Commemorating the 118th birthday of General Secretary Le Duan (April 7, 1907)

BTO - Comrade Le Duan's real name is Le Van Nhuan, born on April 7, 1907 in a family with a tradition of patriotism in Bich La village, Trieu Dong commune, Trieu Phong district, Quang Tri province.

At 79 years old, 56 years in the Party, nearly 60 years of revolutionary activities, the life and revolutionary career of comrade Le Duan are closely linked to the revolutionary process of our nation from the 1920s to the 1980s of the 20th century, setting a shining example of a pioneering communist soldier, sacrificing and dedicating his whole life to the cause of national liberation, national reunification and socialism building. Comrade Le Duan - a staunch communist soldier, an outstanding leader of the Party; a great theorist, a creative thinker of the Vietnamese revolution; An excellent student, a close and trusted collaborator of President Ho Chi Minh, an exemplary communist personality, an outstanding son of his homeland Quang Tri, he participated in the patriotic struggle movement since 1925, joined the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association in 1928 and by 1930 became one of the first party members of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Comrade Le Duan's revolutionary activities took place continuously in many provinces, cities and localities nationwide with many important responsibilities entrusted to him by the Party such as: Member of the Propaganda Committee of the Northern Regional Party Committee (1931); Provisional Secretary of the Central Regional Party Committee (1937); Member of the Central Party Standing Committee (1939); Secretary of the Southern Regional Party Committee (1946 - 1951; 1954 - 1957), Secretary of the Central Office for Southern Vietnam (1951 - 1954), Member of the Politburo (from 1951); First Secretary , General Secretary of the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (from 1960 - 1986).

During the years of resistance against French colonialism, comrade Le Duan was Secretary of the Southern Party Committee and Secretary of the Central Office for Southern Vietnam, together with the Southern Party Committee and the Central Office for Southern Vietnam, organized, deployed, and creatively applied the resistance line of the Party Central Committee and Uncle Ho to lead the Southern people to develop guerrilla warfare, coordinating combat with the battlefields of the North and Central Vietnam. With 26 consecutive years of holding the position of First Secretary and General Secretary of the Party (from 1960 to 1986), simultaneously carrying out two strategic tasks of the entire nation: building and defending socialism in the North and fighting to liberate the South, unify the country, and lead the whole country to socialism; in challenging and complicated historical times, comrade Le Duan made important and great contributions to the Vietnamese revolution, demonstrated in his breakthrough decisions and far-sighted leadership thinking.

After the Geneva Agreement (July 1954), comrade Le Duan stayed in the South with the Central Office for Southern Vietnam to continue to direct the struggle of the Southern people for peace and negotiations to unify the country. With rich experience from practical revolutionary activities of an experienced leader, with a sharp, dynamic and creative mindset, comrade Le Duan completed the Southern Revolutionary Outline (August 1956) - which greatly contributed to the birth of Resolution 15 of the Party Central Committee (1959). Resolution 15 of the Party Central Committee was a historic Resolution that brought the Southern revolution to a new stage with the Dong Khoi movement spreading and boiling in the years 1959 - 1960. The victory of the Dong Khoi movement affirmed the correctness of the policy and method of conducting revolutionary war, a unique beginning, suitable to the specific historical situation of the Southern revolution at that time.

Returning to the North in 1957, then assuming the position of First Secretary of the Party Central Committee from the 3rd Party Congress (September 1960), Comrade Le Duan, together with the Party Central Committee, the Politburo and President Ho Chi Minh, successfully resolved the theoretical and practical issues of the Vietnamese revolution in the context of the international communist and workers' movements and the complicated changes and developments in the international situation. Comrade Le Duan affirmed that the path forward of the Southern revolution was the path of Vietnam. It was the revolutionary path of the Vietnamese people and carried out by the Vietnamese people for their just goals. Comrade Le Duan's innovations in directing the revolutionary war in the South also stood out with his comprehensive viewpoint in the policy of linking military struggle with political, diplomatic, economic, cultural and ideological struggles... all of which were unified and acted upon to create a combined strength.

Since November 1965, after a number of "tests of fire" with the US regular army on the southern battlefield, comrade Le Duan affirmed: " The ability to restrain the enemy and defeat the enemy in the South is a reality ". That was the basis for our Party to form the viewpoint: Resolutely fight the invading US expeditionary force on the battlefield but not internationalize the armed conflict in South Vietnam and prevent this war from spreading to both the South and the North. The victories of strategic significance: Tet Mau Than 1968, the 1972 campaigns in the South, the victory of the US B52 strategic raid in the North at the end of December 1972 forced the US to de-escalate the war, opening up a situation of " fighting while negotiating " ending with the Paris Agreement (January 1973) forcing the US to withdraw all troops home.

All those victories were associated with the sharpness and acumen in the strategic direction of the Politburo headed by comrade Le Duan. That correct strategic motto was summarized and consistently implemented by comrade Le Duan, which is also a clear image of the Vietnamese revolutionary method, successfully realizing the strategic direction summarized by President Ho Chi Minh: " Fight to make the Americans leave, fight to make the puppets fall ". In October 1974, at the Politburo Conference, comrade Le Duan commented: " At this time, we have an opportunity ". " This opportunity requires us to act quickly, neatly, thoroughly, but cleverly. Only then can we create surprises ...". The victorious 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising was the pinnacle of outstanding success in the art of seizing opportunities, moving from one opportunity to create and seize the next opportunity, continuously and resolutely, with the slogan of Speed, boldness, surprise to create and seize the final opportunity, ending the war promptly and completely.

The 118th anniversary of the birth of General Secretary Le Duan (April 7, 1907 - April 7, 2025) is an opportunity for us to remember and learn more deeply about the glorious revolutionary life and great contributions of comrade Le Duan to the cause of national liberation, national reunification, construction and protection of the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland; including the days when he lived in Binh Thanh commune, Tuy Phong district, Binh Thuan province and today the Tuy Phong Party Committee and People have built a memorial house for comrade Le Duan .

Comrade Le Duan's contributions to the revolutionary cause of our Party and People are truly great. We vow to learn from Comrade Le Duan's example of strong will and exemplary communist personality; persistently apply and creatively develop Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought; firmly follow the path of national independence and socialism; promote patriotism and the strength of great national unity; and be determined to successfully carry out the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country for the goal of a rich people and a strong country. The history of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese revolution forever affirms the outstanding contributions and contributions of Comrade Le Duan. The life and noble revolutionary career of Comrade Le Duan will always live forever in the revolutionary cause of our Party and People.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/ky-niem-118-nam-ngay-sinh-tong-bi-thu-le-duan-7-4-1907-7-4-2025-nha-lanh-dao-kiet-xuat-cua-dang-va-cach-mang-viet-nam-129175.html