Thinking about the sentence 'Nghe An - Soviet is still Nghe An'

(Baonghean.vn)- Every time I go to another province, hearing the broken accent, asking people where they are from, saying "I'm from Nghe An" I always get the answer: "Oh, Uncle Ho's hometown", or "Oh, Nghe An - Soviet".

Thus, Uncle Ho and the Soviets are unique features on the "identity card" and "citizen identification card" to identify Nghe An (although the Nghe - Tinh Soviets took place in both Nghe An and Ha Tinh, and of course, Uncle Ho is also a representative of the nation, a beautiful symbolic image of the Vietnamese people).

In addition, if at a more familiar level, you can also be "given" an additional sentence: "Nghe An - Soviet is still Nghe An". This sentence originated from the lyrics in the song "Tieng ho tren dat Nghe An" by musician Tan Huyen, composed after his field trip to Nghe An organized by the Vietnam Musicians Association in 1964. The song is so familiar that it can be considered a "Provincial song", and the background music of this song is also used as the theme song of the provincial station, of course this song is also included by the central station in the program "Songs that go with the years".

Lam River flows through Kha Lam village, Nam Thuong commune (Nam Dan). Photo: Document

For Nghe An people, that song has indeed gone through the years, while the saying "Nghe An - Soviet is still Nghe An" seems to have strayed from life, "gone abroad" and exists quite separately and independently as an idiom, proverb, with many implications, connotations, frankly speaking, both compliments and criticisms.

I would like to boldly interpret that the compliment here is to praise the people of Nghe An, despite the ups and downs, the vicissitudes, the changes of life and history, still maintaining the character, the qualities of loyalty, straightforwardness, the spirit of being ready to sacrifice and daring to take responsibility to the end. Even when changing from wartime to peacetime, from the subsidy period to the market economy, people chase after profit, live according to benefits, and tend to enjoy, the people of Nghe An still value love, respect righteousness, respect responsible people, and are loyal from beginning to end...

As for the criticism, or the satirical meaning, perhaps it means conservatism, slowness to change, and poor adaptability! That's the general idea, but in each specific case of using the saying, there may be many other deeper meanings.

Once in Hanoi, I met musician Nguyen Tai Tue when he visited someone I also knew. Having listened to his famous songs such as “Xa khoi”, “Mo que”, “Tieng hat giua rung Pac Bo”…, now having met him in real life, I expressed my admiration and pride because my mother was from the same hometown as the musician, Thanh Van (Thanh Chuong), and felt surprised that a famous musician like him was so simple and ordinary. He said, he went everywhere, lived in Hanoi, but it was still the same, “Nghe An Soviet is still Nghe An” my dear!

Another time, I got to “listen in” to my fellow countrymen from Nghe An, who were leaders at the ministerial level. One of them asked, “Will there be any changes in the work next term?” (probably wanting to ask if there would be any promotion or further development). The other replied, “It’s still the same, my strength is only this much, moreover, Nghe An – Soviet is still Nghe An, sir.” Then they both laughed, showing their satisfaction with what they had just said.

So, the beauty of the sentence "Nghe An - Soviet is still Nghe An" is that even though it is meant to be a criticism, not only people from other provinces and places "criticize" Nghe An people, but even Nghe An people when they go far away, go out, come back and talk about Nghe An people, even talk about themselves, still occasionally say "Nghe An - Soviet is still Nghe An"! That is a self-mockery that is not easy to come by.

Only at a certain level, in terms of courage, intelligence, perception and self-awareness, can one have such self-mockery. It can be understood that the self-mockery person has recognized his own limitations, recognized his own limits, especially when he has not or has not achieved something.

In the current development trend, provinces and localities far from the economic and political centers, far from the growth poles, are always under pressure to identify limitations in order to change, pressure to point out shortcomings, weaknesses, and negative aspects in order to push back and overcome. Among them, the most difficult to change are often the shortcomings originating from the negative aspects of the local character traits. In this trend, Nghe An is certainly no exception.

Therefore, when people from other provinces say to Nghe An people or Nghe An people say to each other that "Nghe An - Soviet is still Nghe An", it can be understood that this saying is said with good motives, with the purpose of building. That we must frankly admit our limitations in order to overcome and change, we must also "live with the times", we must know ourselves and our enemies, in many situations we must not be stubbornly conservative, just follow local customs, think and do, but must "live in a gourd, it will be round, live in a tube, it will be long".

In the integration period, maintaining identity is necessary, but must always meet the requirements of integration and development. Must be fair and equal in a "flat world". We cannot consider ourselves to be in the priority group and get priority points, nor can we let elementary mistakes like the student taking the exam get a "failure score", to the point of "failing the rice and popping the popcorn".

I have heard some prestigious people say that in the past, there were times when some people were “suffering” from the “meritorious” mentality, always thinking that Nghe An was a big province, the homeland of great people and many famous people, so other provinces naturally had to pay attention, and even central ministries and branches “had to pay attention”. This is one of the manifestations of the resistance coming from wrong perception.

Fortunately, that was just a “story from the past”, told by the elderly for fun and can also be considered as a profound reminder. In recent times, Nghe An’s position has changed, Nghe An’s image has also improved significantly, this is the result of the efforts of the entire Party and the entire people, but it cannot be denied that the important contribution in changing the mindset of the provincial leadership team.

Time has increasingly made the event of the Nghe Tinh Soviet - the peak of the revolutionary movement of 1930-1931 - be recognized with great and great historical significance. The light of the Nghe Tinh Soviet shines on every stage of development of Nghe An and the Vietnamese revolution. In which, talking about the Nghe Tinh Soviet is talking about the spirit of uprising, talking about the invincible strength of the people when there is a correct leadership line and appropriate leadership method.

That is also a lesson that is always hot and topical. Who does not hope that Nghe An people can promote the spirit of uprising and indomitability in labor, study, production, and business, to build a truly rich and beautiful homeland, so that "Soviet Nghe An is still Nghe An" is only mentioned with the meaning of praise, right?

Ngo Kien