On February 3, 1930, Uncle Ho presided over the conference establishing the Communist Party of Vietnam. From then until September 1969, when he passed away, Uncle Ho experienced 39 Party birthday anniversaries, each leaving a profound impression. Here are some notable stories.
HA DANG
(2018 Lunar New Year)
Uncle Ho and the Party’s founding day
Uncle Ho recounted:
In 1925, Nguyen Ai Quoc, together with his Vietnamese revolutionary comrades in Guangzhou (China), established the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League. This organisation brought young people from Vietnam to Guangzhou, trained them and then sent them back to conduct propaganda and organise throughout the country.
In 1929, while Nguyen Ai Quoc was away, the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League opened its national congress in Hong Kong. The northern delegates proposed forming a Communist Party but were rejected and subsequently left the conference.
Afterwards, three communist groups gradually formed in Vietnam: the Communist Party of Indochina, the Communist Party of Annam and the Communist League of Indochina.
One country with three communist parties. All three groups privately understood this was wrong. The masses understood this wasn’t right. All three groups sought ways to achieve unity. But due to narrow-mindedness and poor methodology, the more they tried to come together, the further apart they grew.
In late 1929, Nguyen Ai Quoc returned to China and convened a meeting with representatives from all groups in Hong Kong.
To ensure secrecy, the delegates held a meeting on the Chinese soccer field. They pretended to watch soccer while discussing the Party.
After a heated discussion and a clear explanation from Nguyen Ai Quoc, everyone agreed to unify the three groups into one party.
Thus, our Party was established.
On behalf of the Communist International, from January 6 to February 7, 1930, the conference to unify communist organisations and establish the Communist Party of Vietnam was held in Hong Kong (China) under the chairmanship of Nguyen Ai Quoc. (Photo: VNA)
The conference to unify communist organisations and establish the Communist Party of Vietnam in Hong Kong.
Uncle Ho and the article “Our Party”
In January 1949, on the occasion of the 19th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, under the pen name Tran Thang Loi, Uncle Ho wrote an article titled "Our Party" and published it in the Journal of Internal Activities, or the Communist Review today.
He wrote that although our Party is young, it has made great achievements. This year, our Party is only 19 years old. But during those 19 years, every year has been a year of courageous struggle. Through many storms, many difficult steps, the more hardships, the more our Party has trained, the more solid and large it has become. Thanks to correct policies, solid leadership, strict discipline, and unified ideology, our Party and our people have achieved the glorious victories of today.
Through many storms, many difficult steps, the more hardships, the more our Party has trained, the more solid and large it has become.
He reminded party members to avoid arrogance and complacency. “Despite having gained significant achievements, we also have shortcomings. Each comrade needs to boldly and honestly examine themselves and their comrades.”
Notably, the two words “our Party”, which were mentioned in his article, have since resonated deeply among every party member, official, and citizen, symbolising affection and expressing enduring values that continue to be kept intact today.
First and foremost, it is the honour and responsibility of revolutionary soldiers who are admitted to the Party and take the vanguard role in the fight for the cause of national liberation, social liberation and human liberation. It is the flesh-and-blood bond between the Party and the people, in which the Party views revolution as a cause of the people, by the people, and for the people, and vice versa, the people see the Party as their own political entity.
Uncle Ho and the affirmation: “Our Party is great”
Speaking at the ceremony marking the 30th founding anniversary of the Party in 1960, President Ho stated: “With all the humility of a revolutionary, we still have the right to say: Our Party is truly great!”
Our party is great, truly, because our Party is a descendant of the working class. Since the invasion of the French imperialists, our country became a colony, our people became slaves to their country, our Fatherland has been trampled under the iron heels of the cruel enemy. For decades, prior to the establishment of the Party, the situation was so dark that there seemed to be no clear path to liberation.
