In particular, during the resistance war against the US to save the country, volunteer movements in the North such as “Three ready,” “Three responsible,” in harmony with movements in the South such as “Five volunteering…” created glorious victories in the cause of national liberation as well as in the period of national construction and development today. And from the patriotic emulation movement, new people, typical examples of a new society were formed.

Workers wave high the "Duyen Hai" flag

In early 1960, responding to the "Patriotic Emulation", the movement to promote initiatives and increase labor productivity of Duyen Hai Mechanical Factory, Hai Phong (now Duyen Hai Mechanical State-owned One Member Limited Liability Company) was strongly launched and received widespread response from all cadres and workers.

In 2 months, 237 labor and technical standards were broken. Labor productivity exceeded 50 to 610%, the capacity of management and technical staff was enhanced, and the skill level of workers was improved.

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Workers at Duyen Hai Mechanical Factory (Hai Phong), the leading industrial unit, rushed to complete the plan to produce additional water pumps to supply cooperatives in time for the 1961-1962 Winter-Spring crop. (Photo: Vu Tin/ VNA)

At that time, Duyen Hai was bustling with an unprecedented emulation movement, creating a revolutionary atmosphere, making Duyen Hai the leading flag of the Northern industry - a model of the socialist emulation movement.

Since then, the emulation movement "Sea Waves" has created momentum to successfully complete the first five-year plan tasks set forth by the Third National Party Congress.

Duyen Hai was honored to receive the noble award - the First Class Labor Medal. And another great honor was that the Factory welcomed Uncle Ho to visit on March 16, 1961, with affectionate instructions: "Build socialism to make the lives of all people prosperous and happy. To be prosperous, we must produce a lot of rice. To be warm, we must produce a lot of fabric. To have rice and fabric, agriculture cannot remain as it is now, but must have machinery. You guys make the machinery. There must be many machines and good machines."

With the creative working spirit of the working class and working people, the "Sea Waves" emulation movement in industry quickly spread throughout Hai Phong city.

"Duyen Hai Waves" has become a typical example of industrial competition in the whole North. At that time, Duyen Hai Mechanical Factory was not only the pride of Hai Phong but also the leading flag in the mechanical industry.

During the 10 years (1965-1975) of fierce war, cadres and workers of Duyen Hai Mechanical Factory overcame many difficulties, hardships, shortages, sacrifices, and selfless labor, contributing with the whole country to the great victory of the nation.

Promoting the tradition of "Loyalty-Determination to Win" of the port city, over the years, Hai Phong has actively taken the lead, continuing to create "Coastal Waves" in the period of innovation.

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Uncle Ho talks with workers at Duyen Hai Mechanical Factory (Hai Phong), March 16, 1961. (Photo: Archive/VNA)

The city is honored to be one of the leading localities and continues to have typical emulation movements in many fields, such as: Movements of "Good management, good labor, creative labor", "Productivity, quality, efficiency" among cadres, civil servants, public employees and workers; emulation movement of "Good production and business households" of the agricultural sector; movement of "Two good", "Building friendly schools, active students" of the education sector.

In 2023, Hai Phong led the 5 centrally-run cities in the patriotic emulation movement.

“Gio Dai Phong” - one of the advanced models on the agricultural front

In early 1961, the "Gio Dai Phong" movement appeared in agriculture originating from Dai Phong Agricultural Cooperative (Phong Thuy commune, Le Thuy district, Quang Binh province).

Dai Phong Cooperative was established on the basis of merging 3 Cooperatives: Le Phong, Tran Phu and Cooperative 6.1 at the end of 1959. With the emulation movement to catch up with the living standards of middle farmers, in about 3 years, from a cooperative of 23 poor households, Dai Phong has developed to 455 households living at the same level as middle farmers.

With the achievements in the agricultural cooperative movement of Dai Phong, at the end of 1960, General Nguyen Chi Thanh, Politburo member, Head of the Central Economic Commission, directly inspected, researched, and directed the summary of the agricultural cooperative model at Dai Phong Cooperative.

