CULTURAL CENTRE - HCM City's Tôn Đức Thắng Museum is named after late President Tôn Đức Thắng, founder of the first workers’ union in Việt Nam in 1920. Photo courtesy of the museum.

HCM CITY — A photo book about the life and revolutionary career of late President Tôn Đức Thắng, founder of the first workers’ union in Việt Nam in 1920, has been published.

The work, Cuộc Đời và Sự Nghiệp Cách Mạng của Chủ Tịch Tôn Đức Thắng (The Life and Revolutionary Career of President Tôn Đức Thắng), was written by well-known historians and cultural researchers.

It includes seven chapters and many black-and-white photos.

Each page and photo from the book about late President Thắng offers readers useful knowledge on his life and revolutionary career, and his contribution to the revolutionary cause of the Party, the liberation of the nation and to the movement of international communists and workers.

The book is part of HCM City’s cultural activities to celebrate the 135th anniversary of President Thắng’s birthday.

COMMEMORATING THẮNG - The cover of the photo book Cuộc Đời và Sự Nghiệp Cách Mạng của Chủ Tịch Tôn Đức Thắng (The Life and Revolutionary Career of President Tôn Đức Thắng) released by Hồ Chí Minh City General Publishing House. Photo courtesy of the museum.

Thắng was born in 1888 in An Giang Province’s Long Xuyên City. He joined the patriotic movement against the French colonialists at a young age.

He moved to France and participated in the workers’ movements there, as well as the uprising of the French Navy in the Black Sea in support of the October Revolution in Russia.

In the 1920s, he returned to Việt Nam and led the workers’ movement in Sài Gòn (now HCM City) with the Ba Son strike, the most prominent example of the movement’s activities. He joined and became a leader of the Việt Nam Revolutionary Youth Union.

In 1929, the French colonialists arrested and sentenced him to 20 years in Côn Đảo Prison. One year later, he joined the Communist Party of Việt Nam while he was in prison.

After the August Revolution in 1945, Thắng regained his freedom and joined the resistance war against the French invaders. He was assigned many important missions by the Party.

He was the second President of Việt Nam, serving from 1969 to 1976.

Thắng made great contributions to the Vietnamese revolution, the world peace movement, and international friendships. He was the first person to receive the Sao Vàng (Golden Star) Order from the Party and Government. He was also awarded the Lenin Order and the Lenin Prize of the Soviet Union.

He died in 1980.

In HCM City, Tôn Đức Thắng Museum opened in 1988 and houses many artefacts, images and documents featuring Việt Nam’s history and people during the French and American wars.

The Communist Party of Việt Nam and its establishment, role, leadership and development in different periods, are also highlighted.

“Tôn Đức Thắng Museum attracts around 2 million visitors per year. It helps young people learn lessons about patriotism and the international proletariat,” said the museum’s director Phạm Thành Nam.

In 2020, the city spent VNĐ275.7 billion (US$11 million) from its budget to renovate the museum located on Tôn Đức Thắng Street in District 1. The rebuilding will be completed next year.—VNS