Each souvenir is a touching story about Uncle Ho.

The house in Hoang Tru, his maternal hometown - where Uncle Ho was born. Photo: Dao Tuan

In the early days of 1956, after our country had just emerged from the resistance war against the French, peace was restored in the North, the Party and the State had a policy to restore the relics of President Ho Chi Minh in his hometown. To implement this policy, Nghe An province established a Leadership Board and a Professional Board to build President Ho Chi Minh's hometown. Conservation - Museum experts from the Central Government together with the Nghe An Department of Culture organized, conducted research, collected, verified, met with witnesses and the elderly to find the house of Mr. Pho Bang Nguyen Sinh Sac in Lang Sen and the 3-room house in Hoang Tru - where President Ho Chi Minh cried when he was born.

Along with the restoration of relics, Nghe An Department of Culture has organized research and collection of artifacts to display in newly restored houses, including valuable artifacts with profound historical significance such as:

THE BED OF MRS. HOANG THI LOAN

On this bed, President Ho Chi Minh cried when he was born. Photo: Dao Tuan

It was on this bed that she gave birth to three patriotic children for the Vietnamese people:

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh was born in 1884, Mr. Nguyen Sinh Khiem was born in 1888. Notably, on May 19, 1890, Mr. Nguyen Sinh Cung (the childhood name of President Ho Chi Minh) cried out at birth.

WOODEN CHEST OF UNCLE HO'S FAMILY IN HOANG TRU VILLAGE

This wooden chest was a gift from Mr. Hoang Xuan Duong's family to his daughter Hoang Thi Loan when she got married and moved out. Photo: Dao Tuan

This wooden chest is considered to be the dowry of Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan, given by her parents when she got married and moved out. With a length of 99cm, a width of 77cm, a height of 80cm, made of wood. In 1895, when President Ho Chi Minh's family went to Hue, Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan gave the chest to her younger sister, Hoang Thi An. Later, due to poverty, Mrs. Hoang Thi An sold it to Mr. Tran Dang Le, a fellow villager. When Mr. Le passed away, the chest was used by his son, Tran Dang Thi. Mr. Thi later exchanged the chest for his uncle, Tran Tin, for a cabinet. When the house was restored, officials of the Nghe An Department of Culture collected the chest to display in the relic.

When he was young, the boy Nguyen Sinh Cung followed this wooden chest to learn to walk, taking his first steps in life. On December 9, 1961, after more than half a century away to find a way to save the country, President Ho Chi Minh had the opportunity to return to his hometown. He was extremely moved when he visited the house again. When he recognized the wooden chest, a sacred family relic, his trembling hands traced along the edge of the chest. Holding back his emotions, he turned around and said:"You guys are really good at keeping the old wooden chest."The wooden chest was a gift from her grandparents to her mother on her wedding day. It was a place to keep precious family belongings and a place to mark her peaceful memories with her family in her homeland.

UNCLE HO'S FAMILY'S HAMMOCK IN HOANG TRU VILLAGE

The hammock in Uncle Ho's house in Hoang Tru village. Photo: Dao Tuan

The hammock lies horizontally between the two rooms inside the small three-room house of Uncle Ho's family. The hammock is 3.2m long, 1.5m wide, woven from sedge, and is restored every year. Every night under the familiar thatched roof in Hoang Tru village, accompanied by the sound of the shuttle, Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan rocks the hammock to lull her beloved children, including Nguyen Sinh Cung, to sleep. The songs are both gentle and contain the mother's feelings and dreams.

"Ah... oh... baby, I have something to tell you.

Take care of books and food

Make the hungry clean and the ragged fragrant

"Fame and reputation are lightly brushed aside, the country must repay".

Those sweet lullabies also convey simple, ordinary first life lessons, but they are more profound than anything else. After many years of wandering on the journey to save the country, when he heard the lullaby of a mother in a foreign land, Uncle Ho was sobbing and could not sleep and was moved to write some verses:

"Away from home for a few decades

Last night I heard my mother lulling me to sleep.

In his last moments, Uncle Ho wanted to listen to a Nghe Tinh Vi or Giam tune... That was when he missed his mother and his homeland so much.

Wooden bench (Sen Village Relic)

The house of Mr. Pho Bang Nguyen Sinh Sac in Lang Sen. Photo: Dao Tuan

At the Sen Village relic - where President Ho Chi Minh lived with his family from 1901 to 1906. In the 5th room, there is a wooden bed where Nguyen Sinh Khiem (President Ho Chi Minh's older brother) and Nguyen Sinh Cung rested. With a length of 1.56m, a width of 1.5m, a height of 0.5m, and a thickness of 0.04m, it is made of wood. When in Sen Village, President Ho Chi Minh and his older brother Nguyen Sinh Khiem studied in the same class, so their brotherly affection was very close, studying, playing, eating and sleeping were always together. This place marked many memories of his childhood with his relatives. In 1906, Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac went to Hue, he gave his relative Nguyen Sinh Que this bed. In the winter, when lighting a fire to keep warm, that family burned the outermost bed, so they sawed the other 3 beds to make them equal. The bed is shorter than before.

Uncle Ho visited his homeland for the first time in 1957. Photo archive

After more than 50 years, President Ho Chi Minh had the opportunity to return to his hometown on June 16, 1957. Recognizing the old wooden bed that had witnessed so many happy and sad memories of the two brothers, he was extremely moved and asked the people who accompanied him:"The reflector seems to be getting shorter, doesn't it?". Even though he has been away from home for nearly 50 years, even though he is busy with a thousand things, the souvenirs from his hometown are still full of emotions for him.

