1. Comrade Ha Huy Tap was born on 24 April 1906 into a needy Confucian scholar family in Kim Nac village, Tho Ngoa canton, now Cam Hung commune, Cam Xuyen district, Ha Tinh province. Inheriting cultural values and revolutionary traditions of his homeland, Ha Huy Tap, when a child, showed that he was smart, patriotic and enthusiastic. In 1917, he came first in an exam at Tho Ngoa Elementary school. In 1919, he was a top scorer in an exam at French - Vietnamese Elementary school and was accepted into Hue National College without having to take any entrance exam. In 1923, he worked as a teacher at French - Vietnamese Elementary school in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa province.

In late 1925, he joined Phuc Viet (Restoration of Vietnam) Society, which was a famous patriotic organization at the time and which was renamed Hung Nam (Prosperity of Vietnam) Society, then Vietnam Revolutionary Party, and then Tan Viet (New Vietnam) Revolutionary Party. Because he spread patriotism among students and teachers and was always opposed to random, arbitrary decisions made by his school, he was expelled from Nha Trang in mid-1926. After that, he taught at Cao Xuan Duc School in Vinh city, Nghe An province. He was famous for his exemplariness, ethics, professional expertise and uprightness and was loved by his colleagues and students.

In early 1927, realizing that Ha Huy Tap was good at organizational and communication matters, Tan Viet Party sent him to the South of Vietnam to establish its branches. He opened night classes to disseminate revolutionary ideas amongst workers. He attached special importance to the organization and establishment of Party branches, translation of books, opening of training courses, and organization of strikes. Through his activities, he made a contribution to expanding the influence of Tan Viet in the South.

Ha Huy Tap was one of the most important people of Tan Viet Revolutionary Party, which was later reorganized as the Indochinese Communist League, one of the three constituent organizations of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Therefore, although he was not the founder of this Party, Ha Huy Tap played an important role in, and had a significant influence on, its birth with his activity and contribution as a member of Tan Viet.

In 1928, Ha Huy Tap left Saigon for China. In June 1929, he was recommended to study at Far East University of the Communist International (Comintern). It was at this university where he passionately studied Marxism - Leninism, the policy of the Comintern and realities of the revolution in the home country of great Lenin. He wrote a good number of articles for the Bolshevik magazine and the Comintern. With his achievements in studies and at work, he was considered by the Comintern to be “a person with good political training and an active member of the Party” and he had the privilege of being admitted to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in October 1930.

From a person who loved his country and his fellow countrymen and who left the country with great determination and desire to regain independence for the country and freedom and happiness for its people, Ha Huy Tap became a communist having discovered Marxism - Leninism. After graduating Far East University, he was sent by the Comintern back to Vietnam to work. However, due to strict enemy control, he returned to the Soviet Union in late June 1932 to continue his research and revolutionary career.

Ha Huy Tap was sensitive to realities and had astute observation and the ability to generalize theories. In 1933, he wrote “Celebrating the 3^rd Anniversary of the Establishment of the Unified Indochinese Communist Party” and especially the book A Brief History of the Communist Movement in Indochina, which explains the vanguard role of the working class in Indochina, the history of the struggle of workers and peasants, experience in the organization and methods of fighting, and preparation for the upcoming steps of the revolution. He confirmed Ho Chi Minh’s enormous contribution by establishing the Indochinese Communist Party.

Ha Huy Tap made an especially important contribution to the restoration of the Party’s organizations and leadership offices. In April 1933, he secretly went to China, where he and Le Hong Phong and Nguyen Van Dut founded the External Leadership Board to lead the restoration of the Party’s organizations in Vietnam which the enemy crushed after the upsurge of the revolution in 1930-1931. They also prepared for the first congress of the Party. On this Board, Ha Huy Tap was in charge of communication and was chief editor of the Bolshevik magazine. The first congress of the Party convened in Macau, China, from 27^th to 31^st March 1935, and was chaired by Ha Huy Tap. The congress passed a number of important resolutions and elected the Central Executive and Standing Committees. Le Hong Phong was elected General Secretary of the Party and Ha Huy Tap secretary of its External Leadership Board.

