A casual conversation with Provincial Party Secretary Truong Dinh Tuyen

(Baonghean)I still prefer to call him the Provincial Party Secretary, because for the people of Nghe An, he is a Provincial Party Secretary who left a strong impression with his integrity, straightforwardness, decisiveness in his work, and honesty and simplicity in his life, even though he only served as secretary for less than three years.

Having traveled with him for 10 days in the West, I was fortunate to hear from him his recollections, shared stories, and personal anecdotes, many of which have long become legends. Despite his advanced age, he still appeared agile and energetic. His face was thin and somewhat weathered, his hair thinner and more gray than when he returned to Nghe An. Only his voice remained vibrant, and his words were always concise, captivating, and full of meaning.



Mr. Truong Dinh Tuyen

Although he left his official position in August 2007, he is currently one of the few people invited by the Government Office, the Central Party Office, and the National Assembly Office to work as a senior expert. Recent major policies such as the three strategic breakthroughs and the restructuring of the economy have all benefited from his intellectual contributions and dedication. It is known that many international organizations, when working with various ministries and localities in Vietnam and facing difficulties, have sought his advice and have always received his enthusiastic assistance. According to him, a leader needs three qualities: a spirit of innovation, decisiveness, and above all, credibility. These qualities are only formed from the competence, character, and exemplary lifestyle of the individual and their family. He is confident that he is someone whose words resonate with many people, and more importantly, who listens to many frank and honest opinions.

When asked about the most memorable achievement during his time as Secretary of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, he said that he didn't aim to create grandiose projects, but rather focused on developing Nghe An's strengths, especially in agriculture and rural areas, and building an efficient and people-oriented government apparatus and cadre. Regarding Truong Dinh Tuyen's impact, many retired and current provincial leaders affirmed the effectiveness of major policies he initiated, such as the issuance of the Resolution on promoting rural road construction, resulting in the renovation and upgrading of thousands of kilometers of rural roads; the development of concentrated raw material areas like the Anh Son tea region, the Tan Ky sugarcane region, and the Quynh Luu pineapple region; the development of traditional craft villages and the improvement of the lives of people in these villages; and the issuance of the Directive on drug prevention... He also addressed administrative reform, handling complaints and denunciations, and making the government and mass organizations at all levels more active and people-oriented. To date, many of the policies that he and the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee discussed and focused on directing the implementation of remain highly practical and effective in Nghe An.

In Nghe An, he was renowned as a Party Secretary who was deeply involved with the grassroots, quickly grasping the situation and decisively directing the implementation of socio-economic development plans and personnel work. Recalling his time as Provincial Party Secretary, he said that the two districts he visited most frequently were Quynh Luu and Thanh Chuong. These districts were large and rich in potential, but their transportation infrastructure was very poor; during the rainy season, many communes had to wade through the roads on foot. He directed that immediate focus be placed on upgrading and expanding transportation infrastructure to create a breakthrough for economic development. When working with provincial-level departments, he noticed many people diligently taking notes, telling them that the important thing was to remember the main points and implement them. However, when he visited communes and wards and saw grassroots officials attending meetings without taking notes, he bluntly criticized them: "If you don't take notes, how will you remember anything to do the work?" He always demanded specificity and practicality in the policies and solutions implemented by his subordinates. While working in a remote commune of Ky Son district, after hearing the commune's Party Secretary report on combating "peaceful evolution," he interrupted: "Tell me, what needs to be done to combat 'peaceful evolution' in your locality?" The commune secretary was flustered and couldn't answer. After this trip, he advocated immediately establishing provincial task forces stationed in mountainous areas to assist the commune-level government apparatus. Indeed, since the establishment of these task forces implementing the "three together" approach with the grassroots, the movement in many remote border areas has significantly improved.

