Looking back over the past 75 years, it can be affirmed that all achievements of the revolution in the struggle for national liberation, building and defending the Fatherland of our people are associated with the effective organization of patriotic emulation movements.

In his speeches and articles, President Ho Chi Minh deeply analyzed issues related to patriotic emulation, from the nature of emulation, content of emulation, methods of emulation, level of emulation, meaning of emulation, force of emulation, motivation of emulation, nature of emulation, and characteristics of patriotic emulation. At the same time, through his own life of revolutionary activities, President Ho Chi Minh was a shining example for our entire Party, people and army to learn from in the patriotic emulation movement.

The patriotic emulation movement initiated by President Ho Chi Minh himself was not a subjective pressure but originated from the birth of the new regime. President Ho Chi Minh said: In the old regime, the working people were oppressed and exploited, working hard for their masters so that they and their families would not starve to death. “Only under the people’s democratic and socialist regime, under the regime and the working people being the masters of the country, can there be an emulation movement” (1) . Every worker, whether intellectual, production, or management, who loves the country and the regime, realizes that “Patriotic emulation is beneficial to oneself, beneficial to one’s family, beneficial to the village, the country, and the nation” (2) .

President Ho Chi Minh with delegates attending the 2nd National Congress of Heroes and Emulation Fighters of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers in Hanoi (July 7, 1958). Photo: VNA archive

Although emulation has such an objective nature, in order to have a movement and achieve high achievements, without formality, wasting human and material resources, without being half-hearted, "on the one hand, it is because all workers have clear thinking and are enthusiastic about emulation", but on the other hand, there must be close leadership, "practical and comprehensive leadership" (3) . The practicality and comprehensiveness of leadership lies in fully calculating objective and subjective conditions to set emulation goals and targets according to the development requirements and potential of localities, units, and agencies, which are specified for all workers in different fields of activity, while paying attention to political and ideological leadership, not letting achievementism dominate, and creating favorable conditions for workers to implement individual and collective emulation plans.

Studying Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on patriotic emulation is not only purely researched in the 1948 Appeal for Patriotic Emulation, nor is it only researched in his speeches and writings on patriotic emulation, but also requires studying the practical activities of leadership, direction, and organization of emulation movements during the Vietnamese revolution led by him and our Party. Only then can we understand Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on patriotic emulation.

The core content, as well as the nature of Ho Chi Minh's thought on patriotic emulation, is to arouse and promote the patriotic spirit of all classes of people into patriotic actions, making the patriotic spirit of all people be practiced in patriotic work, revolutionary work, and better perform daily work. Ho Chi Minh's thought above originates from and manifests on the fundamental issue: Ho Chi Minh deeply understands the patriotic tradition of the Vietnamese people and the importance of patriotic emulation; Ho Chi Minh clearly points out the requirement for the practicality, specificity, and practicality of patriotic emulation to be practiced in patriotic work, which is essentially to do better daily work.

President Ho Chi Minh visited the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Forestry and tested the transplanting machine in the Department's experimental field (July 1960). Photo: VNA archive

The purpose of patriotic emulation is to make the country quickly gain independence and freedom, build a rich and prosperous country, and make the people's lives prosperous and happy. Therefore, according to Ho Chi Minh, the force of the patriotic emulation movement is the entire people: "Every Vietnamese citizen, regardless of age, gender, rich or poor, big or small, must become a soldier fighting on the fronts: Military, Economic, Political, Cultural" (4) .

According to President Ho Chi Minh, revolution is the cause of the masses, therefore the patriotic emulation movement needs to promote the strength of the entire people, create the active participation of the people, making the patriotic emulation a revolutionary action movement of the people, of all social classes. He pointed out: "With the ardent patriotism and the boundless strength of our people, the patriotic emulation movement will certainly be a great success" (5) .

Our Party and President Ho Chi Minh always affirmed that the force with invincible strength in the resistance war and nation building is the people. Whether patriotic emulation becomes a revolutionary movement or not, whether it brings practical benefits to the revolution or not depends on the masses of people. Without the people's consensus and response, without the people's voluntary participation, patriotic emulation cannot exist and develop.

