The story of a couple who have been Party members for 70 years.

(Baonghean.vn) - Having been members of the Party for 70 years, and both over 90 years old, Mr. Phan Thanh Doan and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh still recount the glorious days, the love they received, and the dedication they received to the Party's ideals with vibrancy and enthusiasm.

Mr. Phan Thanh Doan, born in 1921, and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh (born in 1925) currently live in Xuan Hoa commune, Nam Dan district. The couple support each other in their simple, two-room tiled house, surrounded by a small garden and a clear, unobstructed well.

In the story of the elderly couple over their simple meal, there is a time of vibrant youth, filled with love and longing, intertwined with the husband's long marches and the wife's days spent working in remote areas.

Mr. Phan Thanh Doan recounted: At the age of 25, he joined the Southern Advance Army as a liberation soldier. Full of youthful vigor, he packed his bags and set off with a burning desire to fight for independence and freedom. He joined the Western Advance Army, marched through Laos, and was admitted to the Party two years later in Muong Mo (Laos).

Returning to his motherland in Vietnam in 1949, Phan Thanh Doan was sent to study at the Military Political School and assigned to work in the Binh Tri Thien sub-region, under Military Region 4. It was during this time that he met Nguyen Thi Thanh, his wife, a soldier, and a Party member who was with him throughout his life.

Mr. Phan Thanh Doan and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh are both over 90 years old and have been Party members for 70 years. Photo: Hoai Thu.

Listening to his story, Mrs. Thanh smiled and explained further: "Our love back then was very simple. It wasn't a matter of meeting and immediately liking each other; Mr. Doan and I met through a relative who introduced us. I found him kind and honest, so I liked him."

He, on the other hand, recalled being captivated by the enthusiasm and initiative of the woman from Nam Anh, a women's affairs officer with a petite but agile and lively personality, who was both talkative and hardworking, and trusted by her fellow villagers and colleagues.

The couple dedicated most of their lives to the Party and the revolutionary cause of their homeland, working far apart for long periods, so they only had one daughter. Growing up, their daughter followed in her mother's footsteps and became the Vice President of the Women's Union of Nam Dan District.

Every afternoon, she would often read the newspaper aloud to him. Photo: Hoai Thu.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh is now over 90 years old, and her hearing has become impaired, so she can only hear clearly when spoken to loudly. However, she has sharp eyesight and can still read books and newspapers without glasses. Therefore, every afternoon she reads the newspaper aloud to her husband. They read and comment on the news and events together, and they only read the Nghe An Newspaper, the party's official newspaper. They especially enjoy reading current events, weather forecasts, and articles on effective remedies and daily life experiences...

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh is a veteran official of the Women's Union of Nam Dan District, having served as Chairwoman of a commune and then Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Nam Dan District for nine consecutive terms. Before the August Revolution of 1945, Ms. Thanh participated in liaison work, transferring documents in preparation for the General Uprising. Throughout the resistance wars against the French and then the Americans, she was an active women's cadre, staying close to the grassroots to mobilize women and the people to enthusiastically produce, prepare food and necessities to serve the front lines, and support army units whenever they marched through Nam Dan, Nghe An. On one occasion, she narrowly escaped being hit by a bomb while working in the field to mobilize people in Ru Tet, Nam Anh commune.

Currently, former Party member Phan Thanh Doan and his wife Nguyen Thi Thanh live a simple life in their hometown of Nam Dan. They spend more than half of their pension on hiring domestic help. Photo: Hoai Thu.

Her husband, Mr. Phan Thanh Doan, was no less dedicated and committed than his wife. He participated in numerous military campaigns throughout the country, taking part in many major battles and campaigns during the resistance against the French; he even volunteered to fight in neighboring Laos. After the Dien Bien Phu campaign in 1954, he was transferred to work at the Forestry Transport Company. As an exemplary and enthusiastic Party member, after retiring, Mr. Phan Thanh Doan continued to participate in local affairs and regularly attended Party branch meetings until he was 80 years old.

Speaking about Party building and the cultivation of Party members' qualities, Mr. Doan said: "In this modern era, society is developing rapidly, bringing many advantages, but also many challenges. Party members like us, who are rare these days, won't be with our children and grandchildren much longer. We only hope that the younger generation, especially young Party members, will actively cultivate their ideals, live and do things that are useful and meaningful for the development of our homeland. Young people are easily receptive and develop quickly, but they are also easily led astray by the temptations of the market economy. Therefore, they must be extremely cautious and have firm ideological convictions."

As for Ms. Thanh, she believes that achieving this "doesn't require much talk, but rather demonstrates it through actions and work results. If you do well and set a good example, others will naturally listen and follow." This is also the experience and lesson for success learned from the lives and work of both husband and wife.

Hoai Thu