During his 30 years abroad, Uncle Ho always practised industry, simplicity and thrift. All of his assets could be kept in a small suitcase and he was ready to set off anytime.

In his years of working at home, his property was enough to put into a back-pack. During his time in Viet Bac revolutionary base and before his death, his property was also arranged neatly in a suitcase.

Uncle Ho had always been a poor person as he spent his whole life for the people’s happiness and national independence and freedom.

In the first revolutionary textbook, Duong Kach menh (Revolutionary Path), written by Uncle Ho, there is a great lesson about revolutionary morality. One must have morals before he wants to lead a revolutionary life. According to Uncle Ho, revolutionary virtues include industry, thrift, integrity, uprightness; total dedication to public interest and complete selflessness, fighting against bureaucracy, bribery, wastefulness, setting up examples and living up to the ideals.

He once said: “I have only one desire, an ultimate desire, that our country be entirely independent, our people be entirely free, everyone has rice to eat, clothes to wear and get access to education.”

After the success of the August Revolution in 1945, along with efforts to build the Party in power and a revolutionary State of the people, for the people and by the people, President Ho Chi Minh paid special attention to the morality and lifestyle of the new society. He carefully selected virtours people to give them the responsibility to protect the laws within the Party and the administrations. Those who had worked together with Him in the early days of the revolution such as Ho Tung Mau, Nguyen Luong Bang, Bui Lam, Hoang Quoc Viet and Tran Huu Duc were nominated by him to be head of the Government Inspectorate, head of the Party’s Central Committee’s Commission for Inspection; head and deputy head of the Supreme People’s Procuracy. They were the first Party members. All of them had been in prisons of the colonialists. They were heroic and indomitable revolutionaries. They shared dangers with the people and their comrades. They also lived simple and pure lives.

Thanks to a society of morality, Vietnam could continue to live on through the wars full of sacrifices for half a century, defeating cruel aggressors, liberating the country and building a new society.

During the 30 years of resistance wars, there were almost no big criminal case. The society was wholesome. Legal and justice agencies were not too busy. Prisons were not crowded. There were no big embezzlement and pillaging cases.

The examples of cadres working in the administration contributed to the effectiveness of moral education work. After devoting their full lives to the revolution, they died peacefully, leaving behind no assets but bright examples of revolutionaries who were heroic, indomitable and loyal to the revolution.

Morality is a great strength of the people. A small society of morality is stronger than fiendish forces. Vietnam’s society in the 20^th century was a society of morality.

The Communist Party of Vietnam is a Party of morality which gathers quintessence of the national culture. That quintessence is not self-established but is made up through practices. Social evils in the government apparatus, though only a small part, are a danger to the nation’s future. Following Ho Chi Minh’s Thought and morality means learning his ways of self-practising morality and revolutionary ideals.

By HOANG TUNG