Born in the lotus blooming season in 1890, growing up in the colonial land of Annam, engaging in world political life during the 30 years of revolutionary storms of the 20th century (1911-1941), Ho Chi Minh became the first Vietnamese communist; a steadfast and creative Marxist-Leninist theorist; the founder of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, opening the path to national independence and socialism; leader of the people's war, completely defeating the aggressive wars of both colonialism and imperialism; founder of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, a source of inspiration for the peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America to redraw the world map after 1945; and the brightest symbol of peace, friendship, solidarity and cooperation among peoples in the new era, crystallising East-West culture as a signal of the birth of "a culture of the future".
Ho Chi Minh was one of the revolutionary leaders who, from very early stage, was known to millions of people around the world. He was admired as "the most modest and radical Marxist-Leninist of our time" (Fidel Castro),"the symbol of communist wisdom in Asia" (R.Arismendi), "the great and steadfast leader" (Indira Gandhi), and the greatest example of “integrity, compassion and modesty” (Salvador Agende).
As a citizen of a colonial country, Ho Chi Minh understood the brutal nature of colonialism and was saddened by the suffering of all oppressed people around the world. Regardless of skin colour and ethnicity, these were the people who suffered the most and needed to unite in the common struggle to overthrow colonialism.
With the friendship of “the proletariat in all four directions are brothers”, Ho Chi Minh harshly criticised some comrades in the Communist International for incorrectly assessing the colonial issue and confidently affirmed that the proletarian revolution was completely capable of breaking out first in the colonial countries, thereby creating conditions for workers and labourers in the mother countries to carry out the revolution to liberate the class and liberate society.
The intellectual light and revolutionary enthusiasm of Ho Chi Minh made the famous Soviet culturalist Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam exclaim in 1923: "Through the noble demeanour and warm voice of Nguyen Ai Quoc, we seem to hear tomorrow, see the immense silence of world friendship."
When hearing the news of the French colonialists' defeat in Dien Bien Phu on May 7, 1954, the famous British musician Ewan MacColl asked himself: Why in Viet Nam? Immediately after that, he answered himself: Because there was Ho Chi Minh. And with that inspiration, the musician immediately wrote the masterpiece “The Ballad of Ho Chi Minh”, which has been translated into seven languages around the world and is sung by many people of all ethnic groups at major events, especially at youth and student festivals around the world.
On the sheet music, composer Ewan MacColl wrote words that depict the timeless stature of Ho Chi Minh: “There are things in this life that cannot be changed. There are birds that never yield. There are people who live forever with time: Ho Chi Minh.”
Ho Chi Minh is a symbol of true peace in today’s era, a peace associated with national independence, national sovereignty, democracy, equality and social progress. This is the source of vitality of Ho Chi Minh’s example, the value of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology in the progressive people’s lives in the world, as assessed by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba: Ho Chi Minh belonged to a special class of people whose death has sown the seeds of life and whose example is an eternal source of inspiration.
To date, more than 20 countries in the world have built Ho Chi Minh monuments with dozens of works rich in architectural language and stature of the character. Hundreds of schools, flower gardens, parks, and boulevards are named after him. Venezuelan universities include content about the country and culture of Viet Nam in the Ho Chi Minh era as part of their curriculum. Saint Petersburg State University (Russian Federation) has a research department on Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh's Complete Collection has been translated into many languages at the request of international friends.
According to a correspondent from the Viet Nam News Agency, Venezuelan Deputy Minister of Culture Alí Alejandro Primera said that the Venezuelan Government has directed relevant departments and sectors to closely coordinate with the Vietnamese Embassy to complete the final preparations for the art programme "Forever Ho Chi Minh", scheduled to be held at the Bolivar Theatre in Caracas Capital on May 21.
People of all ethnic groups around the world return to Ho Chi Minh today not only to honour a character who "already became a legend while he was still alive", as commented by Modagat Ahmed, Director of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Asia-Pacific region.
The return to Ho Chi Minh has a greater and more important meaning: contributing to finding a direction to solve the problems of today's world: peace, justice, freedom, and happiness for humanity.
Romesh Chandra, President of the World Peace Council, explained the vitality of Ho Chi Minh's ideology: "Wherever there is a fight for independence and freedom, there is Ho Chi Minh and the Ho Chi Minh flag flies high. Wherever there is a fight for peace and justice, there is Ho Chi Minh and the Ho Chi Minh flag flies high. Wherever people fight for a new world, against poverty, there is Ho Chi Minh and the Ho Chi Minh flag flies high."
Yesterday, today and tomorrow, people of all nations around the world continue to praise Ho Chi Minh as a typical value representing the era of liberation and development. Ho Chi Minh's ideology has provided encouragement to people of all nations on their journey to a better world — a world of peace, independence, no more poverty, injustice, and oppression.
Uncle Ho is Viet Nam and Viet Nam is the conscience and spirit of our era. Cuban poet Indio Naborí summarised precisely: “Oh Uncle Ho/Praise him/Is the epic of the times/In two simple words VIET NAM!”
