The one seeking the shape of the country

111 years ago, on June 5, 1911, at Nha Rong Wharf, Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Nguyen Tat Thanh, working as a kitchen assistant, officially departed for France on the merchant ship Admiral Latouche Treville in search of “Freedom for my compatriots, independence for my country”, with a great heart full of love for his motherland.

At that time, no one knew that the fate of the Vietnamese people was tied to the decision of a man whom history has proved to be exceptionally wise. He had gone through hardships of a “waiter” on the ship, “waiter” at the hotel, working as a photo printer, lacquer painter, and snow shoveling person for a school to live, to go, to understand and to do revolutionary activities. He traveled across five continents, four seas, despite hardships and dangers, his will, determination and faith in the path of national liberation were always the same. He never stopped thinking about the fate of the country and the lives of his compatriots which always burned passionately in his heart.

The narrator of the Provincial Museum introduces precious documentary books about President Ho Chi Minh to the youth union members at the exhibition on the topic  “Uncle Ho and the Ethnic Peoples of Lang Son province” in the Provincial Museum. Photo: LA MAI

On his way to find the true path, he went to “free and slave lands”, learned about the lives of the laboring classes, workers, poor farmers, came to remote rural areas in New York, London… He realized that each country had its own landscape and people, but in social terms, the workers are oppressed and exploited everywhere. Colonized peoples all have a common enemy, the colonial imperialists. He clearly recognized the working class and the working people of all countries were friends; Imperialism is their enemy. He later generalized into a truth: “Despite the difference in skin color, there are only two types of people in this world, the one who exploits and the one who is exploited. And there is only one true love, the love of the proletariat.”*

When he went to New York to see the Statue of Liberty, he looked down at the foot of the statue and wrote in his notebook that “The light above Liberty’s head spreads across the blue sky, and the foot of the Statue of Liberty tramples on black people. When will blacks be equal to whites? When will there be equality between peoples? And when will women be equal with men?…”*. He looked at the fate of people, not the aura that shone from the statue…

Away from the country, but his heart was always with millions of his compatriots That was the great strength that helped him to overcome all difficulties, to move on, to find the light of truth to illuminate the nation’s dark and muddy path. When he read the Thesis of Lenin, he burst into tears – cried in happiness, he wrote: “Lenin’s Thesis makes me very touched, excited, clear, confident. I am so happy that I can cry. Sitting alone in a room, I spoke out loud as if speaking in front of a large audience. The compatriots who are persecuted and suffering, this is what is necessary for us, this is the way to our liberation.”* In the poem “The one seeking the shape of the country”, poet Che Lan Vien wrote: “Thesis came to Uncle Ho. And he cried / Uncle Ho’s tears fell on Lenin’s words / The four walls were silent listening to him turning every page of the book /Outside, the country was waiting for his news / Uncle shouted to himself as if speaking to the nation: / “Well-being is here! Happiness is here!”…”. From the reality of working, studying, blending in the lives of workers, analyzing the world political situation, receiving and approaching Marxism-Leninism, he chose the right path to save the country. which was the path of the proletarian revolution, which he later concluded: “To save the country and liberate the nation, there is no other way other than proletarian revolution.”

Youth Union members and young people learn about documentary photos at President Ho Chi Minh’s Memorial House, That Khe town, Trang Dinh district. Photo: TUYET MAI

After 30 years of traveling, he returned to his homeland, returned to his compatriots, carrying on his shoulders a noble mission along with the shining truth of Marxism-Leninism, “Lenin’s Thesis followed him to Vietnam”. He, along with the entire Party, people and army, was determined to go through many battles, sacrifices and hardships to bring the whole nation out of the long night of slavery. In early 1941, when he returned to the country, the first step back to the motherland was a sacred moment. He was silent by the landmark 108 of the Vietnam – China border, facing the Fatherland, looking at the mountains and forests of Cao Bang – the front land of his Fatherland. He bent down to get some soil of his Fatherland and kissed it with tears in his eyes, his heart felt like a deep silence, feeling the life of the “Country” in his heart, the image of a bright new Vietnam was showing up.

Millions of Vietnamese hearts and friends around the world always bear in mind the date of June 5, 1911. President Ho Chi Minh with a passionate patriotic heart died give birth to their youth and win the spring for the nation. He opened the door for the Vietnamese revolution to become a part of the world revolution, so that mankind’s struggle could progress for peace and humanitarian values. Celebrating 132th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh and 111 years of his departure to find the way to save the country, we will forever engrave the words of the eulogy of the Party Central Committee read by General Secretary Le Duan during President Ho Chi Minh’s funeral (September 1969): “Our people, our country, gave birth to him. President Ho, the great hero of national liberation, and it was he who made our nation, our people proudly bright.

* “Ho Chi Minh” full set, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011.