Editorial Board’s Words: In December 22, 2021, the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly, the State President, the Government, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee and Quang Binh Province solemnly organized the 110^th birth anniversary of General Võ Nguyên Giáp (August 25, 1911 - August 25, 2021). On behalf of the Party and the State, Comrade Pham Minh Chinh, Politburo member, Prime Minister of the Government of the Socualist Republic of Vietnam read a speech at the ceremony. Communist Review would like to respectfully present the full text of this important Speech.

In a magnanimous atmostphere to celebrate the 77th Founding anniversary of the heroic Vietnam People’s Army, the 32nd Festive Day of All People’s National Defence and the preparation for welcoming 2022 New Year, today in the home land of Quang Binh, the sacred land with extraordinary people, steeped in glorious revolutionary history and tradition, we are solemnly celebrating the 110^th birth anniversary of General Vo Nguyen Giap, former Politburo member, former Secretary of the Military Commission of the Party Central Committee, former Standing Deputy Prime Minister, former Defence Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam People’s Army, deputy of the National Assembly, from the 1^st Legislatire to the 7^th Legislature; the leader of great prestige of our Party, State and people; the brilliant and close disciple of Great President Ho Chi Minh; a staunch revolutionary fighter; the first General of the Vietnam People’s Army.

On behalf of the Party and the State, I would like to extend my warm greetings, close feelings and best wishes to the leaders, former leaders of the Party, State, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the veteran revolutionaries, the heroic Vietnamese mothers, the heroes of the People’s Armed Forces, Labour Heroes, the distinguished delegates and guests, the family of General Vo Nguyen Giap, and the entire people and comrades.

General Vo Nguyen Giap was born on August 25, 1911 in Loc Thuy Commune, Loc Thuy Distict, Quang Binh Province. Born in a Confucian scholar family rich in the patriotic tradition, a rural area with abundant historial, cultural and revolutionary tradition, comrade Vo Nguyen Giap at his early age had an ardent love for the country and profound compassion for the people.

Right from his secondary school student’s life, he had absorbed the revolutionary ideas of leader Nguyen Ai Quoc; he had taken an active part in the students’ strike movement at the Hue National School. In 1927, he had joined the revolutionary Tan Viet Party – a predecessor organization of the Indochinese Communist Party, now the Communist Party of Vietnam. In 1936, he participated in the Party’s democratic movement in Hanoi and an editor of the Party’s papers such as: “Our Voice”, “Advance Forward”, “Assemble”, “News” and others; participated in the Indochinese Congress movement and was elected President of Bac Ky (the North) Press Committee.

In early years of the 20^th Century, guided and assigned by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc-Ho Chi Minh, he had actively joined the revolutionary activities, kept close contact with the people and with the areas to build bases and open the military training courses at the Cao-Bac-Lang base. In December 1944, he was assigned by leader Ho Chi Minh with a task of establishing the Vietnam Liberation Army Propaganda Team, a predecessor organization of the heroic Vietnam People’s Army.

As a member of the Party Central Committee, the Standing Committee of the Indochinese Communist Party, a member of the National Insurrection Committee, a member of the Vietnam National Liberation Committee, Commander of the Vietnam Liberation Arnmy, he had made important contributions to the Party’s strategic decisive policies, giving guidance to the armed forces together with the entire Vietnamese nation to launch victoriously the August 1945 General Uprising, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

In the anti-French 9-year long protracted resistance war, under the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, he had personally commanded many important campaigns. Especially, in 1954, he was given with trust by the Party and President Ho Chi Minh the direct right to command the army’s divisions and other forces to launch attacks on the group of Dien Bien Phu stronghold fortresses, defeating the French colonialists’ professional army, making a contribution to together with the entire Party, army and people winning the Dien Bien Phu Victory that “is famous all over the world, shaking the globe”, forcing the French colonialists to sign the Geneva Agrement on July 20, 1954 on ending the war and restoring peace in Indochina.

After the North was liberated, he had together with the Party Central Committee  led the entire people and army to carry out simultaneously two strategic tasks: the building and defending the socialist North and pushing ahead the people’s democratic national revolution in the South; defeating one war strategy after another of the aggressive US imperialists, recording the glorious victories with the historic 1975 Ho Chi Minh Campaign as the peak, liberating completely the South, reuniting the country and bringing the whole country to advance towards socialism.