The Congress of the Party convened by Ha Huy Tap and Le Hong Phong in Shanghai, China in July 1936 aimed to establish a popular front for the resistance against imperialism. Under this front, the masses would fight for their democracy rights by using a combination of legal, semi-legal and illegal struggles. They would criticize “leftist” and “rightist” tendencies among some opportunistic elements of the Party and confirmed and defended its points of view and enhanced its vanguard role in political and theoretical work.

Changes in the Indochinese Communist Party’s strategic guidelines showed the intelligence and creativity of Ha Huy Tap and Le Hong Phong, was a step forward in its theoretical awareness in light of visible change of the situation at home and abroad, and manifested its independent thinking, mettle, ability and intelligence.

In August 1936, Ha Huy Tap returned to Vietnam to reorganize the Central Executive Committee, strengthen Party organizations in the country and served as General Secretary of the Party when he was only 30 years old. Within a short period of time, with his experience and extraordinary effort, he managed to convene and chair three congresses of the Party to summarize situations, lay down strategies, policies, objectives and methods of struggle suitable for domestic and international situations.

Amid the height of the country’s revolution, Ha Huy Tap was arrested by enemies on 1 May 1938 and was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment and was put under house arrest for five years. On 30 March 1940, he was arrested again by the French and detained in Saigon Prison. The French would use every possible way to buy, persuade and torture him but had to surrender to the communist because of his indomitability and strong determination. On 25 March 1941, the colonialist administration opened a criminal tribunal trying hundreds of communists including Ha Huy Tap himself. Before the colonialist tribunal, Ha Huy Tap frankly said, “I have nothing to regret. If I’m alive, I’ll still be a communist”. On 28 August 1941, at Hoc Mon Shooting Range, Gia Dinh province (now Ho chi Minh City), he and Nguyen Van Cu, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Phan Dang Luu and Vo Van Tan were executed by French firing squad. He passed away when he was full of energy, talent and creativity and was making a lot of contribution to the revolution.

Ha Huy Tap was an outstanding theoretician of the Party and made a significant contribution to the restoration, consolidation and development of the Indochinese Communist Party, formulation of the Party’s guidelines and policies in accordance with new situations and implementation of its ideological and theoretical work. He was the one who laid the foundation for the establishment of Party history sciences. He was a revolutionary who devoted his whole life to the Party and nation. The Party and population would remember his enormous contribution for good. In the political report to the 2^nd Congress of the Party, on 11 February 1951, President Ho Chi Minh confirmed, “Our comrades like Tran Phu, Ngo Gia Tu, Le Hong Phong, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ha Huy Tap, Nguyen Van Cu, Hoang Van Thu and thousands of others have given top priority to the interests of the Party, revolution, classes and nation. They have profound, solid trust in the great forces and glorious future of classes and the nation. They have happily sacrificed everything including their lives for the Party, classes and the nation. They have used their bones and blood to nurture the revolutionary tree, so the tree has been fruitful so far”⁽¹⁾.

General Secretary of the Party Ha Huy Tap’s revolutionary career has provided the Party and nation with a good number of invaluable lessons: unceasingly studying to make progress in the Party’s theoretical research, linking theories to realities, using theories to solve practical issues flexibly and creatively, fulfilling all tasks assigned by the Party and people, contributing to the increase of the Party’s intellectual standards and leadership culture, improving one’s abilities and sharpening one’s theoretical thinking to defend the Party’s ideology and points of view in the current revolutionary period, paying attention to the organization and building of the Party, maintaining solidarity and unity within the Party, strengthening the Party’s political spirit in light of difficulties and challenges, increasing the role and responsibility of Party members, leaders, especially heads of Party organizations, and emphasizing the spirit of sacrificing oneself for the Party’s glorious revolutionary cause, country and population.

Wherever he worked and whatever position he took, Ha Huy Tap would always think about his homeland, country, family and friends. During the last days of his life, in a letter to family, he wrote, “If I’m killed, don’t consider me to be dead and don’t be sad. Rather, consider me to be alive and imagine I’m just away for an indefinite period of time”. This was a great reminder and word of encouragement to his family, clan, homeland and country. Therefore, each of the actions, deeds and results today is attributed to his close supervision. His revolutionary career and his example of indomitability and steadfast loyalty have always encouraged national construction, protection and renovation, and he lives forever due to the love of people and gratitude of the Party.        

