Meet the daughter of two heroes

(Baonghean) -During the pilgrimage to Hang Duong Cemetery, Con Dao National Historical Site, the delegation of Nghe An province came to offer incense and flowers at the grave of the late General Secretary Le Hong Phong and other heroic martyrs. Upon arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, the delegation visited, encouraged and presented gifts to Ms. Le Thi Hong Minh - the only daughter of the late General Secretary Le Hong Phong and patriot Nguyen Thi Minh Khai. At the age of 74, Ms. Minh is still lucid and clearly told the delegation the story of her life...

Born not yet a year old, Le Thi Hong Minh was sent by her biological mother Nguyen Thi Minh Khai (with the responsibility of being the Standing Committee of the Southern Regional Party Committee, Secretary of the Saigon - Cho Lon City Party Committee, often having to operate in secret and dangerous environments) to the family of her close comrades, Mr. and Mrs. Duong Bach Mai - Dang Thi Du, as an adopted child. Growing up a little, when she had a sense of herself, Le Thi Hong Minh only knew that she was the child of a Viet Minh family, but did not know that her biological parents had been separated from her forever... Also being secret revolutionary soldiers, Mr. and Mrs. Duong Bach Mai - Dang Thi Du often took Le Thi Hong Minh to hide everywhere, sometimes in Song Cau district - Phu Yen, sometimes up to Da Lat, down to Phung Hiep - Hau Giang, and then up to Saigon. However, they always took good care of and protected their adopted daughter (who was now commonly called Yen). At the age of 8, Le Thi Hong Minh was sent to her foster father's younger sister, Ba Dao, because at that time, Mr. Duong Bach Mai, an official member of the National Assembly Standing Committee, a member of the Vietnamese Delegation to attend the Dalat Preparatory Conference and the Fontainebleau Conference, was arrested by the French colonialists. Her foster mother, Dang Thi Du, was in charge of contacting comrades to rescue her husband. In early September 1949, Mr. and Mrs. Duong Bach Mai - Dang Thi Du were both safely brought to Viet Bac.

Comrade Phan Dinh Trac kindly visited female comrade Le Thi Hong Minh.

During her time with her foster mother, Le Thi Hong Minh was registered to go to school but after only 1 or 2 months, she was expelled from school because of her background as the child of a communist... At the age of 10, Le Thi Hong Minh had to go to work, specifically as a maid and babysitter for rich families; This job sustained Hong Minh until the day of regrouping... She said: "Back then, when I was still working, because I often went to the two fish warehouses of Saigon now, 62 Mac Dinh Chi and Cau Muoi, I got to know and was close to a woman named Hau - a revolutionary base in Ba Ria - Vung Tau who often came to import fish; secretly listening to her talk to people, I found out that she was Viet Minh. On August 18, 1954, I read the newspaper and knew that from August 20 to 28, all Viet Minh went to regroup in the North. I thought emotionally that if all Viet Minh left, it would be very sad, so I ran to see Ms. Hau to ask to go to the war zone, then went to regroup. When I got there, Ms. Hau said: "You came too late, everyone has gone. Stay here with me, I will take care of you; After 2 years, according to the Geneva Agreement, the country will be unified and then we can leave." Hearing that, I was very sad. Luckily, some cadres came to talk to Ms. Hau, heard my story, they said that tomorrow morning I would leave, if I could, they would not take me back... That night, when I got home, I told my grandparents that I would go to the North to regroup, but they did not believe me and thought that I was making an excuse to work for another family and also told me that if it was not good at that family, I would come back to them. Then, on the morning of August 19, my sisters took me to Phuoc Hai Town, Dat Do District, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, after 2 days I arrived at Ham Tan - Xuyen Moc war zone. When I arrived, I met my cadres. When they asked, they knew that I was the adopted child of Mr. and Mrs. Duong Bach Mai, the biological child of Mr. Le Hong Phong, and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, they loved and respected me very much, gave me a pair of rubber sandals, a plastic sheet to protect me from the rain, and 500 dong for pocket money... After a few days, I followed everyone to the French ship to the North to land. The wharf in Sam Son... On the way, my aunts and uncles told me many stories about my parents. I was very moved and always remembered a saying of my father before he sacrificed himself, which was passed down by his fellow prisoners, and some books also mentioned: "Please tell the Party that, until the last moment, Le Hong Phong still believed wholeheartedly in the glorious victory of the revolution"; the letter my mother sent to my father before leaving for the shooting range: "Even if I die, I promise you, I will be faithful to the revolution, loyal to the Party. I promise to forever be a steadfast communist soldier. I hope you will be the same...".

