READ NGUYEN AI QUOC - HO CHI MINH - JOURNALIST: Write to tell us what our country is

The Journey of Nguyen Ai Quoc

In part 1 of the book, the author presents a lot of historical data about France - the longest stop of Nguyen Ai Quoc's thousand-mile journey to find a way to save the country and his revolutionary activities, and also the place where the young man Nguyen Tat Thanh thoroughly understood the six words: Freedom - Equality - Fraternity. "The past of earning a living, self-studying, and struggling in life in a foreign land turned the young man who washed dishes and worked as a porter on a ship into a politician and head of state with a deep understanding of society" (quoted from page 9).

The book Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh - Journalist was published by Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House in June 2025.

When attending the 2nd Congress of the Vietnam Journalists Association in 1959, Uncle Ho told about how when he secretly returned to the country in 1941, he tried to publish a newspaper to propagate, agitate, organize and lead the revolution. That newspaper was Vietnam Independence, which published 126 issues. In the first issue, there were a few introductory verses as follows:

"The most timely Independent Newspaper"

Make us open our eyes, open our hands

In the country, in the world

Let us know the organization

Tell me your strength

Tell us about the past and present

Tell us what our country is.

In 1919, Nguyen Ai Quoc entered the journalism world with short articles in French newspapers. This event reinforced his initial awareness and grew rapidly in his thinking: The press is an indispensable weapon for revolutionary activities. The French secret police file on Nguyen Ai Quoc stated: "Anh Quoc wrote publicly in the French press about his demands for peace with the policy in Indochina."

During his time as editor-in-chief of the newspaper Nguoi Cung Khoe in France, he recalled: “For a long time, I was the editor-in-chief, director, treasurer, publisher and seller of the newspaper Paria”. Besides Nguyen Ai Quoc, there were also fellow countrymen, comrades (with the same patriotic aspirations), colleagues (journalists) such as Phan Van Truong, Nguyen An Ninh, Phan Chu Trinh…

The man sitting there with the red pencil

President Ho Chi Minh left behind a huge legacy of journalistic works with many writing styles and expressions throughout his writing career. The book affirms that the journalistic career of Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh is a great contribution not only to revolutionary journalism but also to the history of Vietnamese journalism. “President Ho Chi Minh's political career is closely linked to his journalism career. That professional revolutionary is the heart of history, makes history and is a man of history.”

“I am a short story writer and a political commentator. I do not dispute being called a propagandist, a professional revolutionary is the most correct” - President HO CHI MINH.

The photo documentary section in the book is a valuable and elaborate collection, such as the photo of Nguyen Ai Quoc's identity card issued in France in September 1919; a copy of the French secret police file on Nguyen Ai Quoc, a letter from Nguyen Tat Thanh to Phan Chu Trinh from London (England) in 1914; a photo of Huynh Thuc Khang Journalism School in 1949...

In the minds of the revolutionary press, Ho Chi Minh is a rare great journalist, always respected and loved, "the exemplary embodiment of professional journalism". He is associated with a simple yet great image: "He sat there with a red pencil / Finding a path for the nation to follow" (poem by To Huu).

Loyalty

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202506/doc-nguyen-ai-quoc-ho-chi-minh-nha-bao-viet-cho-ta-biet-nuoc-non-ta-la-gi-8611a69/