Following the examples of Ha Huy Tap and other senior revolutionary leaders, government officials, Party members and people across Vietnam overcame hardship and sacrificed themselves to overthrow feudalistic, colonialist and imperialist regimes, gaining independence in the August Revolution. They won the famous Dien Bien Phu Victory and succeeded in liberating the South and unifying the country.

2. Ha Tinh is proud to be the homeland of Party General Secretary Ha Huy Tap, and its Party Committee and people in different periods of time have put their fine traditions to good use, have emphasized their proactivity and have made an active contribution to the Party’s revolutionary cause. The Ha Tinh Party Committee, one of the country’s earliest Party committees, together with people of the entire country carried out the revolution, which reached a height during 1930 - 1931 with the Soviet Nghe Tinh movement. During the August Revolution of 1946, Ha Tinh was one of the first 4 provinces to gain power for its people. During the French resistance, Ha Tinh did not allow the enemy to remain in its land for 24 hours, became a strong rear base and, joined the rest of the country to defeat French invaders. During the American resistance war for national salvation, the Party committee, armed forces and people of Ha Tinh overcame hardship and made sacrifices, winning numerous great victories and making a contribution to the unification of the country and advance to socialism.

Promoting the patriotic and revolutionary traditions, the entire Party, people and army of the country have made every effort to overcome all difficulties and challenges, have carried out national renovation and have gained historic achievements in the process. The work of building up the Party and political system has become increasingly important. The Party has strengthened its leadership capacity and fighting spirit and has fulfilled its responsibility for being the pioneer in leading the people’s revolutionary cause in the new period.

Together with the rest of the country, the Party committee and people of Ha Tinh have constantly introduced innovations and have made good use of its comparative advantages in the search for a suitable path to comprehensive, sustainable development. The economy of the province has been growing at a good rate. Between 2011 and 2015, it grew at 18 per cent annually on average. The province has mobilized a wide variety of development investment resources, which were estimated at 290,000 billion VND in the 2011 - 2015 period, an increase of more than ten times compared to those of the 2006 - 2010 period. The province has effectively coordinated activities aimed at increasing investment and improving its business environment. From 2011 and 2015, Ha Tinh was the province which attracted the largest amount of foreign direct investment. It is becoming a center for electricity, steel production and deep-water ports of regional and international significance. It has achieved positive results with the National target program for building new rural areas and has been awarded the First-Grade Labor Medal by the state for these accomplishments. Nearly 23 per cent of all communes in the province have reached new rural area standards, and none of its communes has satisfied less than eight criteria. Budget collection of the province in 2015 reached more than 12,000 billion VND, an increase of nearly 7 times compared to that in 2010. The province has gained important results in cultural and social fields. Nghe-Tinh Vi and Giam folk songs have been recognized as the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Other cultural values and heritage have been preserved and promoted. As far as education and training are concerned, Ha Tinh has always been one of the five best performing provinces in the country. The province has increased its provision of health care. It pays regular attention to improving the material and spiritual lives of war invalids, sick solders, families of war martyrs and people with contribution to the revolution. It emphasizes vocational training and has created jobs for workers, especially people in resettlement and rural areas. By 2015, only 11.4 per cent of all households in the province were rated as poor. The province has gained positive results in the promotion of democracy, perfection of the apparatus and reform of administrative procedures. It has paid attention to the work of building up its Party Committee and political system. The leadership capacity, fighting spirit and spirit of its Party committee have strengthened and lived up to expectations. Its Party Committee has been proactively and flexibly implemented its action program aimed at following the resolution by the 4^th Plenum of the 11^th Party Central Committee on Party building and encouraging people to learn from Ho Chi Minh and following his moral example. Local defense and security have been ensured and local social order and safety maintained.

Following the example set by Ha Huy Tap and other senior revolutionaries, the entire Party, people and army are trying and carry out successfully the resolution adopted by the 12^th Party Congress in 2016, which calls for “building the Party to be transparent and strong, increasing the leadership capacity and combativeness of the Party, building a strong political system, making use of the strength of the entire nation and socialist democracy, promote the renovation cause comprehensively and consistently, developing the economy fast and sustainably, and striving to make the country soon become a basically modern, industrial one”.

