A warm meeting

(Baonghean)One day in early August 2012, the family of teacher Dau Xuan Tieu, in Quynh Thach commune (Quynh Luu district), was delighted to welcome Comrade Phan Dinh Trac, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and his delegation for a visit...

This heartwarming encounter was made possible by a delightful coincidence. The Provincial Party Secretary read the Nghe An newspaper and learned that teacher Dau Xuan Tieu, with love and respect, had dedicated his life to collecting and preserving documents about President Ho Chi Minh. More than four decades have passed since he first kept a photograph of President Ho Chi Minh – the one from the newspaper announcing his death. During that time, whether in war or peace, despite his family moving from Bac Ninh to Nghe An many times, living in thatched huts or enduring storms and floods, his collection of documents about President Ho Chi Minh remained intact, not lost or damaged, but preserved, supplemented, and multiplied.

From a single photograph, it gradually grew into a bookshelf, then into a library of books and photographs about Uncle Ho. Despite the hardships and difficulties, he never imagined that one day, this small library would be prominently featured on the front page of the Nghe An newspaper (July 14, 2012), becoming known to cadres, Party members, and the people. Even more so, he never imagined that the Provincial Party Secretary would take the time to read the article about him and his family's exemplary study and emulation of Uncle Ho's moral example. As a result, he and his family and friends were honored to receive the Provincial Party Secretary's visit, encouragement, and recognition. He was even happier because from now on, the valuable materials he had preserved would be researched and published by relevant agencies under the direction of the Provincial Party Secretary, to introduce and promote them to future generations, fostering their love and appreciation for Uncle Ho!

While teacher Dau Xuan Tieu considered the Provincial Party Secretary's visit to his home "a complete surprise," the Provincial Party Secretary argued that taking the time to meet with grassroots levels, visiting the lives of cadres, Party members, and the general public is a very normal practice that every leader should undertake regularly, considering it a daily task to gather information, thereby better serving leadership and management, resolving issues at the grassroots level, and promptly identifying and commending exemplary individuals...

The meeting between a high-ranking provincial leader and a retired teacher took place in a warm and touching atmosphere. It could be said that this encounter was a pleasant coincidence, yet it felt like destiny, between people of different positions who shared a common aspiration to learn from and emulate President Ho Chi Minh's moral example, starting with the smallest and most concrete actions!

Duc Dung