Tears kept flowing from Mrs. Le Thi Hong Minh's eyes: "My parents had a great love during their revolutionary activities. The life, love and happiness of the two leaders of the Party were closely linked to the struggle for independence and freedom of the country, the Fatherland of Vietnam. What I find most regrettable is that I did not have time to know anything about my parents. I only know through stories and a few rare photos my parents left behind"... "When I arrived in Hanoi, I received a lot of affection from Uncle Ho and my uncles in the Central Government. Partly because they pitied me for being an orphan, partly because of the previous relationship between my uncles and my parents. Back then, whenever I had free time, Uncle Ho would call me, I would ride my bike to a small gate in the garden, someone would come out to welcome me to Uncle. I would come and stay, chat like a family member. Uncle Ho called me Bé, later when I had a husband and children, he still called me Bé like before. I was sent to China to study, then to the Soviet Union to study at university mechanical engineering. However, when I graduated and returned to the country, I only did research on the Party. After the country was liberated, I asked to return to Ho Chi Minh City and I worked at the City Party Committee's Organization Board from 1976 and retired in 1995... My health was very poor, but with the constant support and encouragement of my brothers, friends, and the agencies of Ho Chi Minh City and Nghe An province, it is now quite good. I live in this small house on Bui Thi Xuan Street, Tan Binh District, the front of which is rented out, plus my pension, so life is stable. My children are gradually growing up and all have jobs. I am always proud of my father and mother - communists who sacrificed for the cause of the Party, for the cause of national liberation. For me, life is good enough, I don't want anything more!

The two patriotic revolutionaries Le Hong Phong and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai spent their whole lives striving for independence, freedom, and happiness for the country and the people; the true life of their only daughter was also like that - living a pure, exemplary life, always wishing the best for everyone. Comrade Le Thanh Hai - Politburo member, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee added: "Ms. Le Thi Hong Minh is active in the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, now she is old and weak, but she still performs her duties as a party member very well, more especially, she is a very exemplary role model in activities and in daily life. Many city party officials and members follow, especially the younger generation...". At the meeting, comrade Phan Dinh Trac - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee said: "In early September, Nghe An province was assigned by the Secretariat to preside over, together with the central ministries and branches, the celebration of the 110th anniversary of the birth of comrade Le Hong Phong. On this trip, the working delegation of the province went to burn incense at the grave of comrade Le Hong Phong at Hang Duong Cemetery and came here to visit you. The Party Committee and people of Nghe An province hope that on the anniversary and inauguration day of the Memorial House of comrade Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, you will come back to attend." Feeling sad and moved, Mrs. Le Thi Hong Minh apologized: "To the entire Party Committee and people of Nghe An province, every year when the birthday and death anniversary of my father and mother are approaching, the working delegations of the province visit the cemetery and visit me. I am very moved, feeling the deep and warm love for my homeland. Now that I am old and have stage 3 heart failure, I cannot travel by plane, car or train, so I apologize to my parents, hoping that the Party Committee and people of the province will sympathize... In the Southern land, I still wholeheartedly turn to my father's homeland, hoping that the Party Committee and people will build my province to develop as my father and mother wished when they were alive!"

Saying goodbye to Mrs. Le Thi Hong Minh, everyone in the group felt disappointed. Still hoping that on the solemn occasion of the two heroes Le Hong Phong, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and their only daughter Le Thi Hong Minh, they could return to their homeland, to see how much Nghe An has developed today!

Thanh Chung