Relic cluster of Chua village (Hoang Tru village) Maternal hometown - Where President Ho Chi Minh was born

Turn left along the smooth asphalt road like a silk strip for about 1km, visitors will come across a peaceful village like many other Vietnamese villages, with banyan trees, a ferry and bamboo hedges... That is Hoang Tru village (locally called Chua village - according to the dialect reading, Trua village) a name that has gone down in history, into the hearts of millions of people along with the name of President Ho Chi Minh - national liberation hero, great cultural figure.

The relic cluster of President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace in Chua village is located in a garden of 7 sao in the Central region (3,500m²). There are three houses here, two thatched houses, one tiled house, each house has very sacred relics, touching people's hearts, because it revives memories of President Ho Chi Minh's childhood and the only time he returned here after more than half a century of leaving to find a way to save the country.

I - Hoang family branch church:

The Hoang Xuan family originated from Hoang Van village, Kim Dong district, Khoai Chau prefecture, Son Nam town (now Hong Tien village, Kim Thi district, Hung Yen province). This is a powerful and powerful family, through many dynasties, many people were awarded the title of Marquis and Duke. From Kim Dong land, obeying the court's orders, many excellent children of the Hoang family spread out to many places to fight enemies, defend the country and make a living. The ancestor of the Hoang family in Chua village held the position of Vo Ban general under the Vinh To dynasty (1619 - 1643). During the campaign to suppress the rebellion in Thuan Quang region, he married a woman from Nghia Liet village, Hung Nguyen district, and founded the Hoang family here.

The Hoang family in Duong Xa village, Phu Long commune, Hung Nguyen district, in the 9th generation, Hoang Phac Can married a woman from Hoang Tru village and lived there, establishing the Hoang family. Five generations later, Hoang Xuan Can - passed three bachelor's exams, gave birth to Hoang Duong (also known as Hoang Xuan Cat), President Ho Chi Minh's maternal grandfather.

This church was built by Mr. Hoang Duong to worship his great-grandfather Hoang Xuan Muou (also known as Hoang Trong Mao), his grandfather Hoang Xuan Ly and his father Hoang Xuan Can. The year of completion is clearly written on the beam "Tu Duc tam thap tue nien chi tue tao hoan" (completed in the 34th year of Tu Duc - 1882).

On the couplet in front of the church there are a couplet that speaks of the prestige of the family:

"Hoang Van righteous spirit passed down through the ages

"The heroic battle shook the world for hundreds of years."

Mean:"Hoang Van good air passed down from thousands of years ago

Chung Cu's heroic voice will echo for ten thousand years to come.

The church architecture has one main room and two side rooms, in front there is a porch, in front of the yard is a dry pond and a pair of Cycads and a pair of Peony trees as a beautiful screen. The house is made of ironwood, the ironwood door has two bars. From the time of construction until President Ho Chi Minh was born and spent his childhood here, the church was thatched. In 1930, relatives contributed money and labor to build walls and roof tiles.

The altars are arranged simply and solemnly. In particular, there is a statue of the Buddha named Hoang Duong written by Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac - President Ho Chi Minh's father, expressing his respect for his beloved teacher and father-in-law. In addition, there are big drums and bronze cymbals used for rituals on death anniversaries and Tet holidays.

During his childhood in Chua Village (1890 - 1895) and his teenage years in Sen Village (1901 - 1906), Nguyen Sinh Cung often followed his father to the church to offer incense and flowers, commemorating the ancestors of the Hoang family with a sincere heart. Through his father's explanation, he understood the origin and glorious tradition of the Hoang Xuan family.

II - House of Mr. Hoang Duong - President Ho Chi Minh's maternal grandfather

Coming to the Hoang Tru relic complex, behind the bamboo hedge in front of the gate, visitors can immediately see a five-room thatched house, in front of which are two rows of carefully trimmed plum trees. That is the house of Hoang Duong and Nguyen Thi Kep - the maternal grandparents of President Ho Chi Minh.

Born into a family of scholars, his father Hoang Xuan Can passed three exams of the bachelor's degree. As a child, Mr. Hoang Duong was trained in a "cradle" of Chinese studies. Although he did not have any academic degree, he was famous for his knowledge, and the people in the area often called him Mr. Do An.

