Ho Chi Minh's Birthday: A Milestone Announced Late
President Ho Chi Minh was born on May 19, 1890. However, it was not until May 18, 1946, that newspapers in Hanoi first informed the public of his birthday. Since then, on every May 19, compatriots, comrades, and international friends have sent him their deepest affection and best wishes. Yet he always declined lavish ceremonies, often instructing local authorities and agencies not to organize elaborate events.
The First Birthday Celebration: May 19, 1946
On May 19, 1946, the people of Hanoi were overjoyed to represent the whole nation in congratulating him. Early in the morning, members of the Standing Committee and the Government came to offer birthday wishes. Later, amid a forest of red flags with yellow stars, children of the August Revolution, with caps tilted and wooden rifles on their shoulders, marched to the Bac Bo Palace. Ho Chi Minh, along with Huynh Thuc Khang and Vo Nguyen Giap, waved to them and asked to open the palace gates.
Among the children were newspaper vendors and orphans from the Hang Bot orphanage. They pinned badges of the straight-growing bamboo shoot on his shirt and gave him the letters "i" and "t" symbolizing the popular education movement, along with small books containing the regulations and songs of the National Salvation Children's Association.
His gift to the children was a cypress tree with the message: "In the future this tree will grow a hundred branches. You take care of it so it grows well, that means you love me very much!"
A group of over 50 people representing the fighting South also came to congratulate him, including Nguyen Thi Dinh, later a female general. She recalled in her memoirs that he said emotionally: "I thank you, Southern comrades. Actually the newspapers in the capital have made too much of my birthday. Our country is facing many difficulties." Then, more emotionally: "Tell the beloved Southern people that old Ho and the Northern people are always by the side of our Southern compatriots."
That morning, he also received delegations from the General Association of Civil Servants, the National Construction Council, and the Central Committee for the New Life Movement. The youth of the capital organized a parade to celebrate his birthday.
Moved by the affection, he said: "... Only because some journalist knew my birthday did it trouble our compatriots. I have always belonged to our compatriots, and from now on I still belong to them. I vow to remain loyal to the Fatherland... Today you have given me many flowers and cakes. Those are valuable. But please think of the poor compatriots rather than spending on me."
Birthdays in the Viet Bac Resistance Zone
In the Viet Bac resistance zone, despite the heavy work of the resistance, he always created a serene, at-ease atmosphere, a warm life filled with comradeship and compatriotism to overcome challenges and hardships.
His birthday in 1948 was unforgettable. A few days earlier, comrade Loc (Nguyen Van Ty), his cook and close friend who had worked with him in Thailand and China and then returned to join the revolution, had just died of malignant malaria. So the celebration was quiet.
Early on May 19, 1948, his staff brought a bouquet of wildflowers to congratulate him. Receiving it, he was moved to tears: "Thank you, comrades. I suggest we take this bouquet to visit comrade Loc's grave." Thus, his birthday that year was spent talking about a model of loyalty to the Party, working all one's life for the Party without personal calculations or demands for position.
On May 19, 1949, his staff planned a "fresh" meal to celebrate. At that time they were in a Man village in Thai Nguyen province, near Bac Kan. Before they could say anything, he said affectionately: "Thank you, comrades, let's wait until we return to the capital to celebrate." Then he assigned tasks: some to the radio station for news, some to finish office work, some to make fishing lines to improve meals. His simple, warm words encouraged everyone to work harder for a quick victory so they could return to the capital to celebrate his birthday.
Birthday Tied to the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 19, 1954)
After nine years of arduous resistance, our army and people won great victories, culminating in the Dien Bien Phu victory in early May 1954. It coincided with his birthday, a priceless gift from the army and people.
This was perhaps the happiest birthday of his life. He wrote a letter to cadres and soldiers at Dien Bien Phu, published in Nhan Dan newspaper, issue 184. He reminded them not to be subjective or underestimate the enemy, and to always be ready to fight for even greater victories. He and the Government planned to award the "Dien Bien Phu Soldier" badge. The same issue published his poem "Our Army Wins Totally at Dien Bien Phu" under the pen name C.B.
He also hosted a reception for outstanding soldiers. On the morning of May 19, 1954, a delegation of emulation fighters from Dien Bien Phu came to congratulate him. He praised them and asked about their combat life and family circumstances. Moved by their hardships, he encouraged them: the country would soon be independent, and the people would surely have enough to eat. He advised them to study hard to improve their cultural level. He personally pinned a badge on Hoang Dang Vinh, who had captured General De Castries. He suggested that Soviet director Roman Karmen take a photo with the soldiers, joking: "Smile brightly! Whoever smiles biggest, I'll find a beautiful wife for." In the evening, he held a banquet for the soldiers and Soviet friends.
Birthday 1965 and the "Absolutely Secret" Document
His birthday in 1965 was special: he turned 75. As if anticipating the harsh law of life, he began writing his "Testament" for the Party, army, and people.
On the morning of May 10, 1965, in his office, he began writing the Testament. According to comrade Vu Ky, his private secretary: "Over four years, from May 10, 1965, to May 19, 1969, he spent 28 sessions, mostly two and a half hours each, writing the Testament." Thus, May 19 is linked to a momentous event: the drafting of the "Absolutely Secret" document that became his sacred Testament.
Meaning of May 19
Ho Chi Minh's birthday is not just a personal anniversary. It is an occasion for Vietnamese people to express gratitude and affection for the leader who devoted his life to national liberation. Through these birthday stories, we see his simple, noble qualities, always putting the people's interests first. He declined lavish ceremonies and spent his birthdays remembering fallen comrades, encouraging soldiers, and writing his Testament. These are profound marks reminding us of his ethics and way of life.
