President Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on the Youth Volunteers

(Baonghean.vn) - On July 15, 1950, following President Ho Chi Minh's directive, the Central Youth Volunteer Team (the predecessor of the Youth Volunteer Force) was established at Hong Mountain, Dai Tu District, Thai Nguyen Province. This decision created a favorable environment for generations of young people to demonstrate their patriotism, cultivate resilience in the face of hardship, bravely fight, make sacrifices, contribute, and innovate, successfully completing assigned tasks.

It can be said that, over time, the historical role and political standing of the Vietnam Former Youth Volunteers Association have been affirmed and increasingly valued within the Party and in society. This stems from President Ho Chi Minh's ideology regarding the young generation of Vietnam in general and the Youth Volunteers organization in particular.

Ho Chi Minh's ideology was formed by absorbing the best of humanity and combining it with the best of the nation. Before establishing the Vietnam Youth Volunteer Force, Uncle Ho also consulted and learned from the shock troop activities of the Soviet communist youth movement in mobilizing young people on Communist Saturdays to solve urgent tasks, and then disbanding after completing the work. The results of these activities were very suitable for young people.

President Ho Chi Minh had a friendly conversation with delegates of the Youth Volunteer Corps attending the Congress of Youth Volunteer Corps members fighting against the US and saving the country in the entire North in January 1967. (Source: VNA)

Based on that experience, in early 1950, in response to the demands of the revolution, Uncle Ho advocated for the establishment of a centralized Youth Volunteer Force, entrusting its management to the Central Committee of the National Salvation Youth Union. He stated: “As the resistance war progresses, the work increases, and we need to consolidate and develop the Youth Volunteer Force to further support the resistance work and train future cadres.”

On March 20, 1951, in Na Cu, Bach Thong district, Bac Can province, ten months after the establishment of the Youth Volunteer Force, President Ho Chi Minh visited the 312th Youth Volunteer Unit on duty at the Na Cu bridge. There, he recited four famous verses dedicated to the Vietnamese Youth Volunteer Force: “Nothing is difficult / Only fear of a lack of perseverance / Digging mountains and filling seas / With determination, success will be achieved.”

Those four lines of poetry by Uncle Ho became the political guiding principle and method of education and training for the willpower of the youth volunteer force and for the entire young generation of Vietnam.

Regarding the mission of the Youth Volunteer Team, Uncle Ho also clearly stated: "The mission of the Youth Volunteer Team is to volunteer in all matters, whether difficult or easy, and to serve until the day the resistance war is successful. That is the glorious mission of our Youth Volunteer Team." Furthermore, Uncle Ho also pointed out that the Youth Volunteer Team is "a great and good school."

Uncle Ho taught: “Soldiers and cadres are trained in good qualities such as determination, courage, and unwavering resolve; they are not afraid of difficulties or hardships. They are also nurtured in organizational skills and discipline through frank criticism from the masses, which helps them eliminate bad qualities such as bureaucracy, authoritarianism, corruption, and wastefulness. In these schools, they practice what they preach, and theory is linked to practice. This makes cadres' thinking clearer, their stance firmer, and their working methods more democratic. These schools both train and test cadres…”

Uncle Ho's teachings were profound, sincere, yet also frank and specific, helping tens of thousands of cadres and members of the Youth Volunteer Force generations to mature and now work in all fields, at all levels and in all sectors of the country.

Following Uncle Ho's teachings, from the resistance war against French colonialism, culminating in the historic Dien Bien Phu campaign, hundreds of thousands of young people from Viet Bac, Tay Bac, Zone Three, Zone Four, and even Zone Five and Southern Vietnam eagerly joined the army and the Youth Volunteer Force. They overcame countless difficulties, hardships, and dangers with the determination: "With determination, success will be achieved," contributing alongside the entire army and people to the glorious victory that shook the world, completely defeating the old colonialism of the French empire.

During the war against the US, from the vast rear area of ​​the North to the great front line of the South, from liberated zones and resistance bases to cities and even deep within enemy strongholds, everywhere resonated the song of following Uncle Ho's words: "Nothing is difficult / Only fear of a lack of perseverance / Digging mountains and filling seas / With determination, success will be achieved," transforming into the revolutionary high tide of "Three Ready" and "Five Volunteers." Ready to go anywhere, to do anything as required by the revolution; wherever the Party needed youth, youth were present; wherever there were enemies, youth volunteered, contributing alongside the entire Party, army, and people to the glorious victory of the historic Spring of 1975, defeating the neo-colonialism of the US imperialists, completely liberating the South, and unifying the Fatherland.

