National Scientific Conference: “President Ho Chi Minh: An exemplary symbol of national will and the people's aspiration for independence, freedom, and happiness”

XUAN PHU

Presiding over the symposium were: Professor, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Member of the Politburo, President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, and Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council; General Lương Tam Quang, Member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Public Security, and Minister of Public Security; Dr. Pham Tat Thang, Member of the Party Central Committee and Deputy Head of the Central Commission for Propaganda and Mass Mobilization; Comrade Nguyen Thanh Nghị, Member of the Party Central Committee and Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; Comrade Nguyen Duc Trung, Secretary of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee; and Professor, Dr. Le Van Loi, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics. Also in attendance were representatives from central ministries, commissions, and agencies; leadership delegations from the Ho Chi Minh City and Nghe An Provincial Party Committees and other localities; as well as numerous experts and scholars.

In his opening address, Professor, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang affirmed that President Ho Chi Minh - hero of national liberation, preeminent cultural figure, visionary leader, and revered teacher of the Party and the Vietnamese Revolution - pioneered and guided our people on the arduous path toward national independence, freedom, and the happiness for the citizenry. He stands as the luminous embodiment of Vietnamese patriotism and the indomitable will enshrined in the maxim “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom”. Moreover, he represents the distilled intellect, dignity, fortitude, and conscience of both our nation and our age, serving as a lofty symbol whose inexhaustible inspiration sustains all peoples in their timeless quest for liberty, justice, and peace.

As the founder, leader, and chief architect of our Party, President Ho Chi Minh consistently prioritized the work of Party-building and rectification to ensure that “our Party embodies ethics and civilization”. He tirelessly deepened and reinforced the Party’s organic bond with the people, resolutely combating individualism and forging the political resolve and revolutionary ethics of cadres and Party members. Drawing upon the finest virtues of the nation’s ethical heritage and crystallizing the progressive ideals of humankind, he established the ethical norms of the revolutionary cause - norms that have served as a wellspring of immense strength in the struggles for national liberation, social emancipation, and human liberation.

By creatively applying and advancing Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics, and style, our Party has orchestrated a comprehensive, harmonized campaign of renovation, development, and deep international integration, culminating in achievements of truly historic magnitude. Once an impoverished, backward nation, Vietnam is now classified as a developing country with upper-middle-income status, underpinned by a dynamic economy, stable political and social institutions, robust national defense and security, and a steadily rising standard of living. On this foundation, we move into a new era of development with legitimate pride, confidence, self-reliance, and resilience. Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics, and style remain an invaluable legacy for the nation and the Vietnamese revolution, guiding the ongoing tasks of nation-building, socio-economic development, and homeland defense.

In his welcoming address, Comrade Nguyen Duc Trung, Secretary of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, observed that the symposium serves to affirm and elevate understanding of - and to disseminate and amplify - the profound ideological, ethical, and aspirational legacy of President Ho Chi Minh in this new revolutionary era. He noted that the theoretically substantial and empirically rich presentations delivered by researchers, scholars, and leaders constitute a vital foundation for all levels of government and local authorities to develop strategies, programs, and policies that meet the demands of the country’s next phase of development.

This symposium offered Nghe An a timely opportunity to assimilate and operationalize both theoretical insights and practical experiences in order to ensure the successful implementation of the Party’s key resolutions - namely, Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthrough development in science and technology, innovation, and national digital transformation; Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW on international integration under new circumstances; Resolution No. 66-NQ/TW on renewing the formulation and enforcement of laws to meet the country’s development needs in the new era; Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW on private-sector development; and Resolution No. 39-NQ/TW of the Politburo on constructing and developing Nghe An province through 2030 with a vision to 2045. It also drew upon the conclusions reached by General Secretary To Lam during his meeting with the Nghe An Provincial Party Standing Committee on 15 May 2025. These foundations will guide the drafting of the resolution for the 20^th Provincial Party Congress and the design of an action program aimed at attaining the “fairly prosperous province” objective and establishing Nghe An as a leading exemplar of modern local development in the new era.

The domestic and international context as the country enters a new era poses new requirements and challenges. To realize the goals set forth, one of the revolution’s central tasks must be to deepen the study and practice of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics, and style among cadres, Party members, and all social strata; to rigorously internalize, apply, and creatively advance his ideas in addressing the practical problems that emerge across every domain of public life. After all, his ideological legacy, moral example, and personal comportment constitute an invaluable spiritual asset for both the Party and the State that continues to illuminate the path to Vietnam’s revolutionary victories. Building on meticulous research and the inventive adaptation of President Ho Chi Minh’s heritage, the Communist Party of Vietnam has articulated a theory of renewal that has guided the country to extraordinary achievements over nearly four decades of Doi Moi. Independence and sovereignty have remained secure; Vietnam’s standing on the world stage has risen steadily; and its people enjoy ever‐improving prosperity and wellbeing.

The symposium received 90 submissions and comprised ten oral presentations. All papers and speeches concurred that the people’s will and aspiration for national independence, and for the freedom and happiness of the citizenry, form the red thread running through President Ho Chi Minh’s heroic, hardship-filled life, motivating the young Nguyen Tat Thanh to set out in search of a national salvation, to discover the guiding light of Marxism-Leninism, and to embrace the proletarian revolutionary path for national liberation. After the victory of the Revolution, in his capacity as head of both Party and State, President Ho Chi Minh formulated and executed policies across political, economic, cultural, social, foreign relations, defense, and security spheres to secure genuine freedom and happiness for the people. The gradual realization of a prosperous, free, and happy life for the citizenry laid a crucial foundation for building a flourishing, civilized, and contented nation. The immense values of Ho Chi Minh’s legacy continue to serve as an inexhaustible source of encouragement - instilling throughout our Party, people, and armed forces the fierce aspiration and determination to construct a country that is “more virtuous, more magnificent,” to “stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s great powers”, and to “make a worthy contribution to the global revolutionary cause”.

In his concluding address, General Luong Tam Quang underscored that the papers and presentations delivered by central and local leaders, practitioners, scholars, and senior officers of the People’s Armed Forces were marked by profound commitment, rigorous analysis, and insightful appraisal. These contributions deepen the understanding of President Ho Chi Minh’s illustrious life and revolutionary career, celebrate his monumental sacrifices in realizing the nation’s aspirations for independence, freedom, and popular well-being, and affirm the enduring stature, value, and vitality of his legacy for both Vietnam and the world. Moreover, they open new lines of inquiry for the creative application and further development of his thought in the nation’s new era.

General Luong Tam Quang further called upon all relevant agencies and units to actively harness and apply the symposium’s findings in their study of - and adherence to - Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and style. He urged the widespread cultivation and embodiment of the President’s indomitable will and lofty aspirations across all strata of society and within the armed forces, translating these ideals into concrete actions to build an ever more prosperous nation.