Emulation, according to Ho Chi Minh's viewpoint, is closely linked to the work of commendation, and commendation is the result of the emulation movement. Therefore, he initiated the patriotic emulation movement, while also paying attention to the work, commendation, summarization, experience drawing, and praising good people and good deeds. Ho Chi Minh's thought on patriotic emulation has a strong appeal, because it is both practical, easy to understand, and easy to penetrate into life, and is also profound, comprehensive, and systematic. He believed that in order to organize a patriotic emulation movement well, one must first clearly understand the nature, purpose, content, methods, level, and significance of emulation. The content of emulation must be closely linked to the tasks of each period and revolutionary stage, which are emulation to increase production, emulation to practice thrift, etc., emulation to overcome difficulties to complete the task well. The methods of emulation must be rich and diverse in order to gather initiatives, draw experiences, summarize experiences, exchange and disseminate experiences. The level of competition must be raised gradually forever.

Thus, patriotic emulation according to Ho Chi Minh is one of the measures of the revolutionary movement, with profound and broad significance. Emulation not only awakens the creative potential of people, but more importantly, it improves people themselves, promotes patriotism, internationalism, makes the old, the young, women, men and all classes of people, regardless of ethnicity, religion, social status, all aim for the common goal. Emulation is for everyone to do better, more and "emulation is patriotism, patriotism requires emulation. And those who emulate are the most patriotic" (6) .

President Ho Chi Minh believed that patriotic emulation is a large-scale revolutionary movement, taking place in all areas of social life, involving all components and social classes. Emulation requires leadership, direction and organization in a tight, smooth, continuous and persistent manner. Ho Chi Minh's thought on the patriotic emulation movement has had a great and practical effect in motivating the entire Party, the entire people and the entire army to unite, strive, regardless of sacrifice and hardship, and devote all their talents, intelligence and strength to the cause of national liberation, winning victory in the two resistance wars against the French colonialists and the invading American imperialists, as well as in the cause of building the country and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland.

President Ho Chi Minh with delegates honored at the 3rd National Heroes and Emulation Fighters Festival Congress, May 6, 1962, at the Presidential Palace. Photo: VNA file

Today, in the context of the complex and unpredictable developments in the world and region, the country's innovation is facing both advantages and difficulties. Imbued with the thoughts of President Ho Chi Minh, we see that his thoughts on patriotic emulation still retain their theoretical and practical value. In applying Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on patriotic emulation in the current revolutionary period, it is necessary to pay attention to the following contents:

Firstly, continue to raise awareness among all cadres, party members and people about the meaning and effects of the patriotic emulation movement; continue to promote the patriotic emulation movement, discover, foster, summarize and multiply advanced typical examples to create a widespread movement in all sectors and levels in the country from the central to the grassroots level.

Second, strengthen education on patriotism, national pride, and self-reliance, combined with political, ideological, ethical, and lifestyle education, creating consensus throughout society and creating favorable conditions for organizing and launching emulation movements.

Third, continue to promote administrative reform, continue to prevent and combat corruption and waste, create a healthy and clean environment so that people can confidently and enthusiastically participate in emulation movements, and actively link patriotic emulation movements with mobilizing the entire population to strengthen solidarity, mutual support and assistance in life, in economic, cultural and social development.

Fourth, innovate and improve the effectiveness of emulation and reward work, regularly criticize and condemn unhealthy behaviors, contributing to promoting the emulation movement nationwide to successfully achieve the goal of a rich people, strong country, and a democratic, equitable and civilized society.

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(1) Ho Chi Minh, Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, Volume 9, p.198.

(2) Ho Chi Minh, Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, Volume 5, p. 659.

(3) Ho Chi Minh, Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, Volume 9, p. 199.

(4) Ho Chi Minh, Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, Volume 5, p. 444.

(5) Ho Chi Minh, Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, Volume 5, p. 441.

(6) Ho Chi Minh, Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, Volume 6, p. 473.

Lieutenant Colonel, PhD DANG CONG THANH - Faculty of Scientific Socialism, Academy of Politics, Ministry of National Defense