Mr. Bui Bang Doan, a man who kept the 'integrity' and 'righteousness' of a famous Confucian scholar

On the morning of September 16, in Hanoi, the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly, the President, the Government, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and Hanoi City solemnly held a ceremony to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Mr. Bui Bang Doan - former Head of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now Chairman of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam).

Attending the ceremony were National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; former General Secretary Nong Duc Manh; former National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An, former National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung; Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh; and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.

Patriotic scholar Bui Bang Doan was born in September 1889 in a family with a tradition of mandarin examinations in Lien Bat village, Ung Hoa district, Ha Dong province (now Hanoi city). Born and raised in a context where the country was being invaded, witnessing the failure of the Can Vuong movement against the French; patriotic movements were successively suppressed and bloodily terrorized by the French colonialists, our people fell into slavery and misery, patriotic scholar Bui Bang Doan soon absorbed the nation's indomitable tradition.

Mr. Bui Bang Doan. Photo archive

With a deep love for the country and people, from the time he was a mandarin of the Nguyen Dynasty, to when he became a key leader of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Mr. Bui Bang Doan always upheld the spirit of serving the country, serving the people, and sacrificing himself for a great cause. He is one of the typical examples of the Vietnamese intellectual class, going from patriotism to the glorious revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

Being studious and knowledgeable, in 1906, Mr. Bui Bang Doan, at the age of 17, passed the Bachelor's degree. After that, he was admitted to study at the School of Post-graduate Studies and graduated as valedictorian. While working as an official in the Hue court, he held many positions, from District Chief in Nghia Hung District, Nam Dinh Province, to Judge of Lang Son Province; Judge of Bac Ninh Province; Governor of Phuc Yen Province, then Governor of Cao Bang Province, Ninh Binh Province...

The National Assembly Chairman emphasized that Mr. Bui Bang Doan was famous for being an honest and upright mandarin. Right in the public hall, he had a public notice posted saying "no gifts accepted" and strictly forbade family members from accepting gifts. This clearly demonstrated the moral qualities of "integrity" and "uprightness" of a true Confucian scholar. Mr. Bui Bang Doan had a deep and meaningful relationship with the people. No matter the circumstances, he always stood on the side of the people and wholeheartedly protected them.

In 1925, while working as the district chief of Nghia Hung (Nam Dinh province), he was invited to Hanoi to be an interpreter for the criminal trial of Phan Boi Chau. In 1928, in response to the press's strong condemnation of the brutal exploitation of plantation workers in the South, the Hue Court sent Bui Bang Doan to the South to inspect the French rubber plantations:

“In May 1933, Mr. Bui Bang Doan was appointed as Minister of Justice, and at the same time joined the Privy Council - the highest body in the power system under King Bao Dai. In his new position, with his understanding of the law and progressive thinking, Mr. Bui Bang Doan had many initiatives to reform the judiciary, including abolishing inappropriate regulations in the provinces and regions in Central Vietnam. He directed and directly drafted new laws of the Nguyen Dynasty with progressive content, such as: Criminal Law (July 3, 1933); Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure (August 2, 1933), Civil Law (July 1936, September 1939)... At the same time, he improved the activities of the Ministry of Justice, especially the activities of the courts and personnel in a progressive direction" - the National Assembly Chairman emphasized.

After the Japanese coup against the French (March 9, 1945), King Bao Dai issued an edict to establish a new government. Disgusted with the chaotic political scene, Mr. Bui Bang Doan refused to participate in the new government and asked to resign and return to his hometown to rest.

