Uncle Ho's photo collector

(Baonghean) -Nearly 80 years old, Mr. Phan Bui Tuong in block 16, Ha Huy Tap ward - Vinh city still turns pages of books and newspapers to collect documentary photos of Uncle Ho. For him, every time he finds a photo of Uncle Ho, his heart is filled with joy. His passion not only brings joy, but is also extremely practical and useful in the movement "Studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh"...

Mr. Phan Bui Tuong with a photo collection of Uncle Ho that he collected himself.

We went to Ton That Thuyet Street in Ha Huy Tap Ward - Vinh City, and were enthusiastically led by an old man named Giao to Mr. Phan Bui Tuong's house, at No. 14, Lane 10. Knowing that we were looking to write an article praising his devotion to Uncle Ho, Mr. Tuong slowly brought out a thick collection of Uncle Ho's photos for us to see. He said that since his retirement 14 years ago, his biggest job has been to collect Uncle Ho's photos as souvenirs. Up to now, he has collected nearly 1,000 photos. What's special is that each photo is a unique perspective and has many meanings.

Previously, Mr. Tuong was an accountant for many agencies under the Nghe An Agriculture sector. During more than 40 years as a civil servant, he always respected President Ho Chi Minh and cherished a very simple thought: after retirement, he would do something related to the person and career of Uncle Ho. So the intention of collecting Uncle Ho's photos was always in his mind. That thought only came true after he retired in 2000. When he returned home, his children had jobs, and only the two of them were left, he began his journey of collecting Uncle Ho's photos. To have the conditions, he subscribed to Tien Phong newspaper and some other newspapers. While reading the newspaper, if there was a photo of Uncle Ho, he would carefully cut it out with scissors and paste it into a pre-bound photo album. The photo album he bound himself was made of A4 paper, simple and rustic, up to 150 sheets thick. On each sheet of paper, he pasted photos on both sides, depending on the size, on average there were up to 5 photos pasted on 1 sheet of paper. Collecting from daily newspapers was not enough, he also went to bookstores and libraries to order books and old newspapers to read. Many nights, he stayed up late. At first, his wife saw this and was not pleased because she was worried that he would get tired... Seeing his passion and enthusiasm for the beloved leader, she later wholeheartedly supported and encouraged her husband. Although she did not directly help him collect Uncle Ho's photos, she took care of all the housework every day so that he would have time for work.

Wherever in Vinh City, if someone told him about old books and newspapers for sale, he would go there to buy them. After buying them, he carefully packed them on his motorbike to take them home. Sometimes when it rained on his way home, he would use his raincoat to protect the books and newspapers, even though his clothes were soaked. He thought, if his clothes were wet, he would go home and change into another set, but if the books and newspapers were wet, they would be considered waste paper. Wherever he went, whoever he met, he would tell them to keep any pictures of Uncle Ho. When he brought the books and newspapers home, every day he spent 5-7 hours turning each page. There were days when he was so engrossed that he forgot about lunch, and on many summer nights, he would sit with the lamp on until midnight. For him, every time he saw Uncle Ho's picture, it was as joyful as meeting him in real life. Mr. Tuong said: "A very strange thing is that every time I see a picture of Uncle Ho, no matter where, I see on his face the faith and optimism of a human being!"

Because of many sources, his photo collection is very rich. From the time Uncle Ho boarded a ship to find a way to save the country, when he worked abroad, then returned home to directly lead the resistance war against France and the US... Until his death... All were collected by him. Then photos of Uncle Ho marching with the army, Uncle Ho with children, Uncle Ho participating in production, plowing the fields, bailing water with farmers, or Uncle Ho coming to workers in factories, plants, Uncle Ho doing exercises, chopping wood... all are there! No matter what field he was in, Uncle Ho always worked with an optimistic, cheerful spirit, caring for everyone, and was loved by all people. Looking at Mr. Tuong's photo collection of Uncle Ho, we seem to be watching a slow-motion film about Uncle Ho during his revolutionary activities. Each photo exudes a clear content and message to the viewer...

On holidays, his children and grandchildren come to encourage him by helping him paste each photo into a photo album, or flipping through each page to see Uncle Ho's photos. Seeing him using a temporary bookshelf, his children and grandchildren also promised to buy him a glass cabinet to preserve it for a long time. His son-in-law, a teacher, highly appreciates his work, considering it a valuable spiritual asset not only for him but also for future generations. Neighbors in the neighborhood, seeing Mr. Tuong's passion for collecting documentary photos of Uncle Ho, bring them to him whenever they see Uncle Ho's photos in newspapers. Mr. Giao, an elderly person living in block 16, confided: "When retired, each person has a hobby, but for Mr. Phan Bui Tuong, collecting documentary photos of Uncle Ho is very valuable!" Mr. Tuong's work requires a lot of effort and diligence. In our free time, we go to Mr. Tuong's house to see, this is also a way to encourage him to have more joy.

During the process of painstakingly collecting documentary photos of Uncle Ho, Mr. Tuong came across many other beautiful photos of famous people, so he had the opportunity to collect many different types of photos. He led us to a temporary bookshelf placed in the corner of the wall. Mr. Tuong said that all the photo albums here were collected and made by himself. We flipped through his bookshelf, there were nearly 150 photo albums of all kinds. In addition to documentary photos of Uncle Ho, he also collected photos of successful people, famous singers... Each photo album was arranged and cut and pasted scientifically and carefully. After 14 years of collecting photos, he had about 50,000 photos of all kinds, of which about 1,000 were photos of Uncle Ho.

Like a tireless bird, despite his old age and increasingly weak health, he still rides his bike to bookstores and libraries to buy old books and newspapers to collect Uncle Ho's photos. For him, this is his passion and also his happiness for the rest of his life. Surely not only one collection of photos of Uncle Ho like today, but there will be many more collections of photos of Uncle Ho. The more he collects, the more he feels he understands more deeply about the leader Uncle Ho. Mr. Tuong's work over the past 14 years has demonstrated the practical meaning of the Campaign "Studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh" and also has value for the future. Mr. Tuong said, he is old, trying to collect documentary photos of Uncle Ho is also a way to educate the younger generation about beloved Uncle Ho!

Xuan Hoang