One time met the General

Jackie Chan/USSH

People come to pay their respects to General Vo Nguyen Giap at his home at 30 Hoang Dieu, on the afternoon of October 10, 2013.

A comrade in the General's office told us: "You are allowed to visit the General for 30 minutes." We understood that it was a military order.

We were arranged in the General's living room. The living room was small and there were many of us, so some people sat while the majority had to stand. Luckily, I was seated opposite the General. After everyone had settled down, the General asked:

- Which unit are you from?

- Sir, we are from Division 338 that you visited.

The general asked:

- How is To Ki these days?

We looked at each other, no one could answer the General's question. Major General To Ki was the commander of the Cuu Long Division (Division 338). The General still remembered the commander of our division, but we had forgotten our famous commander. This was a lesson in humanity and comradeship that I still consider a moral lesson at the age of 50.

The General asked each person what they did and where they lived. When it came to me, I told the General about my occupation. The General asked:

- Are you interested in the country's economy?

I replied:

Yes sir !

And I sat down and told the General about the country's economic achievements that year. After listening to my presentation, the General continued to ask:

- So do you compare our country's economic development with that of neighboring countries?

I cannot answer this question because I have never made that comparison. The General explained:

- If you only look at your own achievements without looking at the people around you to see how they develop, you will not progress.

The lesson of comparing similar objects in the same context is a lesson we learned in our early years of university. But it was only after meeting the General and listening to his teachings that we truly absorbed the comparison-contrast method and paid special attention to it in our scientific activities.

When we met the General, many of us were retired, with gray hair. However, the General still advised: “Comrades, you must study. Only by studying can you progress and continue to serve.”

We sat with the General for an hour and a half. It was the first time we had disobeyed orders from our superiors, but it was also the hour in which I learned the most in my school life.