Besides those emotional artifacts, Kim Lien Relic Site currently preserves more than 4,000 documents and artifacts of various types, materials and forms with their own characteristics and meanings, creating richness in content and display forms in relics and museums, thematic exhibitions, mobile exhibitions... serving propaganda work inside and outside the relics.

Those documents and artifacts are invaluable assets of the nation, the legacy of ideology, morality and the great revolutionary career of President Ho Chi Minh and his family members. And also the most important material basis for the Kim Lien Relic Site to operate and develop.

UNCLE HO'S SILK SHIRT ON DISPLAY AT THE MUSEUM OF MILITARY ZONE 4

At the Military Zone 4 Museum, a simple brown silk shirt made from raw silk is on display. Major Nguyen Huu Hoanh, a propaganda officer at the Military Zone Museum, said that this is a souvenir that Mr. Nguyen Van Uy's family donated to the museum in 1970.

Officers of the Military Region 4 Museum introduce exhibits. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Mr. Nguyen Van Uy, born in 1890, was a son of Phuc Son commune (Anh Son). He was one of the core members of the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement 1930 - 1931 in Anh Son district at that time. At that time, in Anh Son, there were 27 Red Self-Defense Teams, of which the Yen Phuc village Red Self-Defense Team, with Mr. Uy as the team leader, was one of the earliest established and most organized organizations. Under the command of Team Leader Nguyen Van Uy, Yen Phuc Red Self-Defense Team repeatedly punished the villains in the governing apparatus.

In early 1931, the French colonialists concentrated their forces on the Western region, including Anh Son district. Mr. Nguyen Van Uy was imprisoned by the French colonialists for 15 years. In prison, the Red Guard captain remained steadfast, encouraging party members and the masses to continue to actively fight.

The silk shirt Uncle Ho gave to Nguyen Van Uy. Photo: Thanh Quynh

After the revolution succeeded, he returned to his hometown to participate in activities in the movement to build a new culture, to mobilize labor exchange groups and cooperatives. He became an example for his children and grandchildren and the younger generation to follow.

In June 1957, during his first visit to his hometown after 50 years of separation, President Ho Chi Minh heard about the story and example of Mr. Nguyen Van Uy. He gave him a silk shirt on the occasion of his 70th birthday. This shirt was also a gift from the Association of Vietnamese-Chinese Soldiers' Mothers and the Women's Union of Lang Son town to Uncle Ho on the occasion of his birthday in 1956.

THE STORY BEHIND THE 1 DONG BILL

1 Dong bill on display at Military Region 4 Museum. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Lying neatly in the display cabinet, the bill has a face value of 1 dong. This is also a souvenir containing Uncle Ho's touching story towards the Air Defense and Air Force soldiers in general, and the Air Defense force of Military Region 4 in particular.

Going back in time to the summer of 1967, the weather in Hanoi was very hot. Seeing the sultry weather, Uncle Ho said to comrade Vu Ky:

- In this hot weather, how can the air defense soldiers on the roof of Ba Dinh Hall stand it? Do they have enough drinking water? You should go up and find out and let me know.

Obeying Uncle Ho, comrade Vu Ky went to find out and learned that the guarding conditions of the soldiers were very harsh. Understanding the situation, Uncle Ho asked comrade Vu Ky to get his savings book, which was the amount of money that the newspapers paid him as royalties.

Comrade Vu Ky looked at the book and reported:

- Sir, there is more than 25,000 VND left (an amount equivalent to 60 taels of gold).

He said:

- He immediately transferred that amount of money to the General Staff and said: That is a gift from Uncle Ho to buy water for the air defense soldiers to drink, not only for the soldiers in Ba Dinh, but for all the soldiers on duty on artillery platforms throughout the North. If that amount of money is not enough, then request that any locality with air defense troops on duty contribute to take care of it!

At that time, the Air Defense troops of Military Region 4 received 3,000 VND from Uncle Ho to buy tea and make water.

In response to his love and affection, officers and soldiers of the Air Defense - Air Force of Military Region 4 actively trained, studied and achieved many achievements in combat.

CONTINUE THE STORY OF EVERYDAY LIFE

From the story of Uncle Ho donating his savings to buy water for soldiers, Military Region 4 has concretized the model of "Bowl of water on the training ground" in the units. Photo: Thanh Quynh

From the touching story about the money that Uncle Ho gave to the Air Defense troops to buy drinking water, for many years, units of Military Region 4 have organized the program "Bowl of water on the training ground". Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van An - Deputy Political Commissar of Division 324 (Military Region 4) shared that to implement the model "Bowl of water on the training ground", every day the officers and soldiers of the unit, especially the women's organization, actively collect old books, newspapers, scraps... to sell to raise funds. Like that, every week and every month, based on the unit's training and exercise schedule and the weather of each season, they prepare drinking water for the troops. In the dry season, the women cook black bean porridge or make lemonade, and in the rainy season, they usually make hot green tea... These actions, although small, have contributed to sharing the hardships of the troops on the training ground.

Not only that, the story of the shirt Uncle Ho gave to Mr. Nguyen Van Uy was also deployed by the units of Military Region 4 into practical and specific action programs. In the conditions of marching, training and practicing on the field, soldiers' clothes were torn and frayed. To ensure that soldiers were serious in using military uniforms and save money, "Soldier Sewing Teams" were established. Before each training season, the grassroots women's organizations of each unit went to each unit to repair the soldiers' uniforms. These simple tasks helped many soldiers have more motivation to study and practice.