Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang was born on April 2, 1904, in a poor farming family in Dong village, Doan Lam commune, Doan Lam canton (now Dong village, Thanh Tung commune, Thanh Mien district, Hai Duong).
From a patriotic youth, comrade Nguyen Luong Bang soon participated in revolutionary activities, becoming a member of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association in 1925, attending a political training course taught directly by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc. After completing the course, in September 1926, comrade Nguyen Luong Bang volunteered to return to the country to work and made important contributions to establishing domestic and foreign communication lines.
Implementing the organization's policy, in October 1927, comrade Nguyen Luong Bang went to Saigon to work, making great contributions to building and developing the foundation of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association and the revolutionary movement in the South, contributing to accelerating the process of mobilizing and establishing communist organizations, creating a premise for the birth of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
In December 1928, comrade Nguyen Luong Bang returned to Hai Phong to work, participating in the task of protecting the Hai Phong Revolutionary Youth Association. Afterwards, he was assigned by the Youth General Department to be in charge of communications between Hong Kong and Guangzhou (China).
After being admitted to the Annam Communist Party (October 1929), comrade Nguyen Luong Bang was assigned to go to Shanghai to build a revolutionary base among overseas Vietnamese and Vietnamese soldiers. In May 1931, French secret police in Shanghai captured comrade Nguyen Luong Bang. They used extreme torture but could not extract anything from him. Therefore, they escorted him to Saigon, detained him for a while, then sent him to Hanoi to be imprisoned at Hoa Lo Prison.
When captured by the enemy and exiled in imperialist prisons from Hai Duong prison to Hoa Lo prison (Hanoi), Son La prison, comrade Nguyen Luong Bang was always at the forefront of the struggle against torture and protesting against harsh prison regimes.
During the two resistance wars against French colonialism and American imperialism, comrade Nguyen Luong Bang, with his courageous spirit and strong belief in the Party's and the revolution's ideal goals, overcame all difficulties and hardships, crossed the fragile boundary between life and death, excellently completed all assigned tasks, and contributed to the victory of the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.
The nickname Sao Do, the affectionate name that generations of communist soldiers gave to him in the imperialist prison, is an affirmation of the dignity, indomitable spirit and noble heroic character of the steadfast communist. As affirmed by our Party: “Facing the savage tortures of the enemy, he was never shaken, remained loyal to the Fatherland, the people, the Communist Party and the working class, and upheld the revolutionary spirit. “Sao Do” shone brightly for the revolutionaries and was a fear for the enemy. Despite all their cunning and cruel tricks, they could not shake a communist soldier with a heart of gold and a heart of iron.”
As one of the pioneers in the Party's founding, Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang was always a pioneer in organizing and implementing new revolutionary tasks. He was a pioneer in organizing and implementing all new revolutionary tasks entrusted to him by the Party, not afraid of difficulties, not afraid of hardships, and not even hesitating to sacrifice his blood and bones.
Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang was entrusted by the Party and the State to hold many important positions. The Party and President Ho Chi Minh trusted him to be in charge of difficult and sensitive areas such as finance, inspection, auditing... which required professional and technical knowledge, but more importantly, the leader must have virtue, exemplary character and a pure heart. In any position, Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang always demonstrated a revolutionary spirit, pure communist ethics, and excellently completed all assigned tasks.
That was affirmed right from the first years of taking on the task, Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang clearly identified the importance of the Party's inspection work as well as the responsibility of the Party organization and individual Party members. He once stated: "To ensure that the strengthening of the Party's class and vanguard character is properly implemented and Party discipline is strictly observed, the Party's inspection work must be regularly carried out and placed in an indispensable position. If the Party's inspection work is not fully utilized in all aspects of the Party's work, it is an equally important shortcoming of the Party committee and Party members must also contribute their responsibility."
Becoming Vice President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam since 1969 and Vice President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam since 1976, Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang made important contributions in many aspects. He and other Party and State leaders focused on the highest goal of building a socialist North, liberating the South and unifying the country; building and perfecting the State apparatus; taking care of Party building; foreign affairs; building and developing the armed forces; developing the socio-economy, improving the material and spiritual life of the people.
