Phu Tho: Self-Reliance and Resilience Stepping into the New Era

On May 19 this year, our entire Party, people, and army solemnly commemorate the 136th anniversary of the birthday of the great President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890 – May 19, 2026). This is not only an occasion to express boundless gratitude toward the genius leader of the Vietnamese revolution, but also a pivotal moment to reflect on and apply his ideology into the country’s development practices in a new era.

On September 19, 1954, at the Gieng Temple courtyard within the Hung Kings' Temple Historical Relic Site (Phu Tho), prior to returning to take over the Capital, cadres and soldiers of the Vanguard Corps (308th Division) listened to an intimate talk by President Ho Chi Minh. He enjoined: 'The Hung Kings have cleared the wilderness and founded the nation; you and I must defend it together.' Photo: Dinh Dang Dinh/VNA

Within Uncle Ho’s massive body of theoretical heritage, the ideology of national independence closely intertwined with self-reliance and resilience has always been the guiding red thread. He once asserted: "A nation that does not rely on its own strength but sits waiting for other nations to help does not deserve independence.“That iron will served as the”bedrock" that helped our nation overcome countless turbulent rapids to seize independence and freedom.

Today, stepping into a new era—the era of the nation’s rise—the ideology of self-reliance and resilience has become even more of a core driving force and a compass for all our actions. In the context of globalization, independence means not only territorial sovereignty but also economic autonomy, technological mastery, and steadfast adherence to the socialist path using our own internal strength.

As the ancestral land of our roots, Phu Tho is deeply honored and proud to have welcomed Uncle Ho on several visits. Every landmark he passed, every piece of advice he gave, has become a guide for generations of local cadres and residents.

Looking back at history, in 1947, amidst the hectic early days of the resistance war against the French, Uncle Ho worked in Co Tiet Commune (now Van Xuan Commune), Chu Hoa Commune (now Hy Cuong Commune), and Yen Kien Commune (now Chan Mong Commune)... forging an iron will for this revolutionary base. In 1954, at the Hung Kings' Temple, he left behind an immortal injunction engraved deep in the hearts of the Vietnamese people: "The Hung Kings have cleared the wilderness and founded the nation; you and I must defend it together."

Engraving his teachings, Phu Tho today is concretizing the spirit of self-reliance and resilience through powerful actions and breakthrough objectives to advance into the new era. Accordingly, the entire post-merger political system is focusing on maximizing internal strength, unlocking the potential of land, people, and the culture of the Ancestral Land.

Engraving His teachings, Phu Tho today is concretizing the spirit of self-reliance and resilience through powerful actions and breakthrough objectives to advance into the new era. Accordingly, the entire post-merger political system is focusing on maximizing internal strength, while unlocking the potential of land, people, and the culture of the Ancestral Land. The province is drastically accelerating economic restructuring towards modernization, prioritizing high-tech industries, green industries, and logistics services to target double-digit growth. Furthermore, the province continues to aggressively improve its investment environment to organically create a powerful magnetism for major domestic and international economic corporations, with a fierce determination to break free from poverty and underdevelopment. In tandem with economic growth, close links are being forged with cultural and human development.

Fulfilling Uncle Ho’s injunction to defend the nation at the Hung Kings' Temple, the province proactively preserves and promotes the values of two UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity: the Belief in Hung Kings Worship and Phu Tho Xoan Singing. This represents an endogenous resource and a spiritual launchpad to cultivate Ancestral Land citizens who are confident, self-respecting, highly aspirational, and fully capable of international integration.

Furthermore, Party building and the strengthening of the political system according to his testament are being drastically deployed. Phu Tho places great emphasis on cultivating a contingent of cadres and Party members who possess innovative mindsets, dare to think, dare to do, and dare to take responsibility, taking the satisfaction of the People as the ultimate measure of work efficiency.

Commemorating Uncle Ho’s birthday on the threshold of a new era, the Party Committee and People of Phu Tho pledge to unite with one heart and mind, transforming reverence for the leader into concrete revolutionary actions. They are determined to build an increasingly wealthy, civilized, and modern Phu Tho, contributing alongside the whole country to successfully achieving the goal of a wealthy people, a strong nation, and an equitable, democratic, and civilized society, worthy of the sacred trust and teachings of the great President Ho Chi Minh.

Phu Tho