French newspaper praises President Ho Chi Minh’s legacy

The French daily newspaper L'Humanité (Humanity) on September 2 published a series of articles praising the legacy of President Ho Chi Minh on the occasion of Vietnam celebrating the 74 years of its National Day (September 2, 1945-2019) and 50 years of implementing the late president’s testament (1969-2019).

The photo of President Ho Chi Minh solemnly posted on the front page of the L'Humanité newspaper’s September 2 issue. (Photo: L'Humanité)
The photo of President Ho Chi Minh solemnly posted on the front page of the L'Humanité newspaper’s September 2 issue. (Photo: L'Humanité)

In the September 2 issue, the newspaper – an organ of the French Communist Party – posted a picture of President Ho Chi Minh on the front page and featured the entire two inside pages to run two articles under the theme of "L’héritage au long cours de l’Oncle Hô” (the legacy of Uncle Ho).

In his article "Hô Chi Minh, un combattant de l’émancipation humaine” (Ho Chi Minh, a solder of human emancipation), historian Alain Ruscio, former journalist of L'Humanité resident in Vietnam, praised President Ho Chi Minh as a revolutionary soldier devoting his whole life for the cause of national liberation and liberating the people.

During his revolutionary career, President Ho Chi Minh fought tirelessly to liberate the country and always had a desire for a better world. That was his reason for his decision to become a communist, said the article.

President Ho Chi Minh spent his whole life seeking for a way to liberate his country under the rule of the French colonialists. He wrote and read the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945, giving birth to an independent Vietnam in modern times, so that every citizen can be proud to be Vietnamese, the article continued.

According to historian Alain Ruscio, President Ho Chi Minh left a various of his writings, especially his testament, which are still of practical value today. He always cared for people from all walks of life and all of the matters in society, while reminding cadres and Party members to be close to the people. Thus, it can be clearly seen that Ho Chi Minh thoughts are still valuable lessons to date, said Alain Ruscio in his article.

In the last part of President Ho Chi Minh's Testament reads: "In the end, I leave all of my love to all the people, the whole Party, to all the army, young people and children. I also extend my greetings to all fraternal comrades, friends and international youth and children. My ultimate wish is: the whole Vietnamese Party and our people unite and make every effort to build a peaceful, united, independent, democratic and prosperous Vietnam and contribute worthily to the world revolution.” According to historian Alain Ruscio, at the beginning of the 21st century, his instructions are still of practical value.

L'Humanité devotes two inside pages to publish articles about President Ho Chi Minh. (Photo captured by NDO)

Also in the issue published on September 2, L'Humanité posted solemnly on its front page an article themed "L'Oncle Hô inspire le Vietnam moderne” (Uncle Ho – the inspirer of modern Vietnam) by Lina Sankari.

The author of the article said under the Ba Na Mountain foot in Central Vietnam, there are families indirectly affected by the war, suffering from a series of physical and mental sequalae of toxic chemicals during 1961-1971. They still step by step patiently overcome the situation and still have a deep respect and gratitude for Uncle Ho. For them, "his actions and his simple life still guides us."

“In this respect, it is not an exaggeration to consider that Uncle Ho is a part of the spiritual life of Vietnamese people,” Lina Sankari said, adding that “or at least it continues to exert influence that goes well beyond the strict political framework.”

The article said since the beginning of the year, the country has anticipated the 50th anniversary of the death of President Ho Chi Minh by organising a series of conferences and exhibitions. According to the author, the 50th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's Testament will be also an opportunity for the Communist Party of Vietnam to re-evaluate the implementation of his will, written in May 1965 and completed in May 1969, to continue to thoroughly grasp and apply in the present fight against corruption.