Uncle Ho with Learning and Using Foreign Languages

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Ho Chi Minh’s article on Le Paria was touching ones and gained an enormous adulation from the readers. For instance, the article “Zoology” with truly French writingstyle cricticizing directly French invaders or “The turtle” illustrating large and widespread corruption of French colonist authority in Vietnam, and many other ones. Ho Chi Minh also cooperated with other newspapers apart from the Le Paria.

About Uncle Ho’s books, it reminds us about “The French colonial project”- a combination of patriotism and socialism-which based on true people and true stories, using the philosophy “making a rod for one’s own back”. Admittedly, this book has been one of the most important and special one in Vietnamese literature

He used French very flexibly. In ten-year period in France, He had presented, spoke and raised voice at many places. But the most noteworthy things were his speech at Tours Congress in 1920 and the report about people and colonists at the fifth Communist International Congress in 1924. Both of them were the evidence of his lucid and profound insights as well as his French ability. What He wanted to say was expressed effectively in French. After that, when Uncle Ho became the President of Viet Nam, He still used French in many places, many times and it did work well.

In May of 1946, Uncle Ho took the initiative in talking with a few French soldiers garrisoned in HaNoi. At that time, the relationship between our country and France were under stress. Many comrades had followed and protected Uncle Ho. General XaLang made fuss time after time with the aim of influencing the mental state. Uncle Ho was exactly went to a really dangerous cave. Despite that, He still kept calm and used his skillful French to talk about the love towards his country, about the hope of escaping France from German fascist and about the wish of gaining the Vietnamese independence and freedom. French soldiers cheered and clapped General XaLang was surprised. He was afraid of an antiwar. So he immediately invited Uncle Ho to take a rest on a pretext of protect the president’s health. Some days after that, Uncle Ho went to Francy by plane. This worried many people because there had been a plane carried a president in Middle East area hit the mountain. However, because of the belief in the Communist Party aand revolution force in France, He decided to go by plane. With a few months in France, Uncle Ho had roused the French public and the world which was very beneficial for revolutions. There were many stories about him. But right now I will mentioned some of them which are related to his using foreign language affairs

In a press conference taken place in Paris, there were hundreds of reporters from many countries attending. A journalist, with his curiousity, asked President Ho Chi Minh

- Sir, are you a communist?

-Yes- Uncle Ho answered in his calmness

- Did you participate in national liberation movement?

-Used to

- How long, sir?

-Nearly 40 years

- You had been sent to the prison, hadn’t you?

-Used to

- Which prison?

-In different prisons

- Is it long?

The President smiled a composed smile. He looked straight into the eyes of that journalist, he said: “In prisons, time always passes by times as many as outside the prisons”- a surprising and simple answer from a president, which wiped out the impolite of the journalist. It was so clear that French as well as Americans or England learned a lesson from a man, regardless to where he were in, either Paris or London, he could smile – a confident smile of a prophet- who knew how to escape from the present boundaries.

This following story was told by professor Tran Huu Phuoc, a hero of labour, the head of Ear, nose and throat department. In the negotiation time in France, Uncle Ho took part in many activitiesHe read many newspaper and speeches about Viet Nam to investigate. He also went to the concert, watched ballet dancing, visitted the museum and so on After signing a modus at midnight of September ther 14th in 1946, He and some people came back to VietNam. When meeting Uncle Ho, Dacgianglor said with his voice like nails on the chalkboard: “Dear President, at my age, being studied with a doctor is the best”.The Presiden dressed simply with his calmness was a role model of the host, and these admirals turned to be likely losers. Taking a glance at HCM’s seat on the warship, in the middle of two famous admirals of France one from land forces and one from the navy, Dacgianglor said in his terrible fleer “Monsieur le Président, voi la vous par encadre border LArmee Marine ET“ (Mr. President, you are bordered by land forces and the navy)

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Uncle Ho’s words were like a foretelling: France lost but it’s was a proud because France abshed before Vietnam. In that party, President Ho Chi Minh coped with the Empire in truly French style. At the end, they had to admire Ho Chi Minh as a great man in history.

There were other thousands of stories about the President, which has been a perpeptual inspiration for the next generations.