THE EARLY DAYS OF CONDUCTING FLAG RAISING CEREMONY IN FRONT OF PRESIDENT HO CHI MINH'S MAUSOLEUM
Colonel DANG NAM DIEN
Deputy Political Commissar
President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum High Command
At the end of 1999, in preparation for propagating the commemoration of significant holidays in Vietnam in the year 2000, the Japanese television channel NHK contacted the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Management Board to film some activities, including the flag-raising ceremony in front of the Mausoleum. Unfortunately, after they had set up the equipment and we had completed the preparations, they decided not to capture images of our soldiers performing the flag-raising ceremony in front of the Mausoleum. As someone accompanying the journalists and witnessing their decision not to record the soldiers raising the flag, I felt puzzled and discussed my thoughts with them. The head of the filming team then said, "I thought you already had the ceremony for raising and lowering the flag?" I immediately understood that their decision not to capture our images meant we did not have the proper ceremony, and the soldiers of Unit 275 only carried out the flag-raising action.
The next morning, I reported directly to the Chief of the High Command about NHK Japan not capturing our unit's flag-raising. Upon hearing my report, Major General, Commander Nguyen Quang Tan contemplated for a moment and seemed to recall something. He quickly said, "We need to have a formal ceremony for saluting and lowering the flag in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum." With many years of experience working under his guidance, when I heard him express such thoughts, I was certain that he had an intention for a new plan.
Then, as I predicted, at the beginning of 2000, Commander Nguyen Quang Tan proactively proposed to the Standing Committee and the High Command a plan to visit China to exchange experiences on organizing activities at the Memorial House of Chairman Mao Zedong. With the approval of the Standing Committee, the unit reported to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of National Defense. Major General Nguyen Quang Tan, the Head of the Mausoleum Management Board and concurrently the Commander, led a delegation of 5 officials from the Management Board to visit China. This was the first official delegation from the unit to visit China, marking the beginning of a new phase in our relationship with you. From then on, almost every year, we organized visits to China, where many activities were similar to the unit's mission, with officials at various levels taking turns to lead the delegations.
Upon arriving in China, the delegation was warmly welcomed by the Vietnamese Embassy in Beijing, which organized an extensive and impressive working program with the Management Bureau of Chairman Mao Zedong's Memorial. It was known that the delegation wished to witness your performance at the flag-raising and lowering ceremony in Tiananmen Square. Ambassador Nguyen Hong Phuc instructed the administrative department of the embassy to coordinate with the Chinese government for convenient travel arrangements. Since the Vietnamese Embassy is quite far from Tiananmen Square, they performed the flag-raising and lowering ceremony astronomically. The morning flag-raising ceremony took place when the first rays of the sun shone on Chinese soil, and the evening flag-lowering ceremony coincided with the beginning of the tide withdrawing from the Chinese coastline. Therefore, the delegation had to wake up early and depart at 3 AM. Although they left very early, comrade Nguyen Nhu Ly, the private driver of the Ambassador, had to speed up to ensure that our delegation could witness your flag-raising ceremony from start to finish. Later, upon the Commander's return, I heard him share his thoughts: "The people and tourists who come to observe the flag-raising ceremony in Tiananmen Square are numerous. Our delegation had to stand from a distance to observe the movements of the Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers. The soldiers looked very beautiful, and their movements were precise.”.
After a short period, upon the return of the delegation, the Chief of the High Command assigned the Operations Department to take charge and direct Unit 275 in selecting soldiers from Unit 1 for daily flag-raising ceremonies in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The approach was to conduct training, share experiences, and simultaneously earnestly develop a reporting plan for the Ministry of National Defense and the Prime Minister. By mid-November 2000, the basic preparations were completed. The unit organized a conference to report to relevant agencies of the Ministry of National Defense and the Government Office on the daily flag-raising and lowering ceremony in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Following the conference, the Office actively coordinated with the Social Affairs Department and the Government Office so that, when there was an official opinion from the Prime Minister, everything could be urgently implemented. However, since this was a new ceremony, all levels were very cautious in reviewing it before presenting it to the Prime Minister for a decision. Initially, the ceremony was planned for January 01 of the Gregorian calendar but was later moved to the anniversary of Hung Kings (March 10 of the Lunar calendar)...
