Hoi An Ancient Town

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The Sentiment of Welcoming Spring and Gratitude to the Party

Lunar New Year – Bính Ngọ 2026 is approaching. At this moment, people across the country and millions of Vietnamese living around the world share a common sentiment of returning to their roots, expressing reverence and gratitude to their ancestors, and holding a steadfast love for the sacred homeland. Welcoming the Spring of the nation is also an occasion to celebrate the 96th anniversaryx of the founding of the glorious Communist Party of Vietnam.
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Cây Thông Một Revolutionary Historical Site - Photo: Quang Ngoc

     In the consciousness of the Vietnamese people, Tết always arrives with hopes for warmth, peace, joy, and prosperity. Yet throughout thousands of years of history, from the era of Northern feudal domination to the period of Western colonial invasion, the nation was rarely able to celebrate a true Tết in the full sense of a genuine Spring. Countless times it was said: “The spring of independence was never fully enjoyed; the peace of Tết was never complete through the night.” When the country was not engulfed in the smoke of war, it endured the anguish of subjugation and suffering.

     From the mid to late nineteenth century, when the French colonized Vietnam, a persistent question troubled the nation for decades: how to expel foreign invaders, regain national independence, and liberate the people from bondage. That “great question without an answer” was paid for with imprisonment, chains, bloodshed, and sacrifice by countless scholars, intellectuals, and patriots.

     On February 3, 1930, in the early days of the Year of the Horse, the Communist Party of Vietnam was founded. This was the crystallization, the inevitable historical convergence of Marxism–Leninism, Hồ Chí Minh’s thought, the workers’ movement, and the heroic patriotic tradition formed since the dawn of nation-building and defense.

     From its inception, the Party established a correct revolutionary platform centered on national independence associated with socialism. That line laid the foundation for an unprecedented revolutionary cause in national history: the liberation of the nation, the class, society, and ultimately the human being. From the darkness of servitude, the door of history opened and light appeared on the horizon.

     Over the past 96 years, through storms and upheavals, the Party has remained steadfast, never abandoning its ideals, never fearing the enemy, and never faltering before layered hardships. It has stood firm at the forefront, leading all victories of the revolution, devoted wholeheartedly to serving the Fatherland and the people. For that reason, the people have placed complete trust in the Party, recognizing it as the vanguard political force and the legitimate, sole leader of the nation.

     President Hồ Chí Minh once affirmed: “With all the modesty of a revolutionary, we can still say: our Party is truly great.” He pointed out that the Party is great because it was born from a great nation and arose from the laboring classes. This assessment has been validated by history and remains a guiding principle for both the Party and the people under all circumstances.

     Every cadre and Party member understands clearly that the Party’s invincible strength comes from the people. Without the people’s support, the Party could neither exist nor develop. Therefore, cadres and Party members must devote themselves entirely to serving the people. Nation-building and defense must rely on the people for long-term sustainability. Ensuring food, clothing, peace, and happiness for the people is the Party’s mission, and only by relying on the people can it fulfill its historical role. Today, the entire Party, army, and people continue to advance the renewal process initiated and led by the Party, determined to enter a new era of national prosperity. The revolution in this new stage is also arduous and full of challenges. The decisive strength for victory remains the inseparable bond between the Party and the people.

    Looking back over the 96-year journey, the revolutionary movement in Hội An has produced outstanding individuals, forming a cadre of Party members and soldiers tempered through struggle and rich in experience.

     In the extremely difficult and complex historical context of the early twentieth century, the pioneering revolutionaries of Hội An quickly found their way to the revolutionary path illuminated by Hồ Chí Minh and the Communist Party. These were the “red seeds” that formed the first Communist Party cell in Hội An in April 1930. With only a little over a dozen members, they demonstrated remarkable courage and creativity in leading the people to the extraordinary victory of the August Revolution, making Hội An one of the earliest provincial centers to seize power in the country.

     Subsequent generations of cadres and Party members in Hội An were forged and matured in the flames of the thirty-year resistance war for national salvation. During those challenging years, the enemy never ceased its brutal tactics to separate the people from the Party. Yet countless compatriots and comrades, despite extreme sacrifice, remained steadfastly loyal, determined to live and die with the Party. Secret shelters were hidden within the hearts of the gentle, humble residents of the old town. Revolutionary weapons were fired within the city, and defensive strongholds arose behind simple houses and ancient moss-covered structures.

     Thanks to this, Party members were protected and sheltered by the people through years of hardship. They relied on the people’s support as their fortress, turning fields, gardens, and streets into defensive positions, maintaining deep solidarity between the people and the Party.

     After liberation, the people of Hội An continued to follow the Party in rebuilding the country and healing the wounds of war. Through decades of shared hardship and perseverance, the Party organization and the people of Hội An have worked together to overcome difficulties and gradually develop their homeland into a more prosperous and dignified place.

     The significant achievements attained are the result of the sacrifices, labor, intellect, and dedication of many generations, both living and deceased. The value of today’s life and happiness has been paid for with immense loss and sacrifice.

    Celebrating the Party, welcoming Spring, and enjoying Tết, we wish that heroic martyrs, compatriots, and comrades in eternity may return to celebrate with their descendants, reunite with their fellow countrymen and comrades, to feel the wind from upstream reaching Cửa Đại, to see the waves of the Thu Bồn River reaching Cù Lao Chàm, and to witness the people of Hội An today smiling in warmth, peace, and harmony on a beautiful first day of Spring.

Author: Nguyễn Kỳ Xuân

Source: Hoi An Center for the Conservation of World Cultural Heritage

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