Ho Chi Minh’s thought on combination of national strength with the strength of the times

Assoc.Prof.,Dr. BUI DINH PHONG
Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics

1. Introduction

A prominent event in the context of the failures of the feudal path and the bourgeois path for national liberation was Nguyen Tat Thanh’s journey to the West, to the capitalist “civilized” world with the development of science and technology; reaching France, the country whose colonialists were oppressing his nation, to see how they operated and then return to help his compatriot. This was a rare and strange phenomenon that later on in reality proved to be a wise and right choice because it was a way to absorb the wisdom of humanity and use Western “weapons” to fight against Western colonialism.

The intellectual stature of Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh far surpassed that of his predecessors when he realized that with the emergence of imperialism, in order to defeat the colonial invaders, passionate patriotism, hatred of colonial invaders, and the aspiration for independence and freedom - more broadly, “Eastern culture and thinking, a thinking marked by the ambition to seek the unity of the universe, harmony between contradictions, intuition and synthesis”(1) were necessary but not sufficient factors. One had to go to the Western countries to find a way to salvage the country.

This awareness helps us explain why “a person like President Ho Chi Minh, the embodiment of the fierce struggle against Western aggression, was nevertheless very close to Western culture”(2). He entered political life, trained himself, and matured in Europe, especially through his years in France; penetrated the Western countries easily and naturally and “tempered revolutionary ideals - progress, freedom, democracy in the West”(3) through the lens of national liberation. From there, he became the vanguard banner of the combination of national strength with the strength of the times in the 20th century.

2. Ho Chi Minh’s understanding of the relationship between national strength and the strength of the times

Ho Chi Minh considered national strength a great driving force. The revolutionary cause and Ho Chi Minh Thought have always been nurtured in the cradle of patriotism, immersed in the national spirit and compatriotism. Ho Chi Minh is the quintessence and spirit of the nation, the crystallization of the tradition of thousands of years of creative labor, and the steadfast struggle to build and defend the country by the Vietnamese people. National strength is a solid foundation, a fertile land containing the value of patriotism, the spirit of solidarity, the heroic and indomitable will to fight for independence, freedom, the sense of self-control, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-strengthening and national pride. That is a precious tradition, a great driving force for the country, forming an extremely strong and enormous wave, overcoming all dangers and difficulties, drowning all traitors and invaders.

Since leading the revolution and resistance, and building socialism, national strength has been inherited, promoted, and enhanced by our Party with the aspiration to build a powerful, prosperous, and happy Vietnam, standing shoulder to shoulder with the powers of the five continents.

Ho Chi Minh had a vision and perspective on the power of the times from an early age, consistent and throughout his life. In his journey to uncover a way to salvage the country, Ho Chi Minh carried with him a great question: Why did the national liberation movements from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century continuously fail? How can we liberate the nation? Along with that question was the skepticism when studying in the French-Vietnamese primary school about what was hidden behind the beautiful French words: Liberté - Égalité - Fraternité (Freedom - Equality - Fraternity).

Through practical observations, witnessing the miserable lives of the people in the colonies and many workers in developed capitalist countries, discovering the similarities between oppressed peoples, he pointed out: “Despite the difference in skin color, in this world, there are only two races: the exploiters and the exploited. And there is only one true friendship: proletarian friendship”(4). Later, talking about his feelings during his time working in New York, he said, “In America, there are some very rich people (...) And there are many very miserable workers, especially black Americans in the Harlem area. That made me think: The Statue of Liberty standing in New York Harbor, although very massive and tall on the outside, is empty on the inside!”(5).

After his early experiences immersed in the activities of the working class across various countries, together with his deep sorrow over the crimes committed by French colonialists in Indochina, he rose above narrow, extreme nationalism and embraced human civilization and culture. He reflected deeply on the fate of colonial peoples and did everything possible to “contribute to the cause of the world revolution”(6).

Concerned about colonial issues and world revolution, Ho Chi Minh soon formed the perception that in order to achieve liberation, nations needed to unite. He called out: “For world peace, for freedom and prosperity for all people, the exploited people of all races, let us unite and fight against the oppressors!”(7).

