Nguyễn Tất Thành đã trở thành Nguyễn Ái Quốc như thế nào? | Chuyện với Thanh

Key Concepts

• Nguyễn Tất Thành (later Hồ Chí Minh): The central figure, his journey from a young man seeking knowledge to a revolutionary leader.
• Du khốn (Overseas Study/Travel for Knowledge): The initial motivation for Nguyễn Tất Thành's departure from Vietnam.
• Văn Ba: The alias Nguyễn Tất Thành used as a kitchen helper on a French transport ship.
• Bùi Quang Chiêu: A Vietnamese patriot who encountered Nguyễn Tất Thành on the ship and offered him advice.
• Liên Thành Thương Quán & Dục Thanh Học Hiệu: Organizations that supported Nguyễn Tất Thành's departure and education.
• Trần Lệ Chất: An individual who facilitated Nguyễn Tất Thành's travel to France.
• Nguyễn Ái Quốc: The revolutionary name adopted by Nguyễn Tất Thành.
• Hội Ái Quốc An Nam (Annamese Patriotic Association): An organization founded by Nguyễn Tất Thành in Paris.
• Yêu sách của nhân dân An Nam (Petition of the Annamese People): A crucial document submitted to the French government demanding rights for Vietnamese people.
• Đại hội thành lập Đảng Cộng sản Pháp (French Communist Party Founding Congress): A significant event where Nguyễn Ái Quốc played a role.
• Chủ nghĩa thực dân (Colonialism): The oppressive system Nguyễn Tất Thành fought against.
• Chủ nghĩa tư bản (Capitalism): The economic system criticized by revolutionaries.
• Quốc tế Cộng sản (Comintern): An international communist organization.
• Khoảng lặng (Periods of Silence/Waiting): A recurring pattern in Hồ Chí Minh's life, representing strategic preparation.

Nguyễn Tất Thành's Journey and Early Revolutionary Activities

Departure from Vietnam and Initial Years Abroad

The video details the enigmatic departure of Nguyễn Tất Thành from Vietnam in 1911. Driven by a profound desire for knowledge and understanding of the world, he embarked on a journey that would shape his destiny. Contrary to the expectation of pursuing formal overseas studies, Nguyễn Tất Thành took on the arduous role of a kitchen helper on a French transport ship, the Latuser Travel, under the alias Văn Ba. This decision, which surprised his elders, was a calculated move to gain firsthand experience and access to the world.

During his initial nearly ten years abroad, Nguyễn Tất Thành's activities remained largely shrouded in mystery. However, a pivotal encounter on the ship with Bùi Quang Chiêu, a Vietnamese patriot, is highlighted. Bùi Quang Chiêu, who was traveling first-class with his family to send his son to study in France, advised Nguyễn Tất Thành to abandon his difficult job for a more prestigious one. Nguyễn Tất Thành politely thanked him but did not commit.

Further historical evidence suggests that individuals like Trần Lệ Chất and Hồ Tá Bang were instrumental in arranging Nguyễn Tất Thành's travel documents. The Liên Thành Thương Quán provided him with financial support, though he only accepted a portion of the offered sum. Bà Đặng Hoàng Ánh, daughter of Trần Lệ Chất, confirmed her father's connection to Nguyễn Sinh Sắc (Hồ Chí Minh's father) and his role in facilitating Nguyễn Tất Thành's departure, including arranging for him to travel with him to France and later allowing him to take on the kitchen helper role. This sheds light on how Nguyễn Tất Thành secured passage and began his journey, suggesting a pre-meditated strategy rather than a spontaneous decision.

Arrival in France and Political Awakening

Upon arriving in France, Nguyễn Tất Thành's path led him to Paris, a vibrant center of political and intellectual thought in the early 20th century. The atmosphere was charged with revolutionary fervor, fueled by the ongoing war and growing anti-capitalist sentiments. Paris attracted many politically-minded Asians, with Vietnamese forming a significant community of around 50,000, comprising mostly laborers but also a few hundred intellectuals.

While some Vietnamese intellectuals sought greater autonomy from France through negotiation, and others secretly hoped for French defeat, Nguyễn Tất Thành's approach was different. He quickly became involved in agitating Vietnamese workers amidst rising protests in France. His keen intellect and intense gaze were noted by his peers.

Boris Souverin, a revolutionary and later historian, recalled meeting Nguyễn Tất Thành around 1917 after his return from London. Souverin described Nguyễn Tất Thành as shy but amiable and eager to learn, participating in meetings of the French Socialist Party in Montmartre. He was introduced to Leopoldes, founder of the Forbe club, where discussions ranged from politics to mysticism. Leopoldes helped Nguyễn Tất Thành overcome his shyness, encouraging him to speak publicly. His initial speeches, describing the suffering of colonial peoples, were met with empathy and applause, despite his stammering.

