Applying Ho Chi Minh’s thought to building and developing rural economy

Dr. LE THI THU HONG
Institute of Ho Chi Minh and Party Leaders
Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics

1. On the role of building and developing the rural economy

First and foremost, the building and development of the rural economy aims to address the fundamental and urgent issues of the socio-economic life. This includes food, clothing, accommodation, transportation, and education for the people of a country where more than 90% of the population are farmers, who had just achieved national independence in the August Revolution of 1945.

According to President Ho Chi Minh, the first task is to develop production to meet the most urgent needs of the people’s life: “We must immediately accomplish: 1. Help ensure the people to have food to eat. 2. Help ensure people have clothes to wear. 3. Help ensure the people have housing in which to live. 4. Help ensure the people are educated. Our ultimate goal is to achieve these four things. It ensures our people worthy of independence and freedom and provides support for freedom and independence”⁽¹⁾. Rural economic development aims to improve the living standards of the working people, most of whom are farmers, who, according to Ho Chi Minh’s humanistic thought, “have endured hardships for many generations, have been oppressed and exploited by feudal and colonial regimes, and have undergone many years of war”⁽²⁾.

Secondly, the building and development of the rural economy is an crucial task, contributing to the successful implementation of the causes of resistance war, national construction, and the successful construction of socialism. President Ho Chi Minh affirmed: “Our most important task is to build the material and technical foundation of socialism, to move the North towards socialism, with modern industry and agriculture, advanced culture, and science. In the process of socialist revolution, we must renovate the old economy and build a new one, in which construction is a key and long-term task⁽³⁾.

Regarding the rural areas, he emphasized: “Only by implementing the land reform, cultivation land to the tillers, and liberating productive force in the countryside from the shackles of the feudal landlord class, can the status of poverty and backwardness of the farmers be put to an end, and only then can the great force of the farmers be mobilized to develop production and push the resistance war to complete victory”⁽⁴⁾.

The transition to socialism is a long-term and extremely difficult and complicated work, with many steps and various forms of economic organization, in which, building and developing the rural economy is the first step in the construction of socialism: “Socialism cannot be achieved rapidly, it must be achieved step by step. In rural areas, there must be a labor exchange groups to increase production, then move on to cooperatives, and then advance to the plantations. Socialism is how to make the people prosperous and the country strong, etc. Therefore, initially, there is the land reform, then advancing one step forward to organize the labor exchange groups effectively and extensively, and then move on to the easy form of cooperatives, then then to higher-level cooperatives. Only at that point will there be socialism”⁽⁵⁾.

2. On the content of building and developing the rural economy

Firstly, building and developing an appropriate economic structure in the rural areas.

The first task is to comprehensively develop the structure of the economic sectors, including industry, agriculture, and commerce.

Ho Chi Minh considered industry and agriculture to be the two pillars of the economy. He emphasized that our country’s starting point was as an underdeveloped agricultural country, thus, our “true path to prosperity” is industrialization to serve agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. He identified the role of heavy industry as the foundation for expanding other industries and supplying machinery for agriculture. Only when the industry develops, can agriculture flourish.

He also affirmed the role of agriculture: “When our agriculture is prosperous, it makes our country prosperous”⁽⁶), “Our country is an agricultural country, so now agriculture is of utmost important. Improving agriculture is the task of the entire Party, Government, and the people”⁽⁷⁾. However, agriculture can only truly develop when machines are widely used. Ho Chi Minh compared machinery to giving extra hands to the people, increasing their strength hundreds or thousands of times, enabling them to accomplish extraordinary things.

Agriculture is the main sector that provides food, commodities, and raw materials to meet the needs of the whole society. It is a consumption market and the basis for the development of industry and other national economic sectors: “Agriculture is the of food and raw materials, as well as an important source for exports. The countryside represents the largest consumer market currently, hence, it is necessary to renovate and develop agriculture to establish the basis for the development of other economic sectors. It is essential to renovate and develop agriculture to create conditions for the industrialization of the country. Only with a developed agricultural sector can the industry thrive”⁽⁸⁾.

At the same time, commerce should be emphasized: “In terms of tasks, it is crucial to clearly understand that there are three important aspects in the national economy: agriculture, industry, and commerce. These three aspects are closely related to one another. Commerce is the link between agriculture and industry. Commerce brings goods to the countryside to serve farmers, and commerce brings agricultural products and raw materials to cities for consumption. If the commerce link is broken, it will disrupt the connection between agriculture and industry, and it will not be able to strengthen the union of workers and farmers”⁽⁹⁾.

