Exhibition highlights first generation of Vietnamese revolutionaries

On December 19, the thematic exhibition "Red Seeds" opened at the National Museum of History in Hanoi, introducing to the public more than 100 documents, artifacts and many precious pictures of President Ho Chi Minh together with the first cadres trained by him and revolutionary activists incarcerated by the French colonial regime.

The event was organized by the National Museum of History in cooperation with the Archives Department of the Office of the Party Central Committee to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the work Revolutionary Ethics of President Ho Chi Minh (December 1958-2023) and to celebrate the 94th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930).

Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, Director of the National History Museum Nguyen Van Doan affirmed that the birth of the Communist Party of Vietnam is closely related to its leader Nguyen Ai Quoc (President Ho Chi Minh).

The Red Seeds exhibition helps people better understand the revolutionary struggle in history. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

"From the 'red seed' sown by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc, young patriots were trained, guided and ignited the fire of the Vietnamese revolution. These are the people of the 15-year period of arduous struggle and sacrifice to prepare and successfully carry out the August Revolution, founding the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and opening a new era for the nation," Doan said.

He said the exhibition will help the public access memorabilia, original documents and precious pictures currently stored at the National Museum of History, the Archives Department of the Party Central Committee Office and the Museum of Revolutionary Prisoners in Phu Xuyen District.

Kieu Van Uych, deputy director of the Museum of Revolutionary Prisoners, hoped that people from all walks of life, especially the younger generation, would understand more about the contributions of young people in the early years of the proletarian revolution in Vietnam, and thus be instilled with gratitude to the previous generation who devoted their wisdom and lives to national independence.

The exhibition shows the ordeal of revolutionaries imprisoned by the enemy. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

"We endured brutal torture in Phu Quoc prison from 1968 to 1973. But we still had a burning determination to fight for the revolution. We learned the Party Charter by writing it in the sand. We all maintained the hope that one day we would be free to continue fighting," he said.

The exhibition is divided into two parts. The first part is "The Cultivator of Red Seeds," which displays pictures, documents, and artifacts, and tells stories about the first generation of Vietnamese revolutionaries, highlighting the role of leader Nguyen Ai Quoc-Ho Chi Minh in training and cultivating "red seeds" for the Vietnamese revolution.

The second part is "The Spirit of the Communists," which presents documents, artifacts, and images about the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the role of leader Nguyen Ai Quoc and his outstanding disciples.

This section includes many memorabilia, works, political documents, and famous sayings of revolutionary fighters imprisoned by the enemy.

Under extremely harsh detention conditions and brutal torture, but with the slogan of "transforming the prison into a revolutionary school," Party members secretly established Party cells. Together, they exchanged and compiled political theoretical documents, organized cultural and theoretical classes and cultivated Marxism-Leninism, thus making an important contribution to the later cause of the national independence struggle.

The exhibition will be open until March 2024 at the National History Museum, 25 Tong Dan Street, Hanoi.