1946
President Ho Chi Minh received the French representative, J. Sainteny, in Ha Noi to discuss the implementation of the Preliminary Agreement, signed a day earlier, and suggest official negotiations take place in Paris.
In the afternoon, President Ho reached an agreement with Sainteny.
President Ho said, “The initial implementation of the Preliminary Agreement will be ending conflict on Indochina territory in 24 hours after the announcement is broadcast on Ha Noi and Sai Gon radio stations.“
At 4 pm, he jointed a large meeting of Ha Noi people to explain the Agreement.
At the meeting, General Vo Nguyen Giap said, “The government’s idea and purpose are peace for the sake of progress.”
Vu Hong Khanh, who took part in signing the agreement, replied, “We can’t achieve that purpose overnight.”
President Ho said, “Our country became independent in August 1945, but until now no powerful country has recognized our independence. The negotiations with France will open a way for the world to acknowledge us. It will lead us to a firmer position on the international scene. It is a political victory. You should be calm, unite together and keep discipline.”
In conclusion, he said, “I, President Ho Chi Minh, have fought together with the people all my life for the Fatherland’s independence. I would rather die than sell the country.”
On the same day, he commissioned the government’s special envoys to go to South Vietnam to explain and execute the Preliminary Agreement signed on March 6.
1947
In a letter sent to the leader of the government’s South Vietnam Office, he wrote, "No matter how difficult it will be, we are not afraid and anxious, because we have known difficulties before, we are self confident in our strength to overcome difficulties, and we are sure that victory will belong to us."
1951
At the concluding session of the Congress for the Unification of Viet Minh and Lien Viet, he was elected honor President of the Vietnam National United Front.
1958
President Ho sent a message to the French president to ask him to repeal the death sentence given to Algerian patriot Giamila Buhiret.
He wrote, "On behalf of the Vietnamese people, I’d like to ask you to take a measure which is suitable to the French people’s tradition of loving justice and humanity to save Giamila’s life.”
1959
When the Indonesian president awarded him the Guerilla Medal in Jakarta, he said, “The peoples of the two countries have made the world see that with solidarity of the people, we will defeat colonialists and imperialists no matter what rudimentary weapons we have.”
By Duong Trung Quoc* and co-writers
*The author is a historian and member of the National Assembly
