During more than 30 years of revolutionary activities, holding many different positions, but in any position, General Nguyen Chi Thanh always put the interests of the Party, the Fatherland and the People above all else, determined to strive and sacrifice for the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation all his life.

Comrade Nguyen Chi Thanh's birth name was Nguyen Vinh, born on January 1, 1914 into a patriotic farmer family in Niem Pho village, Quang Tho commune, Quang Dien district (Thua Thien Hue).

He participated in revolutionary activities early. When he was only 23 years old (in 1937), he was admitted to the Indochinese Communist Party; one year later, he was appointed Secretary of the Thua Thien Provincial Party Committee.

General Nguyen Chi Thanh. Source: National Archives Center III, National Assembly Photo Index, SLT 451-52

Comrade Nguyen Chi Thanh's revolutionary life was a series of years of extremely arduous but passionate struggle. Over 30 years of revolutionary activities, having held many different positions, but in any position, Comrade Nguyen Chi Thanh always put the interests of the Party, the Fatherland and the People above all, determined to strive and sacrifice for the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation all his life.

General Nguyen Chi Thanh (second from left) in Viet Bac in 1953. Photo: QDND.

He believed that “the most noble morality of a communist is to sacrifice and strive, to sacrifice is to sacrifice the individual, to strive is to strive for the revolution”. He was once Secretary of the Thua Thien Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Central Region Party Committee, Secretary of the Binh - Tri - Thien Sub-region Party Committee, Secretary of the Inter-zone Party Committee 4, member of the Politburo of the Party Central Committee, term II and term III, Director of the General Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army, Deputy Secretary of the General Military Commission, Head of the Central Rural Work Committee, Secretary of the Central Office for the South, Secretary of the Regional Military Commission, and political commissar of the armed forces liberating South Vietnam.

As Secretary of the Thua Thien Provincial Party Committee at the age of 24, implementing the directive of the Central Region Party Committee, in September 1938, he led the revolutionary masses to fight and defeat the tax increase project of the French colonialists and the Southern Dynasty government. After that struggle, at the end of 1938, he was arrested for the first time and released, continuing to operate, leading and directing many rallies and demonstrations of the People to fight to prevent the repression and terrorism of the French colonialists.

In mid-1939, he was arrested by the French colonialists and sentenced to hard labor, imprisoned in Thua Phu, Lao Bao, and Buon Ma Thuot prisons. During his imprisonment, despite being tortured with many brutal punishments, he was always steadfast, showing an indomitable spirit, bravery, and maintaining the integrity of a communist. As Secretary of the Party Cell in prison, he showed himself to be a staunch communist soldier in organizing the fight against terrorism, torture, and beatings of prisoners, improving prison life, while paying great attention to political theory education for Party members in the cell and political prisoners.

Although he was imprisoned three times by the imperialists, each time he escaped or was released, he returned to the revolution and the people, continued his activities, contributed to building the party base, and promoted the revolutionary movement in Thua Thien province at that time.

As Secretary of the Central Region Party Committee, Secretary of the Thua Thien Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Binh - Tri - Thien Sub-region and then Secretary of the Inter-regional Party Committee IV, he creatively applied the Party's People's War line to the reality of the Thua Thien battlefield. He contributed to making bold decisions that had the meaning of changing the leadership direction, turning the situation around, creating revolutionary turning points, gradually restoring the resistance war on the Hue front and opening up a new situation. Thanks to that, the Binh - Tri - Thien revolutionary movement rose up to integrate with the movement of the whole country, contributing to stopping the French colonialists' strategic division plot.

Comrade Nguyen Chi Thanh became the soul of the fiery Binh - Tri - Thien resistance war, worthy of the title "Guerrilla General" awarded by Uncle Ho.

Comrade Nguyen Chi Thanh plants rice with people of Chien Thang Cooperative (Quang Binh province). Photo: Huu Thoan - VNA.

In the revolutionary transitions, with his political qualities, ethics and leadership capacity, General Nguyen Chi Thanh was always trusted by the Party and President Ho Chi Minh to assign many important responsibilities. Taking on the task of Head of the Central Rural Work Committee, in the first 5-year plan (1961 - 1965) under the leadership and direction of General Nguyen Chi Thanh, the agricultural front ensured food and provisions for the people, contributing to building the North into a solid rear, initially supporting the revolution in the South, contributing to the complete victory of the resistance war against the US to save the country.

When our nation's resistance war against the US entered a fierce phase, General Nguyen Chi Thanh was sent to the South. In his position as Secretary of the Central Bureau and Political Commissar of the Southern Liberation Army, he contributed to correctly determining the US's strategic shift from "Special War" to "Local War" (1965 - 1968).

Throughout his life of revolutionary activities, he always adhered to the goal of national independence associated with socialism, national liberation associated with class liberation, liberation of the working people, and human liberation. He always cared for and built solidarity and unity among ethnic groups in the community of Vietnamese ethnic groups, between the Vietnamese people and other ethnic groups in the world; strengthened military-civilian solidarity, and consolidated the worker-peasant-intellectual alliance. He especially attached importance to rectifying Party organizations and developing mass organizations.

In June 1967, at the request of the Central Committee, he went to Hanoi to report on the situation and operational plans of the battlefields and receive new instructions. On July 6, 1967, on the day he was to return to the battlefields in the South, he suddenly passed away after a severe heart attack.

Uncle Ho and General Nguyen Chi Thanh by the lotus pond in Ha Tinh city. Photo: Archive

At 53 years old and with more than 30 years of dedication to the Party and the People, the life and career of General Nguyen Chi Thanh is a shining example of a loyal and exemplary communist; a talented leader; an outstanding son of the nation; and an excellent student of President Ho Chi Minh.

The 110th anniversary of the birth of General Nguyen Chi Thanh (January 1, 1914 - January 1, 2024) is an opportunity for us to review his life of activities and his great contributions to the Party and the Vietnamese revolution. At the same time, through that, we propagate and educate patriotism, revolutionary traditions, history, political ideology, ethics, lifestyle, and determination to successfully implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress for a rich people, a strong country, democracy, fairness, civilization, and arouse the aspiration to build and develop a strong, prosperous, and happy country.

TH

(Synthesized from documents of the Central Propaganda Department).