From Thanh Nam to the South 'The homeland's citadel'

Advisor Le Duc Tho during a direct negotiation with an American advisor on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam, January 13, 1973 in France. Photo: VNA

During that process, in March 1975, he was sent by the Politburo to the South to participate in directing the Ho Chi Minh Campaign until the day of total victory. Right at that historic moment, at Tan Son Nhat, the great joy became the inspiration for him to write the verses "The Final Victory".

The poem dedicated to the comrades of the Politburo and the Party Central Committee, solemnly published in Nhan Dan Newspaper, issue dated May 9, 1975, shines with the character and spirit of revolutionary optimism:

"Determined to rebuild the country's future
Make our country a thousand times richer and more beautiful
No more hunger and hardship
"Brotherly love, North and South, one family reunion"

The staunch communist

Comrade Le Duc Tho, real name Phan Dinh Khai, was born on October 10, 1911 in Dich Le commune, My Loc district, Nam Dinh province, now Nam Van commune, Nam Dinh city, Nam Dinh province. He joined the revolutionary movement at the age of 15. In October 1929, he was admitted to the Indochinese Communist Party, became Secretary of the student cell and in charge of youth and student affairs. He belonged to the first generation of Party members, full of enthusiasm and revolutionary spirit, making an important contribution to the resounding success of the August Revolution in 1945, opening the era of independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Since childhood, being raised in a cultural cradle with a rich tradition of patriotism, the young Phan Dinh Khai immersed himself in student activities, participated in demonstrations, strikes, and fought to demand the French colonialists release patriot Phan Chu Trinh. Becoming a party member at the age of 18, he was assigned many important responsibilities in building and consolidating the party's grassroots organization. He was arrested, tortured, and imprisoned many times by the enemy, and was sentenced to life in hard labor in Con Dao, and to prisons in Hanoi, Hoa Binh, and Son La.

He resolutely fought and appealed the verdict, forcing the colonial Supreme Court to reduce his sentence. In prison, despite being brutally tortured by the enemy, he always upheld the spirit of a communist, steadfast, indomitable, and bravely fought to defeat all enemy plots, turning the prison into a revolutionary school, a place to train Party cadres. As Secretary of the prison Party Cell, he regularly organized political studies, revolutionary theory, and encouraged fellow prisoners to maintain their fighting spirit. Those harsh conditions tempered the communist soldier, forged his revolutionary will, and remained loyal to the Party, the Fatherland, and the people.

In 1944, after his prison term ended, he was assigned by the Party to be in charge of ensuring the secrecy and safety of the Safety Zone (ATK). In August 1945, at the Party's National Conference held in Tan Trao (Son Duong, Tuyen Quang), he was elected to the Party Central Committee, directly participating with the Central Executive Committee, headed by President Ho Chi Minh, in launching and leading the August 1945 General Uprising to victory.

When the country became an independent country, the Party entrusted him with the responsibility of Party organization work. In extremely difficult and complicated conditions, with internal and external enemies, together with the Party Central Committee, he directed well the work of protecting the young government, maintaining and promoting revolutionary victories, and promptly preparing the country to enter a new resistance war.

With the cause of liberating the South and the noble international duty

Comrade Le Duc Tho was one of the senior leaders who made great contributions to the cause of liberating the South, unifying the country and fulfilling the noble international duty. Throughout his life of revolutionary activities, he was appointed by the Central Committee four times to strengthen the leadership of the revolution in the South. Being assigned the important responsibilities of Deputy Secretary of the Southern Regional Party Committee (1949), Head of the Central Organization Department of the Southern Office (1949 - 1954), he clearly understood the role of cadre work in the revolutionary cause of the Party.

Comrade Le Duc Tho and the Standing Committee of the Regional Party Committee took care of building and perfecting the leadership and direction apparatus of the Regional Party Committee, consolidating and establishing new specialized committees, such as: Organization Committee, People's Movement Committee, Labor Movement Committee, Agricultural Movement Committee, Youth Movement Committee, Religion Committee, Flower Movement Committee, Khmer Movement Committee, etc. The Party's direction activities were unified, smooth, tight, and effective, contributing to the development of the resistance war of the Southern people, achieving glorious victories, worthy of the title "The Fatherland's Bronze Citadel".

After the Geneva Conference in 1954, comrade Le Duc Tho was sent by the Party to work in the North, added to the Politburo, and was assigned by the Politburo to be Head of the Central Organizing Committee (in 1956). After the Tet Offensive in 1968, the Politburo sent him back to the South to be Deputy Secretary of the Central Office for Southern Vietnam. From May 1968, he was a special advisor to the Delegation of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the Paris Conference, directly negotiating with the United States on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam.

With the qualities of a seasoned politician, with his intelligence, cleverness, flexibility, and creativity in each specific plan, over the course of 5 years, he implemented the motto of persistent struggle, winning step by step, moving towards the final victory. He was the one who contributed greatly to forcing the United States to sign the Paris Agreement, ending the war, and restoring peace in Vietnam.

As the representative of the Politburo directing the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising and participating in directing the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, he made an important contribution, together with the army and people of the whole country, to fully realize Uncle Ho's wish to liberate the South and unify the country. For the international revolutionary cause, comrade Le Duc Tho made many great contributions in supporting and helping the Cambodian people escape the genocide caused by the Khmer Rouge regime, fulfilling his noble international duty.

The Party and the State acknowledge that Comrade Le Duc Tho is one of the senior, exemplary leaders who made important contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation. In particular, the Party's organizational work was his lifelong career. Whether in prison or working at ATK, working in the South, participating in the Politburo, he was always trusted by the Party and Uncle Ho to be in charge of the Party's organizational work. He contributed to developing the theory of Party building, leading the country to socialism.

In the struggle on the diplomatic front, as Special Advisor to the Government Delegation, he demonstrated the capacity of a talented diplomat, a negotiator with strategic vision, cleverness, "fighting while negotiating", resolute in principles, flexible in tactics. The victory of our revolution at the Paris Conference on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam was a victory of wisdom, of justice, the victory of a heroic nation, under the leadership of a genuine Party.

As a revolutionary soldier who loved poetry and wrote poetry, right from the beginning of his revolutionary career, being imprisoned in imperialist prisons, through two resistance wars against France and America, saving the country, during his journey from the North to the South, to the border, comrade Le Duc Tho composed many poems, collected in two poetry collections: "On the Roads" and "Diary of the Road to the Frontline".

The works are both realistic and full of revolutionary sentiment, passionate about life and people. The verses contain deep and sincere feelings and thoughts of a talented thinker, political activist, courageous diplomat, and staunch communist soldier who went through life and death on all revolutionary paths. Following the Party his whole life, comrade Le Duc Tho left behind a shining example of loyalty, dedication, and wholeheartedness in serving the revolution and the people.