Ho Chi Minh soon realized that imperialism had advanced to an international level like a “multi-headed snake”, closely linked together in suppressing the colonial revolution and the proletariat of the mother country. The colonial people were all victims of one murderer - international capitalism, of the colonial regime, fighting together for a common ideal of liberating their compatriots and gaining independence for the homeland of the oppressed.

According to Ho Chi Minh, there is no separation between colonies and the mother country, between the proletariat here and the proletariat there. The world has only one humanity, one international for all oppressed and colonized people; we must unite to break all chains and oppression of imperialist capital to liberate the working people. The actions of imperialism endanger the fate of the international proletariat, so the deployment of a fighting alliance between the people of colonial countries, between the colonial people and the proletariat of the mother country is an objective necessity. Therefore, we must connect all revolutionary parties and oppressed people in the world to fight against capitalism and imperialism in order to reject the unequal and unjust relationship. The great intellectual stature of Ho Chi Minh is his clear recognition of the enemy and the objective of humanity in order to seek allies.

Ho Chi Minh’s perception of the strength of the era was raised to a new height, undergoing a qualitative transformation under the light of the October Revolution of 1917 and VI. Lenin’s Preliminary Draft Theses on the National and Colonial Questions. He entered into practical activities, was one of the founding members of the French Communist Party, the Colonial Union, the newspaper Le Paria (The Miserable), the Union of Oppressed Peoples and participated in many international forums, focusing on awakening the colonial issue.

According to Ho Chi Minh, the power of the times must be perceived and resolved in the light of the scientific theory and methodology of Marxism-Leninism. He pointed out: “We must improve our cultivation of Marxism-Leninism to use the stance, viewpoints, and methods of Marxism-Leninism to summarize the experiences of our Party and correctly analyze the characteristics of our country, only then can we gradually understand the laws of development of the Vietnamese revolution and determine specific guidelines, principles, and steps of the socialist revolution appropriate to the situation in our country”(8).

Under the condition that the proletariat class steps onto the political stage, stands at the center of the new era, and takes on the mission of leading the cause of liberating the oppressed through the vanguard of the Communist Party, the power of the era is the smooth combination of true patriotism with proletarian internationalism, national independence associated with socialism. That is the power of the combination of revolutionary trends of national liberation; the movement for national peace, independence, democracy and social progress; the power of socialism. The new era has made unprecedented strides thanks to human intelligence and knowledge. The development of natural sciences and social sciences opens up new horizons to help people master nature, master society, and master themselves.

Ho Chi Minh was a patriot, a communist soldier absolutely loyal to Marxism-Leninism with his own approach to enlivening the doctrine. He was allergic to and unfamiliar with all forms of extremism and dogma. Ho Chi Minh used the power of the times through the prism of national liberation. According to him, Marxist - Leninist theory is a great value that creates the power of the times, but the theory is not dogmatic or rigid, rather its full of creativity. Its vitality lies in being supplemented with new conclusions drawn from the vivid practice of the Vietnamese revolution, “Marxism-Leninism is a compass for action, not a bible”(9).

He required cadres and party members to “study the spirit of Marxism-Leninism; study the standpoints, viewpoints, and methods of Marxism-Leninism to apply those standpoints, viewpoints, and methods to effectively solve practical problems in our revolutionary work”(10). On the foundation and core of human liberation in Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh creatively applied and found the most optimal and effective way to liberate the Vietnamese people. The East and the West, the national and the international, the traditional and the modern always contain contradictions. Ho Chi Minh connected these two poles, filled the gap, and resolved those contradictions dialectically.

3. Ho Chi Minh Thought on combining national strength with the strength of the times - some fundamental elements

Firstly, awaken and unite colonial peoples and form a fighting alliance between colonial peoples and the proletariat in the mother country to carry out the cause of liberation.

One of the greatest contributions made by K. Marx was the founding of scientific socialism, clarifying the laws of history, guiding the explanation, reforming the world, and liberating mankind. V.I.Lenin brought new vitality to K.Marx’s theses, asserting that imperialism was the era of proletarian revolution and successfully led the Russian October Socialist Revolution in 1917. The birth of imperialism, the formation of the colonial system and the victory of the Russian October Revolution created a turning point of a new era - the era of national liberation and transition to socialism.

