“Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” is a core and consistent principle in Ho Chi Minh’s thought; it embodies the willpower, wisdom, and aspirations of the Vietnamese nation. Over the past 60 years, the value of this immortal truth has been affirmed through the great victories of the Vietnamese revolution; it has continued to serve as a tremendous source of spiritual strength, inspiring the entire nation’s will for self-reliance and self-strengthening in the new era.

When the US imperialists escalated their air and naval attacks against North Vietnam, the Vietnamese people's resistance war against the US for national salvation entered an extremely arduous and fierce phase. On 17 July 1966, President Ho Chi Minh’s Appeal to compatriots and soldiers nationwide was broadcast on the Voice of Vietnam: “The war may last another five years, ten years, twenty years or even longer. Hanoi, Hai Phong, and a number of cities and factories may be devastated, but the Vietnamese people will never be scared! Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom. On the day of victory, our people will rebuild our country to make it more beautiful than ever before”. This was a clarion call to the entire Party, people, and armed forces to resolutely defeat the US aggressors, profoundly embodying Vietnam’s patriotism, indomitable spirit, and burning aspiration.

President Ho Chi Minh reads the Appeal to compatriots and soldiers nationwide on 17 July 1966 (file photo: VNA)

The epochal values and enduring vitality of the principle “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom”

The principle “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom”, affirmed by President Ho Chi Minh, carries profound epochal significance, encapsulating the willpower, wisdom, and philosophy of life of the Vietnamese nation - a nation that has repeatedly defeated foreign aggressors and firmly safeguarded its independence and sovereignty throughout thousands of years of national construction and protection.

The truth “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” affirms that national independence is a sacred, inviolable value of every nation. National independence encompasses not only territorial sovereignty and the right of national self-determination, but also the indispensable prerequisite for guaranteeing the people's right to live, to exercise mastery, and to pursue happiness. According to President Ho Chi Minh, “If a country is independent but its people do not enjoy happiness and freedom, then independence has no real meaning”. Therefore, national independence must always go hand in hand with the people's freedom and happiness.

Realities of the Vietnamese revolution has demonstrated the enduring vitality of this principle. During the resistance war against the US for national salvation, “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” became an immense source of spiritual strength, echoing across the mountains and rivers as a rallying call that united the entire nation in overcoming every hardship and challenge to achieve complete victory. More than half a century later, although the world has undergone profound changes, the core value of the principle “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” remains unchanged. The Vietnamese nation’s iron will, spirit, and guiding philosophy for life and action continue to be: “Better to die free than live as slaves” and “We would rather sacrifice everything than lose our country; we would never agree to become slaves”.

As time passes, the enduring value of the Vietnamese nation's will, wisdom, and aspiration for independence and freedom becomes ever more evident. In the past 60 years, under the leadership of the Party, guided by the light of Ho Chi Minh Thought and the strength of great national unity, the Vietnamese people have surmounted countless hardships and challenges, achieving brilliant accomplishments, gradually realising the objectives of the revolutionary cause. Revolutionary practice has convincingly proved the great value of President Ho Chi Minh's belief that even a small nation, if united, self-reliant, self-strengthening, independent, and determined to fight under a correct political and military line, with the support and assistance of revolutionary forces and progressive peoples around the world, will certainly defeat every enemy and build itself into one that is increasingly more dignified and more beautiful.

In today's new context, the truth “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” continues illuminating the path forward, enabling our nation to confidently overcome every difficulty and challenge, successfully build socialism, and firmly protect the Socialist Vietnamese Fatherland. That truth is reaffirmed by General Secretary, State President To Lam: “No obstacle and no reason can prevent us from advancing towards peace, prosperity, and the enduring development of our nation”.

Inspiring the spirit of national self-reliance and self-strengthening - a continuation of the principle “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” in the new era

In the new era, amid intertwined opportunities, advantages, difficulties, and challenges, fostering the spirit of self-reliance and self-strengthening has become an objective requirement and a prerequisite for safeguarding national independence, autonomy, and interests, and realising the aspiration to build a prosperous, happy country. Hence, the 14^th National Party Congress affirmed the need to “strongly inspire patriotism, the aspiration for national development, the spirit of solidarity, independence, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, and national pride”. This is the continuation of the principle “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” under new circumstances.