In his youth, Hoang Duong was a refined, intelligent, and calm man. According to custom, his father arranged his marriage with Nguyen Thi Kep - the daughter of his colleague, Mr. Tu Men Nguyen Van Giap - from Ke Sia (now Hung Dao commune - Hung Nguyen district, Nghe An province). Nguyen Thi Kep was a well-educated village girl, from a Confucian family with a strong sense of morality. When they became husband and wife, the two lived happily, in harmony with each other in a simple thatched house. In 1868, they had their first daughter, Hoang Thi Loan - the mother of President Ho Chi Minh. It was not until 9 years later that they had their second daughter, Hoang Thi An.

During the Tet Mau Dan (1878) during his New Year trip to Lang Sen, he met the orphaned boy Nguyen Sinh Sac and took him in to raise him as his own son. Not letting down his merit and heart, Nguyen Sinh Sac brought glory to this family and left his name forever.

Of the five rooms in the house, the three outside rooms are connected to the church, creating a cool atmosphere. In the first room, Mr. Duong placed a four-panel bench as a place to teach. His students were mainly children in the area. This bench was where the young Nguyen Sinh Sac began his studies. With the dedicated and devoted teaching of Mr. Hoang Duong, Nguyen Sinh Sac's studies progressed rapidly. After several years of studying diligently, Nguyen Sinh Sac's knowledge was quite rich, he could sing and comment on literature with the best students in the previous class. With his sensitivity, Mr. Hoang Duong discovered the promising talent of his adopted son, he sent Nguyen Sinh Sac to study with the famous teacher Nguyen Thuc Tu in Thinh Truong, Nghi Loc district. With many hardships and difficulties, having to save from the income from farming and weaving, the two elders devoted their efforts and money to nurturing the talent of their intelligent and filial adopted son.

The second room has a desk and a bamboo sofa. On the desk, outside there is a stone inkstone and a brush box, these learning tools are closely associated with Hoang Duong's teaching and Nguyen Sinh Sac's studying; inside the desk there is a set of jackfruit seed vases and cups, a wine jar. This room is where Hoang Duong and his Confucian scholars and friends drink wine, drink tea, recite poems and discuss current events.

The third room had a four-panel wooden bench shorter than the one in the first room. This was where Hoang Duong and Nguyen Sinh Sac rested. When inspired, this teacher-student, father-son pair often discussed historical anecdotes together or interpreted the words of the sages and a few favorite literary sentences. This was a very good environment for the development of Nguyen Sinh Sac's talent.

The room had a bed made of mahogany, bamboo blinds, and a simple mat, where Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kep rested. On that simple, rustic bed, she gave birth to two beautiful daughters.

The fifth room is where the family lives daily. Here is the loom, where Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kep, with her diligence, worked hard to increase the family's income. It was also here that she tutored and trained her two daughters to love work, work hard and be skillful. The fabric guild's melody played from this loom has made many handsome young men flutter.

When Nguyen Sinh Sac was eighteen, he had become a handsome and intelligent young man, and Hoang Thi Loan was also a grown-up girl. Admiring the virtue and talent of the orphaned student, Mr. Hoang Duong had the intention of marrying him to his first daughter. At first, the old lady was afraid of being laughed at by the world, so she did not agree. Mr. Duong went to Ke Sia village to invite her father-in-law to visit and give advice. Understanding her husband's good intentions and truly loving her talented and filial adopted son, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kep happily accepted her husband's intention. After many years living together under the same roof, the elegant couple Nguyen Sinh Sac - Hoang Thi Loan had a deep and secret affection for each other. Their faces were radiant with happiness when the engagement ceremony was held at the end of 1881 at this house. Two years later, the wedding ceremony took place.

All the mementos in this house still carry the sacred warmth of President Ho Chi Minh's childhood. His childhood was passed down from generation to generation by his grandparents and Aunt An, who cherished and pampered him. On hot summer afternoons, his grandmother would rock the hammock and sing lullabies to lull him to sleep, immersed in lyrical folk songs, imbued with love for his homeland and country. On clear mornings, he listened to his grandfather or father teach, and occasionally Aunt An would run out to the garden to pick a few apples as a gift for her beloved nephew.

From a young age, Nguyen Sinh Cung showed extraordinary intelligence. Therefore, the whole family was very happy and paid attention to taking care of him and teaching him to respect his grandparents and parents, to love work, to be friendly with friends, to love his homeland and to nurture great and beautiful ambitions. In the special loving arms of his relatives, he soon recognized many things about the world around him and soon formed a unique personality. This environment was one of the first cradles that created the premise for the formation and development of beautiful feelings and noble personality of President Ho Chi Minh.