Leopoldes observed a Chaplin-esque humor in Nguyễn Tất Thành, coupled with a profound sadness, and was particularly struck by his bright eyes and thirst for knowledge. Through these engagements, Nguyễn Tất Thành connected with prominent French intellectuals and revolutionaries, including writer Paul Louis and military figure Jack Dorio.

Despite his limited professional experience and lack of work permits, Nguyễn Tất Thành took on various odd jobs, such as selling food, painting signs, teaching Chinese, and making candles. He eventually found work coloring black-and-white photographs in a studio owned by Phan Chu Trinh. In his free time, he frequented libraries, immersing himself in the works of literary giants like Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and Hugo. His possessions were minimal, consisting of a suitcase, and he often moved between cramped workers' lodgings in Paris.

Founding the Annamese Patriotic Association and the Petition

In the summer of 1919, with the support of Phan Chu Trinh and Phan Văn Trường, Nguyễn Tất Thành established the Hội Ái Quốc An Nam (Annamese Patriotic Association). This organization aimed to unite Vietnamese intellectuals and laborers, strategically using the term "An Nam" instead of "Việt Nam" to appear less threatening to the colonial authorities. However, Nguyễn Tất Thành's true intention was to build an effective force against French colonialism in Indochina.

The year 1919 also marked the Paris Peace Conference at Versailles, where Allied powers negotiated post-war terms. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, advocating for the self-determination of nations, offered a glimmer of hope for colonized peoples. This period represented a crucial "waiting period" for Nguyễn Tất Thành, a pattern of strategic silence and preparation that characterized his life. He dedicated himself to survival, observation, documentation, and extensive reading to accumulate knowledge. His choice to work as a kitchen helper on ocean liners was a deliberate strategy to achieve these multifaceted goals. He understood that a significant global event was necessary to create an opportunity for change.

On June 18, 1919, the individual who would soon be known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc personally delivered the "Petition of the Annamese People" to key figures in the French Parliament and the Prime Minister. He also distributed it to delegates at Versailles and arranged for its publication in the newspaper L'Humanité, with 6,000 copies distributed on the streets of Paris and sent to Indochina.

The petition's language was moderate, not demanding outright independence but rather advocating for political self-determination, equality between French and Vietnamese citizens, freedom of the press and assembly, and the abolition of oppressive taxes. The sophisticated French used in the petition led many to believe that Phan Văn Trường, a lawyer, may have drafted it.

The petition caused a stir in French political circles. On June 23, the French President wrote to Governor-General Albert Sarraut, requesting an investigation into the author's identity. In September, Nguyễn Tất Thành officially confirmed his identity as Nguyễn Ái Quốc in an interview with an American journalist from a Chinese newspaper in Paris. Shortly thereafter, French secret police identified Nguyễn Ái Quốc as Nguyễn Tất Thành, son of Nguyễn Sinh Sắc, and linked him to the 1908 Huế tax protest.

The actions of Nguyễn Ái Quốc resonated deeply within the Vietnamese patriotic movement in France and Indochina. Reports from Indochina indicated that the petition was being circulated in Hanoi, sparking lively discussions in the press and inspiring both admiration and renewed energy among the youth.

Joining the French Socialist Party and the Split

The petition also earned Nguyễn Ái Quốc the respect of his comrades within the French Socialist Party (SFIO). Although he had joined the party upon arriving in France, he had not been considered a full member until the petition's publication. From 1920 onwards, Nguyễn Ái Quốc became more actively involved in the political activities of the SFIO, trade unions, and human rights leagues.

However, he began to notice that his comrades showed little interest in colonial issues, prioritizing European concerns and viewing colonies primarily as sources of wealth and labor. Frustrated, Nguyễn Ái Quốc confronted his colleagues, questioning the purpose of their revolution if they did not condemn colonialism and support colonized peoples.

As Lenin called for a struggle against capitalism, SFIO members had to choose their stance before the Tours Congress. During local meetings in late December, with factions forming under Jean Longuet, Nguyễn Ái Quốc participated less in debates, instead advocating for unity and attention to colonial matters. He stated, "Comrades, we are all socialists. Whether it is the Second, 2.5, 2.3, or Third International, we all want to liberate the working class. While you are arguing here, my compatriots are dying."