During the waiting period for the decision, in late April 2001, as agreed between us, a delegation of officials from the Mausoleum Management Board, led by me (at that time, the Chief of the Office), went to China for a study visit. At the task assignment meeting for the delegation, Commander Nguyen Quang Tan and Party Secretary of Unit 969 Nguyen Ngoc Lam instructed the delegation to continue visiting and learning in China. The focus was on organizing the flag-raising and lowering ceremony, understanding what needed to be learned and applied for the specific ceremonial nature of Vietnam. We were to learn from them but not to mechanically replicate the ceremony. With that heavy responsibility, our delegation planned to study their flag-raising and lowering ceremony in detail. Immediately upon arrival in Beijing, the delegation requested the Military Attaché of the Vietnamese Embassy in China to arrange for a direct observation of their ceremony (as the previous delegation had to stand far away to observe). After obtaining all three types of documents provided by their relevant authorities – Beijing Traffic Management, Security Bureau, and the Headquarters of the Beijing Military Region – our delegation was allowed to stand close to the flagpole for direct observation. Comrade Nguyen Phuc Tri, Deputy Commander in the delegation, praised the ceremonial movements and proper procedures of their honor guard when conducting the flag-raising ceremony. However, given the low height of the flagpole in front of Tiananmen Gate and their smaller flag, their ceremonial movements were simpler and different from what we had practiced. Nevertheless, something that constantly troubled us was that they kept the public at a distance, and if we arranged the audience similarly at Ba Dinh Square in Vietnam, it would not be suitable for the situation. We all agreed to gather this information and report to the superiors in the Commanders upon returning to Vietnam.
In early May 2001, the good news came quickly: the Prime Minister had agreed to assign the Mausoleum Management Board to organize the daily flag-raising and lowering ceremony in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The Government Office's letter emphasized that the Ministry of National Defense was responsible for guiding the Mausoleum High Command to carry out the ceremony with solemnity and seriousness. The first ceremony took place at exactly 6:30 AM on May 19, 2001.
On the morning of May 19, in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, hundreds of officers, soldiers, workers from various units within the Mausoleum Management Board, along with senior citizens from the Elderly Association, officials, youth union members, and children from the Hanoi Youth Union gathered to witness the sacred and solemn moment of the flag-raising ceremony in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The military band played the marching tune named “Marching under the flag” as 37 heroic soldiers marched onto the square (later, the number of soldiers was reduced to 34, symbolizing the 34 officers and soldiers in the Vietnam Liberation Army propaganda team, the precursor of the heroic Vietnam People's Army today). All movements of the officers and soldiers were meticulously and seriously trained, with no errors whatsoever, no matter how small. As the commander's vigorous command ended, the national anthem resounded, and the majestic music of the military band added to the solemn atmosphere of the ceremony. After the flag-raising ceremony, the soldiers marched in unison, following the order to march solemnly, saluting Uncle Ho before starting a new day of serving the people and international visitors who came to pay respects.
Thus, from now on, a new ceremonial form was officially carried out in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, connecting the sacred symbol of the fatherland – the red flag with a yellow star – with beloved Uncle Ho, the great leader of our Party and people. Each time witnessing those sacred moments, I am reminded of the early days when the officers, workers, and soldiers in the unit were determined to fulfill every task so that the ceremony could be conducted with solemnity and significance, just as it is today. I would like to express my gratitude to the Standing Committee, the High Command – Staff of the entire unit for thinking and implementing a task that the entire Party, people, and army highly appreciate. The national flag and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum will endure alongside the nation.
