Quynh woman keeps memories of meeting Uncle Ho twice

(Baonghean) - In the old family, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nham (born in 1942) recounted her exciting youth, especially the two honorable times she met Uncle Ho.

Currently, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nham has retired in Hamlet 11, Quynh Hau Commune (Quynh Luu), after decades of participating in social work, from Youth Union officer, Propaganda officer to Standing Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the District Elderly Association. She has a wooden box to store her mementos, in which the photo taken with Uncle Ho is always cherished, respected, and considered a "treasure".

She confided: “Life has many joys and sorrows, but the moment I met Uncle Ho is certainly unforgettable. Nearly 50 years have passed, but that moment seems to have frozen; His warm words, loving eyes, and intimate gestures seem like they were just yesterday...”.

Mrs. Nham grew up during the years when the country struggled to fight off foreign invaders. As a Youth Union officer, she called on and gathered union members and young people to focus on increasing production and volunteering to participate in building projects in her hometown. Thanks to that, in 1965, she was able to attend the Northern Volunteer Youth Congress organized by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in the capital Hanoi.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nham (front row, 3rd from right) during Uncle Ho's conversation with the delegation of Nghe An province officials in 1968. Photo (provided by the character)

It was a surprise when the entire congress heard that President Ho Chi Minh would be attending. Then he entered the hall amidst cheers, with a simple and very friendly demeanor, looking at everyone with all his love. He spoke, advising everyone about the base to continue to promote production and construction, the battlefield in the South is and will need more human and financial resources.

Uncle Ho's words inspired all the members and youth attending the congress, becoming an appeal and call of the country, everyone wanted to contribute more. Three years later (in 1968), as Head of the Propaganda Department of the Quynh Luu District Party Committee, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nham was assigned by the Provincial Party Committee to join the provincial working group to Thai Binh to learn high-yield spring rice growing techniques.

At that time, Thai Binh was the leading locality in the North in terms of spring rice productivity with the famous song: "Sister Hai 5 Tan is from Thai Binh". Here, the Nghe An delegation was divided land, provided with seeds, fertilizers and listened to technical information to implement the planting. At the end of the training session, the delegation was able to visit the capital Hanoi, visit the Presidential Palace and most happily, meet Uncle Ho. "While sitting in the meeting room, Uncle Ho suddenly entered through the back door, still with a simple demeanor and full of love. However, I noticed that Uncle Ho's health had weakened a lot..." - Mrs. Nham recalled.

When he first entered, Uncle looked at everyone lovingly, then pointed and counted. Then, he said: "Our group only has 4 girls, next time, the provincial leaders, remember to let more girls go!" Then Uncle turned to the topic of rice growing techniques, he gave many instructions, the general idea was that we should study in Thai Binh but we need to remember that Thai Binh land is different from Nghe An land, and Thai Binh people also have some differences compared to Nghe An people.

Therefore, we cannot put Thai Binh land on Nghe An land, but must be diligent and creative to soon make Nghe An have many units reaching 5 tons/ha like Thai Binh. After the country is unified, people from the South will go to Nghe An to study, not to Thai Binh to save a distance. Uncle Ho's teachings are simple, easy to understand but extremely practical and profound, exuding a profound life experience, a far-sighted vision.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nham and her husband cherish the photo of Uncle Ho talking with the delegation of Nghe An province officials and consider it a "treasure". Photo: Cong Kien

Returning home, 4 districts sent people to study the experience in Thai Binh (including: Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, Yen Thanh and Do Luong) immediately disseminated the techniques for farmers to apply in rice production. In the first crop, Quynh Luu district organized a pilot project in 3 communes: Quynh Hau, Quynh Ba and Quynh Hong. Ms. Nguyen Thi Nham was then a member of the District Party Committee and was assigned to be in charge of Quynh Hong.

Based on the knowledge and experience learned in Thai Binh, along with implementing Uncle Ho's teachings to be proactive and creative to suit specific conditions and circumstances, Ms. Nham actively guides farmers in implementation. In her free time, she gathers people, recounts the story of meeting Uncle Ho and his instructions, making everyone happy, excited, and more motivated in work and production.

The results of the Spring rice pilot were surprising, the first crop in Quynh Hau reached 6.2 tons/ha; Quynh Ba reached 6 tons/ha and Quynh Hong reached 6.6 tons/ha. From officials to farmers, everyone was happy, excited and could not hide their pride. The field conference was held in Quynh Hong, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nham exchanged and guided techniques and experiences for officials and farmers in communes throughout the district.

She did not forget to recount the memory of meeting Uncle Ho and being instructed and taught by him about the spirit of creativity, dynamism and promoting the virtues of diligence and hard work. Thanks to that, the spring rice crop of that year, Quynh Luu district increased its acreage by 60%, and the next crop increased by 80%, becoming one of the "bright spots" of the northern rear.

“Later, through many different positions, every time I made an important decision, I remembered Uncle Ho's advice from long ago to consider and weigh, always thinking of ways to get the best results. For me, Uncle Ho's advice still resonates somewhere..." - Ms. Nham shared.

Cong Kien