Ho Chi Minh on the Song 'Mount Stalin’

Peking July 10, 1950

Comrade Timofeev,

I am sending you herewith a short letter from President Ho Chi Minh (Din) and a new song “The Stalin Hill”.

I wish you a very happy summer holiday’.

Sincerely yours,

[Signed]
Ngo Dien

Mount STALIN

Mount STALIN is located in the upper region of North Vietnam.

Here is its story:

A party cadre conference was to meet, the fifth one. To avoid espionage and bombardment by the French colonialists, the organizers had chosen, as a meeting place, one of the high mountains, almost impenetrable and, in any case, never penetrated before.

At this place, well-protected by nature, volunteer worker comrades had built a small town, small villas with radio, electricity and running water (words in Vietnamese).

On the appointed date, August 8, 1948, a hundred active militants arrived, men and women, young and old, with a rucksack on their back and a notebook in their pocket. All had crossed mountains and streams, jungles and rivers to get there. Some of them had walked for 5 or 6 months and had crossed several enemy lines to attend the conference. Those were the activists coming from the South and from overseas.

All were amazed to find this little, new and almost luxurious city in this wild and picturesque environment, surrounded by lush vegetation and a grandiose landscape.

All agreed that this was the best organized conference in years.

-x-x-x-

The entire agenda is summarized under the heading:

“We are fighting for independence and democracy”

The main issues discussed were:

– The international movement for democracy and for independence.

– Indochina and New Democracy.

– Our struggle for national independence and our immediate tasks.

– The National United front.

– The unification of the Viet Minh and the Lien-Viet (the Viet-Minh being the former national front, and the Lien-Viet, the new enlarged national front, having the Viet Minh as centre, and made of about 12 million members).

– Internal affairs of the party organization, internal democracy, education of members, discipline, policy on cadres, reform of the work system, criticism and self-criticism, etc.

Towards the end of the conference, a delegate proposed to name the place “MOUNT STALIN” in recognition of the beloved leader of the world proletariat. The proposal was greeted by a storm of applause and endless “Hurrah!” Inspired, comrades Xuan-Oanh and Ngoc-My composed on the spot the words and the music of the song “MOUNT STALIN”. Here is its translation:

Here are proletarians,
Who came here and are singing joyfully in this formerly silent jungle.
Here is the strength of man and the worker’s hand
They came here with the overflowing and joyful force of life.
They came in large numbers.
In this forest, where man never set foot before, and whose top touches the sky and the clouds.
Today, this forest is brightened by small villas, which have just grown.
It seems the wild land is becoming a volcano.
We are standing on MOUNT STALIN.
Our eyes see, in this distant sky, the image of the One who guides.
Groups of men gather here, laughing,
Esteeming each other.
Shaking hands, greeting each other.
This MOUNT STALIN is the omen of victory, they sing the victorious song. <>

With their arrival here, life has become fresh and cheerful,
Joy is shining.
Waiting for the day they will come back to this place.
This is the Day of the Man of Peace Where the heart
Shines everywhere like the sun on this Mount.

Learning that the Father has arrived,
The mountains forget to be silent,
The sun in this wild place rises radiant.
The birds sing merrily,
Life is enlightened.
The new sun is not as beautiful as its broad forehead,
Shaking his hand, we feel fully confident seeing his shining eyes.
And the inexhaustible strength to fight for the victory of Vietnam.
Arise, ye slaves of the earth!
Turn your eyes to this distant sky
The Mount is bathed by sunlight, the shade is cool, the birds are chirping.
See this joy as if we live in the future,
See this exaltation as if we celebrate tomorrow’s victory.
We walk laughing along the long road.
We are overcoming the difficulties, we are building the future.

President Ho

Source: RGASPI, Fond 17, Opis 137, Delo 425, LL. 95-98.

Translated from the French by Antonio Artuso.

Click here to return to the Ho Chi Minh Archive.