Grasping the characteristics, trends of movement, and development of the era, Ho Chi Minh soon realized that the cause of liberating oppressed peoples was a part of the proletarian revolution. He wrote: “The era of monopolistic capitalism is also the era when a group of large countries led by financial capitalists dominate dependent and semi-dependent countries, so the cause of liberating oppressed countries and peoples is an integral part of the proletarian revolution. Therefore, first of all, there arises the possibility and necessity of a close fighting alliance between colonial peoples and the proletariat of imperialist countries to defeat the common enemy”(11).

According to Ho Chi Minh, the cause of the isolation between colonial peoples, between colonized peoples and the proletariat of the mother country, is the lack of mutual trust and understanding to properly coordinate actions. He pointed out the solution: The Communist International and the Eastern Bureau of the Communist International must promote their role in enhancing understanding between colonial peoples. The French Communist Party and Western communist parties must strengthen the education of their working-class about true internationalism regarding the colonial question. The vanguard of colonial workers must have close contact with the Western proletariat to create the basis for the Eastern Alliance as “one of the wings of the proletarian revolution”.

True patriotism is a part of the spirit of proletarian internationalism; national independence is closely linked to socialism. The international spirit mentioned here is the spirit of all people in the world, in any country, any nation joining together to achieve the common goal of national peace, independence, democracy and social progress; it is justice and righteousness; it is freedom, prosperity and happiness.

Ho Chi Minh’s life, revolutionary career and ideology are a strong testament to the spirit of true patriotism that comes with socialism, as he himself confided: “At first, it was patriotism, not communism, that led me to believe in V.I.Lenin, to believe in the Third International. Step by step, in the struggle, while studying Marxist - Leninist theory and doing practical work, I gradually understood that only socialism and communism can liberate oppressed peoples and workers around the world from slavery”(12).

With the origin of genuine patriotism, Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh became an outstanding international soldier, an exemplary communist. From pure patriotism, he discovered and tapped into the desire to seek happiness for mankind, to seek welfare for society, which is the common point of ideological currents in different eras such as Marxism, Confucianism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Sun Yat-sen’s ideas. Ho Chi Minh’s conscious approach to the universal value of ideological trends created a strong cultural thread, a capacity to harmonize diversity, promoting the spirit of “four seas as one home”(13), “The proletariat in all four directions are brothers”(14).

There is an approach to the combination of true patriotism with internationalism in the communist ideology of Ho Chi Minh, which is “a communism with humanity, inheriting the traditions of the 1917 socialist revolution, but also absorbing the quintessence of bourgeois revolutions, supporting the national liberation movements - a communism that respects the individual, knows how to cry, laugh, and recite poems”(15).

At the International Conference commemorating the 100th Anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday, held in Hanoi, March 1990, an international delegate admitted: “We came here, some of us are Muslims, Buddhists, Protestants, or Catholics. Before we did not understand one another, after two days of the conference, we can sit down and talk happily with each other, because we have something in common, which is Ho Chi Minh’s ideal: “Wanting for humanity to be free and happy”(16).

Why does the world call Ho Chi Minh a “Marxist Gandhi”, one of the extraordinary characters of this era - a bit like Gandhi, a bit like Lenin, completely Vietnamese? There is a convincing understanding, that is, perhaps more than any other person of this era, for the Vietnamese people and for the world, Ho Chi Minh is the embodiment of an ardent patriot, a pure internationalist, a staunch communist soldier who always links the interests of his nation with universal values ​​of all humanity: peace, freedom, democracy, equality, social progress, and human dignity.

Humanity sees more clearly than ever the bright lesson in Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts and actions: the vital connection between the struggle for independence and freedom, the struggle for justice, and the struggle for socialism, building a new world in which imperialism and poverty are forever eliminated. The head of the World Peace Council emphasized: “Wherever there is a fight for independence and freedom, there is Ho Chi Minh and the Ho Chi Minh flag flies high. Wherever there is a fight for peace and justice, there is Ho Chi Minh and the Ho Chi Minh flag flies high. Wherever people fight for a new world, against poverty, there is Ho Chi Minh and the Ho Chi Minh flag flies high”(17).

Secondly, self-reliance combined with international support and assistance.

