Homeland of Others - our shared homeland

The road leading to Hoang Tru and Lang Sen villages winds through lush green rice fields. The May sun casts a golden glow on the undulating fields. Nghe An province, with its year-round scorching Lao winds and devastating floods, faces harsh weather conditions, yet this countryside is remarkably fertile and prosperous. Visitors to Uncle Ho's birthplace share a common feeling: stepping into Hoang Tru and Lang Sen feels like stepping back into their own hometown. Even the road leading to Uncle Ho's house feels familiar. The bamboo groves, hibiscus bushes, fragrant betel nut and pomelo blossoms, the small dirt road, and especially the creaking thatched roofs swaying in the summer afternoons... these are images so simple and familiar to every Vietnamese person. It was in this space that young Nguyen Sinh Cung grew up, lulled by his mother's lullabies, surrounded by lyrical folk songs from the weaving villages, and witnessing the hardships of the people of Lang Sen and Hoang Tru villages. These songs accompanied him throughout his life, contributing to the development of the character of a great cultural figure. "My child, this is my advice: Focus on your studies as much as on your food and clothing. Be a person who is clean even in poverty, and respectable even in rags. Lightly disregard fame and fortune, but repay your debt to the nation." Looking at Uncle Ho's house, one can still see the relics: the writing desk where Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac used to teach his children, the loom where Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan used to weave cloth, the wooden platform where patriotic scholars used to discuss national affairs with Uncle Ho's father... Seeing these objects that were so closely associated with Uncle Ho's childhood and family, many people silently wept.

For generations, staff members of the Kim Lien Historical Site Management Board have been tasked with "representing" President Ho Chi Minh's family in receiving visitors. Every day, they care for and preserve the house and the family's mementos, giving visitors a shared feeling: President Ho Chi Minh and his family are still present there, continuing to welcome guests with the filial piety of the people of Nghe An province. Nguyen An Vinh, a tour guide with a clear, sweet, and gentle voice, told us about the feelings of visitors from afar: "Every day we welcome compatriots and international friends to visit President Ho Chi Minh's house. Everyone is deeply moved to learn more about his family and a part of his childhood in his hometown. Many who have had the honor of meeting or working with President Ho Chi Minh, or who have researched him, have shared their memories with us, giving the tour guides the opportunity to add more information, making our presentations more engaging and concise." On the very morning we arrived, a member of the Japanese delegation asked An Vinh for permission to sit on the bamboo bench in Uncle Ho's house. He said that Ho Chi Minh was a role model of a leader wholeheartedly devoted to his people and country, whom he had long admired, loved, studied, and had written about in many articles in Japanese newspapers. Now, having the opportunity to visit Uncle Ho's hometown, he wanted to truly experience the warm atmosphere of the family that gave birth to and raised such a great man.

The feelings of the Japanese visitor are also shared by everyone who visits the historical site.

In response to this sentiment from the people of the whole country and friends from all over the world, a project was started in 2005 and will be completed in 2010: the Kim Lien Historical Site Preservation and Restoration Project linked with tourism development. From the overall project, the project owner and construction units have divided it into three sub-projects: Preservation and restoration of the Lang Sen Historical Site; preservation and restoration of the Hoang Tru Historical Site; and preservation and restoration of the tomb of Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan. These three projects are striving to help tourists and cultural and historical researchers understand and explain the factors that contributed to the making of the national liberation hero and outstanding cultural figure Ho Chi Minh, and to better understand the prophetic prophecy of the late 18th-century scholar Nguyen Binh Khiem: "Chung son tam dinh hinh vuong tu" (the three peaks of Chung mountain form the character for king). I recall that when this project was launched, the then District Party Secretary, Mr. Nguyen The Ky, stated: "Industrialization and modernization in the Kim Lien - Nam Dan countryside is an inevitable step, but preserving the peaceful and tranquil villages, minimizing concrete construction, and maintaining more greenery, spacious gardens, bamboo fences, and hedges of hibiscus and other flowering trees is essential and urgent. It is crucial to preserve traditional houses built over 100 years ago, such as the 'four-pillar, lower-shelf' or 'front-pillar, back-shelf' style, as seen in the few remaining ancient houses." In keeping with this spirit, after three years of construction, based on the land register of Kim Lien commune from the late 19th century, the project proceeded to restore several neighboring houses near the ancestral home, creating a close and intimate relationship between the site and these houses, fostering mutual support and understanding. These were the houses of Mr. Hoang Tron, Mr. Hoang Nhiem, and Mr. Hoang Viet.

One hundred and eighteen years after the most beautiful lotus flower of Sen Village and Tru Village was born, Kim Lien village has become a destination for tourists from all over, where each pilgrimage and each exploration leaves a lasting impression...

Nguyet Anh