Multiply the joys

(Baonghean.vn) -Every year on June 1st, when the cicadas chirp loudly and the flamboyant trees bloom bright red, signaling the arrival of summer, and when school year-end celebrations have ended, the children at Nghe An Newspaper celebrate International Children's Day with enriching activities organized by their parents.

The sun in Vinh City on the last day of May was blazing hot. From midday, the children were informed by their parents that their workplaces would be organizing a visit to the 4th Military Region Museum that afternoon. Everyone was so excited they couldn't even take a nap; the children eagerly awaited 3 PM so they could go to the museum.

All the children were joyful, dressed in their best clothes, greeting each other as if they had known each other for a long time. Those who were shorter than their peers last year had grown so much. Trân Châu, with a cheerful smile and showing off her missing teeth, exclaimed, “Khôi Nguyên, did you get good grades? I got two perfect scores!” Another child boasted, “This summer I’m going to swimming lessons in the mornings and martial arts classes in the afternoons! I’m getting ready to become a superhero!”

The vehicle, bearing the words "Children of Nghe An Newspaper - Happy Children's Day," slowly entered the gate of the Military Region 4 Museum, drawing eager eyes. The children were greeted by the museum's leadership with enthusiastic applause. They quickly lined up in two rows to listen as Dau Huy Minh read a report about the heroic martyrs with reverence and gratitude: "Today, we, the children of parents working at Nghe An Newspaper, have come here to report our achievements to the heroic martyrs who fell for the independence and freedom of our Fatherland. We pledge to study hard so as not to disappoint the hopes and sacrifices of the heroic martyrs who fell so that we could have peace, go to school, and achieve the successes we have today."

Uncle Tran Van Hoanh was assigned by the leadership to be the tour guide for the children. He meticulously and movingly introduced the artifacts and models recreating memorable historical moments and portraits of our army during the years of the war against the US to save the country. He also subtly reminded the children of the historical knowledge they had learned at school and through books and newspapers. “Now, let me ask you, who was the person who used his body to block a machine gun emplacement?” The children answered in unison: “Uncle, it was Phan Dinh Giot!” This was the display of the gun mount where Phan Dinh Giot sacrificed himself during the victorious moments when our army was advancing.

Upon arriving at the monument to Nguyen Viet Xuan, Uncle Hoanh asked, "Whose famous quote is 'Aim straight at the enemy and shoot'?" The students unanimously replied, "It's from the martyr Nguyen Viet Xuan!" Then he continued, "The little guerrilla raises her gun high as the lanky American walks with his head bowed. We are standing before a photograph of the female militia member Nguyen Thi Kim Lai who bravely captured an American soldier. Though he was tall and strong, he couldn't defeat our bravery, courage, and bravery. The image of the little guerrilla leading the American soldier is a vivid testament to this, isn't it, children?"

Mr. Tran Van Hoanh introduces historical artifacts and models.
at the Museum of Military Region 4

As the historical footage slowly unfolded amidst Uncle Hoanh's narration, the children gained a deeper understanding of the historical moments of their ancestors. Some, who had never experienced such events before, felt like they were learning history through an outdoor excursion, a kind of military training program that many had long dreamed of. Nguyen Vinh Tai shared, “Many times my parents have taken me to visit the Soviet-Nghe Tinh Museum, where I’ve seen vivid artifacts depicting historical moments of our army and people. But today, coming here, I’ve learned new knowledge about Vietnamese history through the exhibits.” Ha Huy Cong, visibly moved, added, “Me too. I feel even more grateful to the soldiers who sacrificed for us today.”

After touring the exhibits at the museum, the children were led by Mr. Hoanh to the back hall of the museum to see a statue of President Ho Chi Minh depicting him visiting his hometown. Mr. Hoanh said: "The image of President Ho Chi Minh affectionately inquiring about the people and the children is portrayed in this statue so that future generations can forever remember him."

Finally, the children were led by their older siblings into the military museum's auditorium to attend a celebratory party, receive awards, and listen to words of advice and encouragement from the leaders. Ms. Pham Thi Hong Toan, Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper, kindly said: “Today, I am representing the leadership of Nghe An Newspaper to accompany you children on a visit to the historical museum. I noticed that you all listened attentively to Mr. Hoanh's introduction, which is what I and the editorial board, along with the members of the Youth Union Executive Committee, hope for. We hope that you will follow the example of your elders, study hard, and be worthy of being good children, good students, and good grandchildren of Uncle Ho, so that next year we can visit other historical sites. Are you happy? Do you promise me that you will strive to study even better?” The whole hall responded in unison: “Yes!” Ms. Phan Mai, the program host, read out the names of the students with high academic achievements, including two national-level outstanding students: Dau Huy Minh, a 5th-grade student from Le Mao Primary School, son of Ms. Mai Hoa, who won a gold medal in online English, and Ha Huy Cong, son of Ms. Phan Mai, who won a gold medal in online Math.

Twenty-nine students achieved excellent academic results, and nine students were recognized as advanced students. They received meaningful gifts from the organizers. Mr. Nguyen Van Dai, Deputy Director of the Military Region 4 Museum, speaking on behalf of the museum's leadership, said: “The museum is honored to welcome the young students from Nghe An Newspaper today. We hope you will all strive to study hard and achieve new accomplishments in your studies and training, so that we can welcome you again on other occasions.” The museum's leadership also presented gifts of books about historical artifacts preserved at the museum to students with high academic achievements.

As the celebration ended, the children left with a sense of longing. We hope that June 1st will come again so that they can visit historical sites, discover new things in life, and experience even more joy on International Children's Day.

Thanh Nga