Definition

Noun: - The "Three Withs": A historical Vietnamese policy and practice, particularly associated with land reform and cadre work in the mid-20th century. It refers to the directive for cadres and officials to live with, eat with, and work with the local people, especially poor peasants, to understand their lives and mobilize them.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Các cán bộ thực hiện chính sách ba cùng với nông dân. (Cadres implemented the "Three Withs" policy with the farmers.)
  • Tinh thần ba cùng đã từng là một phương châm quan trọng. (The "Three Withs" spirit was once an important guideline.)

Advanced Usage

• This term is strongly tied to specific historical periods in Vietnam, notably the Land Reform (Cải cách ruộng đất) and subsequent mass mobilization campaigns. It carries ideological and historical connotations.
• In modern usage, it can be referenced metaphorically or critically when discussing grassroots work, bureaucratic detachment, or historical analysis.

Variants and Related Words

• Cùng ăn, cùng ở, cùng làm: The full Vietnamese phrase meaning "eat together, live together, work together," which is the explicit meaning of "ba cùng."
• Đi cơ sở: To go to the grassroots/base level (a related concept of working directly with the people).

Synonyms

• Gần dân: To be close to the people.
• Sống và làm việc trong dân: To live and work among the people.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Theo phương châm ba cùng: Following the "Three Withs" motto.
• Tinh thần ba cùng: The "Three Withs" spirit.

1. Three "with" (live with, eat with and work with)