In a peaceful and reunified country, as the Secretary of the Military Commission of the Party Central Committee (to the year 1977), Defence  Minister (to the year 1980), the Standing Deputy Prme Minister (from January 1980 to April 1981), Deputy Chairman of the Ministers’ Council (from May 1981 to December 1986, he had together with the collective leadership of the Party, State and army led the entire people and army to implement two strategic tasks: the building and defending of the Fatherland of the socialist Vietnam and starting the national renovation work.

He was the member of the Party Central Committee of the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th tenures; Politburo member of the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th tenures; deputy of the National Assembly from the 1^st to the 7^th Legislature. He was also the Honorary President of the Vietnam Veterans’ Association; the Honorary President of the the Vietnam Historical Science Association, the Vietnam Learning Encouragement Association, the Vietnam Veteran Teachers and others. He had been awarded with the Golden Star Order, two Ho Chi Minh Orders, the 70-year Party insignia and many other noble rewards of Vietnam and the world.

Comrade Vo Nguyen Giap was the General, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam People’s Army. He had undertaken the great important tasks when he was only 37 years old; yet, with the extraordinary willpower and energy, the ceaseless striving, he had completed remarkably his assigned tasks, deserving with the trust of the Party, great President Ho Chi Minh and the heroic Vietnamese people. With 30 years as the Commander-in-Chief, Secretary of the Military Commission of the Party Central Committee, he was an outstanding miliaryman, the prestigious leader of the Party, the State and people of Vietnam; he was loved, respeced and proclaimed as “the Eldest Brother” of the Vietnam People’s Army. In the historic turnning points of the Vietnamese revolution after the 1945 August Revolution and the military campaigns in the anti-French colonialists’ and the anti-US imperialists’ war resistances; under the ever-victorious flag of the Party and Great President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap had made a contribution to making the great victories, immersing himself into the nation’s magnanimous flow of history, becoming a legendary general, a genius military man and had earned the admiration and respect of many statemen, politicians, scholars, historians, journalists, writers and a great number of people in the world.

General Vo Nguyen Giap had rendered great services and contributions in building the powerful, regular, elite and ever moderner Vietnam People’s Army. From a Vietnam liberation army propaganda team - the first main force with only 34 fighters and several dozen rifles and rudimentary flintflock guns – it had step by step developed into the seasoned regiments and divisions which were staunch in fighting and won over the aggressive enemies. The Dien Bien Phu Victory is the lively evidence to the maturity and growth in strength of our army under the clear-sighted leadership  of the Party and esteemed Uncle Ho and the talented command of the General. For the first time in the world, the army of a small and backward colonial country had defeated the professional army of a powerful colonialist-imperialist force.

In the anti-US resistance war for national salvation, in a capacity as the Commander-in-Chief, he was the man who had rendered great services to the building of the People’s Army into the regular and modern one, in building the Air force and the Air Defence force, the Naval force, the the Special Force, in building the inland Truong Son - Ho Chi Minh Road and the Ho Chi Minh Sea Route so as to be able to give timely support to the great front line in the South. Especially, in the ending stage of the anti-US resistance war for national salvation, he had made an urgent proposal for setting up the main army corps (Army Corps 1, 2, 3 and 4) to create the combined force, just meeting the requirements of coordinated combat of arms and branches of services in order to carry out the great battles. The 1975 Spring General Offensive with its peak being the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign had proved to his proposal as being creative, timely and precise, conforming to the then historical conditions and situation.

General Vo Nguyen Giap is the eminent army commander who is skilful in the art of war, a master in the military strategy and art, particularly in the line of the people’s war. In the great campaigns of decisive important character, he had always expressed his authoritativeness, sharpness and special military mindset. Under the leadership of the Political Bureau led by President Ho Chi Minh, he had given personal guidance to the miraculous people’s war of the Vietnamese nation to reach the peak of the art of military affairs. The superiority line of the all-people, all-round war and the protracted resitance war had defeated and foiled completely the aggregate war line of the lightening fight for fast victory and other strategies of the most powerful imperialists in the 20^th Century. His military knowledge and talent had come from his own study, from the anti-foreign invasion history of the Vietnamese nation and the history of the world’s military; from his own training and own experience withdrawn through fighting realities of our army and he was admired and proclaimed as one of the famous generals in the history of mankind.

