The story of the caretaker of the memorial site of late General Secretary Le Hong Phong

Mindfulness of preserving precious assets for future generations

To the memorial site of the late General SecretaryLe Hong Phong(1902 - 1942) in Hung Thong commune (Hung Nguyen), people and tourists often meet a small man, diligently cleaning and taking care of the thatched house grounds. His name is Le Van Ngu (born 1949), a nephew of the late General Secretary Le Hong Phong, who has been guarding the relic for more than 26 years.

The thatched cottage grounds of the Memorial Site of the late General Secretary Le Hong Phong. Photo: Cong Kien

Having served in the army for 15 years, a disabled veteran with a disability rate of 61%, when assigned to protect and take care of the relic, Mr. Ngu always devoted himself to his work. Because, according to his family, he called the late General Secretary Le Hong Phong his uncle, his father and the late General Secretary were cousins.

While still in the Lao battlefield, Mr. Ngu read a document about role models.revolutionseniors, including comrade Le Hong Phong. Mr. Ngu was extremely happy and proudly told his unit that he was his cousin, lived near his house, and was the same age as his father.

Every day, Mr. Le Van Ngu cleans the thatched house and the relic site. Photo: Cong Kien

During his lifetime, Uncle Doan (Le Hong Phong) and his father were very close friends. When Uncle Doan left for the revolution, he invited Mr. Ngu's father to go with him. But Mr. Ngu's father was weak and uneducated, so he did not have enough confidence to go with his cousin.

Mr. Ngu said: “I took on this task in 1996, the scale of the Memorial was still small, located among the houses. At that time, I did almost everything, from security, cleaning the grounds to taking care of the incense, and when needed, explaining and introducing. Since 2012,Memorial areaIt was built on a large scale, with a management board, people to take care of the flower garden, bonsai and guides, my main job is to protect and take care of the thatched cottage grounds and the artifacts.

Mr. Le Van Ngu takes care of the relic site of the thatched house of the family of the late General Secretary Le Hong Phong. Photo: Cong Kien

It is worth mentioning that at first, when the Memorial Site was managed by the People's Committee of Hung Nguyen district, the budget was limited, so the monthly allowance was only 20 thousand VND, then increased to 30 thousand, then 50 thousand VND. Later, the Memorial Site was managed by the Provincial Monument Management Board, the allowance was increased. Although the allowance was very low at times, Mr. Ngu never complained or demanded, because he always kept in mind that what he did was to preserve precious assets for future generations.

I haven't slept in my own house for decades.

The work doesn't seem too hard, during the day just sweeping the house and yard, wiping dust off the floors.artifacts, incense on death anniversaries and Tet; at night he slept in the room in front of the gate. But in fact it was not very peaceful, especially on hot sunny days or stormy days Mr. Ngu did not sleep a wink.

On hot sunny days, the pump is always ready, not daring to leave during the day, not daring to sleep at night. On stormy days, it is also on duty day and night, waiting for the storm to pass before breathing a sigh of relief. Because the simple thatched roof, the old bamboo panels and wooden doors are difficult to withstand strong winds.

Mr. Le Van Ngu takes care of the ancestral altar of late General Secretary Le Hong Phong. Photo: Cong Kien

Over the past few decades, he has not slept at home many nights, most of the time he sleeps in a small room next to the campus gate.relicsthatched house of the family of the late General Secretary Le Hong Phong.

Over 26 years of working, Mr. Le Van Ngu has many unforgettable memories. The most memorable one was introducing and explaining to a group of tourists about a visit and learning. A guest in the group asked for more information but he did not know enough to answer.

The guest immediately said: "People in Hung Thong do not know about the late General Secretary Le Hong Phong as well as people in Hanoi." That statement made Mr. Ngu think, ponder for a long time and determined to find more documents, books and newspapers about comrade Le Hong Phong to read, research and supplement the article.explanationmore seasoned and answer questions from visitors.

Mr. Le Van Ngu wipes dust off exhibits at the thatched house of the family of the late General Secretary Le Hong Phong. Photo: Cong Kien

Not only that, he also composed an epic poem about the late General Secretary, opening with the following verses: "Mr. Quan was from Dong village/He gave birth to Huy Doan, who was devoted to the people/Born in poverty/Only because the colonialists harmed the race/At the end of 1902/There was a man named Huy Doan who sang a long song...".

At the age of 73 and 53 years of Party membership, Mr. Le Van Ngu is still committed and dedicated to his work.protect, taking care of incense at the Memorial Site of the late General Secretary Le Hong Phong.