For Uncle Ho, morality is not just empty talk.

In the world, past and present, most of the famous people of truly great stature often left behind the essence of their thoughts through words, writings, and stories that are often simple but extremely concise, containing many truths, and have the power to convince many eras. Our Uncle Ho is such a person.

The book Shining morality of Ho Chi Minh⁽¹⁾, compiled by military poet Ta Huu Yen, since its first publication, has been welcomed by readers - especially the youth. Consisting of 50 articles, mainly in the form of vivid stories, based on published books and newspapers, as well as through personal contact with some real-life characters, author Ta Huu Yen has had his own successes, for a topic that has become too familiar!

The familiar and strange image of President Ho Chi Minh gradually emerged through each true story, during the extremely arduous and heroic period of resistance against the French and the Americans, in the land of Vietnam... In December 1946, Mr. Khiem, Uncle Ho's older brother, went to Hanoi to visit his brother who was now a President (A touching meeting). In February 1961, Uncle Ho and some comrades revisited Pac Bo. He was moved by the "revolutionary headquarters" of the early days of nation building. Here, in February 1941, Uncle Ho wrote these heroic verses: "In the morning, he went to the stream, in the evening he went into the cave" (Following Uncle Ho to Pac Bo). Through the years of resistance when he was still operating secretly, anyone who had the opportunity to be close to Uncle Ho clearly saw that Uncle Ho cared for each person. In the conditions possible, Uncle Ho took care of each pill, spoonful of porridge, piece of rice, and piece of cake. The great virtue of the Uncle Ho was knowing how to forget himself to take care of everyone (Warm Human Love). In March 1948, Uncle Ho wrote a letter to the Kim Thanh Guerrilla Platoon (in the two provinces of Hung Yen and Hai Duong). In Hai Duong, the example of Mac Thi Buoi who clung to the land, clung to the people, and steadfastly fought the enemy in her homeland emerged. With the pen name GB, he wrote a rather long poem in the six-eight meter, to praise and encourage "Heroine Mac Thi Buoi" (Heroic Mirror). Then, the discussion on old and new ethics, aimed at helping young soldiers of the Vietnam Army School, during the resistance war in Viet Bac, realize the basics, which are still meaningful today: "There are two kinds of ethics - old ethics of feudalism, like a person walking with his head on the ground and his feet up in the sky. The new ethics is revolutionary ethics, like a person standing firmly on the ground with his head up in the sky. You see, the old feudalism also talked about diligence - thrift - integrity - uprightness, but it was to force the people to obey and serve their interests. But today, when it comes to diligence - thrift - integrity - uprightness, cadres must be exemplary and practice it for the people to follow. For what? To benefit the country and the people... (Still eight words).

Those are stories from the time of the French resistance, after the victory of Dien Bien Phu, the North of our country was liberated, while building socialism, together with the South fighting and defeating the Americans, Ta Huu Yen also included in his book many memorable stories about Uncle Ho, worth passing down... In the capital Hanoi, after the day of the French invasion, Uncle Ho visited and celebrated the birth of the 8-3 Textile Factory, a large factory, the first child of the textile industry in Hanoi. The day Uncle arrived, the Factory's leaders intended to ask a superior leader to cut the ribbon for the inauguration. Uncle knew that, so he suggested choosing a young worker. So, the factory sent a young, accomplished worker named Dao Thi Thu to cut the ribbon. This detail startled the "insiders"! (A great honor). Then, that year, Uncle Ho visited the rice homeland of Thai Binh. He was especially concerned about the position and role of women. Here, the evil of beating wives was still widespread. Uncle Ho advised that men must respect women, but women themselves must also strive to maintain equality with men! The role of the Party cell must "get involved" (Uncle Ho visited Thai Binh). Comrade Vu Mi Ke, a Meo ethnic group, who was a high-ranking official of Ha Tuyen province, was fortunate to meet Uncle Ho many times. This ethnic group official remembered most one of Uncle Ho's questions, which he was confused about how to answer: "The land has made corn and potatoes grow well, feeding you. So, after eating corn and potatoes, what do you have to give back to the land?!" (I always remember Uncle Ho's teachings). I still haven't forgotten the summer of 1967, when the air defense positions in Hanoi were closely monitoring the sky, and the weather was extremely hot and uncomfortable. That did not escape Uncle Ho's attention! Knowing that the soldiers on duty on the rooftop of Ba Dinh Hall were facing the scorching heat, Uncle Ho immediately ordered the transfer of the money in his savings book (only 25,000 VND in total) to the Ministry of National Defense, so that the Hanoi air defense troops could have more refreshments (With the soldiers guarding the sky). Today, we learn and follow Uncle Ho's moral example, launching a movement against corruption, waste, and bureaucracy. In fact, Uncle Ho had already started directing responsible comrades to do that a long time ago. In 1952, our whole country was making every effort to win on the gun and bullet front, and that same year, at a Government Council meeting, the meeting minutes recorded the President's speech, with the content: "We have begun to carry out the three antis - anti-corruption, anti-waste, anti-bureaucracy. In 1953, we must strive to thoroughly carry out the three antis. Leading cadres must volunteer to be exemplary in the movement..." (Forever a clear example). Those are the deep impressions of a reader like me, that the book Ho Chi Minh's Shining Morality has left. There are more, many more beautiful impressions like that, depending on the feelings and experiences of each reader today, if they know how to clean up their hearts, to come to Uncle Ho.

Prime Minister Pham Van Dong once wrote very well about Uncle Ho: "Every word and action of Ho Chi Minh was practical and concrete, he did what he said, often doing more than he said, sometimes doing without saying anything, his thoughts appeared in his actions. Ho Chi Minh was a person who always aimed for practical results, dared to think and do great and strange things, but was not fanciful, not delusional, not hasty!" ⁽²⁾. I think, there have been and will be many more books and academic works to be able to say something about "ideas appearing in action", "dare to think, dare to do", "no illusions, no haste" in Uncle Ho. The book "Ho Chi Minh's shining morality" is one of those books. The work is successful thanks to the truthfulness of the chosen story; the art of narration is concise, clear, bringing out the person, personality, and character of the leader; moreover, the educational content permeates life stories, religious stories, and events, so the lessons learned at the end of each essay are also gentle, penetrating, avoiding the "tone" and "over-the-top" that are easily found in many books about Uncle Ho, published recently...

Perhaps thanks to that, the book about Uncle Ho by military poet Ta Huu Yen was reprinted for the fourth time by Thanh Nien Publishing House, as of 2007!
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(1) Ta Huu Yen: Ho Chi Minh's shining morality, Thanh Nien Publishing House, Hanoi, 4th reprint, 2007.
(2) Pham Van Dong: Basic understandings of Ho Chi Minh's Thought, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1998. p. 168.

Kim Hung