Comrade Vo Nguyen Giap is a talented general, a cautious commander who had always compared the balance of force of the two sides, been proactive to force the opponents to fight in our ways, leading to their complete failures. Typically, it was the dicision to shift the fighting guideline from “lightening fight to resolve the battle fast” to “fight with firmness, to advance with firmness” in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign – the most difficult decision in the General’s troop commanding life, but it was completely correct, thus contributing to reducing the sacrifices of our soldiers and our people. The General was also the person who had ratified the proposal for setting up the Eastern military wing and ordered: “Lightening speed, more lightening speed; audacity, more audacity”, taking the whole army to advance forward, to launch more fierce assaults on the last den of the enemy in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, bringing the anti-US resistance war for national salvation to the complete victory.

General Vo Nguyen Giap had performed great services in forming and developing the military theory of Vietnam in the Ho Chi Minh Age: it is the line of the people’s war, taking justice to win over brutalities, inheriting and promoting the lessons of historical value of our ancestors in the fight against foreign aggressions in the new time. He had attached great importance to building the “Party organizations” into the “pure, solid and strong” ones in the armed forces; paid attention to and taken care of building the political abilities, the fighting abilities, the military tactics, fighting capacities; educated and fostered the quality of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” for the officers and men of the Vietnam People’s Army.

General Vo Nguyen Giap is a remarkable and close disciple of President Ho Chi Minh. Having lived and worked by His side and having been educated and trained by Him, the General had made great efforts to strive to study His ideas, morality, manner, life style and to nurture and train, speak and follow the examples of Great Uncle Ho. He was one of the persons who had soon studied and written about the ideology, morality and manner of Ho Chi Minh in a fundamental, comprehensive and systematic manner and made a lot of important contributions in the study and application of Ho Chi Minh thought in realities of the Vietnamese revolution. In such areas as education-training, science-technology, press, diplomacy, culture, history and so on, he had also made important contributions, so he was really a man of perfect talent and morality, a complete scholar and military man.

In the General had always shone brightly the qualities of noble human dignity, an ideal example for revolutionary morality: industry, thrift, incorruptibility, impartiality, for his honesty, simplicity, tolerance, kind-heartedness, modesty, inquisitiveness, unity, attachment and whole-hearted love for his comrades and people; for his high sense of responsibility, his working style was scientific, principle, but extremely flexible; he had always thought highly of the collective role, listened to the organization; he had always attached importance to the fact, believed in the strength of the masses, got contact and close relations with the people; he had striven tirelessly to build the great national unity block and devoted his intellect and energy to fulfill satisfactorily all the tasks assigned to him by the Party, people and army.

For over 80 years of abundant revolutionary activities, the life of General Vo Nguyen Giap had been closely associated with the career of struggling for national liberation, for the construction and defence of the Fatherland. He had also set the bright example of a loyal revolutionary fighter who was absolutely faithful and devoted all his life to strive wholeheartedly for the Party’s goals and ideals. Whether the revolution had met with advantages or difficulties, he completely believed with unshakable faith in the Party and the people, as in his lifetime he once put it: “The days I have still lived are the days I have dedicated to the country”. He had always remembered, followed the example and carried out perfectly the advice of President Ho Chi Minh: “Putting the public interests first and foremost”, considering it the guideline to live and to strive for the entire life. This is also a profound lesson for every Vietnamese.

The 110^th Birth anniversary of General Vo Nguyen Giap is celebrated today right on the occasion to commemorate the 77^th Founding anniversary of the heroic Vietnam People’s Army and the 32^nd Festive day of the all people’s national defence. Under the absolute, direct and all-sided leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in the past 77 years, the Vietnam People’s Army has continuously developed, grown and become the ever-victorious army of the heroic nation, defeating the powerful imperialists and their lackeys and completed its noble international tasks.