Since then, the name "Gio Dai Phong" originated the emulation movement in agriculture directly directed by Uncle Ho and spread widely throughout the North.

In less than 2 months since launching the emulation movement "Learning, catching up with and surpassing Dai Phong Cooperative," nearly 1,000 cooperatives in the North have received the emulation movement "Learning from Dai Phong, catching up with Dai Phong, surpassing Dai Phong."

The tractor that President Ho Chi Minh gave to Dai Phong Cooperative (Quang Binh), the leading agricultural sector, plowed the first furrow to the joy of the cooperative members (June 1961). (Photo: Van Thuong/VNA)

From the "Gio Dai Phong" movement, on March 20, 1961, Uncle Ho presented Dai Phong Cooperative with a DT54 tractor and the entire operating system.

In particular, at the Congress of Heroic Emulation Soldiers of the whole North (from May 4-6, 1962), Dai Phong Cooperative was honored to be awarded the leading agricultural flag of the whole North.

"Gio Dai Phong" became a shining symbol of revolutionary heroism on the production labor front of the working people of the North, resonating not only domestically but also with international friends.

More than 60 years have passed, while many cooperatives have had to dissolve due to many difficulties, Dai Phong Cooperative still maintains its leading role in organizing labor and production, helping people here to become rich.

Not only leading the province in rice productivity, economic, cultural and social development, Dai Phong Cooperative has also become the "flagship" in many provinces and cities in the Central region. The vitality of "Dai Phong" is like a continuous flow, continuing from generation to generation to beautify the rural areas of Quang Binh.

The heroic army raised high the flag of "Three Firsts"

The "Three Best" emulation movement originated from the 2nd Artillery Company of the 10th Battalion, 68th Regiment, Vinh Quang Group (now the 2nd Company, 1st Battalion, 68th Artillery Regiment, 304th Division).

After the Dien Bien Phu Victory in 1954, the 68th Artillery Regiment was established and was part of the 304th Division, tasked with training and receiving technical weapons to build an increasingly strong army.

On June 18, 1960, at the Army Artillery Competition, Artillery Company 2, Vinh Quang Group was the unit that achieved 3 high achievements: Best shooting unit, group with the most people, most participating units and group with the most consistent achievements.

Company 2 was commended by General Nguyen Chi Thanh on behalf of the Central Military Commission for its achievements and awarded the title of "Three Best" (best, most numerous, most consistent) as the first "Three Best" unit in the entire army.

Since the day Company 2 was awarded the title of the first "Three First" unit in the entire army, in Regiment 68, the emulation movement "Chase, achieve and surpass the Third First Company" has flourished.

Corporal Pham Ngoc Cuong, the leading flag bearer in the emulation movement “Three-first Soldier” of Company 3 (Vinh Quang Group) and other “Three-first Soldiers” review their lessons on the training ground. (Photo: Quang Thanh/VNA)

Also from the cradle of the "Three Best" emulation at Regiment 68, units throughout the army enthusiastically responded to the content of "Three Best": "Best in military training, technical training; Best in exemplary and disciplined; Best in labor and production." Many artillery corps, such as Truong Son artillery corps, Tat Thang artillery corps, Yen The artillery corps, Hoa Binh-Tay Bac artillery corps, Song Lo engineering corps, Song Thao engineering corps... with creative names such as Red Flag Specialized Company; Going with "Three Best"; "One step to gain momentum, three leaps forward"... have become typical leading units, causing a stir throughout the country.

At the Congress of Emulation Fighters of the whole army in July 1961, Uncle Ho praised the emulation movements and affirmed: "Workers raise high the Duyen Hai flag, Farmers raise high the Dai Phong flag, The heroic army raises high the "Three Ones" flag, Workers, farmers and soldiers compete in great unity, Socialism will definitely achieve great success, North and South will definitely unify the country!"