The Tours Congress, held on December 25, 1920, at a horse-racing school, focused on joining the Communist International. Nguyễn Ái Quốc, the sole Asian delegate, stood out in his ill-fitting suit amidst hundreds of European men. His photograph was published the next day in Le Martin, leading the police to attempt his arrest, but delegates intervened to protect him.

Nguyễn Ái Quốc addressed the congress on the first day, speaking passionately without notes, denouncing the brutality of colonialism and urging socialists to act in support of oppressed peoples. Jean Longuet interrupted him, claiming the matter had already been discussed. Nguyễn Ái Quốc cleverly responded by referencing the views of Marx (Longuet's grandfather), stating, "I am forced to apply the dictatorship of silence."

Nguyễn Ái Quốc argued that joining the Third International was the only way for the SFIO to demonstrate its understanding of the importance of colonial issues. He concluded his speech with an impassioned plea: "In the name of humanity, in the name of all socialists, right and left, we earnestly implore you to save us."

At the Tours Congress, Nguyễn Ái Quốc clearly articulated his position, demonstrating concern not only for the success of the international revolution but also for the fate of his own nation. He reflected, "I did not have the good fortune to study in university, but I learned from life, from social history to military science. What should one love, what should one despise? We Vietnamese people love independence, labor, and our homeland."

On December 27, the SFIO officially proposed accepting Lenin's conditions and joining the Third International. Over 70% of delegates supported this, while the opposition left the hall. The remaining delegates voted to split from the SFIO and form the French Communist Party (PCF).

Disillusionment with the PCF and Journey to Moscow

Despite his pivotal role in the formation of the PCF, Nguyễn Ái Quốc soon grew disillusioned with his comrades. The "Ligue Coloniale" (Colonial League) was quickly forgotten, and even the newspaper L'Humanité failed to give adequate attention to colonial issues. Nguyễn Ái Quốc observed that bourgeois newspapers often portrayed the colonies more vividly, creating idealized images of exotic landscapes and colorful natives.

During a PCF congress in October 1922, Nguyễn Ái Quốc met Dimitri Manuilsky, a representative of the Comintern from the Soviet Union. Manuilsky was impressed by Nguyễn Ái Quốc's strong critique of the PCF's neglect of colonial affairs. Months later, when Manuilsky was tasked with preparing a report on national and colonial issues for the Fifth Comintern Congress in the summer of 1924, he remembered the passionate young Vietnamese.

Consequently, Nguyễn Ái Quốc was invited to Moscow to work for the Comintern. Simultaneously, remaining in Paris had become increasingly dangerous. On June 13, 1923, he evaded French police surveillance by leaving through the back of a cinema, boarding a boat at Gare d'Orsay, and then a ship to Berlin, posing as a wealthy Asian merchant. From Berlin, he traveled to Hamburg and boarded the ship Knck to Soviet Russia. On June 30, Nguyễn Ái Quốc arrived in Petrograd under the passport of a Chinese merchant named Trần Vang.

This marked Nguyễn Ái Quốc's definitive rejection of Phan Chu Trinh's reformist path in favor of Vladimir Lenin's revolutionary ideology. Phan Chu Trinh recognized that his era had passed. In September 1923, he wrote to his comrades, acknowledging Nguyễn Ái Quốc's youth and potential impulsiveness but emphasizing his patriotic heart and the courageous, albeit solitary and arduous, path he had chosen for his nation's liberation.

Synthesis and Conclusion

The video emphasizes Nguyễn Tất Thành's remarkable patience and strategic foresight. He endured an eight-year period of "waiting," meticulously gathering knowledge and experience, culminating in a single, opportune moment that he exploited masterfully. From a seemingly aimless young man with minimal political credentials, he transformed into Nguyễn Ái Quốc, surpassing his predecessors like Phan Chu Trinh and Phan Bội Châu, and becoming the symbol of a new revolutionary path for Vietnam.

The narrative draws a parallel to business, where nascent companies often fail by waiting for grand opportunities without building a solid foundation. The video's creators, who admit to making similar mistakes with their own company (FSO), learned to execute numerous smaller contracts to build resources, train their team, and grow before tackling larger projects. They stress that establishing a company's value and standing is paramount.

In essence, Nguyễn Tất Thành's journey was one of continuous learning, patient accumulation of knowledge, and strategic waiting. At the opportune moment, he unleashed a "bomb" that shook the political landscape of France, its colonies, and to some extent, the world. This young man became Nguyễn Ái Quốc, the most renowned name in the Vietnamese colonial revolution. His journey was far from over, as he prepared to bid farewell to France and the West, embarking on a new path towards Soviet Russia, the heart of the Communist International. The video concludes by posing the question of what awaited Nguyễn Ái Quốc in this new chapter of his life.