Not greedy for fame, not interested in personal gain, sacrificing and striving all his life for the interests of the nation and the happiness of the people, for the cause of building socialism and defending the Fatherland, that is the motivation and goal of comrade Nguyen Luong Bang.
When the young Vietnamese State had to simultaneously deal with internal and external enemies, to protect the revolutionary government, and to implement President Ho Chi Minh's ideology of great solidarity by establishing a coalition government, comrade Nguyen Luong Bang voluntarily withdrew from the government, giving way to patriotic figures outside the Viet Minh. Evaluating this action, President Ho Chi Minh emphasized: "It was a selfless, good gesture, not greedy for position, putting the interests of the nation and national unity above personal interests. It was a commendable, respectable gesture that we must learn."
At an advanced age and in declining health, Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang always pondered and worried about how he could meet the increasingly high demands of the revolution. Therefore, Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang asked the Politburo to arrange work in a manner appropriate to his health. When he learned that the Party had decided to convene the 4th Congress and prepare for the election of the 5th National Assembly, he wrote a letter to the Politburo, the Party Central Committee, and respectfully sent it to the comrades in the Party Central Committee Secretariat.
In the letter, the comrade humbly stated that his limited ability and inability to fulfill his responsibilities, and his complacency in taking up positions in a power-hungry manner would cause difficulties for the Party and the State, which would be dishonest to the Party and against his conscience. However, the Politburo and the Central Party Secretariat still requested that comrade Nguyen Luong Bang continue his duties and requested that he continue to run for the 5th National Assembly and continue to be elected as Vice President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (at the 1st Session of the 5th National Assembly).
With a simple, impartial and absolutely honest personality, in all circumstances, at all times and places, Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang always remembers President Ho Chi Minh's teachings on practicing thrift, integrity, impartiality and selflessness. Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang once said: "We must try to study professional skills and strengthen our moral training: diligence, thrift, integrity, impartiality and selflessness as taught by Uncle Ho. We strengthen internal solidarity, solidarity between the Central, local and industry levels, work according to the mass line, rely on the people, and take advantage of the leadership of Party committees at all levels, then difficulties will be overcome, and we will definitely complete the assigned tasks well..."
Comrade Hoang Quoc Viet also often told many stories about the carefulness and integrity of Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang: “As the person assigned to be in charge of the Party's finances during the secret period and the early stages after gaining power, Anh Ca set forth a principle: Publicity in secrecy. Implementing that principle, both he, Truong Chinh and other Party leaders at that time, had to have receipts for all expenditures and receipts, including very small amounts such as ferry fares (1 cent). At certain times, Anh Ca publicly reported the revenues and expenditures to the Party Central Committee. Anh Ca himself - the person in charge of the treasury - did the same thing.”
Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang devoted his entire life to the glorious revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation. “His example is a spiritual value that will forever shine for many generations of communists, our youth, and our people. His revolutionary spirit and communist morality are immortal.”
Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang is always worthy of being one of the excellent students of President Ho Chi Minh. He is the pride of the Party Committee and people of Hai Duong, making the heroic revolutionary tradition of his homeland more glorious and beautiful.
On March 28, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the comrade's birth (April 2, 1904 - April 2, 2024), at the Eastern Cultural Center, Hai Duong City, the 120th anniversary of the birth of comrade Nguyen Luong Bang was solemnly held.
Previously, on the afternoon of March 27, the Central Propaganda Department, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, and the Hai Duong Provincial Party Committee organized a scientific seminar "Comrade Nguyen Luong Bang - A loyal, exemplary communist, a talented leader of the Party and the Vietnamese revolution".
At the Memorial House of Vice President Nguyen Luong Bang in Thanh Mien district, many generations of elders, officials, leaders at all levels, and generations of students still wearing red scarves came here to offer incense, visit, and learn about a revolutionary soldier, a leader with many bright and noble qualities.
That is proof of the great values and contributions of Vice President Nguyen Luong Bang to his homeland and country, and his reputation will last forever.
Content: HOANG PHONG
Image: SUCCESSFUL
Graphics, presentation: PHUNG BAN