And as a habit, whenever Nghe An has an important ceremony, we return to this land. This December also marks the 60th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's second visit to his hometown. Standing before his simple house in his maternal hometown of Hoang Tru, the sunlight still seems to linger on the thatched roof. And it seems that his presence remains warm and comforting here forever.

Our homeland has Uncle Ho.

Fifty years after leaving his homeland to travel and seek a way to save the country, President Ho Chi Minh returned to his hometown for the first time in June 1957. His second and final visit was to Hoang Tru village. That was on the morning of December 9, 1961. Hoang Tru – his maternal hometown – is where young Nguyen Sinh Cung was born and took his first steps.

After paying respects to his maternal ancestors at the Hoang Xuan family ancestral temple, Uncle Ho stepped into his parents' three-room house. It seemed as if the image of his father, Nguyen Sinh Sac, still sat there, studying at his simple bamboo table, and his mother, Hoang Thi Loan, still diligently working at her loom. And the laughter of his eldest brother, Nguyen Sinh Khiem, and his sister, Nguyen Thi Thanh, still echoed through the garden…

Leaving Hoang Tru, Uncle Ho went to the Lang Sen stadium to speak with the villagers. He said: “Last time I came, everyone was fending for themselves, each household was fending for itself, and people were working sporadically. Now the village has organized a cooperative, and the people are united and always helping each other. That is a great change…” This time, returning to his hometown, Uncle Ho also instructed the villagers to build the cooperative well, upholding the spirit of ownership: ownership of the village, ownership of the cooperative, ownership of the country. Each person should consider the work of the cooperative as their own work and have the responsibility to make the people prosperous, the country strong, and the national defense strong…

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Sixty years later, Uncle Ho's words and his presence still resonate warmly around us. From Hoang Tru to Lang Sen, the promise made to Uncle Ho remains unwavering. Nam Dan district became a new rural district in 2017. And this year, the district has met the criteria for an advanced new rural district and is aiming to build a model new rural area.

The aspirations of young people in President Ho Chi Minh's homeland.

As if to demonstrate the efforts to fulfill President Ho Chi Minh's wishes and instructions for his homeland, Mr. Tran Khac Nghia, Vice Chairman of the Kim Lien Commune People's Committee, stated that in 2021, despite being severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the commune's economy continued to grow significantly, estimated at 6.32%. The total production value of the commune was estimated at 508.49 billion VND. The production value of the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector was 132.539 billion VND; the industrial and construction sector was 255.313 billion VND; and the service and trade sector reached 120.638 billion VND. The average per capita income per year was 52.4 million VND, an increase of 2.7 million VND per person per year compared to 2020. Notably, many new economic models and approaches have emerged in the commune, effectively meeting the requirements of innovative thinking and creativity in line with current trends.

To further substantiate his claim, the Vice Chairman of the Kim Lien Commune People's Committee took me to visit the Sen Que Bac Agricultural Cooperative in the village… This cooperative has 7 products that have achieved 4-star OCOP standards in Nghe An province. Operating as a joint-stock company with 7 members and 22 affiliated households, the Sen Que Bac Agricultural Cooperative is managed by Mr. Pham Kim Tien (born in 1986). Even more remarkably, this economic model operates with raw materials and products that are completely familiar to the Kim Lien area: lotus – and processed lotus products. Mr. Pham Kim Tien began by "showing off" with a few lines of poetry gifted to him by a journalist:"Sip a cup of Kim Lien lotus tea / The land and water, the love of Uncle Ho, warms hearts near and far / The fragrant aroma of home / Peaceful company, a cup of morning tea.".

Mr. Pham Kim Tien said that he was fortunate to be born in Lang Sen village, and since high school in the district, he had harbored the dream of doing "something" with the lotus plants of his hometown. However, after graduating from the Hanoi Agricultural Academy, he worked in the northern provinces for 8 years. And as a promise to his homeland, in 2013 he returned to Lang Sen village. Initially, he participated in supplying agricultural materials, seeds, and fertilizers. In 2018, with the program to build Kim Lien into a model new rural commune, the Party Committee and People's Committee of Kim Lien commune encouraged young people to take the lead in building new economic models. Like a drought-stricken land receiving rain, Mr. Pham Kim Tien immediately started building a cooperative to process products from lotus.

