Exactly 100 years since Uncle Ho came to the homeland of the Russian October Socialist Revolution

Russia today.

On his journey to find a way to save the country and save the people, President Ho Chi Minh visited the most advanced capitalist countries such as France, the United States, England and the colonies in Asia, Africa, America... In these places, he studied the most typical bourgeois revolutions of modern times and realized the nature of the Western capitalist regime: "internally it deprives workers and peasants, externally it oppresses the colonies" [1]. He concluded that "the capitalist revolution is a revolution that has not yet reached its destination" [2].

In July 1920, the first draft of Lenin's theses on the national and colonial questions published in the French newspaper L'Humanité had a great impact on President Ho Chi Minh. In the article "The Path That Led Me to Leninism" (1960), he recalled: "Lenin's theses made me so moved, excited, enlightened, and confident! I was so happy that I cried. Sitting alone in my room, I spoke loudly as if speaking before a large crowd: "My suffering compatriots! This is what we need, this is the path to our liberation." From then on, I completely believed in Lenin, in the Third International"[3].

President Ho Chi Minh (front row, first from left) with delegates attending the 5th Congress of the Communist International in 1924. Historical photo

In June 1923, President Ho Chi Minh arrived in the Soviet Union and stayed there until early October 1924. He came to the Soviet Union at the invitation of the Communist International as a representative of the French Communist Party. He really wanted to meet V. Lenin to get guidance on the path to save the country and save the people.

President Ho Chi Minh attended the First Congress of the Peasants' International in October 1923 and was elected to the Presidium of the Peasants' International, consisting of 11 members. Soviet poet and journalist Osip Mandelstam met him and later wrote the article "Visiting a Comintern soldier - Nguyen Ai Quoc" published in the magazine Ogoniok (Small Fire) No. 39, published on December 23, 1923.

Starting from the end of 1923, President Ho Chi Minh studied at the Communist University of the Workers of the East. The school was established in Moscow in 1921 under the decision of the Communist International with the aim of training revolutionary cadres first for the Eastern countries of the Soviet Union and the colonial and dependent countries. Here, students are equipped with the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism, methods of organizing and leading the masses in revolutionary struggle. During their studies, students will learn important subjects such as dialectical materialism, historical materialism, political economy, history of the international workers' movement, theory of national liberation revolution, etc.

In June 1924, speaking as a representative of the French Communist Party at the Fifth Congress of the Communist International, President Ho Chi Minh suggested that it was necessary to send natives of the colonies to Moscow to study at the Communist University of the Workers of the East. Under his recommendation, from 1925 to the late 1930s, more than 60 Indochinese students came to study at the school. According to some documents, by 1935, 47 Vietnamese students had graduated. Vietnamese students trained at the school returned to the homeland to work and became the core of the revolution. Many of them became outstanding leaders of our Party, including the General Secretaries of our Party such as Tran Phu, Le Hong Phong, and Ha Huy Tap.

In 1924, in addition to attending the major event of the 5th Congress of the Communist International (June 1924), President Ho Chi Minh also attended the 4th Congress of the Communist Youth International (June 1924), the 1st Congress of the Red Relief International (July 1924), the 3rd Congress of the Red Trade Union International (July 1924), attended a rally to celebrate International Labor Day (May 1), attended a rally for world peace (July 6, 1924) at Red Square...

In the work “The Revolutionary Path” (1927), President Ho Chi Minh made a profound and comprehensive assessment of the Russian October Socialist Revolution: “In the world today, only the Russian Revolution is completely successful, meaning that the people enjoy true happiness, freedom and equality. The Russian Revolution drove out the king, capitalists, and landlords, then made efforts for the workers and peasants of oppressed countries and peoples, and the colonies to make revolutions to overthrow all imperialism and capitalism in the world”[4].

On February 3, 1930, President Ho Chi Minh founded the Communist Party of Vietnam. From 1934 to 1938, in the Soviet Union, he studied at the Lenin International School and then worked at the Institute of Ethnic and Colonial Studies of the Communist International. In August 1938, he did not choose to become a lecturer at the Communist International but asked to return to the country.

Passport No. 1829, issued by the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in Germany to President Ho Chi Minh under the pseudonym "Chen Vang" as a photographer, June 16, 1923. Historical photo

In the spring of 1941, on January 28, 1941, President Ho Chi Minh returned to the country to directly lead the Vietnamese revolutionary movement. From February 8, 1941, he lived and worked at Coc Bo cave in Truong Ha commune, Ha Quang district, Cao Bang province. Here, he named Pha Tao mountain Karl Marx mountain and Khuoi Min stream Lenin stream. On a stone table, he translated the History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union as a working document for the Vietnamese revolution. These things expressed his thoughts, goals, guidelines and belief in the victory of the Vietnamese revolution following the path of Marxism-Leninism and the great Russian October Socialist Revolution.

President Ho Chi Minh received the Soviet Government delegation led by Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Vorosilov visiting Vietnam, at the Presidential Palace on May 20, 1957. Source: Ho Chi Minh Museum

In the article “The Path That Led Me to Leninism” (1960), President Ho Chi Minh recalled: “Step by step, in the struggle, while studying Marxist-Leninist theory and doing practical work, I gradually understood that only socialism and communism can liberate oppressed peoples and working people around the world from slavery”[5].

In the article “The Great October Revolution Opens the Way to Liberation for the Nations” (1967), President Ho Chi Minh emphasized: “Vietnam has a proverb: “When drinking water, remember its source”. The more we remember the humiliating days of losing our country, remember every step of the revolutionary struggle full of sacrifice, hardship but also full of glorious victories, the more the Vietnamese working class and people appreciate the great contributions of Lenin and the October Revolution”[6].

President Ho Chi Minh speaking at the Third National Congress of the Party (1960). Historical photo

Comrade Le Duan - First Secretary of the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Workers' Party commented: "With a passionate patriotism, President Ho came to Marxism-Leninism early, finding in Marxism-Leninism the light to save the people and the country. President Ho was the first Vietnamese to creatively apply Marxism-Leninism to the circumstances of our country, showing the way for the Vietnamese revolution to advance step by step, from one victory to another"[7].

Speaking in Hanoi on September 12, 1973 during his first visit to Vietnam, Cuban President Fidel Castro emphasized: “Understanding the immense historical importance and influence of the glorious October Revolution and absorbing Lenin’s brilliant ideology, President Ho Chi Minh clearly saw in Marxism-Leninism the lessons and the path to finding solutions for all peoples oppressed and exploited by colonialism”[8].

In the article “Some theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam” (2021), General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong pointed out that national independence associated with socialism is the fundamental and consistent line of the Vietnamese revolution and is also the key point in the ideological legacy of President Ho Chi Minh. With his rich practical experience combined with the revolutionary and scientific theory of Marxism-Leninism, he came to the profound conclusion that only socialism and communism can thoroughly solve the problem of national independence, and can bring a life of true freedom, prosperity and happiness to all people and all nations.

References:

[1] Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, Volume 1, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi. 2000, p. 268

[2] Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, volume 2, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1995, p. 270

[3] Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, volume 10, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2000, p. 127

[4] Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, volume 2, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2002, p. 280

[5] Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, volume 10, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2000, p. 127

[6] Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, volume 15, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, pp. 392-393

[7] Eulogy of the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Workers' Party at the memorial service for President Ho Chi Minh on September 9, 1969

[8] Many authors, “Fidel Castro and Vietnam: Unforgettable memories”, The Gioi Publishing House, Hanoi, 2020, p.69