Following the 11th Politburo’s Directive 03-CT/TW, on May 5th 2016, the 12th Politburo promulgated the Directive 05-CT/TW on “Acceleration of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle” with more comprehensive and profound new points. That clearly demonstrates our Party’s resolve to make Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle widespread and a really firm  spiritual foundation for social life.

A conference on collaborative implementation of Directive No.5 between General Department of Politics and Central Commission for Publicity and Education (photo: qdnd.vn)

Studying and following Ho Chi Minh are one of our Party’s great guidelines to revive and bring into play values of Uncle Ho’s thought, morality and lofty lifestyle, build up noble personality, firm political stance, civilized way of life, healthy and progressive social relationships for the Vietnamese people. When President Ho Chi Minh was still alive, each of his actions and words was a “non-verbal order” for the entire people to study and follow. The guideline on studying and following Uncle Ho has been implemented consistently in various forms. In the Eulogy to President Ho Chi Minh, the Party Central Committee appealed: “Saying farewell to him, we vow to spend our life studying his thought and manners”. On September 29th 1969, the Politburo issued the Directive on “Studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s Testament”. The motto “Live, fight, work and study as the example set by great Uncle Ho!”created a massive incentive for our cadres, soldiers and people to fight the US invaders, for national salvation. On November 7th 2006, the 10th Politburo issued the Directive 06-CT/TW on organizing the Campaign “Studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s moral example” (known as Directive No.6). 5 years later, on May 14th 2011, the 11th Politburo promulgated the Directive 03-CT/TW on “Continued acceleration of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s moral example” (known as Directive No.3).

The 5-year implementation of the Directive No.3 obtained initial results and made significant contributions to successfully realizing the Resolution of the 11th National Party Congress and the Resolution No.4 of the 11th Party Central Committee on Party building.

Implementing the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress, promoting the results and overcoming the limitations in the implementation of the Directive No.3, on May 15th 2006, the 12th Politburo issued the Directive 05-CT/TW on “Acceleration of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle” (known as Directive No.5). This is a Directive of importance to many aspects, especially to the Party building and the development of Vietnamese people in the current period. It defines new points as follows:

First, the Directive No.5 is more strategic and associated with new thinking of the Party. It defines: “Acceleration of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle is an important content of the Party building and rectification, which will make contributions to building a politically, ideologically, organizationally, morally pure and strong Party”.  It could be said, like the Directive No.3, studying and following Uncle Ho are regarded as a top measure in the group of measures for the Party building. However, the Directive No.5 emphasizes the importance, position and role of following Uncle Ho in the Party building more comprehensively in politics, ideology, organization and morality, not only in the groups of political, ideological measures of the Directive No.3.

Another point demonstrating our Party's new thinking is the combination  of the task of culture building with that of human development, giving top priorities to the task of comprehensive human development. To this end, the Directive No.5 states that: it is necessary to make Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle a really firm spiritual foundation for social life, and build Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements set by the sustainable development and firmly protect the Homeland, striving for the goal of a rich people, a strong nation, a democratic, equitable and civilized society. It could be said that in the Directive No.5, studying and following Uncle Ho are relevant not only to the Party building but also to culture and human building. That is the cause of the Party and the whole people.

Second, the notion of studying and following Uncle Ho defined in the Directive No.5 carries wider connotations. While the Directive No.6 is a campaign, whose focal contents are studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, and the Directive No.3 identifies the task of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought and morality as the main one, in the Directive No.5, it is changed into the task of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle. In this regard, Ho Chi Minh’s lifestyle is the core values of his thought and morality, and reflected vividly, naturally and fascinatingly in daily activities.

With the contents of studying and following Uncle Ho comprehensively, including his thought, morality and lifestyle, the Directive No.5 is the first official document of the Party directing the task of studying and following Uncle Ho’s whole legacy. That is also a new development in theory that reveals political determination and meet the aspirations of the entire Party, people and military.

Third, the Directive No.5 is associated with the implementation of the Party’s resolutions. As for the implementation of the Resolutions No.4 of the 11th and 12th Party Central Committees, the Directive identifies the goal of studying and following Uncle Ho: “Preventing and pushing back the degrading of political ideology, morality and lifestyle, and the manifestations of “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, further preventing and combating corruption, wastefulness and bureaucracy”. As for the implementation of the Resolution 33-NQ/TW, dated September 6th 2014, by the 11th Party Central Committee, on “Building and developing Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements set by the sustainable development of the country”, the Directive emphasises the association between the task of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, lifestyle and the task of building and developing Vietnamese culture and people, particularly building Vietnamese people’s dignity in the era of accelerated industrialization, modernization and international integration. In this regard, it focuses on building and completing the moral standards of occupations and public service, and cultural standards at localities, organs and units with the motto “close to functions and tasks, succinct, easy to remember and follow, evaluating the implementation”.

Fourth, the Directive No.5 sets higher requirements with more drastic and strict implementation. The Directive holds that it is necessary to make a dramatic change in awareness and action within the Party and political system and among the people, making the task of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle a self-conscious and frequent one of party committees and organizations, authorities, Vietnam Fatherland Fronts and political - social organizations at levels. It is also important to further conduct the inspection of the task of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle, and associate the implementation of this task with the annual and term evaluation of cadres, party members and staff. It should be clarified that the task of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle within the entire Party and in the society is directed by the Party General Secretary. As for organs, units and localities, it is necessary to assign tasks to party committees at levels, first and foremost executive party committees and under the direction of the secretary of party committee.

Fifth, the Directive No.5 identifies new methods and does not limit the duration of implementation. The Directive’s mottos are “superiors do first, inferiors follow”, “ Party members do first, the people follow”. In this regard, it is important for leaders, key cadres, cadres and party members at levels to raise a sense of responsibility to set examples. As for the Directives No.3 and No.6, the duration of implementation is associated with the implementation of the Resolutions of the National Party Congresses; meanwhile, the Directive No.5 does not limit the duration. This is a salient point reflecting the importance of the Directive.

With the new points mentioned above, we believe that the Directive No.5 will continue to be an incentive for organizations, individuals, the whole Party, people and military to successfully fulfil the task of building and protecting the Homeland.

Senior Colonel Nguyen Van Tin

Deputy Director of the Publicity and Training Department