Remembering the life of Ms. Thanh - the female writer Bach Lien

The family is the first cradle for each person, shaping positive emotions and childhood personality, contributing to the nurturing of character. For President Ho Chi Minh, in addition to the fine traditions of his homeland and lineage, the example of his family members had a profound and powerful influence on the formation of his noble character.

Besides his parents, Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac and Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan, the person who had the most influence on him was his older sister, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh.

Like her two younger brothers, Thanh was born in Hoang Tru, her mother's hometown (1884), and lived in the loving care and guidance of her parents, maternal grandparents, and Aunt An (Hoang Thi An, the younger sister of Hoang Thi Loan). From a young age, Thanh was taught right from wrong, to love work, and to live with compassion. As the eldest daughter, she soon displayed the good qualities and filial piety of a daughter, granddaughter, and eldest sister in the family.

In 1895, when her parents and two younger siblings moved to Hue, Thanh had to stay with her grandmother so they could spend time together, helping with household chores and caring for her grandmother when she was ill. At just 11 years old, she had to leave her parents' embrace and the laughter of her siblings. At that age, it was inevitable that she would feel sadness and cry at night missing her mother. From that year until her mother's passing in the imperial city, she never saw her again. Perhaps that was the immense pain and loss that led her to secretly carry her mother's remains back to her hometown in 1922 during a visit to her village. This was an extraordinary display of filial piety and determination. Later, her younger brother, Nguyen Sinh Khiem, found a beautiful spot on Dong Tranh mountain in Nam Giang commune as the final resting place for their beloved mother.

When Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac passed the imperial examination and passed the second-highest level of the rank of Pho Bang (second-highest rank in the imperial examination system), his family returned to Lang Sen village to pay their respects to their ancestors. At this time, Thanh was a 17-year-old girl, fluent in Chinese characters, and especially knowledgeable about traditional medicine. Young men from the village and surrounding areas were eager to ask for her hand in marriage. Naturally, a young woman at that prime would dream of a happy family of her own. However, with filial piety towards her father and love for her siblings, she refused, temporarily setting aside her own happiness. She diligently managed the household, cared for her father, and looked after her younger siblings after their mother's death; fulfilling the responsibilities of both an older sister and a mother in the family. Therefore, even though their mother was no longer alive, the Ho Chi Minh siblings continued to receive the utmost care and love during their years in their hometown. Could it be that Thanh's self-sacrifice and filial piety were influenced by the noble life of her mother, Hoang Thi Loan?

In 1906, Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac went to Hue to serve as an official, taking his two sons with him, while Ms. Thanh stayed behind to look after the house and fields. What she could never have imagined was that this second time seeing her father and two brothers off to Hue would also be the last time she would see her beloved father. In 1929, Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac passed away in Cao Lanh (Dong Thap province), and Ms. Thanh was the only child in the family allowed to go and pay her respects to her father.

Ms. Thanh's life was not only a shining example of self-sacrifice and filial piety, but she was also a brilliant role model of patriotism, courage, and unwavering loyalty. Born and raised in a land rich in tradition, she was instilled with patriotism and national pride. Growing up witnessing the suffering and enslavement of the people of a country under foreign rule ignited in her a deep hatred and a will to drive out the invaders. Therefore, during her youth in Lang Sen village, she actively participated in patriotic activities in the Quyen and Phan teams, acting as a liaison to raise money for the resistance fighters and the Dong Du movement. In 1910, while on a liaison mission, she was captured by the enemy. Despite being brutally beaten and tortured in various ways, she did not utter a single word. Because they could not find concrete evidence, they had to release her.

Because of Thanh's patriotic activities, the French Resident's Office in Central Vietnam created a file, coded A11667, to monitor her. But she was not afraid. Immediately after her release from prison, she opened a restaurant in Vinh to serve as a secret contact point and obtained weapons from the French colonial soldiers to supply the resistance fighters. On February 5, 1918, she participated in stealing weapons from the warehouse of the Military Guard Camp. Unfortunately, the theft was discovered, and she was arrested and sentenced to nine years of hard labor in exile. On December 2, 1918, Thanh was imprisoned in Quang Ngai. During those years, with her kind heart and knowledge of traditional medicine, she helped treat the sick and save lives. Because of this, she was loved and respected wherever she went.

After years of exile and house arrest, on September 18, 1940, Nguyen Thi Thanh was released and returned to her hometown to live.

In 1946, upon learning that her younger brother was President Ho Chi Minh, she was overjoyed. Ms. Thanh traveled to Hanoi to visit him. The emotional reunion after decades of separation brought back countless stories – tales of the village, relatives, and family. Yet, it was the heart of a sister filled with understanding and empathy. Knowing the heavy responsibilities of a leader amidst the complexities of national affairs, after a brief moment of meeting and parting, Ms. Thanh returned to her hometown. In her later years, she lived a simple, exemplary life, surrounded by her neighbors and relatives in Lang Sen village.

On April 25, 1954 (March 23, Year of the Horse), she breathed her last at the age of 70, amidst the sorrow and respect of her relatives and the people of Kim Lien commune.

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The life of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh is a shining example of a Vietnamese woman, embodying noble qualities and profound patriotism. It was through her example, and the lives of her older sister and other family members, that President Ho Chi Minh's noble character and admirable qualities were deeply influenced.