Ho Chi Minh was a man of independence, self-reliance, and resilience. Understanding the nature of imperialism and being tested by reality, as early as the Versailles Conference (1919), he pointed out that: to be liberated, nations can only rely on themselves, rely on their own strength. Later, drawing from Marxist - Leninist theory and contemplating “awakening slaves”, while condemning the French colonial regime, he inspired oppressed nations in the colonies that “the liberation of brothers can only be achieved through their own efforts”(18).

Accompanying the revolution, resistance and national construction is the ideology of self-reliance, relying mainly on one’s own strength; “using our own strength to liberate ourselves”(19). Ho Chi Minh’s declaration is concise and clear: “Only with self-reliance can we be independent, only with self-reliance can we be free”(20); “We must rely on our own strength. If our strength is great, diplomacy will be victorious”(21). He explicitly stated: “A nation that is not self-reliant but waits for help from other nations does not deserve independence”(22).

According to him, from the foundation of Marxism-Leninism, each nation must, depending on its conditions, propose a path of independence, autonomy, and creativity. This relates to the tasks of finding the path, opening the way, leading the way, and designing the future, in which determining the independent and autonomous line, building and organizing forces - both leadership forces and those directly conducting the revolution - holds decisive significance.

Independence and autonomy do not mean standing alone. When capitalism bears an international character, the revolutionary forces must also have an international stature. This means they must unite, support, help each other, and rely on each other to fight the common enemy. Ho Chi Minh’s special talent was to combine and skillfully and cleverly resolve the relationship between nations, classes, and humanity. It can be seen that, starting from patriotism with the ambition and aspiration to gain freedom and independence for his Fatherland, Ho Chi Minh came to the world of “the miserable”, progressive organizations, genuine Marxism-Leninism, the People’s Front of the three Indochinese countries, the world people’s movement, socialist countries, and revolutionary forces united with Vietnam against the invaders. This is the vivid and beautiful picture in the twentieth century that clearly illustrated the relationship between self-reliance and international support, in which internal strength played the decisive role.

From the beginning and throughout the revolutionary process, Ho Chi Minh’s viewpoint was “self-help”, relying on one’s own strength before “others help”. Moreover, he also thought of a huge force in Asia while eliminating imperialism, “they can help our brothers in the West in the task of complete liberation”(23). According to Ho Chi Minh, we must not wait or rely on any single bloc, but use goodness as the foundation and support in fighting against evil, to bring independence, freedom, and happiness to our own people and all other peoples. His consistent view was to consider your friend’s struggle as your own “helping your friend’s people means helping yourself”(24), and those “in the same boat” must help one another.

Thirdly, befriend all democratic countries and expand international cooperation.

As a great man, with great wisdom, and great courage, always thinking about sustainable peace in the world, about the development and legitimate interests of his people and other peoples, Ho Chi Minh proposed a policy that demonstrated a cultural level in behavior, dealing with people and reconciling relationships with all countries in the world “Be friends with all democratic countries and do make enemies with anyone”(25).

Immediately after gaining independence, Ho Chi Minh declared that the foreign policy of the Vietnamese Government was to be “friendly with all democratic countries of the world to maintain peace”(26). For each type of country, he proposed specific approaches, based on a common attitude of fraternity, friendship, and comradeship, aiming to establish global partnerships for peace, prosperity, and a better world; to oppose war, oppression, exploitation, impoverishment, and injustice.

Ho Chi Minh earnestly requested the President of the United Nations Council and member countries to accept Vietnam to join the United Nations Council with a commitment to responsibility and the ability to quickly and peacefully resolve Southeast Asian issues. Showing his goodwill for those commitments, Ho Chi Minh proposed to the United Nations an open-door and cooperative diplomatic orientation in all fields with clear principles: “Vietnam offers a favorable reception to investment from foreign capitalists and technicians in all its industries. Vietnam is ready to expand its ports, airports, and roads for international trade and transit. Vietnam agrees to participate in all international economic cooperative organizations under the leadership of the United Nations”(27).

Regarding France, a country whose colonialists were direct enemies and killed his compatriots, Ho Chi Minh affirmed that when it was completely independent, “Vietnam is ready to cooperate amicably with the French people. French capitalists or workers, businessmen or intellectuals, if they sincerely want to cooperate with Vietnam, will be welcomed by the Vietnamese people as brothers and friends. However, the Vietnamese people resolutely reject the French militarists”(28).

