Three decades have passed since the 24th General Conference of UNESCO, which took place in Paris from October 20 to November 20, 1987, adopted Resolution 24C/18.65 on the celebration of the 100th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday, as “a national hero and a great man of culture of Vietnam” in 1990.
The resolution clearly stated that President Ho Chi Minh was an excellent symbol of national self-assertion, having devoted all his life to the struggle for the national liberation of the Vietnamese people, contributing to the common struggle of peoples for peace, national independence, democracy, and social progress. The important and multifaceted contributions of Ho Chi Minh to the fields of culture, education, and the arts are the crystalisation of the Vietnamese cultural tradition which stretches back several thousand years. His ideals embody the aspirations of the people in the affirmation of their cultural identities and the promotion of mutual understanding, the document said.
President Ho Chi Minh traveled all over the world to find a way to save the country and also led the Vietnamese people to produce globally resounding victories for national independence and freedom. Moreover, he left the Vietnamese people with an invaluable legacy, which are his internationally recognised and admired thoughts and actions.
His great thought is not only about the Vietnamese revolutionary ideals, but also the extremely vital role of education and culture for peace and development. These are also major goals pursued by UNESCO. Therefore, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova emphasised at the celebration that President Ho Chi Minh was a great humanist and intellectual. His thoughts on the power of education have been clearly manifested through his saying that “For the sake of ten years, we should plant trees; for the sake of 100 years, we should cultivate people.”
According to Irina Bokova, President Ho Chi Minh’s words and actions showed that he always wanted all Vietnamese people to strive for a bright future. The President demonstrated his thorough understanding of the power of culture by once saying that “the culture leads the way for the people to go,” considering culture an important factor to affirm the identity and origin, in addition to his desire to share the unique values of Vietnam’s heritages with the world.
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French artists perform two poems by Uncle Ho, which were set to music by French composer Louis Durey.
As for Alain Ruscio, a French historian who has made many studies of President Ho Chi Minh, the great leader of the Vietnamese people is a man of peace and of commitment. During his revolutionary life for the people and for the country, President Ho Chi Minh always struggled and fought against those who wanted to subjugate his nation. But under whatever circumstances or roles, either acting secretly or assuming the role of State leader, President Ho Chi Minh had never been aggressive, despite being repeatedly confronted by antagonists.
President Ho Chi Minh is a source of artistic inspiration in Vietnam, France, and many other places around the world. At the anniversary, two poems by Uncle Ho, “Toi doc” (I read) and “Thu da” (autumn night), which were set to music by French composer Louis Durey, were presented to French and international friends. Henri-Claude Fantapié, a well-known French conductor and composer, affirmed that “those who attend this special event, as well as many other people in the world, share the same thoughts, that President Ho Chi Minh is a symbol of integrity and wholeheartedness for the country and for independence and freedom of the Vietnamese people.”
The anniversary at the UNESCO headquarters is a very significant event, aiming to recognise the great contributions of President Ho Chi Minh to the common struggle of nations for peace, national independence, democracy, and social progress. As time goes by, Vietnam is on its forward path of reformation in line with the trend of the current time, and is always proud of the beloved Uncle Ho. Meanwhile, international friends still give good sentiments and admiration for President Ho Chi Minh, a respectable and great leader of the time.
