Đỗ Mười facts for kids
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Đỗ Mười
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| General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam | |
| In office 28 June 1991 – 26 December 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Nguyễn Văn Linh |
| Succeeded by | Lê Khả Phiêu |
| Secretary of the Central Military – Party Committee of the Communist Party | |
| In office 27 June 1991 – 29 December 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Nguyễn Văn Linh |
| Succeeded by | Lê Khả Phiêu |
| 3rd Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Vietnam | |
| In office 22 June 1988 – 8 August 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Võ Văn Kiệt |
| Succeeded by | Võ Văn Kiệt |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam | |
| In office December 1969 – 2 July 1976 |
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| Prime Minister | Phạm Văn Đồng |
| Minister of Construction | |
| In office June 1973 – November 1977 |
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| Preceded by | Trần Đại Nghĩa |
| Succeeded by | Đồng Sĩ Nguyên |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Nguyễn Duy Cống
2 February 1917 Thanh Trì District, Hanoi, French Indochina |
| Died | 1 October 2018 (aged 101) Hanoi, Vietnam |
| Nationality | Vietnamese |
| Political party | Communist Party of Vietnam (1939–1997) |
Đỗ Mười (born Nguyễn Duy Cống) was a very important Vietnamese politician. He was born on February 2, 1917, and passed away on October 1, 2018. He became a leader in the Communist Party of Vietnam in the late 1940s.
He served as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers starting in 1988. Later, in 1991, he was chosen as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). This was at the party's 7th meeting.
Đỗ Mười continued the economic changes started by the leader before him, Nguyễn Văn Linh. These changes were called Đổi Mới, which means "renovation." He believed in leaders working together, not just one person. He was General Secretary for two terms, stepping down in 1997. Even after retiring, he still had a lot of influence on decisions. He died at the Central Military Hospital 108 in Hanoi.
Early Life and Political Start
Đỗ Mười was born Nguyễn Duy Cống on February 2, 1917, in a place called Dong Phu, near Hanoi, Vietnam. His father was Nguyen Xeng. He started his working life as a house painter.
When he was a teenager, around 14, he joined a group fighting against colonial rule. He became a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1939. However, French authorities arrested him in 1941 or 1942. He was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor in Hoa Lo Prison.
In 1945, he managed to escape when Japan took over Indochina from the French. After his escape, Đỗ Mười joined the Viet Minh, a group fighting for Vietnam's independence.
Role in the First Indochina War
During the First Indochina War, Đỗ Mười held several important positions in different provinces. He was later promoted to Brigadier General. He was also a commander at the Battle of Haiphong at the end of the war. He served as a political leader for the party during this time.
From 1955 to 1956, he was the chairman of the party's military and administrative committee in Haiphong. In 1955, he joined the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. He became a full member at the 3rd Party Congress.
Government Roles and Economic Changes
Đỗ Mười became Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade in 1956. He then became Minister of Domestic Trade in 1958. He had to leave politics for a short time in 1961 due to health issues.
He returned to politics in 1967 as Chairman of the Economic Board. In 1969, he started working in the building and construction area. He was also appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction in Phạm Văn Đồng's government.
After Vietnam was reunified, Đỗ Mười was elected to the Politburo as an alternate member. In 1977, a committee was set up to change industry and trade in southern Vietnam. Its goal was to make the economy more socialist by taking over private businesses. Đỗ Mười became the head of this committee in 1978. He was known for his strong views against private businesses. In 1978, he signed a rule that banned private property in Vietnam. Many youth groups were sent out to close private businesses.
By 1984, Đỗ Mười believed Vietnam's economy needed changes. He wanted to reform prices and wages and stop government support for state-owned businesses. However, he still strongly believed that a planned economy was better than a market economy.
Becoming Premier
In 1986, Nguyễn Văn Linh became the new General Secretary and started the Đổi Mới reform program. This program aimed to create a socialist-oriented market economy.
When the Premier, Phạm Hùng, died in 1988, Đỗ Mười was nominated to become the new Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Some people in the National Assembly wanted Võ Văn Kiệt instead. This was because Đỗ Mười was seen as more traditional and unsure about the new reforms, while Kiệt supported them more. Đỗ Mười won the election, but Kiệt still received a good number of votes.
Supporting Reforms as Premier
As Premier, Đỗ Mười supported the reform program. In 1987, farmers in southern Vietnam protested against collective farming. Đỗ Mười believed that low farm output was due to how things were organized, not the system itself. He thought that giving more power to local areas and improving management would help.
In 1989 or 1990, Đỗ Mười led a committee to plan the economy until the year 2000. He also discussed the Fifth Five-Year Plan (1991–1995).
In 1990, Đỗ Mười reported that Vietnam was receiving less help from the Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries. He also noted an increase in imports, national debt, and problems in farming. He emphasized the need for political stability, fixing the financial system, controlling inflation, and reducing wasteful spending.
For 1991, Đỗ Mười planned to:
- Develop markets for exports and attract more foreign investments.
- Stop government support for state-owned businesses.
- Make state policies more efficient by privatizing businesses that were not doing well.
