Some memories of comrade Nguyen Phu Trong's working trip

Listening to Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong raise the issue, everyone saw the closeness between theory and practice, between superiors and subordinates. The contents presented were not far-fetched or lofty, but were truly easy to understand and necessary for every Party Committee, every cadre and Party member.

In Nghe An, after the 15th Congress (2001) of the Provincial Party Committee, there were quite strong changes. Mr. Truong Dinh Tuyen - Minister of Trade was transferred to become Secretary. In just a short time, his uprightness and decisiveness in work, his integrity and simplicity in life quickly spread among cadres, party members and people. Thanh Chuong received much attention from Mr. Tuyen. Because according to him, it was a large district, with a large population, a revolutionary tradition, and many potentials and advantages for development. He directly approved the content, attended and spoke very strongly at the District Party Congress. During his 3 years in Nghe An, he returned to Thanh Chuong many times,... the general movement, especially the activities of the cadre team, had very clear changes. Perhaps that was also the opportunity for us to have these memorable memories.

In 2004, in the spring weather, a delegation of the Central Theoretical Council visited and studied in Thanh Chuong district. The delegation was led by Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong - Politburo member, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council. The delegation also included Professor Dang Xuan Ky - Vice Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, Director of the Institute of Marxism-Leninism Studies; Comrade Hong Ha - Member of the Party Central Committee, General Secretary of the Central Theoretical Council, Professor Le Huu Nghia, etc.

In Thanh Chuong, the delegation chose a commune to visit.

Thanh Tien is a locality with average conditions in the district, the movement is quite stable. Mr. Nguyen Van Hau is the person who has been the Chairman for many years, at that time he was the Secretary of the Commune Party Committee, is a straightforward, bold person, has prestige in the political system and the people of the commune.

When he learned that the working delegation included leading Party theorists, Mr. Hau was very cautious and sent someone to meet directly with Mr. Nguyen Quang Hanh - Secretary of the District Party Committee to ask about the organization of the welcoming ceremonies and the conditions for the working session.

At that time, I was the Head of the District Party Committee's Propaganda Department. Just in the Secretary's office, about to go down to discuss work with the Chief of Office, I saw Uncle Nguyen Phu Trong and Uncle Dang Xuan Ky standing under the magnolia tree talking to Mr. Dang Ha - the photographer. I had read their biographies and some of their articles and admired them very much. Seeing that they were kind, approachable, and free, I boldly asked Uncle Trong:

- Sir, tomorrow we will go to Thanh Tien commune, about 10 km away. Could you please tell us who will be attending the district and commune meetings so we can make arrangements? Also, we want to display some slogans in front of the office and in the hall. Could you please help us with the content?

He thought for a moment and then said very clearly:

- In the district, invite the members of the Standing Committee and the Head of the Propaganda Department; in the commune, invite the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Chairman. The office should be arranged in a U-shape so that when sitting, everyone can see each other in a discussion style. This is a field trip, a work trip, no need for fancy banners or slogans.

I told Mr. Trong but looked like I was "asking for help" from Mr. Dang Xuan Ky:

- Dear sirs, this is a remote area, it is rare for a Central delegation to come here like this, could you please let us decorate the place simply but seriously and take some pictures as souvenirs?

Uncle Ky supports:

- Okay, we can make some posters and take some souvenir photos with the locals.

Uncle Trong smiled gently:

- Okay. But remember to only arrange the space in the working hall, not on the street or in the yard. On the backdrop, just write "Central Theoretical Council working in Thanh Tien commune, Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An" and that's fine.

I went back to my room, took out a pen and paper to write down the content of the banner on the backdrop, but I kept wondering: The head of the delegation was a Politburo member and Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, but he only wrote it with the delegation, which sounded strange! I told this concern to Mr. Nguyen Quang Hanh. Mr. Hanh corrected: "Warmly welcome Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong - Politburo member, Chairman and Standing Member of the Central Theoretical Council to visit and work in Thanh Tien commune, Thanh Chuong, Nghe An".

I carefully asked for their opinions. Uncle Trong smiled and said: Okay. But remember to only do it in our office! Seeing that Mr. Ha was carrying a camera with him, I boldly said: Sir, can I ask for a souvenir photo with you guys? Uncle Trong smiled very comfortably: Taking souvenir photos is okay! So I have two precious photos with two respected seniors!

At that time, Thanh Chuong district did not have a mica cutting machine, so in the evening, I directly hand-cut a few lines of text to paste on the board on the backdrop for the brothers in Thanh Tien commune.

The next morning, we were honored to go with the group to Thanh Tien commune. The atmosphere was cheerful and friendly. Entering the office, Uncle Trong looked around with satisfaction, then he sat down to drink tea with Secretary Hau. He praised the tea as very fragrant and delicious.

At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Trong raised the issue very leisurely, briefly, and concisely. The gist of it was: This time, the Central Theoretical Council will once again conduct a deeper study on the Party's leadership method. In theory and practice, for decades, the Party has led organizations in the political system and the whole society. To put it simply: When there was no Party, and even now, if the Party did not lead, farmers would still plow, workers would still go to factories, teachers would still go to school, students would still go to school, etc. So do these organizations and societies need our Party to lead? What kind of leadership do they need? Or to put it more specifically, like in the Party Committee of your commune, how should the Party Committee lead so that the locality is stable, the people are peaceful, the people are well-fed, the people are happy, and the people trust? It is known that Thanh Tien is a commune with a very strong movement, a united leadership, the Secretary has a very high level of trust,... What do you think is the problem from the time of the Party Congress to the implementation of activities? What work content often overlaps? What content is often forgotten? Please be more specific: What does the Party Secretary usually do each month/week? What does the Secretary usually do when he comes to work on a normal day? How long can the Secretary be absent for before all activities continue as normal?...

Listening to the comrade raise the issue, everyone saw the closeness between theory and practice, between superiors and subordinates. The contents presented were not far-fetched or lofty, but were really easy to understand and necessary for every Party Committee, every cadre and Party member. The working session was in an open atmosphere. When answering the comrade's questions, many contents were naturally "realized",...

21 years have passed, but we still remember those days. Later, every time we hear General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong speak in person or on the media, we remember the simple man, the kind smile, the inspiring voice,... spreading love and trust.