Book features 50-year implementation of President Ho Chi Minh’s testament
Book on President Ho Chi Minh’s testament to be published in Russia

The cover of the new photo book. VNS Photo Le Huong

Titled 50 Năm Thực Hiện Di Chúc Của Chủ Tịch Hồ Chí Minh, 1969-2019 (50 Years of Implementing President Hồ Chí Minh’s Testament, 1969-2019), the 280-page Vietnamese-English book features the leader’s testament as a historic document with both theoretical and practical values.

Hundreds of photos have been included to illustrate the great achievements of Vietnam’s revolution over the past 50 years and the efforts by the Party and people to carry out the leader’s will: “Building a peaceful, reunified, independent, democratic and prosperous Vietnam along with building and fortifying the Party as well as constructing a pure and strong political system”.

A photo from the book shows President Ho hoeing the land to plant vegetables in a resistance base during the war against the French.

“We have compiled the book following the guidelines of the Central Party and leaders of the Vietnam News Agency,” director of the publishing house Nguyen The Son told Việt Nam News. “We have the advantage of having close access to the agency’s databank of photos and news as well as the abundant source of current news while compiling the book.”

The book is divided into three parts. The first includes various drafts of the testament, hand-written by the leader himself, and the situations in which the President wrote each part of the document.

The book also analyses details that make the document unique and historic.

“The testament is the outcome of President Ho Chi Minh’s preoccupation and thought about the future of the nation; the succinct and scientific summarisation of the process of our people’s revolutionary struggle under the leadership of the Party, the creative theoretical development; the draft platform for national construction; and the inner wish, sentiment, will, belief and responsibility of President Ho Chi Minh towards the Motherland, people and revolutionary cause,” the book reads.

“The testament shows the bright morality and noble humanism of President Ho Chi Minh – a national liberation hero and a pre-eminent culturist,” it continues. "The testament is a document that stirs the hearts of millions of people and inspires not only our people but also everyone who struggles for freedom, independence, peace, justice and happiness of humans."

The second part of the book features the achievements of the Vietnamese revolution after 50 years of implementing President Ho’s testament, while the third part focuses on Party building and rectification as well as studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle.

A photo from the book shows a seagoing vessel being repaired at Bach Dang Shipyard in the city of Hai Phong.

“Our biggest challenge is how to link the photos into a smooth story,” said Phung Thi My, deputy editor-in-chief of the publishing house.

“Otherwise, the photo book will be no more than a photo essay," My said. "So the role of the editor, who wrote the introduction for each chapter and caption for each photo, is very important.

Selecting photos is also important. Among the many file photos of the Vietnam News Agency, the Ho Chi Minh Museum and the Ho Chi Minh National Politics Institute, we had to choose the best photos for each part. For example, in the part on achievements, we had to select typical photos depicting achievements representing every sector, region and period.”

“Due to the large number of photos, we took great care to provide the exact information, dates, figures and names, on which it is quite easy to make mistakes when dealing with file photos,” she said.

According to Nguyen Van Hue, a member of the book’s editorial board, the photo book is among the first of its kind featuring one of the most important documents of the country, though there have been many books on the same topic already.

“I think the topic is interesting and challenging as well,” he said, “To select photos for such a book, it’s a huge and challenging task.

“Ït’s a historical book but it deals with current affairs updated until this month (August this year) and the President’s Testament and the movement to learn and follow his morality and his will.”

The joy of going to school shown in a photo from the book.

Vu Manh Long, the book's designer, said he had spent lots of time retouching old photos.

“I created a separate style for the book,” Long said. “I tried to design the pages so that the photos bring their power into play. Each page should have a main photo while the subordinate photos support the main one's topic to tell the story in the most eye-catching way.”

The book is being sold for VND390,000 (US$16.8) at Thang Long Book Store, 34 Trang Tien Street, Hanoi; the publishing house's office in 79 Ly Thuong Klet Street, Hanoi; and the Vietnam News Agency's representative office at 120 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 1, HCM City. It is now available at provincial libraries, libraries of colleges and universities as well as information centres of ministries and State agencies throughout the country. VNS

Le Huong