When Mr. Hoang Duong passed away on April 7, 1893 (Quy Ty), Nguyen Sinh Sac took good care of his beloved teacher and father-in-law. His filial piety is still a shining example for the villagers of Chua Lang Sen.

The life of Mr. Hoang Duong has gone down in history with the happiness of being the person who discovered and nurtured the talent of Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac - the father of President Ho Chi Minh, bringing about a beautiful love that gave birth to the nation's greatest man.

III - The house where President Ho Chi Minh was born

In 1883, to prepare for the wedding of his two children, Nguyen Sinh Sac and Hoang Thi Loan, Mr. Hoang Duong built them a three-room thatched house as their private residence after the wedding. This simple thatched house was the love nest, marking the happy years of President Ho Chi Minh's family.

All the furniture in the house is simple and arranged neatly, conveniently, harmoniously and cozy.

In the outer room, next to the small window at the end of the gable, there was a desk (for inkstone and brush pen) and two square chairs, and above it, two shelves of holy books were placed in the inner corner. This was where Nguyen Sinh Sac studied. On this small table, countless pages of books were opened, giving wings to his life as a scholar. Many times, Mr. Hoang Duong came here to discuss literature with his son. Looking at the strong and profound handwriting in the exercises, he was secretly happy and full of hope for the future of his intelligent and studious son-in-law.

But during the decline of Confucianism, the country was in a state of crisis and chaos, so the story of "learning talent but taking exams is fate" was also a common thing. Until the moment of his death (1893), Mr. Hoang Duong still had not seen the glory of the imperial examination come to his beloved son. After many years of studying hard and teaching to help his wife earn a living, it was not until the Giap Ngo provincial examination in the 6th year of Thanh Thai's reign (1894) at Nghe school that Nguyen Sinh Sac passed the bachelor's degree. The good news quickly spread to Chua village, and many people came to celebrate. As for himself, the new graduate Nguyen Sinh Sac considered this a gift to show his gratitude to his father-in-law, but his family was in a period of great mourning, so he only prepared a tray of betel leaves to present to the village. Everyone in the village and outside the commune praised his will and filial piety.

The outer room had a three-paneled bed, where Mr. Sac rested after hours of work and study. In his free time, father and son played together and waited for their mother to cook. As a child, Nguyen Sinh Cung was taught to babble by his parents, who explained the pros and cons, and kindled distant dreams in his soul.

The bench is also a place to receive guests, sometimes to receive colleagues who come to discuss literature and poetry, sometimes to receive neighbors with a pot of boiled potatoes and a bowl of warm green tea, creating a sense of neighborly love.

Two inner rooms with many valuable artifacts, marking sacred memories of President Ho Chi Minh's family.

In the middle room next to the fence was a small bed made of mahogany, 1 meter 68 long and 1 meter wide, with a bamboo ladder and bamboo blinds, and a wooden mat spread on top. In front of the bed was a curtain made of brown dyed cloth.

Visitors coming here, when standing in front of this bed, are all very moved. Because on this very simple and small bed, the happy years of the young couple Nguyen Sinh Sac - Hoang Thi Loan gave birth to three excellent children for the country.

In 1884, he gave birth to his first daughter: Nguyen Thi Thanh.

In 1888, Nguyen Sinh Khiem was born.

On May 19, 1890, the baby boy Nguyen Sinh Cung cried out at birth - a person whose birth 100 years later, Unesco solemnly celebrated as a national liberation hero and a great cultural figure.

The house, the bed - these relics have become priceless historical evidence, recording the birth and childhood years of a great man.

Next to the bed is a small wooden chest used to store rice and other family treasures. The chest was a dowry gift from Mr. Kep ​​to his daughter when she moved out. As a child, President Ho Chi Minh followed this chest to learn to walk. Those were the first steps in his life, and then he would continue his journeys across the four seas and five continents to find a way to save the country, to return to liberate the country and liberate his people.

In the third room, at the end of the bed, there was a loom. Every day, working hard in the fields, every night, after taking care of meals for her husband and children, mother Hoang Thi Loan sat at the loom, under the light of a peanut oil lamp, diligently weaving cloth and silk to earn extra income to support her family. Her skillful feet and soft hands wove smooth cloth and silk bells and also contributed to weaving the life and career of her husband and children.