It can be said that the “Three Firsts” movement has a long-lasting vitality and has contributed significantly to promoting the building of a revolutionary, disciplined, elite, and gradually modern army. From its content to its form and implementation methods, along with other movements nationwide, “Three Firsts” has made the competitive atmosphere in the army more exciting.

Today, many units continue to raise the "Three Best" flag with many specific and practical contents.

Resounding "Bac Ly Drum"

Bac Ly is a secondary school in a poor lowland area of Ly Nhan district, Ha Nam province. The school was founded in 1953, at a time when the whole North was focusing on building socialism and supporting the great frontline in the South, so it was lacking in many ways.

From a low-lying rice field, teachers and students of Bac Ly School and the people in the commune contributed thousands of labors to dig and build a school with enough classrooms and a school garden.

Since the end of 1960, Bac Ly Secondary School (Ha Nam) has been the leading flag of the education sector in implementing the motto "Learning must go hand in hand with practice, theory must be linked to reality, and the school must be closely linked to society". The "Bac Ly Drum" movement quickly became one of the typical emulation movements of the education sector at that time. (Photo: VNA)

In late 1960, under the light of the Resolution of the Third Party Congress, teachers and students of Bac Ly School creatively applied the Party's educational goals, principles and mottos to school practice: Combining learning with practice, combining education with production labor, organizing many emulation movements to build schools, "turning nothing into something," "turning lack into enough," movements to train ideology, ethics, and manners, movements to maintain hygiene and physical training, gradually deepening the movement of "Teaching well and learning well."

The school became a highlight of the education sector and was chosen as a site for research on teaching and learning methods.

Also from the teaching and learning model of Bac Ly School, in 1961, Uncle Ho launched the emulation movement "Two Goods" (good teaching, good learning) in the entire education sector.

In October 1961, the education sector held a conference on the 3-year construction of socialist schools (1958-1961) in Phu Ly town. The conference unanimously recognized Bac Ly Secondary School as the leading flag of the entire education sector and launched the "Two Goods" emulation movement with the slogan: "Actively compete in good teaching and good learning. Study and follow Bac Ly."

Since then, the teaching and learning methods have been constantly innovated, linked to the practical life of Bac Ly School, and have been replicated in many other localities, and have been learned from by schools across the country.

Comrade Nguyen Chi Thanh, Politburo member, visits 5th grade students of Bac Ly School (Ha Nam), January 18, 1964. (Photo: Vu Tiu-VNA)

Over the decades, the emulation movement "Two Goods" from "Bac Ly drum sound" has been increasingly deployed throughout the education sector, with many innovative and creative contents in teaching and learning.

Up to now, 100% of schools nationwide have implemented this movement with rich, exciting and effective activities, while being closely linked to the actual conditions of each school.

From the "Two Good" movement, many advanced models among teachers and students have emerged, contributing significantly to the achievements of the entire industry.

“Three ready” - the fire of dedication of the young generation

After causing the "Gulf of Tonkin" incident on August 5, 1964, the US imperialists mobilized aircraft to attack the North of our country, starting a war using air force and navy to destroy the North.

Outraged by the escalating war crimes of the US empire, from schools, factories, and plants to farms, offices, villages, and hamlets, all young people showed their determination to be ready for the historic confrontation.

“Three readiness” became a movement that strongly attracted the youth of the capital, starting from Hanoi Pedagogical University in early 1964, then becoming a common emulation movement of union members and youth nationwide. (Photo: VNA)

In that context, at the extraordinary meeting on August 7, 1964, the Standing Committee of the Hanoi Youth Union launched the “Three Readies” Movement, with the following contents: Ready to fight; ready to join the armed forces; ready to go anywhere, do anything the Fatherland needs.

On the evening of August 9, 1964, the movement was officially launched at the City Opera House Square (now August Revolution Square). Tens of thousands of young people in the capital took to the streets to demonstrate their strength, condemning the actions of the US imperialists in expanding the war to the North.

