Revolutionary enthusiasm: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Pham Hung

HA NOI — A pictorial book about Chairman of the Council of Ministers Pham Hung containing nearly 300 valuable photos of his life and works has been published by the Vietnam News Agency on the 100th anniversary of his birth this year.

The photos were collected from the Vietnam News Agency photo archive, museums nationwide, his family and many other sources.

It is expected to help readers learn more about Hung, an excellent disciple of President Ho Chi Minh, from his teenage years when he was studying at College de My Tho, to his revolutionary activities up until the time the country gained peace and reunification.

Hung, whose birth name was Pham Van Thien, was born into a farming family in southern Vinh Long Province on June 11, 1912.

He devoted nearly 60 years of his life to Viet Nam's revolutionary cause. He was arrested by French colonialists, sentenced to death and exiled to Con Dao, an island that housed political prisoners. For nearly 15 years of being detained in colonial prisons, Hung never ceased his struggle.

With his unyielding will, creative thought and burning revolutionary enthusiasm, Hung was entrusted with many important tasks during the struggle for national liberation and reunification, as well as during the national reconstruction and development period.

He held many important posts including the Chairman of the Council of Ministers in 1987.

Readers will have the opportunity to see images of the revolutionist in prison, his trips together with President Ho in the northernmost Viet Nam resistance base and with leaders of the southern party committee steering the fight against the French in the southern region.

The book also highlights the portrait of a revolutionist as "a steel man" in the face of enemies and a dedicated leader who sacrificed himself for the country and people. — VNS