The commune facilitated the young director's lease of 12.5 hectares of ponds and water surface to expand the lotus cultivation area. Based on this, Mr. Tien diligently restored several ancient lotus varieties from his hometown, and selected from nearly 20 ancient white lotus varieties from North to South Vietnam to find the only one suitable for the soil of Nam Dan to cultivate and expand the area. To date, after 3 years of establishment, the cooperative headed by Mr. Pham Kim Tien has expanded its raw material area to over 80 hectares. In addition to Nam Dan, the raw material area has also been expanded to the districts of Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen, and Thanh Chuong…

Given the unique values ​​of Nghe An province, it can be said that every part of the lotus plant, from the root, stem, leaves, and seeds, is used in processing to create products.

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“I was very conflicted when deciding to name the cooperative ‘Lotus of Uncle Ho’s Homeland.’ From the bottom of my heart, I wanted to do something for my homeland, to express my deep gratitude to Uncle Ho and to this land. And I also wanted to change the way people think and do things, to contribute a small voice to the place where I was born.”

Mr. Pham Kim Tien

Leaving Kim Lien, we arrived at Xuan Hoa commune. We were greeted by a young woman with a bright smile, Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung, a young Party member and a dynamic and bold Youth Union Secretary, not only of the commune but also of Nam Dan district. Thuy Dung was born in 1990 and joined the Party in 2015. She graduated from the Academy of Finance (Hanoi). In 2015, she returned to her hometown and participated in the local Youth Union activities.

Not only is she a Youth Union leader, Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung has also become a role model for the local people by independently researching and establishing a soap production facility using environmentally friendly natural ingredients. These products include bitter melon, lemongrass, and lemon soaps; herbal shampoos and tea bags made from soapberry and betel leaves… all made with readily available local ingredients. Furthermore, she owns a traditional rice cake production workshop that has been recognized as a 3-star OCOP product.

With her Minh Chau brand products, Thuy Dung has won numerous awards, including: Third Prize in the 2021 Startup Competition organized by the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union; and Third Prize in the 2021 "Confident Women in Economic Activities" Competition launched by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union. Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung's production facility provides regular employment for 7 workers, including 2 village youth union secretaries. For many years, Thuy Dung has been recognized as an outstanding young person in Xuan Hoa commune and Nam Dan district.

My promise to Him remains unwavering.

"The success in the renovation and development of our homeland today owes a great deal to the contributions of many young people," Mr. Bien Van Trung, Head of the Propaganda Department of the Nam Dan District Party Committee, shared with us. He said that since the beginning of the year, Nam Dan district has admitted nearly 200 young Party members. Some of these members are under 30 years old but are already business owners, exemplary figures in the movement for innovation, creativity, self-reliance, and successful economic development. Young people have recognized their role and responsibility in participating in emulation movements to build their homeland, including contributing to making Nam Dan an advanced and model new rural district.

The success in the renovation and development of our homeland today owes a great deal to the contributions of many young people, Mr. Bien Van Trung, Head of the Propaganda Department of the Nam Dan District Party Committee, shared with us. He said that since the beginning of the year, Nam Dan district has admitted nearly 200 young Party members. Some of these members are under 30 years old but are already business owners, exemplary figures in the movement for innovation, creativity, self-reliance, and successful economic development. Young people have recognized their role and responsibility in participating in emulation movements to build their homeland, including contributing to making Nam Dan an advanced and model new rural district.

The Head of the Propaganda Department of the Nam Dan District Party Committee also stated that, after 3 years of implementing Decision No. 17/QD-TTg dated January 4, 2019, of the Prime Minister approving the pilot project "Building Nam Dan district, Nghe An province into a model new rural district in the direction of cultural development associated with tourism, giai đoạn 2018 - 2025", the entire district mobilized 1,986.6 billion VND; of which, socialized capital (businesses) was 77 billion VND; capital mobilized from the community was 565.3 billion VND, accounting for 28.45%. The people voluntarily donated 30,431 m² of land.²land, demolition of 10,111m²²the fence and contributed 50,240 man-days to its construction.

Infrastructure, rural transportation, school facilities, irrigation, and the healthcare system have been continuously improved. Cultural institutions and the spiritual life of the people have been constantly enhanced; tourism development infrastructure continues to create many important highlights. As a result, the district's economic growth rate in 2021 is estimated at 8.5%. The total value of production is estimated at 8,546 billion VND. Average per capita income is estimated at 57 million VND/person/year, an increase of 2 million VND/person/year compared to 2020.

Sixty years after President Ho Chi Minh's second visit to his hometown, Nam Dan has gathered many elements to become a model district of Nghe An province and the whole country. This was also the expectation and wish of our beloved President Ho Chi Minh during his lifetime. Today, the Party Committee, government, and people of Nam Dan remain steadfast in their promise to President Ho Chi Minh, striving to build a more beautiful homeland, worthy of the love and trust he bestowed upon them.