By March 1965, facing the requirements of the new situation, the Hanoi Youth Union decided to push the “Three Readies” Movement to a climax. From there, the content of the movement was supplemented and enhanced to be Ready to fight, fight bravely, ready to join the armed forces; Ready to overcome all difficulties to promote production, work and study in any situation; Ready to go anywhere, do anything that the Fatherland needs.

Northern youth respond to the “Three Ready” movement and enthusiastically join the army. (Photo: VNA)

With this new content, the "Three Readies" Movement has promoted the great potential of youth strength in the whole country and demonstrated the creativity and resilience of Vietnamese youth in the resistance war against the US, saving the country, liberating the South, and unifying the country.

Since then, "Three Ready" has become one of the largest revolutionary action movements of the capital's youth and Vietnamese youth in the 20th century, creating the largest volunteer army in the history of the nation's resistance against foreign invaders.

Over 5 million union members and young people joined the armed forces during the resistance war; over 133,000 union members and young people, including over 69,000 women, participated in the youth volunteer movement.

The success of the "Three Readies" Movement in the North, along with the "Five Volunteers" Movement in the South, encouraged the spirit of youth, bringing millions of young people to the front lines of the resistance war, contributing greatly to the victory of the cause of fighting against the US and saving the country.

The Co Chau female militia squad (Ha Tay) is exemplary in production, present at places where the enemy fiercely attacked, supplying ammunition to the troops. (Photo: Nghia Dung/VNA)

From the passionate fire of the “Three Ready” Movement, a generation of young people with good qualities, patriotism, sacrifice, and readiness to sacrifice for the Fatherland was formed and has grown stronger, not only valuable during the war, but also always promoting value in the current period.

That is the basis and spiritual foundation for the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to launch the "Youth Volunteer" Movement, so that today's youth generations can follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and shoulder the historical mission of youth in the new era.

In the early days of March 1965, the US imperialists escalated their attacks on the North of our country. That action made the whole country seethe with a will, a determination, a spirit to fight against the US and save the country.

In line with the "Three Readies" Movement of the Northern youth, at the first Congress of the Vietnam People's Revolutionary Youth Union (held from March 17-26, 1965), comrade Nguyen Chi Thanh, Politburo member, Secretary of the Central Office for Southern Vietnam, launched the "Five Volunteers" Movement among the Southern youth with the content of volunteering to destroy as many enemy forces as possible; volunteering to join the army and participate in guerrilla warfare; volunteering to work as civilian laborers and youth volunteers to serve the frontline; volunteering to fight politically and resist conscription and volunteering to produce agriculture in the agricultural association.

The Saigon-Gia Dinh Liberation Army received its mission before the departure in 1968. (Photo: Document: VNA)

Since then, the "Five Volunteers" Movement of Southern youth has created a great strength, motivating and calling on Southern youth to overcome all difficulties and hardships, defeat all invasion plots of the US and its henchmen, and be determined to liberate the South and unify the country.

The "Five Volunteers" movement entered the lives and fights of Southern youth in many diverse and flexible forms, and was persistently carried out by many Youth Union bases, organizing youth volunteers to fight against conscription, propagate the revolution to the people, volunteer to participate in supplying the battlefield, join the guerrilla force, destroy evil, break shackles...

Faced with the increasingly urgent need to mobilize human and material resources, as the revolutionary situation moved into a new phase, the Central Youth Union advocated organizing a Youth Volunteer Team to serve the battlefield.

Along with the development of the struggle in urban areas, throughout the Southern battlefield, the combat service work undertaken by youth volunteers increasingly made significant contributions.

The General Offensive and Uprising that brought war into the urban areas of the Southern people during the Tet Offensive was a devastating blow to the US and its puppets, causing them to be in chaos, unable to defend themselves, and suffering extremely serious losses. (Photo courtesy of VNA)

The image of generations of enthusiastic young people joining the army in the "Five Volunteers" Movement has inspired the will to hate the enemy of all classes of people in the North and South, contributing to the fight to drive out the Americans and the puppet regime, completely liberating the South, bringing independence, freedom and unity to the Fatherland.

