May returns to Xieng Vang, remembering Uncle Ho

Symbol of peace and charity

In May, Xieng Vang village leans in the golden sunshine. The memorial site of President Ho Chi Minh is located on a beautiful land overlooking the Mekong River flowing day and night. On the other side of the river is Nakhon Phanom province, Northeast Thailand - also the place where a man named Thau Chin (Uncle Ho's alias) carried out revolutionary activities in the years 1928 - 1929. During this time, he often took a boat across the Mekong River to Xieng Vang, Noong Boc district, south of Tha Khet town, Khammouane province to grasp the situation.

President Ho Chi Minh and President Kaysone Phomvihane in Hanoi in 1966. Photo archive

Here, he met with overseas Vietnamese and local people, advising them to live in solidarity, help each other, and be determined to drive the French colonialists out of Laos and Vietnam. He also shared his experience in organizing revolutionary patriotic organizations in Laos. Many cadres who were enlightened and trained by him became leaders of the revolutionary movement in many provinces and cities of Laos...

Listening to Uncle Ho, the people of Xieng Vang wholeheartedly followed the revolution, rose up to gain independence and freedom, contributing human and material resources to serve the resistance. Mr. Dang Van Hong - 86 years old, a veteran revolutionary here, recalled: “There is nothing more miserable than being a slave, 95% of us Xieng Vang people wholeheartedly followed the Party's policies and rose up to liberate ourselves. Like us, if we went to Thailand, the enemy would have captured us and we would have died. But coming here, we crossed mountains and forests, brought cadres, worked as liaisons, contributed rice and food to support the resistance. We bought medicine and anything else we needed. As for living with our wives, children, families, and neighbors, and if we sacrificed, we sacrificed for everyone.”.

Although they are just stories told by grandparents and parents, for the people of Xieng Vang, Uncle Ho is always a symbol of the nation. Thinking of Uncle Ho is thinking of the homeland of Vietnam. From the bottom of their hearts, the people donated 1.6 hectares of land to build the President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Area. Now, on every holiday or major anniversary, the people of the two ethnic groups of Vietnam and Laos and tourists can come here to offer flowers and incense, expressing their gratitude to the beloved leader of the Vietnamese people, a close friend of the Lao people. Ms. Kongma Duongmani - Tour guide said: "The people of Xieng Vang always support, love and are filled with emotions when coming to the Uncle Ho Memorial Area. Visitors will have someone to explain and introduce in Lao and Vietnamese. Introducing documents as well as the years of Uncle Ho's revolutionary activities here, helping everyone understand more about Uncle Ho".

About the place where the relics of Him are kept

President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Site in Xieng Vang. Photo: Van Thieng

The memorial area of ​​President Ho Chi Minh in Xieng Vang village, Khammouane province, includes many items, built according to the architecture of Vietnam and Laos. The memorial area displays many documentary images, books, and newspapers about President Ho Chi Minh; images of visits and working sessions of high-ranking leaders of the two countries in the past and present; exhibits artifacts related to Uncle Ho donated by overseas Vietnamese in Xieng Vang village...

The memorial site is not only a symbol but also a destination of the solidarity between the people of Vietnam and Laos. Mr. Khanxay Phommavong - Head of the Management Board of the President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Site said: "During the time Uncle Ho worked here, he left a lot of affection with the local people. When this relic site was built, the people donated many precious artifacts about Uncle Ho. That showed the special affection of the local people and overseas Vietnamese living here for President Ho Chi Minh".

Located in the middle of a peaceful countryside, next to the year-round green Mekong River, and only more than 20 km by car from the center of Thakhet town of Khammouane province, the President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Site in Xieng Vang village, Nong Bok district has become a sacred address for the people of Vietnam and Laos to express their gratitude to the great President Ho Chi Minh, who together with Lao revolutionary leaders such as President Souphanouvong and beloved President Kaysone Phomvihane brought independence and freedom to the people of the two countries, the great architects who built and nurtured the great friendship and special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos that will last forever.