him, every cadre, party member and people of all walks of life strive to follow the path chosen by the Party and Uncle Ho. At the same time, we strive to promote the study and following of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and lifestyle in conjunction with the Resolution of the 4th Central Committee (term XII, term XIII) on strengthening Party building and rectification, expressed through specific and practical actions in work and daily life; Following Uncle Ho's simple style, progressive spirit, and dedication as a guideline for thinking and action, making learning about his life and career a constant concern for every Lac Hong descendant of Vietnam, "The superiors set an exemplary example, the subordinates actively follow", strengthening the people's trust in the Party "Party's will, people's heart", contributing to the successful implementation of the goal of a rich people, a strong country, democracy, fairness, and civilization.

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References:

(1) Communist Party of Vietnam, Complete Party Documents, Volume 1, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1998, p.31.

(2) Ho Chi Minh, Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, vol. 2, p. 304.

(3) Ho Chi Minh, Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, vol. 2, p. 603. Master Nguyen Thanh Hoang