1. Former Party General Secretary Do Muoi (birth name Nguyen Duy Cong) was born on February 2, 1917, in Dong My commune, Thanh Tri district, Hanoi. His life spanned more than 80 years, during which he joined the revolutionary activities associated with many important events of the country, demonstrating that he firmly held the virtues of a communist and dedicated all of his efforts to the nation and the people.
At the age of 19, he joined the Popular Front movement. He became a member of the Indochinese Communist Party in 1939. In 1941, he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in jail. He served his sentence at the Ha Dong and Hoa Lo Prisons in Hanoi. In March 1945, Japan staged a coup d’état and he escaped from the prison and continued his revolutionary activities.
During the war against the French colonialists, he held many leading positions in the Party and the administration, including Secretary of the Party Committee of Ha Dong province and Secretary of the Party Committee of Ha Nam province. In late 1946, he became Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Administration and Resistance Committee of Nam Dinh province, a member of the regional Party Committee of the Joint Zone III, as well as serving as Secretary of the Party Committee of Ninh Binh province, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hoa Binh province, Deputy Secretary of the regional Party Committee of the Joint Zone, Vice Chairman of the Administration and Resistance Committee, and Political Commissar and Commander of the Joint Zone III. From 1951 to 1954, he worked as Secretary of the regional Party Committee, Chairman of the Administration and Resistance Committee, and Political Commissar of the High Command of the Red River’s Left Bank Region.
Later, in 1955, he became Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Administration and Resistance Committee of Hai Phong city. In March 1955, he was elected as an alternate member of the Party Central Committee. In 1956, he was Deputy Minister of Trade. In 1958, he became Minister of Domestic Trade. At the 3rd National Party Congress in September 1960, he was elected as a member of the Party Central Committee, serving as Minister of Domestic Trade. From 1967 to 1968, he worked as Chairman of the State Pricing Committee and Head of the Government’s inspection delegation. From 1969 to 1973, he became Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the State Committee for Basic Construction. In 1973, he worked as Deputy Prime Minister cum Minister of Construction and vice chairman of the central council for front support and the anti-blockage of Hai Phong port. At the 4th National Party Congress in December 1976, comrade Do Muoi was re-elected as a member of the Party Central Committee, and became an alternate member of the Political Bureau, in addition to working as Deputy Prime Minister in charge of basic construction, industry and materials, industrial and commercial reform, and distribution. At the 5th National Party Congress in March 1982, he was re-elected as a member of the Party Central Committee, elected as a member of the Political Bureau, and served as Deputy Prime Minister in charge of basic construction, industry and materials. At the 6th National Party Congress in December 1986, he was re-elected as a member of the Party Central Committee and the Political Bureau and assigned to work as a permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat. In June 1988, the National Assembly elected Comrade Do Muoi as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (now Prime Minister).
As the leader of the main economic sectors of the country for many decades, especially as Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Comrade Do Muoi mobilised team strength to promptly present solutions for the urgent problems posed in each period. Particularly, he made significant contributions to key national economic projects, especially thermal, hydropower, mechanical and irrigation works such as the Hoa Binh, Yaly, Uong Bi, Pha Lai, Diezel Song Cong, Apatite Lao Cai, Dau Tieng irrigation works.
At the 7th National Party Congress in June 1991, he was re-elected as a member of the Party Central Committee and the Political Bureau, and held the position of General Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Military Party Committee. At the 8th National Party Congress in June 1996, he was re-elected as a member of the Party Central Committee and the Political Bureau, and held the position of General Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Military Party Committee. Particularly, under his leadership and under the management of the Party Central Committee and Politburo, the country firmly believed in the renewal process and international integration and created breakthroughs in diplomacy when Vietnam normalised its relations with China and the US, as well as joining ASEAN. Furthermore, the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the European Union was signed, the first negotiations on the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) were initiated and cooperation channels with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB), and Asian Development Bank (ADB) were opened.
In December 1997, at the 4th meeting of the 8th Party Central Committee, he resigned from the position as a member of the Party Central Committee and General Secretary of the Party Central Committee. Comrade Do Muoi then acted as Adviser of the Party Central Committee until 2000.
Throughout a working career spanning over 70 years, Comrade Do Muoi was assigned to take charge of various fields and sectors both in wartime and peacetime. Trained and tested in reality, Comrade Do Muoi matured into a cadre with firm stuff, sharp wit, decisive actions and a close bond with the people.
Even upon retiring, Comrade Do Muoi continued to contribute his opinions to the national construction cause, while respecting and supporting the younger generations. He was a respectable person, a revolutionary veteran and a bright example of Vietnam’s revolution
2. As a son of the capital, during his revolutionary life, former Party General Secretary Do Muoi left many deep memories, always paying special attention and contributing to the development of the capital city of Hanoi.
In 1945, after escaping from the prison he continued his revolutionary activities. He participated in the provincial Ha Dong Party Committee’s Uprising Board, overseeing the revolutionary campaigns in Ung Hoa and My Duc districts and leading the uprising to seize power in the province. After the August Revolution in 1945, he became Secretary of the Party Committee of Ha Dong Province. With the new position, he affirmed his excellent revolutionary leadership, helping to develop the revolutionary movement in the province.
Later, during the two resistance wars against the French colonialism and American imperialism Comrade Do Muoi was often attached to his homeland, the land and the people of Hanoi. His interest in Hanoi was very clear, especially during the renovation years, when he was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Central Committee. Building grassroots democracy regulations and promoting grassroots democracy was the initiative of the former leader and Hanoi was the first place to implement grassroots democracy regulations.
Comrade Do Muoi was also always interested in Hanoi’s development, especially in the development of economics and urban areas. He regularly directed, orientated and encouraged Hanoi to expand and develop the economy. In particular, he advised the city leaders on urban planning, construction and the development of housing for the people.
After retiring, Comrade Do Muoi continued to contribute his opinions to Hanoi’s construction cause while respecting and supporting the younger generations. In particular, in Dong My commune, a study encouragement fund named after former Party General Secretary Do Muoi was launched to encourage his homeland’s youth. On August 29, 2003, the People's Committee of Hai Ba Trung District held the inauguration ceremony of the Den Lu secondary school, which was a meaningful gift donated by former Party General Secretary Do Muoi.
In recognition of his great contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, he was presented with a Gold Star Order, an insignia of 80-year Party membership, and many other noble orders and medals from Vietnam and other countries.
3. Thang Long – Hanoi, the birthplace of excellent people, is also the homeland of Comrade Do Muoi. With his revolutionary life, he brightened the tradition and history of heroism and became the pride of Hanoi’s Party Committee and people.
At the age of 101, he has left us to join Karl Marx, Lenin and President Ho Chi Minh. His passing away is a great loss to the Party, State and people of Vietnam in general and Hanoi’s Party Committee and people in particular.
Seeing him off at his final resting place, we expressed our deep gratitude for his contributions to the nation's revolutionary cause and to the people's happiness. Following the example of the Comrade, the Party, authorities and people of Hanoi will continue to strive further in the cause of building and developing the capital, contributing to the common development and building a beautiful, prosperous and civilised homeland.
