Attending the ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Que Son district on the evening of March 26, Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Len, a son of Hai Phong land, a veteran of Regiment 31 who participated in the campaign to liberate Que Son 50 years ago, shared his special feelings about the people's love for the Party and the revolution. He said that he will never forget the kindness of the people who were always willing to protect, shelter, and raise him and his comrades during the days of bullets, bombs, and fire...

In the hearts of the people…

The special feelings of the old soldier mentioned above are certainly common to the veterans, cadres, party members, guerrillas, and frontline workers... in these historic March days, when they participated in the long march against the French colonialists and the invading American imperialists to liberate their homeland and country. The history of the Quang Nam - Da Nang Provincial Party Committee from 1930 to 1975 recorded a tragic reality: during the 45 years since the Provincial Party Committee was established, until the day the country was reunited, the Provincial Party Committee was repeatedly suppressed and terrorized by the enemy to the point of almost disintegration, many Provincial Party Committee cadres were captured, imprisoned, or sacrificed while on duty. After each time like that, the Provincial Party Committee was restored to continue leading the revolutionary movement. That miracle was thanks to... the people's hearts!

The story of Mr. Ho Nghinh - former Secretary of the Quang Da Special Zone Party Committee, who decided to move the Provincial Party Committee office to the Go Noi area (Dien Ban) after the Mau Than Spring General Offensive in 1968, when Go Noi was most fiercely attacked by the enemy, is a powerful proof of the people's love for the Party and the Party's love for the people, when he declared: "I am the Provincial Party Committee Secretary, I stand right in the middle of Go Noi, no matter how fierce it is, no district or commune secretary dares to abandon their land and run away. As long as the Secretary remains in the commune, no party member will abandon the people in each hamlet. As long as the party members in each hamlet remain, the people will remain, the area will remain, the movement will remain."

Also with the steadfast belief in the people, during the years of fighting against the invaders to save the country, a very special point in the existence and development of the Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee is that the Provincial Party Committee's office moved continuously; almost all districts, towns and cities have at least a few addresses where the Provincial Party Committee is located; even wherever the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee comes, that place is the "headquarters" of the Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee and the people's houses are also the "headquarters" of the Provincial Party Committee!

The late journalist and researcher Nguyen Dinh An once shared a truth, but also a special feeling about the people's love for the Party, the Party's love for the people during the time of revolutionary journalism. "As long as the people can see the newspaper, they know that the revolution is still alive; cadres, party members, and soldiers on the mountain are still alive and fighting. That way, the people will feel more secure!"

After the liberation of the homeland, along with many gratitude activities taking place continuously, the Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee decided to build the Monument to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers in Cam Mountain, Tam Ky City under the condition that the provincial budget was still limited. Before the groundbreaking, there were still many opinions from the public, but over time, the project has increasingly become a symbol of gratitude to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers in particular and the heroes and martyrs who sacrificed for the country; a "red address" for generations of people and veterans across the country to return to...

Most recently, the 12th Provincial Party Congress determined that by the end of 2025, Quang Nam will basically eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses for poor households and policy households across the province; while in 2024, the Government will only issue this policy nationwide!

Courage, surpassing…

The history of the provincial Party Committee recorded that in the autumn of the August Revolution in 1945, Quang Nam was one of the five localities that gained power the earliest in the country. What is special is that at that time, the Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee decided to order a general offensive and uprising, before receiving orders from the Central Committee!

Researcher Vo Ha, while reading the Working Handbook of former Secretary of the Quang Nam - Da Nang Provincial Party Committee Ho Nghinh, found his notes after the Provincial Party Committee Conference on December 15, 1975: “Currently, the issue of goods circulation in Saigon is too confusing. We buy as much as we can afford to produce goods that are necessary, and leave the rest to the free trade of capitalists. If we manage everything, it will be too confusing.” Perhaps, also from this different way of thinking (at that time - PV), Directive No. 03, dated February 12, 1982 on the preliminary review of product contracting in agricultural cooperatives and Resolution No. 03 dated March 10, 1982 on continuing to improve distribution and circulation work in 1982 and the years 1982-1985 of the Quang Nam - Da Nang Provincial Party Committee were confirmed by researchers as "proactive" and "fence-breaking" policies in the "nights before renovation". Later, when working in the Central Government, Mr. Ho Nghinh, was called by researcher Tran Bach Dang as Mr. "Ho Ngang", when he "dared to argue" with even... General Secretary Le Duan!

The "argumentative", decisive and resolute nature of the people of Quang Nam is also deeply imprinted in the decisions of the provincial Party Committee during the resistance war as well as in the construction of the homeland after peace. Remembering the time when Quang Nam "implemented" an open economy, many opinions were discussed, which seemed very convincing at a time when for 3 consecutive years since the re-establishment of the province (1997-2000), Quang Nam continuously suffered from natural disasters, diseases and poverty. At that time, the explanation from the key leaders of the province, very Quang Nam, roughly meant: "To take care of the immediate needs of the people, we must definitely do it. But we must know how to think far ahead, know how to seize the opportunity to change our fate". Previously, Quang Nam “broke the rules” when it issued Decision No. 430 on investment incentives, arguing: “Our land has been left unused and fallow for generations, and we have not earned any money. We call on businesses to come and do business, exempt them from taxes, the State does not lose any money, but people have jobs and the budget is collected. Why not do it?”

Conclusion

The speech at the Ceremony to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Homeland and the 95th Anniversary of the Founding of the Provincial Party Committee, on the evening of March 24, presented by Provincial Party Secretary Luong Nguyen Minh Triet, had a thoughtful passage: “Today, should Quang Nam retreat in the face of difficulties, should it not worry about falling behind? We have many advantages and potentials, but the scale and speed of economic development are not commensurate with those advantages and potentials”. A question, also a frank face to reality, but at the same time also contains the will and determination to act.

I remember once, a former provincial leader confided, roughly: "Quang Nam has the blood of "arguing", historical facts show that when this character is promoted, it will be successful, the province will develop; otherwise...".

Mr. Ho Nghinh once argued against a "movement" that was widespread in the South after the liberation of destroying temples, pagodas, shrines, etc. so that we could have the World Cultural Heritage of Hoi An Ancient Town, and "argued" against proposals to build Khe The irrigation dam to preserve the My Son Sanctuary. The history of the Quang Nam Party Committee over the past 95 years has recorded many such "arguments". After the "argument", of course, there was change, there was a breakthrough...

In the current development practice of Quang Nam, many lessons can be drawn from history!