In Vietnam as well as in many countries around the world, since 13:38 on July 19, 2024, there have been the same words and special feelings for him: a shining example, an exemplary and moral communist, a sharp and intelligent politician, an excellent theorist of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and a person who devoted his whole life to the ideal of national independence and socialism and happiness of the people. Therefore, everyone wants to call him the culturalist Nguyen Phu Trong as an idol for spiritual life.
The first thing said about that man by both domestic and foreign friends is his immortal saying “Honour is the most sacred and noble thing”. That manifesto was not only spoken at the National Conference reviewing the 10 years of prevention and fight against corruption (June 30, 2022) but many times before and after that.
He also used the story of the character Pavel in the novel ‘How the Steel Was Tempered’, to advise cadres and Party members: “Man's dearest possession is life. It is given to him but once, and he must live it to feel no torturing regrets for wasted years, never know the burning shame of a mean and petty past; so live that, dying he might say: all my life, all my strength were given to the finest cause in all the world, the fight for the liberation of mankind.”
It seems that many generations and forces of nations during the 20th century, fighting for freedom, independence and liberation, still took that image as an idol to inspire each other.
The speech of culturalist Nguyen Phu Trong about the personality of a cultural person was also stated at the National Cultural Conference in Hanoi on November 24, 2021: “The most precious thing for a human being is life and the honour because a human life is only given to a man once”.
The cultural figure, in his role as General Secretary of a ruling Party, has made efforts to promote culture and build an advanced Vietnamese culture, imbued with national identity. He is one of the General Secretaries who brought culture to the renovation process to promote the achievements of the Vietnamese revolution, first of all in building and fostering socio-economic development.
He, together with the Party, the Government, and the National Assembly, vigorously implemented President Ho Chi Minh’s wish (1966): “When the day of victory comes, our people will rebuild our country to be more beautiful and prosperous” and President Ho’s Testament (1969): “The Party must have a very good plan to develop the economy and culture, to constantly improve the people’s lives.”
Culturalist politician Nguyen Phu Trong is also seen as a “General” in the battle against corruption with no forbidden zones and no exceptions, regardless of who they are, both incumbent and retired officials in all areas. Therefore, people and officials mourn and support the brave and strong-willed “General”, who handled work with the heart of a man of culture.
The whole world also saw the image of cultural figure Nguyen Phu Trong receiving three heads of state, from the world’s largest countries, including the US President, General Secretary and President of China, and President of Russia, within a year in three flexible ways of the “bamboo diplomacy” initiated by himself. All five members of the United Nations Security Council, seven comprehensive strategic partners of Vietnam and more than 190 partners across the world, all acknowledge a Vietnam under Nguyen Phu Trong’s time, that “has never had the potential, position and international prestige as it does today”. Maybe it is the embodiment of contemporary Vietnamese diplomatic culture.
He was also the 88th person in Vietnam to receive the highest award of the Party and State of Vietnam - the Gold Star Order. The culturalist includes a historical scientist, an educator, a politician, a theorist, a leader, and a standard military commander for an entire political system of a country of a hundred million people.
That man of culture also sets a shining example of ethics and integrity. He and the Party Central Committee planned and led the successful implementation of strategic policies on Party building and rectification, anti-corruption, and promoting a close relationship with the people.
For a long time, we have seen the simple image of that cultural figure. He returned to his old school Nguyen Gia Thieu High School to visit his teacher, Le Duc Giang, wrote a letter to his teacher Dang Thi Phuc, waded through the dry rice fields in Giong Trom District, Ben Tre Province in the historic drought year of 2016 to talk to local farmers, and others.
It was even more beautiful when someone took a picture of him sitting at home wrapping banh chung (sticky rice cake) on the 2019 Tet holiday.
A Korean named Cho Chul Hyeon, who wrote the book “General Secretary of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong” - the first book in the world written specifically about him, published in Korean in May 2024, and was published in Vietnamese in July 2024, heard the news of the General Secretary’s passing. He emphasised that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is an excellent student of President Ho Chi Minh, a communist thinker with profound theories. Cho Chul Hyeon was very subtle when choosing three phrases “Bac Ha scholar”, “Bamboo diplomacy”, and “blazing furnace”, to call them the great “legacies” that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong left for the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Vietnamese nation and people. Cho Chul Hyeon also said, “Not only the young generation of Vietnam but also people around the world have many things to learn from General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.”
