Little known story about the merchant's wife donating 5,000 taels of gold

Inheriting a famous family, Mrs. Hoang Thi Minh Ho worked without a day off, contributing to bringing her husband's family's business to a rare peak...

Arranged marriage but full of happiness

Businesswoman Hoang Thi Minh Ho (born 1914, living at 21 Hang Dao, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) is the daughter of Hoang Dao Phuong, a merchant and a learned Confucian scholar.

In a conversation with VietNamNet, Mr. Trinh Can Chinh (6th son of businessman Trinh Van Bo and Hoang Thi Minh Ho) shared that in her youth, Mrs. Hoang Thi Minh Ho, like many young women in Hanoi in the past, often wore scarves, ao dai, and wooden clogs.

She had fair skin, a high nose, and a pretty face. Many young men were attracted to her. Most of them were sons of prominent families in Hanoi.

At the age of 18, Hoang Thi Minh Ho married Trinh Van Bo, was given a separate house by her parents at 48 Hang Ngang and inherited the Phuc Loi silk trading business.

Mr. Trinh Can Chinh said: "My grandparents' criteria for choosing a son-in-law were very strict. They wanted a son-in-law who was virtuous, talented, and of equal social standing. My father, Trinh Van Bo, was the son of the wealthy Trinh family, who owned the famous Phuc Loi brand. His house was also right on Hang Ngang, just over 100m from my mother's house on Hang Dao. Both sets of parents were also close friends for a long time. In 1932, my mother got married when she turned 18."

"My mother told me that when she was of age, she also fell in love with another man, but when her parents arranged for her to marry my father, she still silently nodded. It was an arranged marriage, but throughout the years they lived together, I never once saw them say harsh words to each other," Mr. Chinh added.

"In the past, men had five wives and seven concubines. My father was handsome, knowledgeable, and born into a wealthy family, so many women secretly admired him. But in all those years with my mother, having seven children together, my father never once did anything wrong to her," Mr. Chinh affirmed.

According to Mr. Chinh, his father was the son of a wealthy family. Even after he had a wife and children, he still occasionally indulged in outside pleasures. He loved playing chess and mahjong. Many times, his father was so addicted that his mother was also annoyed and angry. She did not speak harshly or criticize him, but only carried out a "cold war" and did not say anything, which made his father extremely worried.

Huge fortune and great contributions to the country

After inheriting the Phuc Loi fabric brand at 7 Hang Ngang with an initial capital of 30 thousand Dong Duong, with her innate talent, Mrs. Hoang Thi Minh Ho worked tirelessly to develop her career with her husband.

Their married life is so peaceful, but what makes many people admire the business couple Trinh Van Bo and Hoang Thi Minh Ho more is their business ability to bring the Phuc Loi silk industry and brand to a rare peak.

Mr. Trinh Can Chinh said: "My parents work very hard. After a tiring day, when people finish their meal and rest, my parents are still busy taking care of orders. During the holidays, people are free, but during the Tet holiday, my family has 30 people working day and night.

Initially, from domestic contracts from Yen Bai, Lao Cai..., my parents expanded to foreign markets. They did business with Asian countries like India, European countries like France, England. My mother was capable and agile in charge of the transactions, my father was well-educated and knew many languages ​​(English, French), he was an interpreter (translator) for her.

According to Mr. Chinh, at the time his parents were in business, at his house, the silk warehouse was as high as a mountain, and servants were always busy to serve the family and the silk trading business.

They were so rich that: "My parents had a car to take them wherever they went. The house was full of servants and maids. Each child in the family had a nanny to take care of their meals and sleep" - Mr. Chinh said.

Although they have the means to eat well, dress well, and enjoy the luxurious lifestyle of contemporary society, the business couple always believes: "If you make 10 dong in sales, keep 7 dong, and help the poor and do good deeds."

During the famine of 1945, the businessman couple also promptly brought money to help the people, bought 1,000 tickets to distribute porridge to the hungry, thanks to which many people narrowly escaped death.

Then, responding to the "Golden Week" in 1945 launched by the Government, the family of businessmen Trinh Van Bo and Hoang Thi Minh Ho donated 5,147 taels of gold, while the national treasury at that time only had 1.2 million Indochinese coins, most of which were torn and unusable.

In addition, businessman Trinh Van Bo and his wife were also key members of the "Golden Week" Campaign Committee, encouraging the business community and people to donate 20 million Indochinese piastres and 370 kg of gold.

Mr. Trinh Can Chinh also said: “My mother once told me that in the winter of 1956, the weather was so cold that she went to Dinh Bang - Cho Giau and saw that she was wearing a warm sweater while the children were only wearing thin clothes, naked, with purple lips from the cold. She decided to go home and sew clothes to give to the children.”

In the family, the wealthy businessman couple also made the servants respect and love them. Many wealthy families treat their servants very strictly, but businessman Trinh Van Bo and his wife never raised their voices to reprimand their servants.

For any family with financial difficulties, at the end of the year, in addition to their salary, businessman Trinh Van Bo and his wife also give them extra money to go home to celebrate Tet with their families… That is why, in this wealthy family's shop, there has never been a case of servants embezzling money or stealing fabric to sell.

Responding to President Ho Chi Minh's call, Mr. Trinh Van Bo's family (Hanoi) donated 5,147 taels of gold to help the new government solve financial difficulties after the August Revolution.

According to Vietnamnet.vn