Nguyen Van Linh (1915-1998)

Nguyen Van Linh, whose real name was Nguyen Van Cuc (Muoi Cuc), was born on July 1^st, 1915 in Yen Phu village, Giai Pham commune, Yen My district. His father was a teacher - Nguyen Van Lan.

During his childhood, he had to experience many losses: he lost his mother at the age of five and at the age of eleven, his father passed away. Since then, he lived with his uncle - Nguyen Van Hung, a well - educated official working in Hai Phong Telegraph Wire Department. Despite having many children, Mr. Hung gave favorable conditions for the energetic orphan nephew.

Living in a country ruled by invaders, Cuc's patriotism was shown when he was very young. He participated in revolutionary agencies led by the Communist Party. In 1929, he took part in the Student Association led by Vietnam Revolutionary Youth League.

On May 1^st, 1930, when involving in the distribution of leaflets against the French colonialism, he was arrested with life-imprisonment sentence and sent to Con Dao Island. Among the political prisoners here, he was the youngest one.

In 1936, when the Democracy Front came into power in French and encouraged the expansion of freedom and democracy, the French colonial government in Indochina had to release some political prisoners including Nguyen Van Cuc. During this time, he joined the Indochinese Communist Party and was sent to Hai Phong for a special task. In Hai Phong, along with other comrades, he established a number of trustworthy and loyal revolutionary bases and Hai Phong Provisional Party Committee.

In 1939, as required by the Party, he went to work in Sai Gon and participated in the Executive Board of Sai Gon Party Committee. At the end of 1939, when the Second World War broke out, many revolutionary bases in the whole country were suppressed and dissolved by the French colonial government; he was assigned to go to the central region to resume contact with the remaining revolutionary bases in these provinces for establishing the Regional Party Committee.

In early 1941, he was arrested again and sent to Sai Gon with 5-year imprisonment sentence and then sent to Con Dao for the second time.

After the August Revolution - 1945, Nguyen Van Linh, in the position of Secretary of Party Committee, Secretary of Party Committee of Special Zone, returned to the South to lead the resistance movement in Sai Gon - Cho Lon. In 1949, he participated in the Standing Board of Southern Party Committee.

In 1957-1960 he took responsibility of Acting Secretary of Southern Party Committee.

In the third National Congress (1960), he was selected in the Executive Board of the Communist Party of Vietnam. During the resistance war against American Imperialism for Southern liberation, as the Deputy Secretary and then the Secretary of Southern Party Committee, he, together with other leaders of The Southern Party Committee, led the resistance war against American Imperialism to a landslide victory in the spring of 1975.

When two parts of the country were reunified, he was selected as the Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Committee. Then in the fourth National Congress (1976), he was elected to be a member of the Executive Board of Central Committee and then Politburo, Secretariat of Central Committee. He held several positions including Head of Re-education Board, Head of Advocacy and Fatherland Front and Head of Vietnam Trade Union. From 1981 to 1986, he was appointed as the Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Committee.

In the fifth National Congress (1982), one more time he was elected as a member of Executive Board of Central Committee. Then he moved to the Politburo and Secretariat Committee and then became a standing member of Secretariat Board of Central Committee. 

In the sixth National Congress (1986), he was elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Nguyen Van Linh was one of Party’s leaders who initiated the renovation and changed the central bureaucracy mechanism to multi-sectoral economy with State-regulated market mechanism under socialist orientation. In 1987, he wrote a number of articles clarifying the view of renovation. Issues mentioned in his document “Urgent tasks” pushed up relevant State agencies to timely solve encountered problems in daily life and fight against corruption as well as create the changes in the point of view of many people.  In the seventh National Congress (1991), he left the position of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and served as the Advisor of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

He died on April 27^th, 1998 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Overcoming a great deal of difficulties and facing many dangers and upheavals, with his strong belief in the revolutionary cause of the Party and the strategic vision as well as his compatriotism embedded in his mind, in any positions he always did his utmost to fulfill his tasks. In addition to that, his personal qualities in life and communication are widely admired and become an epitome of simplicity, frankness and democracy.