“According to the government’s plan, we will ensure that everyone in the country has sufficient food, clothing and schooling.” In his letter to anti-illiteracy teachers at the beginning of the year, President Ho again stated that the lofty goal of the revolution was finally to liberate the nation, liberate the exploited classes and to bring about a free and happy life — material as well as spiritual. The people should enjoy not only independence and freedom, but also wealth and happiness. For him, the ideal of the revolution was not something remote or abstract, it was very nearby, concrete, and closely connected with the people’s everyday life.
With the signing of the March 6 Agreement, a period of compromise lay ahead of us. While continuing to force the French side to implement the clauses of the Agreement we went on vigorously building our country in every field.
“Increase production” and “Fight illiteracy” were the two major slogans set forth by Uncle Ho. By the end of 1945 President Ho’s appeal to the people to increase production in order to combat famine had had a great effect. In order to push up production and create better working conditions for the poor peasants, a decree was issued on the reduction of farm rents by 25 per cent.
Uncle Ho attached great importance to the fight against illiteracy, a heavy heritage left behind by the colonial regime.
In response to his appeal some 10,000 anti-illiteracy teachers and millions of our people took part in the fight to roll back this enemy.
Uncle Ho felt greatly the importance of increasing the knowledge of all the citizens of the independent country, and wholeheartedly dedicated himself to the cause. The anti-illiteracy department sent him a book entitled “Methods of teaching Vietnamese to beginners”. He read the book carefully and wrote down a note on the fly leaf: “Anti-illiteracy teachers must study this book carefully. Then they must set to work to teach our illiterate compatriots in order to wipe out illiteracy quickly. By so doing they will fulfil the sacred task assigned them by our fatherland.”
On April 13, Uncle Ho visited an evening class in Hang Trong Street. The learners’ makeshift desks consisted of door panels. The teacher, a bespectacled young man, was writing model letters on the blackboard. His students belonged to different generations and were dressed in every kind of style. They bent over their boards studiously working. The white-haired head of a long-robed old man was seen near the black mop of a little boy in shorts. Leaning on his bamboo stick, Uncle Ho watched the scene and was deeply moved. He said encouragingly: “Both teacher and learners are fighters on the anti-illiteracy front”. In a letter sent to anti-illiteracy teachers he wrote: “I hope that within a very short time your ardour and effort will bring about glorious results and all our fellow-countrymen will learn to read and write. Nothing, even bronze statues and stone stelae, can compare with such an honour.”
In face of the tense situation, in order to defend the achievements of the revolution against the enemy from within and without, our Party advocated building up the people’s armed forces, consolidating our national defence, continuing to arm the revolutionary masses and stepping up the building of the people’s army. The self-defence forces, which had increased in numbers, constituted a network spreading to all corners of the country, especially in the cities and towns where French troops were stationed. Self-defence units formed the backbone of the people’s struggle against provocations and violations of the Agreement by the French army. French troops started to have apprehensions about the “Viet Minh in square badges” meaning the members of self-defence units. In Hanoi the self-defence cadres training school opened its second class in April.
With the founding of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam favourable conditions were created for the rapid growth of our armed forces. The March 9 instructions of the Party Standing Committee pointed out that “especial attention should be paid to the training of political and military cadres to guide the new movement.”
In March 1946 the Bac Son Military and Political School was opened by the Party; in May the Tran Quoc Tuan Military School was opened by the Ministry of National Defence; in June, the Quang Ngai Secondary Infantry School was set up by the Southern Viet Nam Resistance Committee — In every regiment there were also military and political schools to train squad and platoon commanders.
The curriculum for political education consisted of the present situation and tasks, Viet Minh policies, introduction to Communism, summary of dialectical and historical materialism, and political work in the revolutionary army. The most important lectures in the Bac Son military and political school were given by members of the Central Committee of the Party.
The curriculum for military education consisted of guerilla tactics, individual basic training, and combat actions. The syllabus for guerilla tactics was based on the book “Methods of Guerrilla Warfare” written in the base area during the anti-Japanese resistance. So far as regular warfare was concerned, lacking experience we had to make a selection from the tactics of various countries.
On May 22, 1946, Uncle Ho went to Son Tay to inaugurate the Tran Quoc Tuan Military School. Self-defence units and youth from the province lined up along the road to welcome him.
In the wide school-yard cadets in khaki uniforms had gathered to listen to his instructions.
Having exhorted the cadets to stand united, work hard and observe strict discipline, Uncle Ho said: “To be loyal to the fatherland and faithful to the people is the sacred duty, heavy responsibility and also the honour of all the combatants of our country’s first national army.”
“Be loyal to the Fatherland, and faithful to the people.”, that behest of Uncle Ho’s has become historic. Right from its earliest days he showed our army how to make a clear distinction between the old armies of the past and the new army of revolution. That historic behest has been embroidered in golden letters on the army banner and will guide our combatants in the fulfilment of their glorious tasks and the building of our army into an invincible force.
Since the last days of November 1945 the situation had become very tense. Our Party had to go underground. Uncle Ho pointed out to the Party Standing Committee that, together with consolidating and broadening the Viet Minh Front, we should form a very broadly-based national united front to include all strata of the population including those who were still outside the Viet Minh Front. The idea of uniting all forces which could rally to our side to fight the enemy was one of the great ideas which permeated all his revolutionary activities.
He suggested that this new front should be given the name of Hoi Lien Hiep Quoc Dan Viet Nam (Viet Nam National Alliance). The goals of the front were: independence, unity, democracy, and prosperity. All Vietnamese, irrespective of nationality, religion or social origin, could become members of the Alliance. Uncle Ho suggested shortening the name to Lien Viet just as had shortened Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh (Alliance for the Independence of Viet Nam) to Viet Minh.
On May 27, the Lien Viet was officially founded. President Ho was elected Honorary Chairman of the Alliance. Huynh Thuc Khang was elected President of its Executive Committee. Ton Duc Thang was elected Vice-President. The political organizations which joined the Lien Viet were: the Viet Minh, the Democratic Party, the Viet Nam Revolutionary Alliance and the Viet Nam Nationalist Party.
Besides there were also various religious committees and trade-union organizations. Patriots who had not yet joined an organization now joined the Lien Viet. This was the beginning of the great influence of the broader-based national united front, founded on the initiative of President Ho, on our people’s struggle for independence and democracy.