On January 27, 1969, President Ho Chi Minh sent a flower basket and a letter of commendation to the 333 Youth Volunteer Unit for its outstanding achievements on the fierce roads of Zone Four: "You deserve to be the outstanding youth of the heroic Vietnamese people. The American aggressors have suffered great defeats in both parts of our country, and are suffering increasingly heavy losses in the South, yet they remain stubborn and refuse to abandon their plot to invade our country. Therefore, I remind you: You must uphold the fighting spirit, the revolutionary vigilance, and together with our army and people, resolutely defeat the American invaders completely; always unite, strive to study politics, technology, and culture to make continuous progress, and dedicate all the enthusiasm and talent of your youth to the cause of fighting against America and saving the country."

This is a letter, Uncle Ho's final words of advice to the Youth Volunteers before his passing. His love will forever be etched in the hearts of all patriotic Vietnamese people, and has been, and will forever be, a great motivation for generations of youth in general, and the Youth Volunteers in particular.

After the complete liberation of South Vietnam and the reunification of the country, and following 20 years of national renewal under the leadership of the Party and in accordance with President Ho Chi Minh's teachings, 350,000 former Youth Volunteers of the resistance war have been gathering into the Association of Former Youth Volunteers, a socio-political organization and member of the Vietnam Fatherland Front. This is generating a new spiritual strength, aiming to promote the tradition of resilience, courage, intelligence, and creativity in the resistance war for national salvation, transforming it into emulation in serving the cause of national construction. The Vietnam Association of Former Youth Volunteers, established and developing in many provinces, cities, districts, and communes nationwide, is carrying out numerous rich and practical activities imbued with camaraderie, helping each other overcome poverty, and supporting each other in striving for legitimate wealth.

Young volunteers carrying ammunition during the resistance war against the US - Photo: Archival material

Several local branches of the Association, established in close coordination with the Youth Union and the Veterans Association, quickly became reliable political and mass organizations of the Party and government. They propagated and educated the people to trust and abide by the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws and regulations, and to voluntarily participate in the struggle to protect political security and social order at the grassroots level. Hundreds of thousands of former Youth Volunteers have overcome difficulties, risen above challenges, and set shining examples in life, serving the cause of educating the younger generation today and tomorrow about the revolutionary traditions and ideals of the Youth Union, the Party, and President Ho Chi Minh.

In recognition of their great and proud achievements and contributions, the Vietnamese Youth Volunteer Force has been awarded numerous prestigious honors and titles by the Party and State: the First-Class Independence Order (1978), the Ho Chi Minh Order (1997), the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces (1997); 53 collectives were awarded the title of Hero (36 collectives awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces, 17 collectives awarded the title of Hero of Labor); over 100 individuals were awarded or posthumously awarded the titles of Hero of the People's Armed Forces and Hero of Labor...

Youth volunteers at Truông Bồn fill in bomb craters - 1968.

Over 66 years of development and growth, the Youth Volunteer Force has continuously developed and highly demonstrated revolutionary heroism, contributing their efforts, intellect, blood, and youth to help the entire army and people achieve glorious victories. And Uncle Ho's teachings to the Youth Volunteer Force from the past have surpassed all expectations, transforming into Vietnamese revolutionary heroism during the resistance war, becoming a tremendous source of strength for today's and future generations to continuously strive for excellence.

Currently, the Youth Volunteer Force continues to play an active role in the cause of national construction and defense. In particular, upholding the heroic traditions of previous generations of youth volunteers, after the reunification of the country, successive generations of youth volunteers enthusiastically set out, present on the front lines amidst hardship, devastation, and ruin caused by war, in particularly difficult areas, implementing socio-economic programs to establish themselves and build careers, while bringing cultural enlightenment to remote areas and ethnic minority communities; simultaneously, they are committed to the task of defending the Fatherland, ready to sacrifice and contribute to the firm protection of the territorial integrity, borders, and islands of the Fatherland in the new situation.

Peace(Synthetic)