Entering the period of innovation, the spirit of "Year of Volunteering" continues to be highly promoted, having great power to call, encourage and motivate generations of Vietnamese youth in revolutionary youth movements: "Emulation, volunteering to build and protect the Fatherland", "Year of volunteering to develop socio-economy and protect the Fatherland", "Four companions with youth to establish a career"...

The "Three Virtues" Movement - the pride of Vietnamese women

In the atmosphere of the days of fierce competition to fight the US, responding to President Ho Chi Minh's "Call for Patriotic Emulation", on March 22, 1965, the Vietnam Women's Union launched the "Three Responsibilities" Women's Movement with the following contents: Taking responsibility for production and work, replacing men who went to war; Taking responsibility for the family, encouraging husbands and children to fight with peace of mind; Taking responsibility for combat service and being ready to fight when necessary.

The “Three Responsibilities” women’s movement in 1965 quickly developed into a vibrant and widespread revolutionary movement, mobilizing the combined strength of tens of millions of women from rural to urban areas, from the highlands to the lowlands, in all fields of activity. In the photo: Students of Yen Hoa High School, Hanoi, register for the “Three Responsibilities” movement, later the “Three Responsibilities” women’s movement. (Photo: Thanh Tung/VNA)

Later renamed "Three Virtues" by Uncle Ho, meeting the requirements and tasks of the revolution, touching the hearts and feelings of millions of women in the socialist North, the movement immediately created a widespread emulation wave.

Tens of millions of women from rural to urban areas, from the highlands to the lowlands share the same aspiration, ideal, and ambition to be steadfast for the Fatherland, for the people, and for family happiness.

Regardless of day and night, enemy bombs and bullets, women enthusiastically competed in labor production, work, ready to fight and serve in combat with the spirit of "The fields are the battlefield, the hoe is the weapon," "One hand plows, one hand guns," "Each person works as two for the beloved South," "The heart can stop beating, the machine cannot stop running," "One hand hammers, one hand guns," "Practice skills, compete to be the best worker."

As a wife and mother, taking care of the family, women wholeheartedly raise and educate their children, take care of their elderly parents, and maintain their loyalty.

While producing and fighting with a wholehearted wish for the South, the “Three Responsibilities” movement of women in the capital has made many great contributions. In the photo: Female militiamen in Yen My commune, Thanh Tri district, on the outskirts of Hanoi, have both worked hard to produce and stepped up military training, ready to fight. (Photo: Trieu Phuc/VNA)

The good traditional moral values of Vietnamese women are thereby multiplied, becoming a great source of encouragement and motivation, giving strength to soldiers to hold their guns firmly on the battlefield.

Just a few months after launching the movement, more than 1.7 million women have registered for the "Three Virtuous Women" movement, and many units, mothers, wives, sisters, and girls have achieved outstanding feats.

Along with the "Dong Khoi" Movement and the "Long-haired Army" of Southern women, tens of thousands of young women in the North enthusiastically joined the militia and self-defense units, the main force, and the youth volunteers who directly fought with guns with the spirit of "Living on the roads and bridges, dying steadfastly and bravely" on all fronts, achieving glorious feats.

Many women sacrificed heroically in their youth... forever an immortal song continuing the heroic patriotic tradition of the descendants of Ba Trung and Ba Trieu.

60 years have passed, the spirit of the "Three Virtues" movement is still an underground stream, a priceless asset, an important resource, fueling generations of Vietnamese women.

With the qualities of "loyalty, responsibility, talent, heroism" in the period of national renewal, Vietnamese women today are always united, dynamic, creative, "good at national affairs, good at family affairs", both being a solid rear, taking care of the lives of each family, promoting the development of the community and society, and actively participating in building, protecting, and developing the country quickly and sustainably./.