Nha Rong Wharf, where the patriotic young man Nguyen Tat Thanh left the country to find a way to save the country in 1911. (Photo: VNA)
Ms Anjuska Weil, President of the Switzerland-Vietnam Friendship Association, and Honorable President of the Swiss Labor Party, said that her youth in the 60s of the last century was marked by actions against the American war in Vietnam and she was given the book "Diary in Prison" by Ho Chi Minh at the age of 17 by her mother.
She was extremely impressed by the poems describing President Ho Chi Minh's daily life while in prison, feeling that his detention was completely unfair. During the following years, she worked diligently to learn more about President Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam. The more she learned, the more impressed Mrs. Weil was about the personality and ideology of the Vietnamese President. "My decision to join the Swiss Labor Party is associated with Ho Chi Minh's ideology," she said.
According to Ms Weil, President Ho Chi Minh is a great man, a revolutionary leader who always shines, even in the dark prison conditions. Uncle Ho devoted his life to the cause of national liberation. He was steadfast in his revolutionary path with a strong determination to fight for independence. He always chose peace, for a just peace. Ms. Weil believes that this thought combined with Uncle Ho's modesty in life is a great lesson for young generations to follow.
The Swiss Labor Party does not have an annual tradition of organizing commemorations of great personalities or anniversaries of important historical events, not only related to Vietnam. However, Ms. Weil was very pleased with initiatives such as the 50th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's death, the 75th anniversary of Vietnam's declaration of independence and the liberation of the nation from colonialism with the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam held in recent years. The Swiss Labor Party members are always open and happy to celebrate important days together with comrades from other countries, including Vietnam. Ms Weil wishes that President Ho Chi Minh's outstanding personality, ideology and revolutionary career would be known to many western youngsters.
The Swiss Labor Party was founded in 1944. Like many other communist and workers' Parties in Western Europe, in the early 70s of the last century, the Party raised the banner against the war, supporting the national liberation movement, first of all the Vietnamese people's resistance war against the US to save the country. The Swiss Labour Party members always respect the life and career of Ho Chi Minh, and deeply love him as well as the country and people of Vietnam./.