- Encourage family-run businesses.
- Develop different regions to create jobs and reduce unemployment.
General Secretary of the Communist Party
First Term (1991–1996)
At the 7th National Congress in 1991, Nguyễn Văn Linh stepped down due to health. Đỗ Mười was chosen as the party's General Secretary. He became the main leader for those who wanted to keep more control over the economy. Võ Văn Kiệt, the Premier, led the group that wanted more reforms. Lê Đức Anh, the president, represented the military.
This split in power led to the writing of the 1992 Constitution. This new constitution reduced the General Secretary's powers. It said the Communist Party was the "leading force," giving the General Secretary authority over the overall direction of policy.
Most of the Politburo members chosen at the 7th Congress were more traditional. They focused more on security and stability. The economic reforms were very successful during this time, with the economy growing by about 8 percent each year. However, some believed this growth could not last without more reforms. Others worried that too many changes would cause instability.
There were disagreements within the party between 1991 and 1996. Reformers like Võ Văn Kiệt wanted to open Vietnam more to the global economy. Traditionalists wanted state-owned businesses to control the economy. The party usually made decisions by agreement, but this was becoming harder.
Foreign Policy During First Term
Đỗ Mười emphasized the importance of Vietnam's foreign policy. He said that no country could close itself off from the world, especially a developing country like Vietnam. He wanted strong relations with Western and capitalist countries. But he also stressed good relations with other socialist countries and movements for independence. He believed that while Vietnam would connect more with the world, it would not change Vietnamese socialism.
After the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, Đỗ Mười recognized these changes. Vietnam then developed ties with the new independent states.
Relations between China and Vietnam also improved. In 1991, Chinese Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin congratulated Đỗ Mười. This led to better relations between the two countries. Đỗ Mười and Võ Văn Kiệt visited China in November 1991, leading to an agreement.
Vietnam also strengthened ties with other socialist countries like Cuba and North Korea. However, tensions between China and Vietnam, especially over the South China Sea, sometimes caused problems. In 1992, China passed a law claiming the entire South China Sea. Đỗ Mười criticized China for this.
Second Term (1996–1997)
Before the 8th National Congress, the disagreements between reformers and traditionalists continued. At the 8th Congress, Đỗ Mười was one of five members of the new Politburo Standing Committee (PSB). This committee was meant to be the party's highest decision-making body.
Đỗ Mười told reporters that Vietnam needed to develop faster because "slow development means hunger." But he also wanted stability. He said, "If reform is too fast we will make mistakes."
Resignation
On December 26, 1997, Đỗ Mười decided to retire from his posts as General Secretary and Secretary of the Central Military Commission. Lê Khả Phiêu succeeded him. Đỗ Mười, along with Võ Văn Kiệt and Lê Đức Anh, became advisors to the Central Committee until 2001. Even after retiring, he remained an influential figure in Vietnamese politics.
How He Led
As a leader, Đỗ Mười brought order to the party's political system. He made sure that the Central Committee held at least three meetings each year. These meetings focused on important national issues.
Đỗ Mười encouraged group work and used ideas from experts, scientists, and even overseas Vietnamese. These groups helped prepare reports and suggestions for the Central Committee.
He tried to guide debates towards agreement. He avoided taking sides on controversial issues to prevent divisions within the Central Committee. If an agreement couldn't be reached, the task was given to the Politburo.
Unlike his predecessor, Nguyễn Văn Linh, Đỗ Mười did not push his own ideas strongly. He was more traditional in his views. He focused on keeping the state in control of the economy and maintaining strong party control over the country.
His Political Ideas
Đỗ Mười believed in a gradual "political renovation" that started in 1986. He thought economic reforms were most important, and political reforms came second. However, he also saw that economic changes sometimes showed weaknesses in the political system.
He wanted to improve the political system, not completely change it. He believed that any changes to laws should follow the ideas of Marxism–Leninism and Hồ Chí Minh Thought. He did not support calls to end the party's leadership. However, he did support making the party's decision-making process more democratic.
Đỗ Mười supported the idea of selling shares in state-owned businesses to employees. He wanted workers to feel like the true owners of these businesses. He often stressed the importance of industrialization, seeing it as a way to "catch up with world progress." He believed the market would drive industrialization, but the state-owned sector would guide it.
While he supported freedom of the press, he also believed that information needed to be guided. He said the press should support the socialist cause. He criticized media that used its freedom to criticize the party or socialism. By 1993, he felt that economic reforms had made the press too focused on money.
Later Life and Legacy
To many outside Vietnam, Đỗ Mười seemed like a quiet leader. But within the party, he was highly respected and sometimes called the "Godfather of Vietnamese politics."
His time as leader was marked by the Communist Party strengthening its role and remembering its past. In 1991, "Ho Chi Minh Thought" became a guiding idea for the country, along with Marxism–Leninism.
Đỗ Mười lived a long life, turning 100 on February 2, 2017. He was admitted to the Central Military Hospital 108 in Hanoi in April 2018. He passed away on October 1, 2018, at the age of 101.
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