On The Shoulders Of Giants . . . 'Appeal To The Nation' - Hồ Chí Minh
This month marks the 54th anniversary of the death of Hồ Chí Minh, the legendary leader of the Vietnamese Liberation Movement from 1941 until his death in 1969. To commemorate this occasion, and as part of our On the Shoulders of Giants series, we republish ‘Appeal To The Nation’, written by Hồ Chí Minh on the 3rd of November 1968, only days after the government of the United States formally announced an end to its aerial bombardment of Vietnam.
Late January 1968 marked the beginning of what would become known as the Tet Offensive, or Sự kiện Tết Mậu Thân in the Vietnamese language. The Tet Offensive was a widespread and fierce campaign initiated by the Việt Minh who flooded its fighters into Southern Vietnam, who then took part in numerous attacks against multiple US targets, both military and political.
The Tet Offensive took the US military and political establishment by complete surprise, in turn exposing the lies being peddled to the general public in the US, who were assured that the war was under control and that any threat towards US-backed forces by the Vietnamese National Liberation Movement had receded.
Although Việt Minh forces were eventually repelled, incurring heavy losses in the process, the scale and intensity of the multiple stages of the Tet Offensive shook the top brass of the US military and political establishment to their core.
Doubts about the reliability of US intelligence manifested itself not just in US military and political circles, but in industry and the markets too, leading to a dramatic turnaround among business leaders who were in favour of continuing the war up until that point.
The response of the US general public to the systematic lies they had been told by the US establishment led to a massive surge in support for the anti-war movement. This led to the strengthening of solidarity between US progressives and the Vietnamese National Liberation Movement – a necessary and valuable component for the successful liberation of Vietnam long sought by Hồ Chí Minh.
A Saigon street during the Tet Offensive.
Appeal To The Nation
3rd November, 1968
Fellow-countrymen and fighters all over the country,
Under the impact of the great victories won by our armed forces and people in both zones, especially in the South since early spring this year, the United States government was forced on Nov. Ist, 1968 to end unconditionally its bombing and shelling on the whole territory of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam.
Indeed, four years of incredibly heroic fighting of our armed forces and people have yielded tremendous results: more than 3,200 aircraft shot down, hundreds of war vessels, big and small, set on fire, the US war of destruction against the North of our country brought to nothing.
This is a victory of momentous significance for our people's great resistance against American aggression, for national salvation.
The American imperialists had mistakenly expected that the savage destructive power of their bombs and shells would weaken the North, prevent the flow of support from the great rear area to the great fighting front and impair the fighting strength of the South.
In fact, in the course of the fight against the American aggressors, the all-round strength of the North has never ceased growing, and its wholehearted assistance to the liberation struggle of our valiant Southern fellow-countrymen has been maintained. Similarly, our Southern compatriots’ unity, force, and successes have been increasing as their struggle against US aggression grows in intensity.
Our victory can be ascribed to our Party’s sound revolutionary line, our people’s fervent patriotism, the strength of their oneness of mind and determination to win, and our fine socialist regime. It goes to the common credit of our armed forces and people in both zones, South and North. It is. also a victory won by the people of the fraternal socialist countries and our friends on the five continents.
On this occasion, on behalf of the Party and the Government, I warmly praise our fellow-countrymen and fighters all over the country, and sincerely thank the fraternal socialist countries, friendly countries far and near, and the world peoples, including the progressives in the USA, for their great help and for their sympathy and support. Dear fellow-countrymen and fighters,
We have defeated the war of destruction of the American imperialists in the North. But this is only an initial victory. The American imperialists are very obdurate and perfidious. They talk of “peace” and “negotiation” but still harbour dark aggressive designs. More than a million American, puppet and satellite troops are still daily committing untold crimes against our Southern compatriots.
Therefore, the sacred duty of our entire people at present is to stiffen our determination to fight and win, our resolve to liberate the South, defend the North and ultimately achieve peaceful national reunification.
So long as a single aggressor remains on our soil, we must continue our fight and wipe him out.
Let our gallant Southern people and fighters, under the glorious banner of the South Viet Nam National Front for Liberation, stage uninterrupted offensives and uprisings and resolutely advance towards complete victory.
Let the Northern armed forces and people bend all their efforts in patriotic emulation to build socialism and fulfil their duty towards their Southern kinsmen, constantly sharpen their watchfulness, practise self-reliance, increase their strength and preparedness, and frustrate all new schemes of the enemy.
We are confident that our people’s resistance to American aggression, for national salvation, will enlist ever growing sympathy, support and help from the peoples of the fraternal countries and all over the world, including progressive Americans.
After nearly a hundred years under the yoke of colonial servitude and more than twenty years of resistance against imperialist aggressive wars, our people, more than any other people hold peace which is so badly needed for national construction deep in their hearts. But this must be genuine peace in independence and freedom.
That is why we firmly insist that:
— The United States government put an end to its war of aggression against Viet Nam and definitively abstain from all encroachments on the sovereignty and security of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam;
— All American and satellite troops be withdrawn from South Viet Nam;
— The internal affairs of the South be settled by the Southern people themselves in accordance with the Political Programme of the South Viet Nam National Front for Liberation, without foreign interference;
— The question of the reunification of Viet Nam be settled by the people of the two zones, South and North, free from foreign intervention.
Dear fellow-countrymen and fighters,
Many hardships and sacrifices still lie ahead, but our people’s great resistance against American aggression and for national salvation, is progressing at a brisk pace toward victory. The Fatherland is calling on us to march vigorously forward to defeat the American aggressors completely!
The American imperialists will certainly be defeated!
Our people will undoubtedly win!