According to President Ho Chi Minh, self-reliance and self-strengthening constitute the “root” and the “key point” of policies, serving as both the method and the driving force for national development: “A nation that does not rely on its own efforts but merely waits for assistance from others does not deserve independence”, and “If we want others to help us, we must first help ourselves”. In the new era, the spirit of “self-reliance” must be elevated to a new level, namely strategic autonomy based on strategic confidence, together with self-reliance, self-strengthening, self-confidence, and national pride. The foundation of strategic autonomy lies in patriotism and the aspiration to devote oneself to the country and the people. Patriotism must be translated into the resolve to achieve “strategic autonomy, self-strengthening, and confident progress into the nation's new era... for a peaceful, independent, democratic, prosperous, civilised, happy Vietnam”.

Fostering the spirit of self-reliance and self-strengthening must focus on the two most fundamental factors: the Party and the people. The Party's sound leadership is the key factor in the success of the Vietnamese revolution. Revolution is the cause of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is the people who have created historic victories; every revolutionary achievement originates from the strength of the people's support, intellect, determination, and solidarity under the Party's leadership. This is the fundamental source of victory and national development. The people's trust in the Party is the bond that firmly unites the Party with the people. Therefore, the Party must always regard the people as the foundation and as the masters of the country. The people's satisfaction, consensus, and support must be the highest measure of every strategy and decision of the Party.

In order to foster the aspiration for national self-reliance and self-strengthening in the new era, it is vital to uphold the Party's leadership role and guarantee independence in formulating strategic lines and policies. The Party's lines must be grounded in reality, respect objective laws, reflect the people's aspirations, and accord with the trend of the times. While remaining steadfast in applying and creatively developing Ho Chi Minh Thought, the Party “must selectively absorb, supplement, and creatively apply the latest achievements in thought and science so that our ideology and doctrine remain ever fresh, continually revitalised, imbued with the spirit of the times, and never become rigid, stagnant, or outdated”. At the same time, it is essential to safeguard the people's right to mastery, improve their material and spiritual life, and cultivate patriotism, aspiration for devotion, and innovation among the people. Efforts should be devoted to consolidating the great national unity bloc and mobilising all social resources for national development in the new era.

Furthermore, institutional autonomy must be strengthened, as the institutional framework remains the “bottleneck of all bottlenecks”. It must be transformed into the “breakthrough of all breakthroughs” and become a resource and competitive advantage of our nation. Institutional gaps must be filled, and the existing barriers must be removed in order to achieve rapid, sustainable growth. Economic growth must be based on the leading role of the state economy, while the private sector as one of the most important drivers of the economy, alongside other economic sectors, must be fully promoted. Productivity, quality, efficiency, and innovation must be ensured in developing knowledge economy, digital economy, green economy, and circular economy.

The 4^th industrial revolution continues developing at an unprecedented pace, both creating opportunities and posing never-before-seen challenges. Against that backdrop, our Party should take resolute action in accordance with objective laws to inspire the spirit of national self-reliance and self-strengthening in humanity's ongoing process of innovation. Therefore, self-reliance and self-strengthening must never be associated with complacency, subjectivism, or conservatism; rather, they require the confidence to recognise that science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation constitute the central driving force of development. On that basis, efforts must be made to promote renewed thinking and determined action.

Our Party has affirmed that “The overarching spirit of the term of the 14^th National Party Congress is to remain strategic autonomy, seize opportunities, heighten solidarity, overcome every challenge, vigorously inspire the aspiration for national development, transform determination into action, policies into specific results, match words with action, act immediately, act correctly, act resolutely, and deliver effective outcomes”. This is also the profound and comprehensive embodiment of Ho Chi Minh's principle “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” in the nation's new era of development.

Associate Prof. BUI DINH PHONG, PhD

Institute of Ho Chi Minh and Party Leaders

Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics