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1. Ho Chi Minh’s thought on developing the Vietnamese people is the culmination and development of the values of our nation and the times.

Firstly, Ho Chi Minh’s thought on developing the Vietnamese people is the crystallization and development of our national values.

The Vietnamese nation always attaches great importance to the human factor, considering people as the most precious assets.

Humans are both a product of history while at the same time create history and promote social development. Our forefathers once said, “One person is as valuable as ten properties”. Always place the value of humans above all else, as shown in the sayings “A clean fast is better than a dirty breakfast” and “A good reputation is better than good clothes”.

Early on Ho Chi Minh affirmed that people are the most precious asset, and the decisive factor for the success of the revolutionary cause. According to him, “Whatever task, it’s done by people, and from small to large, from near to far, it’s always the same”⁽¹⁾. Therefore, the people are both the goal and the driving force of the revolution. According to Ho Chi Minh, the people are the primary concern of the revolution. He often said: Everything depends on the human element. With good cadres, any task can be accomplished. “To develop socialism, we first need socialist people”⁽²⁾.

Regarding human development, the Vietnamese people always emphasized spiritual values.

Spiritual values contribute to a person’s character and dignity. Notable values include patriotism, national pride, self-reliance, solidarity, compassion, love, charity, compassion, love for one another, valuing relationships, loving labor, diligence, and hard work, etc. Those spiritual values have been formed over thousands of years of history, in struggle in order to build and defend the country, working, producing, fighting, and creating things and values. Many successive generations have developed qualities, bravery, and nature that reflect the essence of our traditional values, forming the core and identity of the Vietnamese people.

Ho Chi Minh always upheld the spiritual values of the Vietnamese people, with the “national spirit” being the strength of Vietnam. Under the guidance of Ho Chi Minh, the spiritual values of the Vietnamese people were inherited, supplemented, developed, and raised up to new levels in the light of Marxism-Leninism: Traditional patriotism has become Vietnam patriotism in the era of proletarian revolution; the tradition of solidarity and humanity were elevated to strategic matters of the revolution, tying national solidarity to international solidarity; compassion and charity have evolved into communist humanitarianism with a Vietnamese identity.

Traditional Vietnamese people always attach great importance to morality.

For the Vietnamese, nurturing and cultivating morality as factors in developing their villages and defending the country. They caution people to live with “morality” and “virtue”. The Vietnamese people often sum up the experiences of moral cultivation and behavioral development in their familiar, memorable, and non-scholastic verses and proverbs. They often construct images of character and moral phenomena through magical fairy tales in order to educate and inspire people. The Vietnamese people always attach great importance to the principle “When you drink water, remember the source”, and “When you eat fruit, remember the person who planted the tree”, remaining ever grateful and showing respect to their ancestors and those who have contributed to the country.

Inheriting these traditional values of the national, Ho Chi Minh always attached great importance to moral values, considering them as the core element and standard of human character. Especially for revolutionaries, morality is like the root of trees or the source of a river. Ho Chi Minh often used traditional moral maxims, discarded backward and idealistic elements, and introduced new content, turning them into the moral qualities of the Vietnamese people in the new era. Ho Chi Minh especially emphasized the importance of building exemplary images, exemplary individuals in terms of ethics for the whole society to study and emulate. At the same time, he developed and elevated them to a new level, considering them as factors that makes up spiritual strength for the cause of national liberation and the development of a new society.

The good traditional values of the Vietnamese people are the basis and foundation of Ho Chi Minh’s thought on human development.

Secondly, Ho Chi Minh’s thought on developing Vietnamese people is the crystallization and development of the values of the era.

Ho Chi Minh absorbed the human values of the East.

Born into a Confucian family, Ho Chi Minh soon absorbed Confucianism in a fundamental and systematic way. Ho Chi Minh absorbed human values through the Confucian concept of the position and roles of humanity in the relationship between Heaven, Earth, Man, and Everything in the universe. Lao Tzu believes that there are four great things in the universe: the Great Tao, the Great Heaven, the Great Earth, and the Great Man. Man, together with Heaven and Earth, are the three entities representing all things in the material and spiritual world. Ho Chi Minh affirmed that people have a great position and role as well as an invincible power. He said: “When the people are united, anything can be achieved. Without the support of the people, nothing can be done”⁽³⁾; “No matter how easy it is, it cannot be done without the people; no matter how hard it is, with the people, it can be done”⁽⁴⁾.

Ho Chi Minh absorbed human values through the Confucian concept of Good and Evil. In life, Ho Chi Minh often quoted the Confucian phrase “Man is innately good; human nature is basically good” to start his conversations. Ho Chi Minh explained the issue of Good and Evil in a simple and clear way: “On earth, there are millions of people. But these people can be divided into two classes: GOOD people and BAD people. In society, although there are thousands of tasks. However, those affairs can be divided into 2 kinds: RIGHTFUL deeds and WRONG deeds. Doing RIGHT deeds means being a GOOD person. Doing the WRONG deeds means being BAD”⁽⁵⁾.

Ho Chi Minh discarded negative elements and absorbed the positive ones in the moral philosophy of Confucianism, expanding and elevating them to a new height and a broader scope. One of the examples is the concept of Loyalty and Gratitude. In Ho Chi Minh’s broadened viewpoint, loyalty is being loyal not only to the King but also to the Party and the country, Gratitude is being grateful not only to the parents but also to the people.

According to Ho Chi Minh, “BENEVOLENCE is honestly loving, wholeheartedly helping our comrades and compatriots (...), being willing to endure hardships before everyone else and enjoying the happiness after others have... not craving wealth, not afraid of hardship and not intimidated by power”⁽⁶⁾. “RIGHTEOUSNESS means integrity, without ulterior motives, avoiding doing bad things, etc., not having personal interests to worry about, etc. When the Party assigns any task, no matter how big or small it is, it must be done meticulously. Do what needs to be done, speak when something needs to be said”⁽⁷⁾, etc., Ho Chi Minh rearranged the Confucian ethical standards from “Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, faith” to “Benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, courage, integrity”⁽⁸⁾.

Buddhism has a great influence on the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people. Buddhism contains many life philosophies, such as: “Bring values and happiness to people, selflessness for others”, advising people to love one another, live cleanly, live ethically, do good and avoid evil, love work, etc.⁽⁹⁾. Based on the philosophy of Buddhism, Ho Chi Minh wished to develop people with a life of pure beauty, goodwill, equality, peace, and happiness.

Ho Chi Minh also embraced the positive elements of various religions, wishing to develop a civilized society in which human-to-human relations are harmonious and honest.

Thus, Ho Chi Minh’s adoption of the human values of the East are not a mechanical reception or mere copying, nor is it just a simple extraction without modification, renovation, development, and enhancement. Ho Chi Minh has given us lessons to embrace the Eastern philosophies on human development. And he himself is a shining example, embodying the moral qualities and the beauty of an ethereal and noble demeanor, radiating the characteristics of the Eastern people.

Ho Chi Minh absorbed the Western thoughts on human values.

Ho Chi Minh approached the French and Western culture at an early age. From his time studying at the French-Vietnamese Dong Ba Primary School and at the Hue High School for the Gifted, through some French newspapers with liberal tendencies, he has accessed French culture, with slogans like “Freedom, Equality, Fraternity” representing noble values of humanity. The progressive ideas of the French Revolution in 1789 had a great influence on him and was one of the factors that drove him to go to the West to seek a way to save the country and the people.

Later, on his quest to save his homeland, he lived and worked within Western cultural environments, he had the opportunity to read notable literary works that celebrated the aspiration for freedom, criticized injustices and inequalities in society, and aimed to build a better society. Ho Chi Minh learned firsthand about the democratic ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers. Then he came to the United States and familiarized himself the immortal spirit of the 1776 Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, “All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”⁽¹⁰⁾. Human rights are sacred and inherent rights. Ho Chi Minh encapsulated and elevated these ideas in his philosophical standpoint, stating that “all nations in the world are created equal; Every nation has the right to life, the right to happiness and the right to liberty”⁽¹¹⁾.

Christianity has a profound influence on Western societies. When it comes to Christianity, Ho Chi Minh emphasized the value of humanity and compassion. “The religion of Jesus has the merit of great compassion”⁽¹²⁾.

For Ho Chi Minh, compassion should primarily be directed towards the suffering people, compassion must be transformed into a force to shatter oppressive and exploitative regimes. Therefore, “Wherever there is a fight for independence and freedom, there is Ho Chi Minh… Wherever there is a fight for peace and justice, there is Ho Chi Minh.. Wherever the people fight for a new world, against poverty, there is Ho Chi Minh”⁽¹³⁾.

Ho Chi Minh absorbed the Marxist - Leninist perspective on humanity and human values.

From a historical perspective, Marx and Engels discussed the issue of humanity and its values. The value of a human being lies primarily in the fact that humans are not only products of history, but they also shape history. They wrote: “By reproducing their own lives daily, humans start to produce others, reproduce - that is the relationship between husband and wife, parent and child, that is the family”⁽¹⁴⁾. Humans are subjects of the existence and development of society, creating social values.

In the Economic-Philosophical Manuscript (1884), K. Marx presented human values through the concept of “material force” of man and the theory of human “alienation”.

In the Sixth Thesis on Feuerbach, K. Marx asserted: “But the essence of man is no abstraction inherent in each single individual. In reality, it is the ensemble of the social relations”⁽¹⁵⁾. There is no abstract human being, but only people living and operating in a certain society, a certain era, and under certain historical conditions.

Marxism-Leninism also affirms the socio-historicity the class nature, the practicality, and the recognition of values. Values are specific social phenomena, and all values are derived from the creative labor of humans. Each era, each nation, each community, and each individual often have different perceptions of values. As society changes, so does the scale of values. In the end, human history is a process of constantly seeking and perceiving values; a process of discovering, selecting, and inheriting new values suitable for the development of society. When the individual’s values are significant to and impact the community, being recognized by society, they will become societal values. In turn, societal values play a role in the orientation of human activities.

Incorporating the scientific worldview and dialectical method of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh perceives that humanity, in their personality structure, is a system that includes a combination of many components such as physical strength and intelligence, human-social aspects and instinctive-biological aspects of humanity. At the same time, he recognized the diversity of humans: diversity in social relations (ethnic relations, class, stratum, comrades, compatriots, etc.); diversity in personality, aspirations, qualities, and abilities; diversity in background, living and working conditions, etc.

Ho Chi Minh believed that in any society there are good people and bad people, every individual has both good and bad aspects. Whether good or bad, virtuous or evil, these traits are not innate but are shaped by societal conditions and education. From his immersion in the lives and struggles of oppressed peoples of various nations, he concluded: “In this world, there are only two types of people: the exploiters and the exploited. And there’s only one true bond: the bond of the proletariat”⁽¹⁶⁾.

Ho Chi Minh absorbed the Marxist - Leninist views on human values from two perspectives: theoretical thinking and moral qualities of V.I.Lenin. Ho Chi Minh realized that V.I.Lenin was a mentor who trained revolutionary soldiers all over the world, not only with the most scientific reasoning but also with the highest revolutionary morality. Ho Chi Minh praised V.I.Lenin’s revolutionary moral example: “It is not only his genius but his contempt for luxury, the spirit of love of labor, the pure private life, and the simple lifestyle. In brief, that is the great and noble virtue of the teacher which greatly influenced the Asian peoples and made their hearts turn to him in an unstoppable manner”⁽¹⁷⁾.

2. Ho Chi Minh’s thought on human development is the ideological foundation and guiding principle for our Party to set out guidelines and policies on human development.

Thoroughly grasping, applying, and developing Ho Chi Minh’s thought on human development, in the Party’s Platform, guidelines, and resolutions, our Party consistently upholds the viewpoint of comprehensively developing and promoting the Vietnamese people to meet the requirements for the rapid and sustainable development of the country.

The 6th National Party Congress (1986) opened the period of national renovation (commonly known as Doi moi) and also marked an important milestone for the Party’s views and philosophies on developing and promoting human resources in the cause of the comprehensive reform of the country. The 6th Congress clearly stated: “Respecting people, promoting the creativity of all classes of people, directing such creativity to the cause of developing a new society”⁽¹⁸⁾.

The Platform for National Development in the Transitional Period to Socialism (1991) identified one of the fundamental characteristics of the socialist society we are building as “People shall be liberated from oppression, exploitation, injustice, working based on their ability, gaining benefits based on their labor, having a prosperous, free and happy life, having conditions for comprehensive personal development”⁽¹⁹⁾.

Regarding the viewpoints and the development objectives, the Platform emphasizes: “The main goal and driving force of development is the people, by the people. Our socio-economic strategy puts the people at the center unleashes productive forces, realizing the potentials of each individual, each labor collective, and the whole national community, encouraging and creating favorable conditions for the all Vietnamese people to promote their self-reliance, self-strengthstrength, and thriftiness to develop and defend the Fatherland, making every effort to enrich themselves and the country”⁽²⁰⁾.

The Platform has highlights the qualities of the Vietnamese people: “These are people with a sense of mastery, a sense of civic responsibility; possessing knowledge, good health, and skilled labor; having a cultured life with gratitude; having a genuine international spirit”⁽²¹⁾.

At the 8th National Party Congress (1996), the Party emphasized the role of science and technology, education and training, and culture in developing the new Vietnamese people. Our Party affirms: “Arousing the patriotic spirit and resolute will among the people, taking advantage of the talents of the Vietnamese people, being determined to bring the country out of poverty and backwardness based on science and technology, etc. Along with science and technology, education, and training are the top national policies aimed at raising public awareness, human resource development, and nurturing talent”.

The 9th National Party Congress (2001) defined the content for building the a comprehensively developed Vietnamese people: “Building the Vietnamese people for comprehensive development in terms of politics, ideology, intelligence, morality, physical strength, creativity, sense of community, kindness, tolerance, respect for love, living a cultured lifestyle, harmonious relationship within family, community and society”⁽²³⁾.

The 10th National Party Congress (2006) addressed the construction of the Vietnamese character, especially focusing on character development for the young generation of Vietnam: “Developing and refining the values and character of the Vietnamese people, protecting and promoting national cultural identity in the period of industrialization, modernization, and international economic integration. Fostering cultural values among young people, pupils, and students, particularly the ideology of life, lifestyle, intellectual capacity, morality and cultural resilience of the Vietnamese people”⁽²⁴⁾.

The 11th National Party Congress (2011) continued to emphasize the development of the Vietnamese people “being strongly patriotic; having a sense of mastery and civic responsibility; having knowledge, good health, and skilled labor; having a cultured life; having a genuine international spirit”⁽²⁵⁾.

In the Platform for national development in the transitional period to socialism (supplemented and developed in 2011), the Party has placed the Vietnamese people at the center of the development strategy. Continuing to supplement and refine the correct views on promoting the strength of the Vietnamese people suitable to the new context of the country and the times: “Humanity is the center of the development strategy and, at the same time, the subject of development. Respecting and protecting human rights, linking human rights with the rights and interests of the nation, the country, and the people’s right of mastery”⁽²⁶⁾.

The 9th Plenum of the Central Committee of the 11th term (2014) issued Resolution No.33-NQ/TW on “Developing and promoting Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of the sustainable development of the country”, continuing to affirm our policy on developing the Vietnamese people for comprehensive development, with the 4 core values of Intelligence - Morality - Physical strength - Aesthetics, imbued with the spirit of the nation, humanity, democracy, and science. The Party Central Committee not only defines the important task of “attaching great importance to developing the Vietnamese people for comprehensive development”⁽²⁷⁾, but also clearly states the qualities and abilities for the comprehensively developed Vietnamese people in the renovation period in order to meet the requirements for the rapid and sustainable development of the country⁽²⁸⁾.

