110-year-old woman in Nghe An can recite poems from more than half a century ago

110 year old woman has 112 children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.

One day in early Spring, we visited Mrs. Ho Thi Yen (commonly known as Mrs. Khang, after her eldest daughter). Asking for directions to her house was not difficult because almost everyone here knew the “110-year-old lady”.

Although it was early spring, the weather was cold, so the old man covered himself tightly in his room with a cotton blanket. The youngest son, Nguyen Dinh Dam (58 years old), invited him to get up, but he only heard a hum. Suddenly remembering, Mr. Dam said loudly, "Mom, wake up, the children are here to give him lucky money."

Mr. Yen and his great-grandchild. Photo: Nhu Binh

Turning to us, Mr. Dam smiled: “An old man is worth two children. I am this old but I only like lucky money.” Hearing her son’s voice, the old woman immediately opened the blanket, sat up, tied a velvet scarf over her head to keep warm, and smiled toothlessly when she was complimented on her beauty. Deep wrinkles appeared on her face, which was full of age spots, whenever she smiled.

Mr. Dam carried his mother out to the yard to sunbathe. Putting his arm around his youngest son, who would be old enough to join the Elderly Association in just two years, Mrs. Yen joked, “Mom is fat, so she is very heavy.” With her son’s encouragement, the old woman happily read the guest a poem about the August Revolution:“Autumn in August/At dawn on the fourteenth, around the fifth watch/In the formation, some were standing and some were lying down/Hearing the rumbling of gunfire outside the sea/The enemy must have sent warships/To rob something offshore....”. When asked about her age, the old lady smiled toothlessly: “I am 100 years old this year plus 4 years and 6 years. I was born in the year of Quy Suu (1913 - PV)”.

Mrs. Ho Thi Yen. Photo: Nhu Binh

When asked about her husband and children, the 110-year-old woman joked: “I was 12 years old, my husband was 10 years old, so I was sure he would like me, so we just waited until they were older to get married. I gave birth to 9 children in total, but the first 3 unfortunately got sick and died early, leaving 6 children. I can’t remember all the grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. My husband was in the army before me, but he “left” long before me.”

When mentioning her late husband, Mrs. Yen was very happy. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Che (born in 1915 - Mrs. Yen's husband) joined the army, Mrs. Yen stayed home to take care of her parents and raise her children. Like many women in times of war, the young wife encouraged her husband to go to war and fulfill his duty to the Fatherland. Then she excitedly read another poem: "To preserve the territory/We should sacrifice/If the family ideology/Know when independence/What my brother said/I also agree/... Our family is complete/It's not that bad/My father just go/Leave the young children alone/The old parents alone/I'll ​​put the family matters aside/I'll ​​take care of the social matters/Tomorrow when independence and freedom come/The whole people will enjoy it together/We, husband and wife, will enjoy it together...”.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung wished Ho Thi Yen a long life on her 110th birthday. Photo: Nhu Binh

As if reading our surprise at the lucidity and sharp memory of the old lady who had lived through two centuries, Mr. Dam explained: “She is lucid only in stages. Sometimes when she wakes up, she remembers everything and tells it in detail, but a moment later she forgets everything. Her children also sometimes remember and sometimes forget. Her eyes can no longer see anything, she can mainly distinguish her children by their voices.”

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Ngu (70 years old, the fifth child and eldest son, currently directly taking care of and supporting Mrs. Yen) took out a notebook with a list of family members. At this time, his family has 5 generations, including Mrs. Yen, 5 children (one second youngest passed away in 2021), 28 grandchildren, 72 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great-grandchildren, a total of 111 people, not counting daughters-in-law and sons-in-law.

Eat fish and rice, sleep during the day, stay up at night

Old Yen's bed had a guardrail added after he fell off the bed a few years ago. His life now revolves around the bed, with milk and bread placed on the small table at the bedside, so that he can get something to eat when he's hungry. In his old age, he lives mainly with his memories. During the day, the whole family closes the door to go to work in the fields, and he covers himself with a blanket to sleep. At night, he stays up until dawn, talking to himself, all about things from many years ago.

Mr. Yen and his eldest son Nguyen Dinh Ngu. Photo: Nhu Binh

“She eats three meals a day, a bowl of rice for each meal, mainly rice with fish, and doesn’t like to eat meat. She has only lost a few teeth, but is still very healthy, and chews very carefully. She also eats soft fruits and drinks milk and health supplements,” said Mr. Ngu. According to Mr. Ngu, at the age of 87, Mrs. Yen suffered a near-death illness, with pleural effusion. After being discharged from the hospital and returning home, she still had to use high doses of antibiotics for a long time. However, after that, she hardly experienced any serious illness other than the usual cold. Eight years ago, Mrs. Yen’s eyesight became blurred and then completely blind, but her hearing was still quite sharp.

Mr. Yen's family currently has 5 generations with 111 children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Photo: Nhu Binh

Despite her old age, she sometimes gets confused and can’t even recognize her own children, but in Mr. Ngu’s heart, his 110-year-old mother is always a virtuous, gentle, cheerful person, creating a warm and happy atmosphere in the house. “When her children do something wrong, she never scolds them, nor raises her voice or speaks harshly. Only when she is happy, she chooses her words carefully, analyzes for her children what is wrong and what is right, and knows what needs to be fixed to maintain harmony in the family. Therefore, although my family has 5 generations, there is absolutely no mother-in-law and daughter-in-law,” Mr. Ngu proudly said.

According to Mr. Ngu, Ho Thi Yen has gone through a long journey in life but is still healthy. This is not only a joy and pride but also a blessing for her children and grandchildren to be filial to their mother and grandmother. This joy and pride reminds her children and grandchildren to always live with filial piety, solidarity, responsibility and love for each other.

Mr. Ngu was also very surprised and very happy to receive information aboutlongevity celebrationWhen my mother turned 110 years old, she received many congratulations when she posted on social media. “Everyone sent wishes for my mother to live a long life. That is also the wish of our extended family. My mother's life has gone through more than a century of hardship and difficulty in raising her children to adulthood. Now we just hope that she will live healthy, always be optimistic, love life and be a spiritual support for her children and grandchildren in life,” Mr. Ngu shared./.