The car that took Uncle Ho back to his hometown.
Visiting the Kim Lien National Special Historical Site in Kim Lien commune (Nam Dan district, Nghe An province), many tourists linger for a long time beside the command car with license plate BA400, proudly displayed in the exhibition area. This is the very car that transported President Ho Chi Minh on his first visit to his hometown.
According to the tour guide at the historical site: After 50 years away from his homeland engaged in revolutionary activities, President Ho Chi Minh finally had the opportunity to visit his hometown. That day, June 14, 1957, when the helicopter carrying President Ho Chi Minh landed at Vinh airport, he stepped down to shake hands and embrace everyone.
One thing that surprised the leaders of Nghe An province was that Uncle Ho did not travel in the car prepared by the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, but instead got into an old command car driven by Mr. Nguyen Dinh Ngoc (Mr. Ngoc was assigned the task of driving and providing outer perimeter security).
Knowing that the leaders of Nghe An province and the security forces were worried about his safety, Uncle Ho gently said: "No one can protect me better than the people." Then, he told Mr. Ngoc to drive straight to the center of Vinh city for a sightseeing tour, waving to the people along the road before heading towards Kim Lien (Nam Dan). Having heard the news of Uncle Ho's visit to his hometown through the radio system, people poured out onto both sides of the road from Vinh to Kim Lien to wave and greet him.
Returning to his hometown after so many years away, he still remembered vividly the entrances, the gates, the placement of furniture in the house, the trees planted, his relatives, his village... Wherever things were arranged incorrectly, he would guide everyone to rearrange them.
Beginning his conversation with the villagers, Uncle Ho recited two lines of poetry: "Homeland, a place of deep affection and profound love / Fifty years have passed, and how much love there is." Before parting ways, Uncle Ho instructed the cadres and people of Kim Lien commune to strive to become a model commune.
On December 8, 1961, during his second visit to his hometown, President Ho Chi Minh enthusiastically praised Kim Lien commune for successfully fulfilling his instructions, receiving three medals from the Government for three consecutive years for its work in labor exchange, agricultural collectivization, and literacy programs.