Today’s Vietnam People’s Army has got all the arms and branches of services, the composition of forces and weapons, which are equipped with the ever moderner techniques; trained well in tactics and campaigns and well-versed in techniques; have inherited the outstanding military art; have the synergy, level and capacity of high combat readiness; together with the entire Party and people defend solidly independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity,  sacred air space, sea space and islands of the Fatherland. At the same time, our armymen have recorded outstanding achievements in implementing their training and combat readiness tasks, in their protection and prevention of epidemics, natural disasters, in rescue operations, in protection of the people’s lives and assets; in labour, production, economic, cultural and social development. Also important are the achievements made in the defence foreign relations, notably the participation in the UN peace keeping activities which have made no small controbutions to maintaining peace and stability in the world and in the region. On behalf of the leaders of the Partyand the State, I would like to take note and warmly commend the exploits and achievements of the officers and men of the heroic Vietnam People’s Army.

The outstanding victories of our army in the glorious path of the past 77 years are the results of the education and training of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Great President Ho Chi Minh; the protection and nurturing of the people, the precious assistance of international friends, in which there is a great contribution of General Vo Nguyen Giap. It is the great efforts and blood of one generation of officers and men after another who are wise, brave, staunch and ready in combat and sacrifice for independence and freedom of the Fatherland, for the people’s happiness. These victories have beautified the “to fight and to win” flag of the heroic Vietnam People’s Army, building up the glorious tradition worthy for the complements of President Ho Chi Minh: “Our army is loyal to the Party, filial to the people, ready to fight and sacrifice, for independence and freedom of the Fatherland, for socialism. Every task is carried out, every difficulty is overcome and every enemy is defeated”.

Having reviewed the revolutionary life and career and the great, especially outstanding merits of General Vo Nguyen Giap, we are all the more proud of the glorious Communist Party of Vietnam, of the heroic Vietnamese nation, of the great President Ho Chi Minh, of the heroic Vietnam People’s Army for having educated and trained the staunch revolutionary fighter, the talented and virtuous General, the eminent son of the country and of the homeland Quang Binh, who had devoted all his life to the glorious revolutionary career of our Party and people. The General’s personality, dignity and great contributions to the revolutionary career of Vietnam will be left in the historical page of our nation and in the history of the world’s revolutionary movement.

Learning and following the examples of General Vo Nguyen Giap and the typical predecessors, we pledge to follow for ever the path taken by our Party, esteemed Uncle Ho and people; to carry on remarkably the revolutionary career - the priceless heritage which had been exchanged with blood by the predecessors and elders; to strive hard to build the country into an ever more developed, prosperous, beautiful and civilized country and to defend solidly our dear Fatherland; to maintain firmly the fruits of the renovation work as affirmed by General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng: “Our country has never had such a career, potential, status and international prestige as today”.

Promoting the glorious tradition of the heroic army, the noble quality of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers”, following the examples of General Vo Nguyen Giap – “the Eldest Brother” of the Vietnam People’s Army, officers and men of the whole army vow to be loyal to the Fatherland, to the Party, State, people and the socialist society; to constantly promote revolutionary heroism, the fine character and glorious tradition, to be determined to implement victoriously the combat army, the mission army, the labour and production army; to be forever the special political force, the fighting force which is absolutely loyal, the core force to together with the entire people defend firmly the Fatherland of socialist Vietnam.

On this solemn anniversary, on behalf of the leaders of the Party and the State, I would like to propose that all the levels, branches and localities and wish that officers and men of the whole army should bring into full play the spirit of unity, effort joining and unanimity to mobilize the whole political system to join and the community of enterprises and the entire people together with the community of overseas Vietnamese to continue to hold high the patriotic spirit, the willpower of self-reliance, the strength of the great unity block of the entire nation and the aspiration to strive forward to make efforts to overcome the immediate difficulties and challenges and to be determined to strive to carry out successfully the Resolution of the 13^th Party National Congress; to continue to push ahead comprehensively and synchronously the renovation work, bringing our country to develop in a fast and sustainable manner and with determination to build successfully the socialist Vietnam, for the goal of “rich people, powerful, democratic, equal and civilized country”./.

*This title is made by Communist Review

This article was published in the Communist Review No. 980 (December 2021)