 Officials and party members of Pom Lot remember the image of the General Secretary when he visited the commune on July 16, 2016. (Photo: VOV) |
Eight years ago, in July 2016, the people of Pom Lot commune in Dien Bien province were honored to welcome General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit. All the locals were impressed by his simplicity and closeness. Mr. Trong, wearing simple clothes and smiling in a friendly fashion, shook hands with everyone in the hall. Throughout the working session, he emphasized solidarity, calling it the key to building a new-style rural area by 2017.
Doan Dinh Sung, a judicial officer of Pom Lot commune, Dien Bien district, recalled, “He listened to the commune’s issues and urged us to strive for local political security, economic development, and poverty reduction. At that time, Pom Lot commune didn’t belong to Dien Bien district and local living conditions were still very poor.”
Ethnic people in the northwestern region considered General Secretary Trong a dear leader who paid special attention to people from all walks of life and was concerned about local socio-economic development.
Nguyen Thanh Mai, a resident of Yen Bai city, still remembers the General Secretary's simple manner and his words about afforestation when he visited Yen Bai on the occasion of a "New Year Tree Planting Festival".
“At the ceremony to launch the New Year Tree Planting Festival in Yen Bai, Mr. Trong called on localities and local ethnic people to plant trees and forests and take effective measures to protect the forests and prevent deforestation and burning. Since then, tree planting and afforestation in Yen Bai have increased,” Mai told VOV.
 General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited people of Dur Kmal commune, Krong Ana, Dak Lak province, in November 2018. (Photo: VOV) |
Y Dhun Hmok, the village patriarch of Dur Village 1, recalled General Secretary Trong’s kind gestures when he attended the Great National Solidarity Festival in Dur Kmal commune, Krong Ana district, Dak Lak province, in late 2018. He had the honor of presenting to the Party leader a traditional brocade shirt of the Ede ethnic people.
Y Dhun Hmok recalled the General Secretary asked us to focus on production to improve our standard of living. “He said children must attend school, which was his wish. Now we have enough to eat and enough clothes, our children go to school, and the village has changed. The villagers are grateful for the deep affection and care the top leader has given to Dur Kmal people,” said Y Dhun Hmok.
Siu B'ra of Keo village in Ayun commune, Chu Se district, also has deep feelings for Mr Trong who, during a working trip to Gia Lai province, directed the construction of the Pleikeo irrigation system.
He said, “People in Ayun commune will never forget what the General Secretary did for our locality. He directed the construction of the Pleikeo irrigation project, which has enabled them to harvest wet rice twice per year. We now have a more prosperous life and are free from poverty.”
Catholics considered Party leader Trong a talented and virtuous leader with a simple lifestyle who cared for people of all religions. According to Thai Sy Thanh, head of the Representative Board of Tay Ninh Cao Dai Church in Tien Giang province, followers of all religions felt deeply saddened by the news of the General Secretary passing away.
“This is a huge loss. He was a great man, had a simple lifestyle, cared for the people, helped religious followers stabilize their lives and reduce poverty. Serving as the General Secretary, he gave Tay Ninh Caodaism a better legal status. I’ve prepared a memorial service for the General Secretary on the 20th day of this lunar month,” said Thanh.
Monk Thich Giac Ngon of My Duc Dong commune in Tien Giang province said the General Secretary's moral example will forever shine for future generations. “All Vietnamese people are saddened by the death of Uncle Nguyen Phu Trong. Personally, I was very moved by reading General Secretary Trong’s parallel sentences. He once said: ‘On the chest of this shirt there is no medal, but under this thin shirt there’s a heart that’s determined and kind.’ He was a great leader of Vietnam and fulfilled his duties excellently,” monk Thich Giac Ngon said.
Devoting his life to the people and the nation, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, an example of a simple person with great influence, won the people’s hearts and esteem.