During a visit to a locality to investigate why there were so many complaints being escalated to the provincial level, he happened to attend a memorial service. Someone recognized him as the Provincial Party Secretary. Immediately, many people surrounded him, expressing their long-standing grievances against the local government. He listened attentively and inquired thoroughly about the situation. After saying goodbye, he promised to return to the commune soon. Upon arriving at the district, he immediately asked the district Party Secretary if he was aware of the complicated situation in the commune. It turned out that the district leaders were aware but had not bothered to resolve it. Immediately afterward, he convened a meeting of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, demanding the immediate replacement of the district Party Secretary with a more capable official. With this thorough and decisive approach, in just over a year as Provincial Party Secretary, he dismissed and transferred six district-level Party secretaries and deputy secretaries. A more responsible and dedicated work ethic, focused on serving the people, emerged in Party organizations, government agencies, and mass organizations from the provincial to the grassroots level.

While resolutely replacing incompetent and disciplinary-violating officials, he also earned a reputation for generosity and forgiveness. When a business director suffered significant losses, he suspended him despite numerous pleas for leniency. He instructed the director to resign to focus on debt recovery, promising reinstatement once the debt was settled. And he kept his promise.

After much discussion, we return to the topic of the WTO. His contributions to the negotiations of the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) will likely be the subject of much historical account. However, what the press has reported, including anecdotal accounts, recognizes him as a renowned figure known for his sharp wit, frankness, sincerity, and adaptability in negotiations. During a meeting with him, the US Trade Representative, Zoellick, remarked: "I found it very interesting to meet him; I really appreciate his frankness and sense of humor." Perhaps it was these innate qualities that allowed Minister of Trade Truong Dinh Tuyen, throughout the dramatic negotiation process, to be a skilled negotiator who commanded respect from European and American politicians. The resounding success after 11 years of intense strategic maneuvering through more than 200 negotiations and 28 negotiating partners, leading to Vietnam's official membership in the WTO, offers valuable lessons for the country in its process of global integration; in which he played an indispensable role with significant contributions. However, when asked about writing a memoir to record those memorable years, he paused for a moment before confiding: he had considered writing it several times, but then hesitated. It is precisely because of this hesitation that the memoir "From BTA to WTO," which he intended to write, has remained only a... title. Besides what he confided, I felt a pang of sadness and dared not say it aloud: at his age, with limited time, health, and the harsh realities of life, if he were to fail to record what he did for the country with all his intellect, talent, experience, and great character, it would be a great loss for future generations.

After discussing the WTO, we talked about the poetry of Truong Dinh Tuyen. When poetry was mentioned, his eyes lit up. He recited several poems and even offered his own commentary. I had heard and read his poems many times before, but this was the first time I'd heard him recite and comment on his own poems with such heartfelt emotion. His poetry is concise, yet truly lyrical and subtle: "So I met you / So I'm endlessly remembering / You are gentle and tender / My heart is a fire / The earth separates us / In the vibrant spring / Heaven brings us together / In the cool autumn / Awkward and slow / Why so much passion / Does autumn still have enough sunshine / To stir up the season's arrival?" His eyes seemed dreamy as he read the verses that captured his feelings of reuniting with a girlfriend after many years of separation, recalling the days when they only knew secret love: "I've met you again / I kiss your hair / I press my lips to find the warmth of those distant days / Years have passed / You've come to see this strange world / I still recognize the scent of my homeland's hair." It's hard to imagine that within this upright, straightforward, and decisive man there could be such a sensitive, easily moved, and romantic soul. Lost in conversation, he recited a few more poems he'd composed in the final days of the year: "New Year's Eve, the sky suddenly falls silent / The profound stillness lingers with time / Just one minute, my dear, and my heart is filled with affection / The sweet fragrance is like the first kiss on your lips, sweet forever / And then, just one minute, my dear, why is my heart so empty? / The wind blows freely from all sides / Cold and rain." New Year's Eve, cold and rain. These verses are laden with the anxieties and concerns of a heart always "worried about the times and sensitive to the world."

I witnessed firsthand how many Vietnamese expatriates, from intellectuals working in foreign organizations to ordinary people I met by chance on the street, in shopping malls, or in restaurants, all knew him, respected him, and admired him. Many called him by a familiar yet respectful name: Mr. WTO. I shared with him: "You are a truly fortunate politician, a personality and character that is 'very Nghe An'." He just smiled, a smile that shone with the joy of a serene person after a long journey of dedicated service.

Nguyen Nhu Khoi