May in the Kim Lien National Special Historical Site

A place where emotions settle.

In the warm May sunshine, amidst the refreshing scent of lotus flowers and the buzzing of cicadas, visitors from all over the country gather at what has become a "common homeland" in the hearts of people nationwide. All radiate happiness at setting foot in the birthplace of beloved President Ho Chi Minh and are deeply moved by the stories of his childhood in "Trù Village, his mother's hometown, and Sen Village, his father's hometown" at the Kim Liên Historical Site.

During these historic days of May, the Kim Lien National Special Historical Site welcomes thousands of visitors from all over the country every day to visit President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace. Many families live far away but come every year, and often multiple times during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year), to remember and pay tribute to President Ho Chi Minh and to remind their children and grandchildren to consider his birthplace as a place to always remember and return to after long journeys.

Mr. Tran Dinh Phong from Lam Thao district, Phu Tho province shared: "Although I have visited President Ho Chi Minh's hometown many times, seeing the scenery, the memorial house, the relics of President Ho Chi Minh, and especially the stories about him and his family members told by the tour guides, moved me to tears."

Mr. Lam Dinh Hung, Deputy Director of the Kim Lien Special National Historical Site, said: To prepare for the activities of the Lang Sen Festival commemorating the 134th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth, since the beginning of April, the historical site has been replacing the clusters of celebratory flags, national flags, banners, slogans, and billboards at parking lots, roads, and areas under the site's management...

In particular, in early May, the historical site received over 500 lanterns donated by a business in Ninh Binh province to create a "lantern pathway" hung along two rows of shady mango trees from the main gate to the exhibition area. In addition, the site has developed a plan to ensure security and order; deployed tour guides and staff on duty at tourist attractions and security checkpoints; and coordinated with various units and organizations to conduct general environmental cleaning, ensuring the aesthetic appeal, cultural value, and civilized nature of tourism.

It is known that, from the beginning of the year, the Kim Lien National Special Historical Site has had many meaningful activities aimed at commemorating the 134th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth. Notably, in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh Museum, they organized the exhibition "Simple but Noble Examples," showcasing 134 exemplary individuals who have excelled in "Studying and Following the Ideology, Morality, and Style of Ho Chi Minh," and also organized the exhibition "Echoes of Dien Bien Phu"...

In addition, the historical site collaborated with Nghe An Radio and Television Station to organize a live broadcast of the special political and artistic program "Lang Sen Nurturing Great Ambitions" at the Hoang Tru Historical Site Complex.

To create an ideal tourist destination

As a significant historical site for Vietnamese people, domestic tourists, and international friends, the Kim Lien National Special Historical Site is open to visitors every day of the year. During peak months, it is open continuously at noon and for an additional hour in the afternoon. Without increasing staff or implementing shift work, this represents a tremendous effort by the site's officials, employees, and workers in preserving, restoring, and protecting the relics, documents, and artifacts, as well as promoting their value in conjunction with tourism development.

Currently, the total number of artifacts displayed in the historical houses and supplementary exhibition halls at the Kim Lien Special National Historical Site is 290, including nearly 100 original artifacts and contemporary artifacts of the same type.

In addition, the museum's collection currently houses and displays 42 types of artifacts with nearly 4,000 individual items, along with hundreds of documents and artifacts including photographic records, mementos from domestic and international delegations, and gifts from localities, agencies, and units to the Kim Lien Special National Historical Site. Hundreds of pages of collected documents also contribute to enriching the collection of materials and artifacts about President Ho Chi Minh during his years living in his hometown and his two visits there.

Over the years, the Kim Lien Special National Monument Area has maintained good routine preservation practices, gradually applying scientific, technical, and technological advancements to monument preservation, while also effectively implementing periodic preservation and restoration programs to prevent degradation of the monuments. In addition to the allocated budget, the unit has flexibly solicited donations from organizations and individuals through social mobilization, ranging from 10 to 20 billion VND per year.

To date, the Kim Lien Special National Historical Site has digitized more than 10,000 documents and artifacts, applied 360-degree VR and AR virtual reality technology combined with modern touch screens at the supplementary exhibition hall and the tomb of Lady Hoang Thi Loan, and developed several additional items to serve visitors at the site such as: performances of Nghe Tinh folk songs, visits to President Ho Chi Minh's fish pond, experiences of rice milling and pounding, calligraphy…; created landscaped spaces such as flower paths and flower islands for visitors to check-in; and renovated Dai Hue Park for students to go on field trips and camping…

The Kim Lien National Special Historical Site has also focused on training its staff and workers to become increasingly professional, with a particular emphasis on improving the quality of tour guides so that the content and format of the tours are constantly changed to suit different visitor groups, creating novelty and attractiveness. Currently, the Kim Lien National Special Historical Site has trained 5 English-speaking tour guides, 8 Lao-speaking tour guides, and 1 French-speaking tour guide, leaving a positive impression on domestic and international tourists.

Furthermore, the Kim Lien National Special Historical Site has promoted the development and diversification of products and services, focusing on building unique products with distinct identities and outstanding value to serve tourists. Currently, the site is collaborating with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and businesses to gradually diversify and improve the quality of tourism products, while also bringing typical OCOP products from districts in the province to the site to serve tourists; and establishing a tourism information center to introduce tourists to destinations in Nghe An.

To make the Kim Lien Special National Monument Area a cultural and festival center, a historical and cultural site of national and international significance, and an ideal tourist destination for domestic and foreign visitors, in the coming time, the site will focus on coordinating with relevant agencies and units to implement the overall upgrading plan for the Kim Lien Special National Monument Area, approved by Decision No. 1943/QD-TTg dated November 27, 2020, of the Prime Minister, focusing on the following items: a 43-hectare cultural tourism area; a nine-tiered waterfall at the tomb of Lady Hoang Thi Loan; a cultural and ecological tourism area at Chung Mountain; and the Lang Sen cultural space… Along with that, the automated audio guide system will be completed; the project for a Service Center at the intersection of Nam Giang commune will be finalized; and communication efforts and connections with other tourist destinations in the province will be strengthened.

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Mr. Nguyen Bao Tuan – Director of the Kim Lien Special National Historical Site.