In building a rural economy with a reasonable economic structure, it is necessary to synchronously develop agriculture - forestry - fishery. Ho Chi Minh emphasized: “Production must be comprehensive, planting both food and industrial crops, developing livestock, developing forestry, focusing on promoting livestock breeding”⁽¹⁰⁾. Reforestation and development of forestry also contribute to the protection of the ecological environment, greening barren land, and bare hills, responding to abnormal changes in nature, and preventing natural disasters, floods soil erosion, etc. We need to promote aquaculture to bring economic benefits and serve the people’s food needs: “It is necessary to boost fishing activities, salt production, nurture and protect marine resources such as sea cucumbers, pearls, etc”⁽¹¹⁾; “It is necessary to promote fish breeding to provide additional food to meat and improve people’s lives”⁽¹²⁾. Our country’s rural areas are rich in minerals, natural resources, flora and fauna, forests, and seas. Therefore, it is necessary to exploit and utilize these resources efficiently to develop the rural economy, without harming the ecological environment and the country’s sustainable development.

Secondly, building rural socio-economic infrastructure

According to President Ho Chi Minh, it is necessary to build rural socio-economic infrastructure on the basis of transportation development, housing construction, and development of irrigation systems following the principle that the State and the people act together: “Constructing large roads is the responsibility of the Central Government, supervised by the Ministry of Transport. However, the local communities can take charge of constructing small roads. From village to village, the commune itself can takes care of it. Many communes have successfully done so. It is necessary to make our compatriots clearly understand the benefits of building more roads, propagandize and explain it well, then people will do it themselves and do it well”⁽¹³⁾. After constructing the roads, and developing the infrastructure, attention should be given to building houses for the people: “We are preparing to build a new countryside. The first task of the new countryside is to build decent houses”⁽¹⁴⁾, in order to embellish the rural landscape and create a beautiful scene for the new countryside.

Originating from the role and characteristics of our country’s agriculture, President Ho Chi Minh was always concerned about the construction of irrigation works for rural economic development: “Irrigation works must be timely to serve the corporatization movement, and at the same time, it must rely on the movement to perform irrigation work well. Talking about the rural economy, primarily refers to water. In the countryside, water is like a river, while socialism is like a boat. If there is plenty of water, boats can move easily”⁽¹⁵⁾.

Irrigation is not an easy task; it cannot be done at once. It requires the combining of small and medium-sized projects with larger ones. Due to limited resources, officials shall act as pioneers and propagandize to people to help them understand the benefits and voluntarily promote the people’s power: “Irrigation requires hard work for a few years to bring benefits for many generations. For irrigation, it is necessary to combine large projects with medium and small projects”⁽¹⁶⁾; “For major irrigation works, the State must invest money, the people must contribute their efforts. For medium-sized irrigation works, the State and the people work together. Minor irrigation works are performed by the people”⁽¹⁷⁾, etc.

Thirdly, building and developing a multi-sector economy, focusing on developing the cooperative economy

President Ho Chi Minh mentioned the multi-sector economy with various forms of ownership, including the state-owned economy with socialist characteristics; cooperative economy (consumption cooperatives, supply cooperatives, and farmers’ labor exchanging associations) are semi-socialist characteristics; individual economy of farmers and craftsmen; private capitalist economy; national capitalist economy⁽¹⁸⁾. Those who believe in advancing towards socialism cannot be impatient, subjective and idealistic, hastily eliminate economic sectors, but must direct all the economic sectors to develop together and follow economic laws in the process of reforming and building socialism.

Prioritizing the development of the cooperative economy is a correct and appropriate approach, suitable to the characteristics of our rural areas: “Our countryside has limited land and the population is dense, with outdated agricultural techniques and low labor productivity. Merely organizing people, improving techniques, and managing skillfully can enhance productivity more than individual efforts. Our farmers can thoroughly understand this. Moreover, our farmers have a revolutionary tradition, trust in the leadership of the Party, and listen to the call of the Party. Hence, they enthusiastically joined in labor exchange groups and cooperatives, following the path of socialism”⁽¹⁹⁾.

In the report on the draft for the revised Constitution at the 11th session of the First National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on 18 December 1959, he pointed out: “A cooperative economy is a collective form of ownership by the working people; the State especially encourages, guides, and helps it develop. We must develop the state-owned economic sector to create the material foundation for socialism and promote socialist reform. Agricultural cooperation is the main step to promote the socialist reform in the North”⁽²⁰⁾.