Presidium of the Third National Congress of the Vietnam Workers’ Party, September 5, 1960. (Photo: File photo/qdnd.vn)
Presidium of the Third National Congress of the Vietnam Workers’ Party, September 5, 1960. (Photo: File photo/qdnd.vn)
From the day it was born, the Party immediately raised the revolutionary flag, united and led all the people to fight for national liberation and class liberation. The red flag of the Party shone brightly like the rising sun, tearing apart the night and illuminating the way for the people to advance firmly on the path of victory in the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal revolution.
The Party is truly great... But defeating imperialism and feudalism is relatively easy; defeating poverty and backwardness is much more difficult. Today, in the completely liberated North, the Party united and was leading the people to compete in building socialism, building a joyful, prosperous life and good customs and traditions.
The Party is great because, apart from the interests of the working class, the people, and the nation, the Party has no other interests.
Perhaps this is the first time that Uncle Ho affirmed that the Party is truly great! But it would not be redundant to repeat his words in the Political Report at the Second Congress of the Party (1951): Not only the working class and the people of Vietnam can be proud, but the working class and oppressed peoples elsewhere can also be proud that: this is the first time in the history of the revolution of colonial and semi-colonial peoples, a party that is only 15 years old has led the revolution to success and has taken power nationwide.
President Ho Chi Minh on raising revolutionary morality and eradicating individualism
On February 3, 1969, to commemorate the 39th anniversary of the Party’s founding, Nhan Dan Newspaper prominently published President Ho Chi Minh’s article on Raising Revolutionary Morality, Eradicating Individualism on its front page, signed under the pseudonym TL. The article addressed an issue that President Ho had been consistently emphasising for decades.
The story goes: After careful consideration, on January 25, 1969, President Ho invited the comrade in charge of the Party’s Propaganda and Training Commission to assign the task of preparing this important article. He clearly stated its purpose and content, emphasising the need for it to be concise and focused on the theme: “Eradicating Individualism, Raising Revolutionary Morality.” That also became the title of the article.
On January 28, 1969, President Ho revised the article and had multiple copies typed to be sent to each member of the Politburo to seek their feedback.
On the afternoon of January 30, he reviewed each comment from the Politburo members, incorporated their suggestions into the draft, and had the final version typed.
The article was published in Nhan Dan Newspaper.
The article was published in Nhan Dan Newspaper.
At 3:30 pm on February 1, the comrade in charge of the Propaganda and Training Commission came to request the final draft for publication. Holding the final version typed personally by President Ho and glancing at the initial draft prepared by the Commission, the comrade forced a smile and said to him:
- You’ve already edited everything.
Uncle Ho gently smiled and said:
- I have made revisions, but I have kept the core message of the article: "Eliminating individualism, elevating revolutionary ethics". That is the most important part.
The officer in charge of propaganda and education proposed adjusting the title—placing "elevating revolutionary ethics" first and moving "eliminating individualism" to the latter part, reasoning that our cadres and Party members are generally good, and their strengths should be emphasised. The office staff member agreed with this suggestion.
Uncle Ho’s article remains a timeless guide for the Party’s efforts in self-improvement and rectification.
Uncle Ho fell silent in thought for a moment before finally speaking:
- Your suggestion makes sense. However, I still have some concerns. Imagine your families have saved up to buy new furniture—tables, chairs, beds, and cabinets. Before placing them inside, would you clean the house first, or would you just bring in the new furniture while leaving the dust and dirt untouched?
The two officials were truly surprised by his way of framing the issue. They hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Uncle Ho then said with a smile:
- Since both of you have suggested this, and you are the majority, I will concede and change the title to "Elevating revolutionary ethics, eliminating individualism"… However, within the article itself, the core message must remain exactly as I originally wrote it: "Eliminating individualism, elevating revolutionary ethics".
That was Uncle Ho—always meticulous with every thought, every word, every sentence.
That was Uncle Ho—always careful and precise in his expressions. That is why, even after nearly half a century, his article remains a timeless guide for the Party’s efforts in self-improvement and rectification.
The original article was published in Nhan Dan Newspaper on February 2, 2018.
Photos: VNA, People’s Army Newspaper
Design: NDO
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