The collector of photos of Uncle Ho.

(Baonghean)At nearly 80 years old, Mr. Phan Bui Tuong, residing in Block 16, Ha Huy Tap Ward, Vinh City, still meticulously searches through books and newspapers to collect documentary photos of President Ho Chi Minh. For him, each time he finds a photo of the President, his heart is filled with joy. His passion not only brings him happiness but is also extremely practical and beneficial in the campaign "Studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh"...

Mr. Phan Bui Tuong with a collection of photographs of President Ho Chi Minh that he himself collected.

We arrived at Ton That Thuyet Street in Ha Huy Tap Ward, Vinh City, where an elderly man named Giao enthusiastically guided us to the house of Mr. Phan Bui Tuong, at number 14, alley 10. Knowing that we were researching for an article praising his heartfelt respect for President Ho Chi Minh, Mr. Tuong calmly brought out a thick collection of photographs of President Ho Chi Minh for us to see. He said that since his retirement 14 years ago, his biggest task has been collecting photos of President Ho Chi Minh as keepsakes. To date, he has collected nearly 1,000 pictures. What is special is that each picture offers a unique perspective and carries profound meaning.

Previously, Mr. Tuong was an accountant for several agencies in Nghe An province's agricultural sector. Throughout his more than 40 years as a civil servant, he always respected President Ho Chi Minh and harbored a simple dream: after retirement, he would do something related to the President's life and work. Thus, the intention of collecting photos of President Ho Chi Minh became a constant concern for him. This aspiration only became a reality after his retirement in 2000. Back home, with his children employed, he and his wife began their journey of collecting photos of President Ho Chi Minh. To afford it, he subscribed to Tien Phong newspaper and other newspapers. While reading, if he found a photo of President Ho Chi Minh, he would carefully cut it out with scissors and paste it into a pre-bound photo album. The album, which he made himself using simple, unadorned A4 paper, was 150 pages thick. He pasted photos on both sides of each sheet, with an average of five photos per sheet depending on the size. Collecting photos from daily newspapers wasn't enough; he also went to bookstores and libraries to order used books and newspapers to read. Many nights, he stayed up late. Initially, his wife was displeased, worried about his fatigue... Seeing his passion and enthusiasm for the beloved leader, she later wholeheartedly supported and encouraged him. Although she didn't directly help him collect photos of Uncle Ho, she managed all the household chores daily so he could dedicate his time to his work.

Wherever in Vinh City someone mentioned selling old books and newspapers, he would go and buy them. After buying them, he carefully loaded them onto his cart and took them home. Sometimes, on the way home, it would rain, and he would use his raincoat to protect the books and newspapers, even if his own clothes got soaked. He thought, if his clothes got wet, he could change into another set at home, but if the books and newspapers got wet, they would be useless. Wherever he went, whoever he met, he would ask them to keep any photos of Uncle Ho for him. After bringing the books and newspapers home, he would spend 5-7 hours each day flipping through the pages. Sometimes he was so engrossed that he forgot about lunch, and on many summer nights, he would stay up until midnight. For him, each time he saw a picture of Uncle Ho was a joy, like meeting him in person. Mr. Tuong said: "It's very strange that every time I see a picture of Uncle Ho, no matter where I am, I see on his face a sense of faith, the optimism of a man!"

Thanks to his diverse sources, his collection of photographs is incredibly rich. From the time President Ho Chi Minh boarded ships to embark on his journey to find a way to save the country, to his activities abroad, and his return to directly lead the resistance against the French and Americans… up to the time of his death… He has collected everything. There are photos of President Ho Chi Minh marching with soldiers, with children, participating in agricultural production, plowing fields, irrigating with farmers, or visiting workers in factories and enterprises, exercising, chopping wood… it's all there! No matter the field, President Ho Chi Minh always worked with an optimistic, cheerful spirit, and was kind and caring towards everyone, earning the love and respect of the people. Looking at Mr. Tuong's collection of photographs of President Ho Chi Minh, we are like watching a slow-motion film of President Ho Chi Minh's revolutionary activities. Each photograph conveys a clear message and meaning to the viewer…

During holidays, Mr. and Mrs. Tuong's children and grandchildren would visit him to encourage him by helping him paste each photo into the album or flipping through the pages to look at pictures of President Ho Chi Minh. Seeing him using a makeshift bookshelf, his children and grandchildren promised to buy him a glass cabinet to preserve the photos for a longer time. His son-in-law, a teacher, greatly appreciates his work, considering it a precious spiritual asset not only for himself but also for future generations. Neighbors in the neighborhood, seeing Mr. Tuong's passion for collecting documentary photos of President Ho Chi Minh, would bring him pictures of the President whenever they saw them in newspapers. Mr. Giao, an elderly resident of Block 16, confided: "Everyone has their own hobbies after retirement, and for Mr. Phan Bui Tuong, collecting documentary photos of President Ho Chi Minh is truly commendable! Mr. Tuong's work requires hard work and dedication. In our free time, we visit Mr. Tuong's house to see his work; this is also a way to encourage him and give him more joy."

During his diligent work collecting documentary photos of President Ho Chi Minh, Mr. Tuong came across many other beautiful photos of famous people, which allowed him to collect a wider variety of images. Leading us to a makeshift bookshelf in the corner, Mr. Tuong explained that all the photo collections there were collected and compiled by himself. We flipped through his bookshelf and found nearly 150 photo collections of various kinds. Besides documentary photos of President Ho Chi Minh, he also collected photos of successful people, famous singers, and more. Each collection was arranged and pasted scientifically and carefully. After 14 years of collecting photos, he had approximately 50,000 images of all kinds, including about 1,000 photos of President Ho Chi Minh.

Like a tireless bird, despite his advanced age and declining health, he still cycles to bookstores and libraries to buy old books and newspapers to collect photos of President Ho Chi Minh. For him, this is a passion and also the happiness of his remaining life. Surely, he won't just have one collection of photos of President Ho Chi Minh like today, but many more in the future. The more he collects, the more he feels he gains a deeper understanding of the leader, President Ho Chi Minh. Mr. Tuong's work over the past 14 years demonstrates the practical significance of the "Learning and Following the Moral Example of Ho Chi Minh" campaign and holds value for the future. Mr. Tuong says, "I'm old now, but trying to collect documentary photos of President Ho Chi Minh is also a way to educate the younger generation about our beloved President Ho Chi Minh!"

Xuan Hoang