Talking to the people and officials of Hung Yen province, on 16 September 1961, President Ho Chi Minh outlined 9 essential tasks to ensure the rapid, strong, and stable development of cooperatives: Diligence, Thrift, fighting against corruption, wastefulness; Agricultural production must be comprehensive, with a focus on rice production, but also giving great importance to crops, fruit trees, industrial plants, animal husbandry, fish stocking and supplementary occupations, paying attention to increasing productivity, increasing crops and reclaiming work; Developing the common production of the cooperative is essential, but the production by the individual households in the commune should also be supported accordingly; Perform 8 tasks effectively: “sufficient water, abundant fertilizers, deep plowing, thick sowing, selecting good seeds, wiping out wild weeds, improving farm tools and daily extermination of rats and pests”; Each cooperative should only consist of 150 to 200 households, not too many to ensure effective management; High-level cooperatives should have higher production and income; Governance must be democratic, fair and transparent; Officials, party members, youth union members and self-defense forces need to volunteer and be exemplary in all activities; Pay attention to the development of local industries to serve agriculture⁽²¹⁾.

3. Harnessing motivations in building and developing the rural economy

Firstly, harnessing human motivation, and the pivotal role of farmers.

According to President Ho Chi Minh, in order to build socialism, the most crucial factor is to have socialist-minded people. To build and develop rural areas, it is essential to have educated and civilized farmers. Building a new countryside is renovating rural society, building a new people by “modifying the way of eating, dressing, living, walking, and working”⁽²²⁾, and improving both the material and spiritual lives for laborers to have a prosperous, and happy life.

Ho Chi Minh always affirmed the role of the farmers in the nation’s prolonged resistance wars and in the process of building and developing the country: “Most of our people are farmers. Everything must rely on the farmers. Only when the farmers are enlightened and enthusiastic, will the victory of the resistance wars be quickly gained, the national construction be successful, and the farmers will be liberated”⁽²³⁾. “Our Party’s experience in the revolutionary process has shown that wherever and whenever our officials effectively address the close interests of the farmers, adhere to the principle of the worker-peasant union, then the revolution advances strongly”⁽²⁴⁾.

The quality of life of farmers is also the goal of rural economic building and development: “All the Party’s guidelines, directives, and policies are only aimed at improving the people’s living standards in general and farmers in particular. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to strengthen and develop the cooperatives effectively, and continuously increase the income for its members”⁽²⁵⁾.

In his Last Will and Testament, President Ho Chi Minh expressed his wish that the Party and the Government fulfill the task of taking care of farmers’ well-being. Whenever conditions are favorable: “exempt agricultural taxes for one year for agricultural cooperatives to bring joyfulness and happiness to help them create enthusiasm and promote production”⁽²⁶⁾.

Secondly, harnessing organizational motivation

According to President Ho Chi Minh, party organizations and authorities at all levels should promote their role in rural economic construction and development. In leadership, it is essential to promote democracy, closely observe the real practical situation, focus on solidarity, and always consult with the public to gain their opinions and consensus: “The Party must strengthen its leadership. State agencies shall pay more attention to agriculture and enhance the role of their sectors in agricultural production. Province-level and district-level officials must deeply engage with cooperatives and help them make progress. But Province-level and district-level officials cannot be present everywhere. Hence, the root of the leadership at cooperatives is still the party cell level. The party cells must further enhance rural solidarity and inspire enthusiasm among all cooperative members and farmers and boost agricultural production, practice thrift, develop and strengthen cooperatives”⁽²⁷⁾.

He highly appreciated the role of party cells in the party organizational system in the rural areas: “The party cells are the root of the Party in the countryside. If the party cells are strong, all policies of the Party and Government will definitely be well implemented”⁽²⁸⁾. Promoting the role of party organizations and party members at the grassroots level plays a very important role: “After the mass mobilization, educating the Party cells and core groups in the countryside is a very crucial and urgent task”⁽²⁹⁾. “Whether the cell is strong or weak, whether its work is good or bad, has a significant impact on the rural renovation process”⁽³⁰⁾.

In addition to party organizations and governments in rural areas, President Ho Chi Minh paid special attention to the role of socio-political organizations, such as the Farmers’ Union, Youth Union, and Women’s Union: “The Farmers’ Union is responsible for ensuring the implementation of production plans. The Youth Union has the task of volunteering to promote the movement. The Women’s Union needs to harness their forces better and increased production. All sectors must have plans to serve agricultural production”⁽³¹⁾.

