Hai Duong people mourn General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong

Choking with emotion

Since hearing the news of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s passing, the atmosphere in many families in Hai Duong has been gloomy, lacking laughter. Although knowing that life and death are the laws of nature, no one can avoid them, when receiving the news of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s passing, Mr. Pham Quang Hoc, born in 1950 in Nam Sach town, said that he and his wife felt as if they had lost a relative. “I feel the loss is not just mine. Although I have never met the General Secretary, through each of his speeches and books, I have greatly admired and loved General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.”

Since hearing the Politburo's announcement about the health of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Mr. Bui Quang Thanh, 76 years old, a 56-year Party member in Village 1, Thanh Xa Commune (Thanh Ha), has been reading newspapers and watching TV to stay updated. Talking to us, Mr. Thanh shared that he has many special feelings for the General Secretary. Mr. Thanh was born on April 14, 1948, the same day as the General Secretary, and was admitted to the Party in December 1967 at the same time as the General Secretary. "Over the years, every time the General Secretary gave an important speech at any conference or meeting, or the General Secretary's instructions or articles, I read and followed them. Through the General Secretary's instructions and speeches, I felt the intimacy, affection, and closeness of a leader of the Party and State, and I trusted the Party's leadership even more. Now that I am old, I only regret that I am not healthy enough to go to Hanoi to see off the General Secretary," Mr. Thanh said with a choked voice.

“You have gone, Uncle Trong! / The national mourning clouds are sad and my heart is inconsolable / The Southern sky bids farewell to you with tears / The history of Vietnam is a thousand years of virtue for all generations”. These are the verses written by Venerable Thich Thanh Van, Head of the Executive Committee of the Buddhist Sangha of Hai Duong province, as if to quickly bid farewell to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. “For the Party, the State and all Vietnamese people, the General Secretary is an excellent politician, leader, culturalist, great thinker, and the center of the great national unity bloc. I see in the General Secretary all the elements of complete intelligence and morality, diligence, thrift, integrity, impartiality and selflessness. He demonstrated these in every gesture, word, action and throughout his last moments. The General Secretary's passing away is truly a great loss to our country”, Venerable Thich Thanh Van emotionally shared.

The Mirror Shines Forever

During his lifetime, Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong visited, worked and celebrated Tet in Hai Duong twice in his capacity as Chairman of the National Assembly in 2008 and 2009. His business trips always left a good impression on the people and cadres of the province. The time the General Secretary attended the "National Great Unity Festival" in Bo Duong village, Hong Phong commune (Ninh Giang) on ​​the morning of November 14, 2009, on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam National United Front, became a special mark of the Party Committee, government and people of Ninh Giang district. Comrade Pham Van Khanh, member of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Ninh Giang District Party Committee recalled: "That day, there seemed to be no distance between the leaders of the Party and State and the cadres, party members and people. Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong was very sincere, affectionate and close, visiting the people, the elderly, children, women... Just by such simple actions, we clearly saw a great personality hidden deep inside the image of a simple and close leader. At that time, I was holding the position of Head of the District Party Committee's Organization Committee, so I paid special attention to the instructions and advice of National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong, especially the advice to build a truly clean and strong Party."

According to a former provincial leader, in 2020, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong accepted the invitation to visit Hai Duong on the occasion of the 17th Provincial Party Congress. However, when the Congress was about to take place, the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, the General Secretary's health was not good, and he was busy with work, so he could not visit. When the Hai Duong provincial leadership delegation went to meet the General Secretary at the office to report on the organization of the Provincial Party Congress, he directed, oriented, and advised very enthusiastically and thoroughly. When he did not attend the Provincial Party Congress, the General Secretary sent a congratulatory flower basket. The Standing Committee of the Hai Duong Provincial Party Committee also had the opportunity to work with the General Secretary many times to ask for guidance on important tasks of the province. Comrade Nguyen Quang Phuc, member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department, said: “Looking back through the pages of documents, we encounter the simple, friendly image of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, who is in harmony with the masses. His guiding opinions are still valuable today. He suggested that Hai Duong province effectively implement the Party's resolutions on improving the leadership capacity and fighting strength of grassroots party organizations; effectively deploy the Campaign "Studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh", building a rich, civilized and modern homeland. He directed to focus on the quality of economic growth, pay due attention to environmental protection, and selectively attract investment...".

According to comrade Tran Duc Thang, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Hai Duong Provincial Party Committee, the life and career of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong have left many profound impressions and made great contributions to the nation and the Communist Party of Vietnam. His passing is a great loss for the Party and the country. "The Party Committee, government and people of Hai Duong will forever remember and continue to absorb the profound guiding thoughts and revolutionary ethics of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, determined to realize the goals set out in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and the Resolution of the 17th Provincial Party Congress, contributing to building, consolidating and enhancing the country's foundation, prestige and position", emphasized comrade Tran Duc Thang, Secretary of the Hai Duong Provincial Party Committee.