To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, together with the people of the entire country, Ha Tinh needs to focus on carrying out the following important tasks in the time to come.

Firstly, the province should constantly inherit and promote the historical, cultural, revolutionary, patriotic, solidarity, loyalty and gratitude traditions of a land known for its propitiousness and talented people; become increasingly wealthy and strong; soon introduce the resolution by the 12^th Party Congress and the resolution by its 18^th Provincial Party Congress into daily life; and organize successfully the election of deputies of the 14^th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2016 - 2021 term of office.

Secondly, it is necessary to implement its general socio-economic development planning for the year 2020 and with vision for the year 2050; ensure the effectiveness of its planning and the agreement between its planning and that by the region and the entire country; invest in, and gradually modernize, its socio-economic infrastructure; develop urban systems and industrial and handicraft parks; and pay attention to equal development of its geographical areas and economic sectors. As far as industry is concerned, Vung Ang economic zone should be considered to be the engine of its industrial development. As regards agriculture, building of new rural areas should be considered as one of its central tasks. Further, it is necessary to foster its tourism and service sectors; create jobs for its people and improve their living standards; ensure coordination between economic growth and environmental protection.

Thirdly, the province should advance its culture and people so they meet requirements of the new period; ensure harmony between economic and cultural development; really consider culture to be the spiritual basis of society and the driving force behind, and an objective of, its development; attract and make effective use of all possible resources; tap the potential of local people for socio-economic development; train high-quality human resources; and provide health care and social security sufficiently.

Fourthly, the province should pay close attention to ensuring security and social order and safety, especially as there are numerous complicated, unpredictable developments in world and regional situations; build itself into a solid defense zone to ensure security, order and stability for development; carry out communication campaigns; raise local people’s awareness and encourage them to take action; and resolutely and patiently protect the independence, sovereignty and territorial of the motherland.

Fifthly, it is necessary to continue to strengthen its Party committee and political system; increase their leadership capacity and fighting spirit so they carry out new revolutionary missions; patiently and resolutely implement the resolution of the 4^th Plenum of the 11^th Party Central Committee on urgent issues related to the strengthening of the Party; encourage local people to learn from, and follow, the moral example set by Ho Chi Minh; further innovate the leadership methods of its Party organizations and improve their leadership capacity and fighting spirit; enhance the pioneering spirit and exemplariness of its officials and Party members, especially leadership and management at various levels; actively prevent and check corruption and wastefulness; uphold democracy while ensuring discipline, order, solidarity and unity within the Party; improve the leadership and management capacity of administrations at all levels; build a streamlined apparatus; train specialized, professional civil servants who really serve people and businesses; continue to innovate the methods of public mobilization and increase the effectiveness of the work; ensure it is in touch with people and understand them and have closer ties with the grass roots; and improve the performance of its Fatherland Front and mass organizations.

Finally, the province should coordinate its foreign activities; improve the effectiveness of external activities of its Party, administration, and people-to-people diplomacy; promote cultural exchanges and cooperation with countries in the region and the world; build the border of peace, cooperation and development with the Lao People’s Democratic Republic; improve its business environment; maintain good relations with its traditional partners; expand relations with new partners in order to make full use of their capital resources, technology and science and management expertise for its fast, sustainable development.

Inheriting and promoting the fine traditions of a revolutionary land, the Party Committee and people of Ha Tinh are committed to joining forces and being united and determined to make the province develop faster and more sustainably, become industrialized and deserve to be the homeland of General Secretaries Tran Phu and Ha Huy Tap, thereby helping to turn Vietnam into a basically industrial, modern country and achieve the goals of “a wealthy population and a strong, democratic, equitable, civilized country”.

The Party and people will always remember and take pride in the late General Secretary Ha Huy Tap, who was a loyal communist, a talented leader of the Party and an excellent man of the country and his home province of Ha Tinh.

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(1) Ho chi Minh: Complete Works, vol. 7, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p. 25.     

MA. Le Dinh Son

Member of the Party Central Committee

Secretary of Ha Tinh  Party Committee and Chairman of Ha Tinh People’s Council