(Chinhphu.vn) – In commemoration of General Le Duc Anh, former State President, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc penned an article entitled “General Le Duc Anh: A masterful general with superb leadership and great virtue who had close bonds with the people”. The article has been published via the Viet Nam Government Portal.

General Le Duc Anh was a resilient revolutionary soldier, a masterful general who trained himself and matured through the great resistance wars of the nation. He made substantial contributions to the nation’s independence, reunification; and to the defense and the liberation of Cambodian people from the genocidal regime. He carried on an excellent leadership as a State and Party leader by, on the one hand, taking relentless innovation efforts, leveraging his assertiveness, agility, practicality, and responsibility, and on the other hand, leading a simple life of profundity and benevolence. As such, he won the hearts of his comrades, the people and international friends.

Comrade Le Duc Anh was born on December 1, 1920 into a family of revolutionary tradition in Loc An commune, Phu Loc district, Thua Thien - Hue province. His grandfather was a feudal intellectual who joined the Can Vuong movement against France. Growing up in a patriotically-spirited land of the people who have a high voracity for learning, the young Le Duc Anh obtained a deep understanding of the poverty and hardship of the miserable working people under the rule of the colonialists and imperialists, hence his early enlightenment and participation in revolutionary activities. In 1937, at the age of 17, he joined the democratic movements in Phu Vang, Thua Thien – Hue. In May 1938, he gained admission to the Indochinese Communist Party. From 1939 to 1944, Comrade Le Duc Anh was active in Ái Hữu (Brotherhood) associations in Hoi An, Dat, Loc Ninh, Thu Dau Mot and rubber trade unions in Loc Ninh, Quang Loi, Xa Can, Xa Cat.

Early 1945, Le Duc Anh, as a steadfast communist whose very will was held up for the independence, freedom and revolutionary cause of the Communist Party, was assigned to organize loyal forces in trade unions in preparation for armed struggles. In August 1945, he was tasked with leading the uprising to seize power in rubber plantations and two districts of Hon Quan and Bu Dop, Binh Phuoc province. He joined the army, led the overtaking of power control in Loc Ninh, participated in provisional Provincial Party Committee, took charge of military forces in the North of Thu Dau Mot province; acted as a Commissar of Platoon 1 (later Regiment 301), Regiment Committee member, Thu Dau Mot Provincial Party Committee member. From 1948 to 1954, he held many important positions such as Chief of Staff of Military Regions 7 and 8, Saigon – Cholon Military Region, Military Region Party Committee member, and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Southern Command.

Subsequent to the 1954 Geneva Agreement on the  restoration of peace in Indochina, the Comrade was dispatched to the North, where he acted as Deputy Chief of the Department of Operations from 1955 to 1963, after that, as Deputy Chief and then as Chief of the Department of Personnel under the General Staff, and later became the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army. In early 1964, Colonel Le Duc Anh returned to the Southern battlefield and undertook the positions of Chief of Staff, Deputy Commander of the Southern Command, member of the Regional Military Committee; Commander of Military Region 9, Deputy Secretary of Regional Party Committee; Deputy Commander of the Southern Command, and member of the Regional Military Committee. He was one of the two officers of the Vietnam’s People Army who were promoted straight from Colonel to Lieutenant General in April 1974. During the 1975 Spring General Offensive, he was nominated to the positions of Deputy Commander of Ho Chi Minh Campaign and Commander of the Southwestern force, making a crucial contribution to the final victory of the resistance war against the U.S. to liberate the South and reunify the nation.

Under the assignment by the Central Military Commission, Ministry of National Defense, from 1976 to 1986, he acted as Commander of Military Region 9, Secretary of the Military Region Party Committee, then Commander cum Political Commissar of Military Region 7, and member of the Standing Board of the Central Military Commission. He was one of the direct commanders on the battlefield to defense the Southwestern border and achieved many crucial victories for the protection of the Fatherland’s sacred frontier and helped free Cambodian people from the genocidal regime. In 1981, he was appointed as Deputy Minister of National Defense cum Commander of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers in Cambodia.

General Le Duc Anh became Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army in 1986, Minister of National Defense and Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission in 1987. He served as the State President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from 1992 to 1997. He was also elected into the 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th and 8^th Central Committee of the Communist Party; Secretary of the 7^th Party Central Committee; Member of the 5^th, 6^th 7^th and 8^th Politburo; standing member of the 8^th Politburo; adviser to the Party Central Committee from 1997 to April 2001; member of the 6^th, 8^th and 9^th National Assembly.

When it comes to military affairs, General Le Duc Anh was a master of battlefield, an excellent commander with strategic visions, ingenious tactics and flexible responses to complicated situations. His military career was attached not only to the battlefields across the North and South of his Fatherland, but also to the fronts of the neighboring country, where his noble international duty was carried out. He once led soldiers in important battles and war events of supreme importance like the Tet Mau Than 1968 General Offensive, the fight against liberated area encroachment in 1973, Phuoc Long Campaign in 1974, the historic 1975 Ho Chi Minh Campaign, and the 1979 Campaign to help liberate Cambodian people from the genocidal regime. It was him who by himself inspected, directed and played a huge part in the solid defense for the sacred maritime sovereignty of the Fatherland.

