On December 19, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh wrote an appeal for a “National Resistance”, calling on the entire Vietnamese people to rise up to struggle against French rule
…. In the second half of December 1946, the French colony repeatedly provoked everywhere, especially in Hanoi.
On December 17 they brutally murdered innocent Vietnamese people on Hang Bun Street; on December 18, France repeatedly sent an ultimatum to us, requesting us to let them occupy some more important locations in Hanoi, demanding the dissemination of our security forces, suspension of preparatory activities for the resistance, requesting us to let the French military maintain the security in the city, by December 20, 1946.
In that context, on December 18 and 19, 1946, Uncle Ho presided over the Central Standing Committee’s expanded meeting in Van Phuc village deciding to launch a resistance war across the country.
The meeting pointed out basis guidelines for the enduring resistance war against France later and approved President Ho Chi Minh’s call for a “national resistance”.
At 6:45 pm on the evening of December 19, Uncle Ho left Van Phuc and following his steps, the call for national resistance was spread across the country, touching millions of hearts of Vietnamese, as an echoing exhortation to save the country: “Everyone! We want peace, we have to compromise, but the more we compromise, the more French colony has requested and demanded, because they are determined to invade our country once more time! No! We would rather sacrifice everything, definitely we will not let them control our country and we will not become their slaves.
…It’s time to save our country. We have to sacrifice the last drop of blood to protect our country. Despite struggling with resistance, with a high determination to sacrifice all for peace and independence, definitely we will win! ”
It seems that that solemn call still exists in mountains and rivers of Vietnam just like it was made yesterday. Few would know that the beloved leader of the nation prepared it at a noon in a narrow attic of Van Phuc village.
In 1946, when the independent Vietnam was just one year old, the government was still very young, the French colony was back and provoked in order to occupy our country again. On December 19, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh issued the call for “National Resistance,” calling for the entire country to rise up to struggle against France, but few knew that the call was sent from Van Phuc village – a small village along Nhue river in Ha Dong (belonging to the Ha Tay province previously).
According to documents kept in Van Phuc village, in late 1946, in the days when the entire Vietnamese people urgently prepared to start the enduring resistance against the French colony, from December 3 to 19, 1946, Uncle Ho and some other comrades came to stay and work at the house of Mr. Nguyen Van Duong, who lived in Doan Ket Hamlet, Van Phuc Village, Ha Dong, a well-known rich silk trader in the village. Now this house is used as Uncle Ho’s Memorial House.
According to Mr. Nguyen Tuan Lieu (who is now over 80 years old), the second son of Mr. Nguyen Van Duong (who passed away), then he was still a high school student. The place where Uncle Ho lived and worked was his own room.
Uncle Ho and other comrades arrived at his home at about 7:00 pm on December 3, 1946 when the family had just finished the dinner.
After arranging accommodation for the delegation on 2nd floor, a maid in the delegation (later we knew her name was Thanh) told our family: “He asks your family for dinner because he has headed for this village after finishing work in Hanoi. But you only need to bring us all foods available, he shall not eat whatever you prepare more…”
When he knew who the “senior officer” was, Mr. Duong (father of Mr. Nguyen Tuan Lieu) told his son: “This is a great honor of our family, money is not as precious as this. But Uncle Phuc (who was then the secretary of the Party Cell of Van Phuc commune) reminded us to keep this absolutely confidential, even the leaders of the commune don’t know this specifically. They are only given direction that they have to arrange security guards to strengthen the security all days and nights to strictly control the strangers. We won’t tell this to our brothers, sisters, and relatives …”
Mr. Lieu observed what his father told him not only in the days Uncle Ho stayed and worked at his house, but during over 8 years participating in the resistance, he did not tell anyone.
In the days Uncle Ho worked in Van Phuc village, Ms. Thanh usually prepared meals for Uncle Ho. To keep it secret, cereals and food were brought home by Mr. Duong’s family and local people. Uncle Ho loved to eat caramelized pork and many vegetables. Mr. Nguyen Luong Bang lived with him and there were 8 security guards whose names were renamed Truong, Ky, Khang, Chien, Nhat, Dinh, Thang, Loi by Uncle Ho. Mr. Tran Dang Ninh sometimes came to meet him…
In the second half of December 1946, the French colony repeatedly provoked everywhere, especially in Hanoi.
On December 17, they brutally murdered innocent Vietnamese people on Hang Bun Street; on December 18th, France repeatedly sent an ultimatum to us, requesting us to let them occupy some more important locations in Hanoi, demanding the dissemination of our security forces, suspension of preparatory activities for the resistance, requesting us to let the French military maintain the security in the city, by December 20, 1946. In that context, on December 18 and 19, 1946, Uncle Ho presided over the Central Standing Committee’s expanded meeting in Van Phuc village deciding to launch a resistance war across the country. The meeting pointed out basis guidelines for the enduring resistance war against France later and approved President Ho Chi Minh’s call for a “national resistance”.
The diary of Comrade Vu Ky recorded the most stressful moments of Uncle Ho in Van Phuc village when compiling an exhortation to call for all Vietnamese people:
– On 19 December 1946, he got up in early morning, requested his people to prepare papers and pens. Last night perhaps he didn’t sleep well, there were dark circles around his eyes. He read to me to write to the French Prime Minister Leon Blum.
He read in French. Sometimes I had to ask him to reread so that I could write correctly. It was cold, the wind blew through the door crack, causing the oil lamp to swing. Words written were also affected, which didn’t make straight lines. But the shade of Uncle Ho who sat with his coat on his shoulder on the wall didn’t move. No one could believe that Uncle Ho got up to work in the narrow attic of a “high school graduate” in Van Phuc village since early morning. At that time of a very cold winter, probably many people were still sleeping.
Early in the morning, we went straight to Bac Bo Phu (headquarters of Northern government) to meet Mr. Giam for news. At 12:30 pm, we told Uncle Ho the news. He frowned slightly when hearing the news that Mr. Jean Sainteny refused to meet Mr. Giam. Uncle Ho thought for a moment, then he decided: “Well, we will fight.” He did not sleep during the whole noon of December 19, just sat and wrote …
At 6:45 pm on the evening of December 19, Uncle Ho left Van Phuc and following his steps, the call for national resistance was spread across the country, touching millions of hearts of Vietnamese, as an echoing exhortation to save the country: “Everyone! We want peace, we have to compromise, but the more we compromise, the more French colony has requested and demanded, because they are determined to invade our country once more time! No! We would rather sacrifice everything, definitely we will not let them control our country and we will not become their slaves.
…It’s time to save our country. We have to sacrifice the last drop of blood to protect our country. Despite struggling with resistance, with a high determination to sacrifice all for peace and independence, definitely we will win! ”
It seems that that solemn call still exists in mountains and rivers of Vietnam just like it was made yesterday.
Few would know that the beloved leader of the nation prepared it at a noon in a narrow attic of Van Phuc village.