While following the rhythmic sound of the shuttle, she rocked the hammock to lull her child to sleep with soaring folk melodies, nurturing deep hopes and noble dreams:

"Oh my!... make the hungry clean, the ragged fragrant

"Fame and reputation are lightly brushed aside, the country must be rewarded"

Good"Oh my child, I have something to tell you."

Take care of books and food for the family..."

President Ho Chi Minh's rich knowledge of folk culture was initially nurtured by his young mother.

Every night in the outer room, the scholar Sac studied hard, while in the inner room, Loan worked hard weaving. The couple stayed up together, encouraging each other to work and study. And in that lullaby, the wife's intention to her husband was also very subtle.

The relics in these two houses vividly reflect the warm, happy atmosphere, the hard work, and the simple lifestyle of President Ho Chi Minh's family. It also records the moment of birth, the first steps, and the expressions of affection of the boy Nguyen Sinh Cung. His peaceful childhood was developed comprehensively under the care of all family members, especially his kind mother.

In 1895, Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac went to Hue to take the Hoi exam in the year of the Goat but failed. Knowing his talent, the Imperial Academy accepted him. After returning to his hometown, he discussed with his wife to create conditions for him to continue studying to become famous on the path of the mandarin career. Feeling sorry for her husband, Mrs. Loan had overcome difficult circumstances, her father had just passed away, her mother was old and weak with no one to depend on, her younger sister had just gotten married, and her children were still young. She left her eldest daughter to take care of her grandmother and then, together with her husband and two sons, crossed the thousand-mile road to the capital Hue. In the middle of a strange land, she alone had to struggle to earn a living for the whole family, support her husband and children to go to school. In addition to studying at Imperial Academy, Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac also taught extra classes in Duong No village to earn extra money to help his wife.

Many difficulties and hardships were piled on the mother's shoulders, but with great sacrifice, Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan devoted herself to her husband and children, the family atmosphere was always harmonious and warm.

But the family burden became heavier and heavier. At the end of 1900, she gave birth to another son, Nguyen Sinh Xin. The boy's name recorded a memory of the family's hardships and difficulties in the capital. During this time, her husband and eldest son were away, and after a few days of giving birth, she had to get up and sit at the loom to weave cloth to earn a living. And disaster struck unexpectedly: she fell seriously ill, although she tried very hard, and her ten-year-old son, Nguyen Sinh Cung, shared her hardships and difficulties, took care of her wholeheartedly, and encouraged her with care, she could not survive. On the 22nd of the Canh Ty month, February 10, 1901, she breathed her last breath in the arms and with the infinite sorrow of her beloved son, Nguyen Sinh Cung.

Her body was taken by relatives and Nguyen Sinh Cung through Thanh Long gate of Hue citadel by boat, upstream of Huong Giang river to be buried at the foot of Tam Tang mountain, Ngu Binh range, Hue city.

Passing away at the youthful age of 33, her life was not short. She lived her life to the fullest, had time to create and entrust her dreams to her beloved husband and intelligent and clever children. Forever people will remember the beauty, intelligence, and soul of the mother of a genius, an outstanding great person of the Vietnamese people.

Returning to Hue with a sorrowful heart, Nguyen Sinh Sac and his son celebrated a very sad New Year in the capital, learning to take care of the grave of their most beloved deceased relative. But their livelihood forced them to return to their hometown. It is impossible to express the endless sadness of the old mother and relatives and neighbors when their beloved daughter left forever.

With his heart full of sorrow after his wife passed away without being rewarded, Nguyen Sinh Sac entered the Tan Suu examination with a burning determination. And hard work will surely yield success, in this exam he passed the exam with the title of "Phố bảng". That was a meaningful gift to comfort his beloved wife who was resting in the afterlife. He was given the "An tu ninh gia" sign and the "Pho bang phat khoa" flag by King Thanh Thai.

According to custom, Nguyen Sinh Sac and his four sons returned to their paternal home village of Sen to live (1901). The days in Hoang Tru are memories that will never fade in Nguyen Sinh Cung's mind.

Since then, this house has been given to relatives for use. In 1959, the Management Board of President Ho Chi Minh's relics in Nghe An brought it back to build on the old land as a souvenir.