Ho Chi Minh is a moral philosopher and a symbol of revolutionary virtue. Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts in general and his moral thoughts in particular were formed, developed and completed in half a century since he wrote his first article under the name of Nguyen Ai Quoc in 1919 to his last article in 1969. His thoughts constituted a great force which deeply and comprehensively impacted on Vietnam’s history and the Vietnamese nation’s destiny in the 20^th century and created the Ho Chi Minh era. A major part of his beliefs were developed throughout the revolutionary struggle for national liberation and defence. That is why it is sometimes held that these thoughts had the desired effect in a special historical period. However, the Vietnamese people and Party, with their profound experience and awareness of new requirements the fierce challenges of a new historical period, have confirmed the eternal value of Ho Chi Minh’s Thoughts. They maintain that these thoughts have overcome every historical period to become a symbol of our nation’s invaluable moral values and a torch enlightening our revolutionary struggle not only in the past but also in the eternal future, despite any changes in the world and the country. Therefore, in its 7^th National Party Congress in 1991, the Party confirmed that Ho Chi Minh’s Thoughts and Marxism-Leninism were the spiritual foundation and guidelines for our actions. That was a strong development of our Party’s theoretical and practical thinking and a confirmation of the permanent strength and abiding value of Ho Chi Minh’s Thoughts for the Party and the Vietnamese nation’s revolutionary cause from now on.

Well-known foreign scientists and close friends of Vietnam also affirmed the permanent and future value of Ho Chi Minh’s Thoughts. Addressing a recent international seminar on Ho Chi Minh, M. Lombardo said we should see the world as a process in which changes are the root of wealth and progress and aimed at realising humanitarian and moral wishes. That is why people like Ho Chi Minh became great men because their thoughts give us reasons to live and the ability to realise our dreams. Their thoughts bear human permanence and greatness, and reflect the greatness of Ho Chi Minh.

Despite many profound and unpredictable changes in the world with numerous opportunities and challenges, our Party, armed with the timely and deep values of Ho Chi Minh’s Thoughts, will be firm, self-confident, proud and fully aware to march forward to build the future.

To mark the 30^th anniversary of the implementation of Ho Chi Minh’s Testament and the 70^th founding anniversary of the Party, the Party Central Committee decided to launch a Party building and rectification campaign. The campaign required the entire Party, army and the people to learn about Ho Chi Minh’s Thoughts and virtues and prevent the degradation of values and lifestyle, to make the Party closer to the people. Although Ho Chi Minh presented his thoughts on the Party’s nature and value and Party building more than half a century ago, these thoughts will forever be strategic, decisive and vital for the Party’s existence and development. They are still relevant today for Party building today and tomorrow. In a follow-up move, on February 3, 2007, our Party launched a big campaign called, “Study and follow Ho Chi Minh’s moral example”. From this campaign we will further see the value and significance of his great thoughts throughout the years.

In his thoughts, Ho Chi Minh was very concerned with the strategic task in all revolutionary periods that was to strengthen the people, as he thought the people were the target as well as the factor deciding the success of the revolution. That is why he always affirmed the need to transmit to the working class, other working people and the entire nation the thirst for national independence and socialism and new moral values. This was in order to develop successive revolutionary generations to liberate the country from slavery, gain national independence and freedom and realise the high target of a rich people, a strong country and an equitable, democratic and civilised society.

Ho Chi Minh often reminded Party officials and members to consider virtue as the root of the revolution and people. They should be industrious, thrifty, upright, honest, public-spirited and selfless. He affirmed “an industrious and thrifty nation that has a sense of shame is materially rich, spiritually strong, civilised and progressive”.

Ho Chi Minh severely condemned individualism, because he said, “individualism is the cause of red tape, bossiness, factionalism, subjectivism, corruption and wastefulness. Individualism is a brutal enemy of socialism”. However, with a dialectical thinking, he maintained, “fighting individualism” did not mean “trampling upon personal interests”.

These immortal thoughts of Ho Chi Minh, with their deep theoretical thinking and practical outlook, remain fresh with the time. The strength and ability to win people’s hearts in the campaign, “Learning and following Mo Chi Minh’s moral example” stem from these values. More than ever before, in the current struggle between the revolution, progress and the counter-revolution, backwardness and evils has become fiercer and more sophisticated. We must firmly realise his teachings, highlight industriousness, thrift, uprightness, honesty, public-spiritedness and selflessness against evil practices, corruption and other social vices which are hated and condemned by our people. Ho Chi Minh’s virtues must be deeply understood by the entire people, first of all high-ranking officials. His virtues must become the way forward for each person in their unyielding and courageous actions to overcome evil practices.

The time value and significance of Ho Chi Minh’s Thoughts and virtues are the soul and persuasive contents which can convert our officials and people during the implementation of the campaign. The campaign has obtained encouraging results with the strict guidance of the Party Political Bureau and the campaign’s Steering Committee, and particularly the warm and voluntary response of the entire people and Party. These results can be seen in the close attachment between reason and sentiment, awareness and action and the understanding of Ho Chi Minh’s Thoughts and virtue and following his moral example. To meet the campaign’s requirements these factors must not be separated. That requirement comes from a deep understanding of Ho Chi Minh’s life, as the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong said, “Ho Chi Minh was an active philosopher, whose words met his deeds and who combined theory with practice and virtue with life” and “Ho Chi Minh was a moral philosopher and a perfect symbol of revolutionary virtue”. This will last forever and is a great requirement in our current struggle for new revolutionary morality which during his whole lifetime Ho Chi Minh tirelessly called on and encouraged all of us to strive to improve ourselves. We believe that the great campaign, “Study and Follow Ho Chi Minh’s moral example” will reach the objective of letting our generation repay his service and deserve his best wishes./.

To Huy Rua

Secretary of the Party Central Committee

Head of the Party Commission for Communications and Education