HÀ NỘI – A newly published collection by Kim Đồng Publishing House offers young readers valuable insights into the time when President Hồ Chí Minh returned to Việt Nam after three decades abroad in search of national salvation, choosing Pác Bó in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bằng as his revolutionary base during 1941-1945.

The new collection from Kim Đồng Publishing House brings to life President Hồ Chí Minh’s historic return to Việt Nam, inspiring young readers with vivid stories of resilience and revolution. – Photos courtesy of Kim Đồng Publishing House

Through titles such as Kể Chuyện Bác Hồ (Stories about Uncle Hồ) and Hồ Chí Minh – Một Con Người Và Một Dân Tộc (Hồ Chí Minh – A Man and a Nation), readers gain a deeper understanding of the domestic and international context that shaped President Hồ Chí Minh and the Central Party Standing Committee’s decision that he ‘must return to the country to join his comrades’.

At that time, the Second World War had entered a decisive phase, fascism was gradually weakening, and the mass movement within Việt Nam was rising – creating the ripe opportunity for him to come back to the Fatherland and directly lead the revolution.

In Theo Dấu Chân Người (Following in His Footsteps), Professor Dr Trình Quang Phú recounts in detail President Hồ Chí Minh’s journey back to the homeland through the stories Trên Đường Về Biên Giới (On the Way to the Border) and Mùa Xuân Bác Về Tổ Quốc (President Hồ’s Return to the Homeland in Springtime). The preparations for his return were meticulously planned to evade the enemy’s watchful eyes, and the journey itself was fraught with hardship: “Thick fog like walking in the clouds, unable to see each other even a metre apart,” and “uphill, downhill, then uphill again. The whole group had to cross jagged rocky slopes.”

The moment President Hồ Chí Minh set foot on his homeland was movingly captured by poet Tố Hữu in the epic Theo Chân Bác (Following Uncle Hồ’s Footsteps):

“Bác đã về đây, Tổ quốc ơi! Nhớ thương, hòn đất ấm hơi Người Ba mươi năm ấy, chân không nghỉ Mà đến bây giờ mới tới nơi!”

(The Uncle has come back, O Fatherland! Beloved soil, warmed by his presence. Thirty long years, his feet never rested, And only now has he reached this place!)

Cover of the book 'Theo Dấu Chân Người' (Following in His Footsteps) by Professor Dr Trình Quang Phú. – Photo courtesy of Kim Đồng Publishing House

On January 28, 1941, President Hồ Chí Minh, then known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc, crossed the Việt Nam-China border in Cao Bằng via landmark No. 108 and arrived at Pác Bó in Trường Hà Commune, Cao Bằng Province.

This marked his first step back onto the homeland after 30 years of tireless journeys in search of a path to national salvation – an event that heralded the great victories of the Vietnamese Revolution.

During his time working in secrecy, Pác Bó, President Hồ Chí Minh trained and inspired many ordinary people to join the revolutionary movement. Among them was Nông Thị Trưng, a Tày woman born in 1920. She joined the revolution at a very young age, and between 1941 and 1945 was one of the youths personally trained by Nguyễn Ái Quốc. Over time, she matured, overcame hardships in life and work, and became a dedicated, exemplary female cadre. 

The vivid and relatable stories published by Kim Đồng Publishing House help children and young readers better understand those formative days when President Hồ returned to the homeland to lead revolutionary activities in Pác Bó. They also shed light on his scientific working style and his simple way of life.

Reading books about President Hồ Chí Minh provides a natural way to spread the practice of studying and following his ideology, ethics, and style among the nation’s youth and children. – VNS