He said that promoting the exemplary role of officials and party members in building and developing the rural economy brings practical results, specifically: “All party members and youth members in rural areas shall participate in labor exchange groups and cooperatives and serve as role models. Agricultural heroes and warriors must always be at the forefront. The army comrades shall try to help the farmers. The women shall act as the volunteer force. All the compatriots and cadres shall unite wholeheartedly and make every effort to advance production, which ensures the success of the harvest”⁽³²⁾.

Thirdly, leveraging external forces through international economic cooperation

In order to build and develop the country’s economy, President Ho Chi Minh proposed key economic policies (including trading policies) with the aim of expanding international economic cooperation to develop the rural economy: “We strive to exploit forest products for sale to other countries and to buy things we need. Other countries buy what we offer and sell us goods we haven’t produced yet. That is the trading policy, mutually beneficial to our economy”⁽³³⁾.

In 1955, after visiting the Soviet Union, China, and Mongolia in cooperation with countries in the socialist system, he further clarified: “Friendly countries help us to rapidly heal the wounds of war; increase production in agriculture, industry and develop commerce; restore and develop the economy and the culture; so that we gradually improve the living standards of our people”⁽³⁴⁾. Ho Chi Minh’s consistent view was that international economic cooperation can be used to tap into our country’s potential, utilize external resources to promote internal ones, based on the principles of mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, and non-interference in Vietnam’s internal affairs, and upholding equality for mutual benefit.

4. The guidance of President Ho Chi Minh is a guiding star for building and developing rural areas in Vietnam

The guidance of President Ho Chi Minh on the role, objectives, contents, and measures to build and develop the rural economy have become a “guiding star”, guiding ideology and theoretical basis for the Party to set forth the right guidelines, policies, and strategies for rural development in Vietnam. Our Party and State have applied and creatively developed Ho Chi Minh’s thought to build a new rural economic development policy over time, creating significant historical achievements for the country in the renovation process.

Since 2010 onwards, the implementation of the National Target Program on New Rural Development has achieved many outstanding marks in economic development, making our countryside beautiful in appearance and new in quality. The socio-economic infrastructure in the rural areas has been strengthened, the rural appearance has been greatly innovated, and the material and spiritual life of the rural people has been improved. Agriculture has become the pillar of the economy. Our country has a trade surplus mainly from the export of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products.

The significant achievements in building the new rural areas have contributed to promoting socio-economic development, maintaining national food security, ensuring political security, an social safety, and enhancing the position and prestige of Vietnam in the international arena. The Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress recognized the achievements of new rural construction: “The rural economy continues to develop; the building of the new rural program achieved many important results, completed nearly 2 years ahead of schedule, contributing to changing the face of rural areas and the lives of farmers”⁽³⁵⁾.

The application and development of Ho Chi Minh’s thought on rural economic construction and development in the context of Industrial Revolution 4.0 requires recognizing both opportunities and challenges. Currently, more than 65% of Vietnam’s population live in rural areas; The stability and development of this region plays an important role in food security and national development. Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW dated 16 June 2022 of the 5th plenum of the 13th National Party Congress on agriculture, farmers, and rural areas to 2030, with a vision to 2045, sets the goal: “Rural areas will develop comprehensively, with a synchronized and modern economic-social infrastructure, an appropriate economic structure and production organization form, a safe and healthy living environment, deeply imbued with national cultural identity; maintaining political security, social order and safety; at the grassroots level, Party organizations are clean and strong”⁽³⁶⁾. To achieve these goals, it is necessary to continue to diligently research, apply, and creatively develop Ho Chi Minh’s thought on the issue of Tam Nong in general, and on the rural area in particular, in the current context of international integration and strong national development are necessary.

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Received: May 7, 2023; Revised: June 20, 2023; Approved for publication: June 26, 2023.

Endnotes:

(1), (6) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.4, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.175, 246.

(2), (26) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.15, ibid, p.622, 617.

(3), (8), (15), (19), (20), (24) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.12, ibid, p.412, 413, 505, 413-414, 373, 416.

(4), (18), (29), (33) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.8, ibid, p.353, 266, 467, 267.

(5), (7), (9), (10), (28), (31), (34) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.10, ibid, p.390, 182, 335, 225, 504, 214, 56.

(11), (12), (16), (17), (21), (25), (27) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.13, ibid, p.129, 213, 199, 198, 164, 617, 221-222.

(13), (14), Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.14, ibid, p.165, 446.

(22) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.5, ibid, p.113.

(23) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.7, ibid, p.56.

(30) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.9, ibid, p.510.

(32) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.11, ibid, p.503.

(35) CPV: Document of the 13th National Party Congress, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, p.61-62.

(36) CPV: Document of the 5th Conference of Central Committee, 13th National Party Congress, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2022, p.97.