Towards the United States, even when the imperialists were waging a brutal war in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh expressed his wish for peace with the spirit: “we are ready to send them off with music and flowers”​​(29). Talking to the delegates of the International Court of Justice who came to Vietnam to investigate the war crimes of the American imperialists, Ho Chi Minh emphasized: “We tell our people that they must be ready to welcome the American people not when they come as they do now as soldiers carrying weapons - but when they come again in the future to help rebuild our country... Believe me when I say that I will be very happy to welcome the American President here peacefully. We extend our hand of friendship to any country that recognizes Vietnam as a free and independent country”(30).

4. Conclusion

Beloved President Ho Chi Minh devoted his entire life to the revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese people and the people of the world. Ho Chi Minh was the first Vietnamese to creatively apply Marxism-Leninism to the circumstances of our country, to propose policies and guidelines and to combine national strength with the strength of the times, leading the Vietnamese revolution to great victories. Our Party affirmed: “President Ho is a noble symbol of true patriotism combined smoothly with proletarian internationalism. His heart and mind for the Vietnamese people were also directed towards the proletariat and oppressed peoples around the world. As a loyal student of Marx and Lenin, President Ho was not only a great patriot, but also an outstanding soldier in the international communist movement and the national liberation movement of the 20th century”(31).

The 13th Congress stated the Party’s guiding viewpoint is to firmly apply and creatively develop Ho Chi Minh Thought. The fundamental issue is that today’s and tomorrow’s generations; the people and Vietnamese communists have the duty and honor to be the authors who continue to think and act faithfully to the essential principles of Ho Chi Minh Thought, while supplementing from practice, so that his thought “is always fresh, always infused with new vitality, carrying the breath of the times, not falling into rigidity, stagnation, or outdated in comparison to real life”(32).

The world is undergoing epochal changes toward multipolarity. Peace, cooperation, and development are facing new, more serious difficulties and challenges due to enormous, rapid, complex, and unpredictable changes. The root of global division is inequality and violations of international law and the United Nations Charter. With the goal of “No one being left behind: United action to promote peace, sustainable development, human dignity for present and future generations”, international cooperation is an effective tool to solve global problems and create a better future for all people in the world. Because no single country, no matter how strong, can solve current global problems. Each country has a major role in the global symphony; countries must unite, join hands, act together, cooperate closely, and highly promote the role of global institutions. It is necessary to strengthen multilateralism and act together to create a peaceful, stable, prosperous, and sustainable future for our world.

The above messages of the United Nations and our Party reflect the core values ​​of Ho Chi Minh’s legacy. This proves that Ho Chi Minh Thought on combining national strength with the strength of the times remains intact, paving the way for renovation, illuminating the future, carrying strong contemporary significance, and lasting forever with the nation and humanity.

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Received: September 30, 2024; Revised: December 20, 2024; Approved for publication: January 15, 2025.

l Endnotes:

(1), (2), (3), (15) Huu Ngoc: Sketching a portrait of French culture, Vietnam Foreign Language Publishing House, Hanoi, 1991, pp.18, 16, 21, 21.

(4), (6), (7), (23) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.1, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, pp.287, 34, 495, 48.

(5) See Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.14, ibid., p.700.

(8), (10), (11) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.11, ibid., pp.92, 95, 169.

(9), (22) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.7, ibid., pp.120, 445.

(12), (14) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.12, ibid., pp.563, 670.

(13) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.13, p.493.

(16) General Vo Nguyen Giap: Ho Chi Minh Thought: The formation and development process, Truth Publishing House, Hanoi, 1993, p.9.

(17) Ho Chi Minh Institute: Ho Chi Minh lives forever in the hearts of humanity, Labor Publishing House - People’s Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 1993, p.90.

(18) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.2, ibid., p.138.

(19) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.3, ibid., p.596

(20), (25), (26) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.5, ibid., pp.553, 256, 39.

(21), (27) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol. 4, pp.147, 523.

(24) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.8, ibid., p.105

(28) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.6, ibid., p.56.

(29), (30) Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics - Ho Chi Minh Institute and Party leaders: Ho Chi Minh’s biographical chronology, vol.9, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2016, pp.341-342, 11-12.

(31) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.15, ibid., pp.628-629.

(32) Nguyen Phu Trong: Some theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2022, p.38.