The 12th National Party Congress (2016) determined the necessity to develop the Vietnamese people for comprehensive development towards Truthfulness -Compassion - Aesthetics, imbued with the spirit of the nation, humanity, democracy, and science in order to “properly bring into play the role of the creative subject in the cause of national development and defense”⁽²⁹⁾; “promoting the human factor in all areas of social life”⁽³⁰⁾; “meeting the requirements of human resource development and labor market”⁽³¹⁾ in the socialist-oriented market economy and international integration. The Party requires “to create conditions to develop a beautiful Vietnamese people in terms of character, morality, and soul; having high levels of intelligence, capacity, and creative skills; physically healthy; improving their social responsibility and civic duty, sense of respect and compliance with the law”⁽³²⁾. Our Party considers this to be an important goal and task of the current political system of the country, demonstrating the Party’s new and correct vision which is not only suitable for the times but also meets the requirements of the cause of developing and promoting the Vietnamese people in the 21st century.

At the 13th National Party Congress (in 2021), our Party continued to emphasize: “Focusing on researching, identifying, and implementing the development of a national value system, cultural value system and human standards associated with preserving, developing the Vietnamese family value system in the new period. Paying attention to the education, training, and protection of children, teenagers, and children. Enhancing education on patriotism, national pride, tradition and national history and a sense of social responsibility for all classes of people, particularly young people”⁽³³⁾.

The Congress further identified one of the 12 national development orientations for the period of 2021 - 2030 as: “Comprehensively developing the people and developing an advanced Vietnamese culture deeply imbued with national identity so that the culture becomes the endogenous strength, a driving force for national development and national defense (...) the talents, intelligence and quality of the Vietnamese people are at the center, the goal and the most important driving force for the development of the country”⁽³⁴⁾.

The Party’s renovation policy has been continuously supplemented, developed, and gradually improved. In terms of human development, our Party always affirms: People are the capital of all capital sources, the most important resource of all resources, the highest value of all values. The Vietnamese people are both the goal, the driving force, and the vitality of renovation, the center of our renovation cause.

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Received: April 4, 2023; Reviewed: May 16, 2023; Approved for publication: May 2, 2023.

Endnotes:

(1) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.6, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.281.

(2) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.13, ibid, p.66

(3), (6), (7), (8) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, Vol, ibid, p.333, 291-292, 292, 291.

(4) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.15, ibid, p.280.

(5) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.6, ibid, p.129.

(9) Buddhism’s Thoughts of Six harmonies: Harmony in living together (in working, all should be in favor of concession); Harmony in classes (all should follow the same principles); Harmony in having the same viewpoint (all should come to a consensus); Harmony in talking (all should prevent conflicts in conversations); Harmony in sharing benefits (benefits should be shared); Harmony in creating and developing things (developing together).

(10), (11) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.4, ibid, p.1, 1.

(12) According to Truong Niem Thuc: The story of Ho Chi Minh, Tam Lien - Shanghai Publishing House, June 1949 (Vietnamese translation by Dang Nghiem Van), p.41-42.

(13) Ho Chi Minh Institute: Ho Chi Minh lives forever in the hearts of mankind, Labor Publishing House - People’s Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 1993, p.90.

(14), (15) K.Marx - F.Engels: Complete Works, vol.3, National Political Publishing House of Truth, Hanoi, 1995, p.41, 11.

(16), (17) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.1, ibid, pp.287, 317.

(18) CPV: Complete Party Documents, vol.47, ibid, 2007, p.447.

(19), (20), (21) CPV: Complete Party Documents, vol.51, ibid, 2007, p.134, 154, 140-141.

(22) CPV: Complete Party Documents, vol.55, ibid, 2007, p.388-389.

(23) CPV: Complete Party Documents, vol.60, Ibid, 2016, p.202.

(24) CPV: Complete Party Documents, vol.65, Ibid, 2018, pp.205.

(25) CPV: Complete Party Documents, vol.69, ibid, 2018, p.507.

(26) CPV: Document of the 11th National Party Congress, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.76.

(27), (28) Central Committee for Communication and Education: Materials for Resolution and some guidelines of the 9th Central Conference, Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the 11th term, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2014, p.16, 16.

(29), (30), (31), (32) CPV: Documents of the 12th National Party Congress, 2016, p.29, 53, 27, 27.

(33) CPV: Documents of the 13th National Party Congress, vol.I, Ibid, 2021, p.143.

(34) CPV: Documents of the 13th National Party Congress, vol.II, Ibid, 2021, p.330.