Tears welling up as I return to my homeland

(Baonghean) - On the morning of July 24, Vinh City was submerged in heavy rain. Despite the seemingly never-ending rain, the Organizing Committee and 500 delegates attending the Conference to honor outstanding prestigious people of 5 Northwestern provinces: Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An were still excited and happy to set off for Kim Lien (Nam Dan), Uncle Ho's hometown.

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After a long and tiring journey, on the evening of July 23, the delegation of the provinces arrived in Vinh City. Arriving in Uncle Ho's hometown, the fatigue of the long journey seemed to disappear before the warm and enthusiastic welcome of the leaders and people of Nghe An. That night, everyone rested to regain strength to visit Uncle Ho's hometown the next morning, to see with their own eyes the scenery that was associated with his childhood. Early in the morning, from the crack of dawn, everyone woke up and put on their newest and most beautiful national costumes to go to Uncle Ho's hometown to offer flowers and incense. For them, visiting Uncle Ho's hometown is a pilgrimage to the source, to the cradle of the revolution, to the land that has long been considered a sacred land of outstanding people.

In the Kim Lien relic site (recently recognized as a special national relic site), there were bustling costumes typical of the Thai, Mong, Kho Mu, Muong, Dao ethnic groups... The "National Anthem" resounded during the flag-raising ceremony, the rain outside seemed to pause to witness the very sacred moment. After the memorial service, each delegate offered incense before the altar of Uncle Ho. In their turn, everyone respectfully bowed, stood still for a moment, eyes looking up at Uncle Ho's statue as if to tell him about the life of their village and their people, at the same time expressing their admiration and sending their secret thoughts.

After the flower and incense offering ceremony, the delegates visited Uncle Ho's paternal home. Passing through the bamboo gate, everyone was moved to tears. Hibiscus flowers blooming, rows of fresh potatoes, oranges and grapefruits hanging heavy on the branches - the scenery was so rustic and familiar. Many people may have seen this scene in books, newspapers, and on the small screen, but when they came here, they would surely still feel amazed.

Delegates heard stories about Uncle Ho's childhood in his hometown - Kim Lien.
Photo: Thu Huong

The thatched house was too small to accommodate more than 500 people. Most of them stood in the rain outside the yard to listen to the loudspeaker coming from that small house. Being present in Uncle Ho's thatched house, we witnessed tears on the faces of most people when they heard, saw, and touched the artifacts that had been associated with the lives of each member of the family of Vice-Chancellor Nguyen Sinh Sac - the father of President Ho Chi Minh. Standing next to us was Mr. Ly Kim Lich (over 80 years old, Dao ethnic group) from Xuan Thang village, Cu Thang commune, Thanh Son district (Phu Tho) who continuously raised his hand to wipe away tears.

When asked, Mr. Lich shared: “Since I heard that I was going to Nghe An to attend the conference, I was extremely happy. Because I knew that coming here I would definitely be able to visit Uncle Ho's hometown, that was a dream of almost my whole life. I remember in 1969, the day Uncle Ho passed away, it was also raining heavily like this, I was present in the commune's funeral organizing committee. That day, everyone cried. Before coming here, my grandchildren told me to take lots of photos in Uncle Ho's hometown, to listen to my sister explain and tell stories so that when I get home I can tell them to the whole family...”. Standing next to Mr. Ly Kim Lich, Mr. Phung Sinh Toan (Dao ethnic group) from Yen Lap district (Phu Tho) also contributed: “I am over 60 years old this year but this is the first time I have been able to visit Uncle Ho's hometown. This morning I woke up very early to prepare, at first I saw it was raining heavily and was afraid I wouldn't be able to go. But luckily my dream of visiting Uncle Ho's hometown finally came true.

Saying goodbye to Lang Sen village, the delegation went to Hoang Tru to visit the mother's hometown. The emotions were still overflowing, tears were still in the eyes of the children living far away. We saw a woman standing respectfully holding a hammock, then went to admire the loom of Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan. When we asked, we learned that her name was Bui Thi Toan (Muong ethnic group) from Hang Tram town, Yen Thuy district (Hoa Binh). Mrs. Toan shared: "This is the third time I have visited Uncle Ho's hometown, the previous times were in 2003 and 2010. This time coming back, I see that Uncle Ho's hometown has changed a lot, the relic site is more and more solemn. But the emotions are still intact, unchanged".

In the souvenir display and sales area, Sung A Cau (Mong ethnic group) in Mang A village, Thu Cuc commune, Tan Son district (Phu Tho) was fascinated by the display of rubber sandals. He chose and chose again and finally decided to buy a pair. Sung A Cau confided: “Since I was little, I have loved wearing rubber sandals, Uncle Ho's sandals. At home, I still have several pairs, both old and new, still in very good condition. But since I have visited Uncle Ho's hometown, I have to buy a pair from Uncle Ho's hometown as a souvenir, and it is truly "Rubber sandals, Uncle Ho's sandals".

When visiting Uncle Ho's paternal and maternal hometowns, when leaving, the children living far away still regretted that because of the rain they could not go up Dai Hue mountain to visit the grave of their mother Hoang Thi Loan. Then, there remained the dream and plan to once again visit his hometown, to respectfully bow in memory of the person who gave birth to President Ho Chi Minh.

Talking to us, comrade Truong Xuan Cu - Deputy Head of the Northwest Steering Committee affirmed: "Returning to Nghe An to organize the Conference to honor outstanding prestigious people of 5 provinces in the Northwest region, we are really assured about the reception, preparation and visiting historical sites. This is also an important factor determining the success of the conference. Being able to visit Uncle Ho's hometown, surely the people are very happy and moved, proud and will continue to contribute their intelligence and strength to the development of their homeland and country".

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