Inscription praising President Ho on the mountain in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - Coming to Hung Thang commune (Hung Nguyen, Nghe An) on Highway 8B, from afar people can see the words 'Uncle Ho lives forever' standing out on the slope of Nhon mountain. This is one of the special words carved during the years of fighting against America in Nghe An.

Nhon Mountain, also known as Nhuyen Son, is about 150 m high, belonging to Thanh Son range, "standing" in many communes of Hung Nguyen district. At the foot of Nhon Mountain, there are villages and fields surrounding it; to the south it belongs to Chau Son hamlet, Hung Chau commune; to the north it belongs to hamlet 16, Hung Thang commune and to the east it belongs to Dong Tien hamlet, Hung Phuc commune.

On the mountain there is a long row of rocks, looking from afar like a carp, associated with ancient legends of the local people. During the resistance war against the US, Nhon mountain was a dangerous high point for weapon defense and construction of military works (high point 144), so American aircraft often focused on fierce attacks, especially in the years 1965 - 1968.

In 1969, after Uncle Ho passed away, to express our feelings and infinite gratitude for his great contributions, as well as to demonstrate our people's iron determination to "fight the Americans and the puppets", Hung Nguyen District Youth Union advocated carving on the big mountains in the district lines of words dedicated to Uncle Ho.

The words "Uncle Ho lives forever" on Nhon Mountain have been restored. Photo: Huy Thu

In December of that year, three large lines of words were carved on three mountains: Muou Mountain in Hung Dao Commune, Thanh Mountain in Hung Phu Commune and Nhon Mountain in Hung Nghia Commune (now Hung Thang Commune), each with a different line of words.

The words "Uncle Ho lives forever" on Nhon mountain were designed by Mr. Nguyen Thanh Do, then Deputy Secretary of the Commune Youth Union and Head of the Information Department of Hung Nghia Commune, and Mr. Nguyen Xuan Nhuong, an officer of the Department of Culture and Information of Hung Nguyen District.

Nearly half a century has passed, recalling the old story, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Do (72 years old, in hamlet 16, Hung Thang commune) could not help but be moved: “Mr. Nhuong and I were assigned to design this line of words. At that time, there were no means like today, just holding a pole wading through the sim trees, buying and measuring. I also do not remember how many meters long the line of words is, I only remember the height of the letters is about 4m, the width of each letter is 1.5m, it took 3 days of struggling on the mountain for the two of us to locate and finish the design”.

According to Mr. Do, Nhon mountain was chosen to carve the letters because it is high, open, visible from afar, and has a flat slope, making it easy to design and construct. To carve the words "Uncle Ho lives forever" on the mountainside, Hung Nguyen District Youth Union mobilized youth union members from 12 communes to work together, including Hung Loc commune in Vinh city today. Each commune was responsible for one letter.

Using tools such as hoes, shovels, knives, and machetes, hundreds of youth union members quickly completed the inscription exactly as designed within 1 day. Hung Thang Cooperative provided several hundred kilograms of lime to spread on the inscription. Standing from a distance, about 14-15 km away, the bold white inscription on the green slope of the mountain could still be clearly seen. The people of Hung Nghia at that time were very excited and proud of the inscription on their hometown Nhon Mountain.

Youth Union members of Hung Thang commune enthusiastically participated in renovating the special inscription on Nhon mountain. Photo: Huy Thu

Decades after the war, due to the impact of nature, the words "Uncle Ho lives forever" on Nhon Mountain have faded. On the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Hung Thang Commune Youth Union organized a call for youth union members in the commune, and children of Hung Thang working and studying far from home to donate to support the restoration of this word.

In late August, despite the unfavorable weather, the Youth Union members in the commune were still determined to go up the mountain to “dig up letters”, spread lime, and restore the letters from nearly 50 years ago. Mr. Vo Trong Thao, Secretary of the Youth Union of Hung Thang commune, said: “The restoration of the words “Uncle Ho lives forever” is a concrete action that contributes to preserving the traditions of the homeland, while educating the Youth Union members and everyone to learn and follow the moral example of Uncle Ho”.

Along with the inscription “Forever grateful to great Uncle Ho” on Voi Mountain in Nam Tan Commune (Nam Dan), the inscription “Uncle Ho lives forever” on Nhon Mountain in Hung Thang Commune (Hung Nguyen) has also been restored. These are two of the special inscriptions in Nghe An carved during the resistance years, expressing the deep affection of our people for beloved Uncle Ho.

Huy Thu