The story of bringing precious trees from Nghe An to plant at Uncle Ho's Mausoleum

Listening to me tell the story of the fall of 1974, when we, the young soldiers and youth union members of the Artillery Command (stationed at Doi Can slope, Hanoi), were allowed to participate in the construction of President Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, the former forest ranger in his 80s said:
- Journalists, do you know that in the two rows of "green guards" of 18 cycads standing in front of the Mausoleum to guard his sleep, there are 9 trees selected from Do Luong district and brought there.
- Yes... This is the first time I've heard this information!
- Now, only Mr. Vo Van Vy, a forestry engineer, who was assigned by Nghe An Forestry Department at that time to directly participate from the beginning, knows most fully about the province's contribution of precious trees and woods to participate in the construction of Uncle Ho's Mausoleum.
And I (the author) met Mr. Vo Van Vy (born in 1943), retired in 2002 from Nghe An Forest Protection Department, private residence in hamlet 2, Phuc Tho commune, Nghi Loc district... Mr. Vy said, the story happened 46 years ago, now I have to open the work book to clearly record the content and time of the work to tell the story.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Photo: Symphony

And here is Mr. Vy's story:

“In early 1975, while the whole country was focusing on the Spring Offensive, I was assigned by the Nghe An Forestry Department to be in charge of the main unit consisting of 2 groups: a technical staff group to survey, select, and make records of precious trees and precious woods; a group to take care of the tree species brought from Nghe An to be presented to the Mausoleum. The work took place for more than 3 months in the great forest.
Trees around the Mausoleum are a part of the Mausoleum. The plants must ensure national character, simplicity, modernity, solemnity, and deep symbolic meaning, especially the plants that Uncle Ho loved during his lifetime. The arrangement of trees where Uncle Ho rests requires strictness, meticulousness, and meticulousness, ensuring science while being simple and solemn, demonstrating the unity of national character with modernity. Each tree species planted around the Mausoleum has typical colors and scents representing each locality, each region, evoking the image of the whole country familiar and close together around Uncle Ho. The construction of the Mausoleum began on September 2, 1973. The Politburo requested that when the Mausoleum was completed, the planting of trees in the Mausoleum area must also be basically completed.
After Mr. Truong Chinh - Head of the Board, Mr. Do Muoi - Deputy Head of the Mausoleum Construction Command Board, with the leadership of Nghe An province including Mr. Le Nhu - Chairman of the Provincial Fatherland Front and Mr. Nguyen Sy Que - Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Duong Van Dat - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee agreed, on February 16, 1975, Nghe An province chaired the first meeting with the Forestry, Culture - Information, Police sectors, and the mountainous districts of the West. At the meeting, Nghe An proposed the Central Government to allow the province to prepare many species of trees and precious woods to offer to Uncle Ho's Mausoleum. While waiting for the Central Government's response, all districts with forests wanted to bring many precious trees to plant next to the Mausoleum. Nam Dan district registered hibiscus, man hao, lotus, and jasmine trees; Thanh Chuong registered palm trees, mai can (like hop trees); Do Luong registered cycads; Que Phong registered cinnamon and ironwood trees; Nghi Loc registered the Xa Doai orange tree... When the commander of the Mausoleum project announced that Nghe An was allowed to choose hibiscus, man hao, cycad, and meter trees, the province asked to bring one more banyan tree, but Mr. Truong Chinh said the two banyan trees in front of the Mausoleum gate had been planted by the Central Government.

Mr. Vo Van Vy with a notebook. Photo: GH

In early March 1975, the technical department selected hibiscus at the entrance to Lang Sen's paternal hometown; man hao at the entrance to Hoang Tru's maternal hometown; cycads in Do Luong district, and cycads in Tuong Duong district. Cycads are perennial trees with straight, thick trunks and leaves spreading evenly around the trunk, looking like green mushrooms. Among the 9 cycads that met the standard height of over or under 1 meter selected from Bac Son commune, Do Luong district, there was 1 tree from a family's ancestral temple, 1 tree from the Bac Son tree planting association, and the remaining 7 trees belonged to families including: Mr. Le Dang Yet in team 3, Mr. Le Trong Quang, Mr. Le Doan Hoai, both in team 10, Bac Son cooperative.

Mr. Vo Van Vy (second from left) with colleagues. Photo provided by family

On March 24, 1975, Mr. Nguyen Sy Hoa - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee chaired a meeting to set a date of May 19 to gather all the trees and precious woods in the area of ​​Uncle Ho's Mausoleum. Nghe An Cargo Transport Company sent 4 spotless trucks, selected 4 drivers (all of whom were Emulation Soldiers who had achieved excellent results serving on the battlefields) to take the vehicles to the locations where the trees were prepared. The vehicle with the license plate BID 032 driven by Mr. Phan Viet Khuong carried 9 cycads; the vehicle with the license plate BIU 466 driven by Mr. Nguyen Khac Viet carried hibiscus and manhao trees; the vehicle with the license plate BIU 432 driven by Mr. Tran Dang Ty, the vehicle with the license plate BIT 323 driven by Mr. Dinh Van Nghi carried 1 meter.

The convoy of vehicles carrying trees from various locations gathered in Vinh, along with several vehicles of the Police Department on escort duty, all solemnly performed the ceremony of offering precious trees and precious wood to serve the construction of Uncle Ho's Mausoleum, then the convoy headed straight to Hanoi. The Nghe An convoy gathered at the Mausoleum area, the main technical department led by me (ie Mr. Vo Van Vy - TG) was in charge of hanging mosquito nets at the scene to preserve and take care of the trees until completing the procedures for handing over the trees like handing over people, then the whole convoy returned to Nghe An.