In the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, he directly commanded the attack force into the West – Southwest of Sai Gon (Corps 232), which was one of the five forces of the final strategic battle. The attack, though difficult to handle due to the topographic blend of plains, interlacing streams and marshes, was critical for a quick division of the enemy lines on their way along the national road no. 4, deterring them from gathering for defense in Can Tho. Corps 232 under his command accomplished the following tasks: separating the Saigon and Eastern forces with the forces in the Mekong River Delta; attacking the Capital Special Zone and the National Police Headquarter, and then regrouping with other forces at the Independence Palace at noon on historic April 30.

General Le Duc Anh always treasured humanity and compassion, even towards the enemies. He was also a caring leader who would go all out to minimize casualties on soldiers and officers as well as losses and hardships of the people. In his memoir, General Le Duc Anh wrote: “Our entire victory was attributed to many things, but the very root was the “humanitarian” ideology, which was derived from our people’s Kindness and Uprightness traditions, as indicated in the Great proclamation upon the pacification of the Wu by Nguyen Trai: “Uprightness to defeat evils, kindness to suppress devils”. Our tanks and Armoured fighting vehicles were crossing Vam Co river when it suddenly rained. The road section in Duc Hue district (Long An) was so muddy that the vehicles could not move; the people then carried bundles of trees and dismantled their house to make the way for our tanks and equipment. It was him who directed the soldiers to help the residents rebuild their houses, even though they were not asked to do so.

Later on, while serving as the State President and Chairman of the Council for National Defense and Security who commanded the armed forces of the people, General Le Duc Anh made regular visits to examine the training and combat readiness of military and police units, which represented his great passion and great responsibility. He assertively directed the combination of national economy and defense, making himself one of the people who put forwards the ideas of building defense zones and economic-defense zones in the strategic regions under our deployment. The General also paid a huge attention to military facilities and equipment as well as the soldiers and officers’ lives. Being aware that many military bases were in a bad condition, he asked for additional budgets for new constructions and repairs, at the same time took concrete and practical actions to improve the soldiers and officers’ lives.

State President – General Le Duc Anh also placed huge emphasis on the policy for military home front which helped resolve the post-war policy backlog. On 10 September 1994, President Le Duc Anh signed an Order to announce the Ordinance regulating the State honor “Vietnamese Heroic Mother” title in order to award or posthumously confer to the Vietnamese Mothers who made immense contributions and sacrifices to the liberation and defense of the Fatherland and international missions. The title also aimed to educate and pass on the patriotism and revolutionary tradition to future generations.

While he was acting as the State President and Adviser to the Party Central Committee, and even after his retirement, Comrade Le Duc Anh upheld his earnest care for the armed forces by researching and proposing many heartfelt and profound suggestions of strategic vision regarding the national defense and military affairs.

In diplomacy and politics, as entrusted by the Politburo, he conducted thorough research on the methods and moves that accelerated the normalization of relations with certain countries and partners, contributing to laying the foundations for renovation, open-door and integration policies of the State and Communist Party. In his role as the State President, a head of State, Comrade Le Duc Anh led high-ranking delegations of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to visit other countries, international organizations and signed international treaties and agreements, imprinting a good impression and sentiments in the eyes of international communities.

Comrade Le Duc Anh made no difference in his treatment to his comrades regardless of their different ranks or positions. He willingly shared joys and sorrows and cared for soldiers and officers in their work and life. Despite his high position as a General cum Minister of Defense visiting military units, there seemed no distance in the way he talked with young soldiers, encouraged war veterans to overcome difficulties and directed to resolve policies. 

General Le Duc Anh led a simple life with great sincerity, deep passion, and a strong attachment to his hometown. Setting out on revolutionary activities in his adolescence, he had always cherished the hometown in his very heart. Whenever returning home, he would see himself a caring and thoughtful visitor to his neighbors and villagers, who would gently ask them about their life and work; encourage them to comply with the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies while developing their patriotism and striving in work to make the country prosper. 

To his family, he was an exemplary benevolent husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. As an ardent advocate of education, he always encouraged his children and surrounding people to study harder, and strive on their own feet to become a good person who had greats ideal in life and made meaningful contributions to the society. 

Throughout his 99 years of age and more than 80 years of Party membership, General Le Duc Anh always dedicated himself to the glorious revolutionary cause of our Party and people.  He was awarded many noble accolades, including Golden Star Medal; First-class Military Exploit Order; First-class Feat of Arm Order; 80-year Party membership insignia and many other medals of Vietnam and international communities.

It might be said that more than 80 years of General Le Duc Anh’s life was devoted to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the people, the development of the Vietnam People’s Army and the happiness of every Vietnamese citizen. During his treatment, despite his severe illness, the respectful general couldn’t help asking about the country situation and people’s lives with deep sincerity whenever his comrades or people came to visit. In the recent Lunar New Year 2019, some Party and State leaders, including me, visited him at the 108 Military Central Hospital, former President Le Duc Anh cast a loving look on us with trust and deep sentiments.

In his entire life, General Le Duc Anh made his name attached to many victories as well as historical ups and downs of the country. He made enormous contributions to the revolutionary cause of our Party and people during Ho Chi Minh’s era. We will forever remind ourselves about General Le Duc Anh – the respectful “Brother Sau Nam”, a close comrade, a masterful commander with excellent leadership and great virtue. As followers, we are willing to exert every effort to act and carry out every socio-economic development tasks entrusted by the Party, the State and the people, to protect the Fatherland’s sacred sovereignty, to create a peaceful and stable environment for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam toward prosperous  people,  strong  country,  democracy,  justice  and  civilization.