With the spirit of national solidarity and the idea of ​​"finding talented and virtuous people" to serve the revolution, President Ho Chi Minh persistently wrote letters by hand many times and sent people to Ha Dong to invite Mr. Bui to join as an Advisor to the Government. Admiring and admiring the talent and virtue of President Ho Chi Minh, along with his deep patriotism and love for the people, Mr. Bui Bang Doan left his hometown and devoted himself to the revolutionary path. With his talent, virtue and profound knowledge, Mr. Bui Bang Doan was invited by President Ho Chi Minh to take on many important jobs and positions. Mr. Bui Bang Doan became one of 10 people in the Government's Advisory Board that Ho Chi Minh personally proposed at the Government meeting on November 14, 1945.

President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap and Head of the National Assembly Standing Committee Bui Bang Doan at the General rank promotion ceremony on May 28, 1948 at ATK Dinh Hoa, Thai Nguyen. Photo archive.

In January 1946, Mr. Bui Bang Doan was elected as a National Assembly delegate of Ha Dong province and in November of that year, he was elected by the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the 2nd session to hold the position of Head of the National Assembly Standing Committee, replacing Mr. Nguyen Van To who took on a new assignment.

The National Assembly Chairman affirmed that during his tenure as Head of the National Assembly Standing Committee - the head of the legislative body, with his profound understanding of both theory and practice, Mr. Bui Bang Doan always stood side by side with the Government and President Ho Chi Minh to carry out the tasks assigned by the National Assembly.

As the head of the highest representative body of the People, elected by the voters of the whole country, Mr. Bui Bang Doan actively fought to refute the arguments of the French colonialists and their lackeys about the constitutionality and legality of the coalition government of resistance headed by President Ho Chi Minh. With his profound knowledge and strong political will, he affirmed: "Our nation has only one government, the Ho Chi Minh government, recognized by the nation at the November 1946 session." His resolute statement was a strong blow to the colonial government's divisive plot and attempt to establish a puppet government of the French in order to reduce the prestige of the coalition government of resistance headed by President Ho Chi Minh.

During his time in the Viet Bac resistance base, as Head of the National Assembly Standing Committee, Mr. Bui Bang Doan was always by President Ho Chi Minh's side and attended meetings of the Government Council, gave opinions to the Government and supervised the Government's activities in all resistance work. He made contributions to the Government's personnel reform; implemented the policy of economical production, agricultural tax policy, land policy; directed regional delegations to inspect the situation, solicited people's aspirations and contributed opinions to the National Assembly and the Government in leading the resistance. He also participated in the Campaign Committee to establish the Vietnam National Union (Lien-Viet Association) to expand the great national unity bloc and strengthen the revolutionary force.

According to National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, stemming from the wish to put the Fatherland above all, with the spirit of "Putting public service first", Mr. Bui Bang Doan - a Minister in the Nguyen Dynasty's feudal court apparatus, overcame the prejudices of the times to join the revolutionary government. With his enthusiastic patriotism, love for the people and admiration for the talent and virtue of President Ho Chi Minh, he devoted all his strength and talent to serving the Fatherland and the nation. During the difficult and fierce years of the Vietnamese revolution, he did not hesitate to sacrifice and was ready to take on important positions. In any position, he was dedicated and devoted to completing his tasks excellently:

“The 130th anniversary of the birth of the Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee Bui Bang Doan is an opportunity for us to pay tribute and commemorate his great contributions to the people and the Vietnamese revolution. Mr. Bui Bang Doan is a typical example of a true patriot, wholeheartedly serving the Fatherland and the people. His spirit of dedicated work, sacrifice for the country and the people; his humble and simple life, indifferent to fame, wealth and nobility is a shining example for National Assembly deputies, cadres, party members and all our people to learn. Mr. Bui Bang Doan's example contributes significantly to nurturing the ideals and revolutionary traditions of cadres, party members and people, especially the young generation, in the cause of national construction,” said the National Assembly Chairman.

The National Assembly Chairman hopes that, following the example of Mr. Bui Bang Doan, in all activities and in each working position, each cadre, party member and all people must always put the interests of the country, the nation, the people and the Party above all; strengthen solidarity and unity to maintain national independence and freedom, for the happiness of the people.

Le Tuyet