Teacher Dan Lai and the memory of meeting Uncle Ho

(Baonghean.vn) - TeacherTeacher La Van Tham was honored to be a Dan Lai native who met Uncle Ho in 1961 when he returned to his hometown and visited Nghe An Mountainous Pedagogical School.

For him, the moment of meeting and listening to Uncle Ho's instructions became a sacred memory that he could never forget throughout his life.

Teacher La Van Tham is 70 years old this year. In a simple level 4 house in Thai Son village, Mon Son commune, Con Cuong. He enthusiastically told us about his feelings and the sacred moment of meeting Uncle Ho. He said that in the past, it was very rare for Dan Lai people to study.

Documentary photo of Uncle Ho visiting Nghe An Mountainous Pedagogical School and taking photos with cadres and mountain people. Photo: Ba Hau (retaken)

In 1960, La Van Tham was sent to study at Nghe An Mountainous Pedagogical School. Here, during Uncle Ho's visit to his hometown in 1961, he visited the teachers and students of the school. La Van Tham was one of the students honored to meet Uncle Ho.

Teacher La Van Tham recalled that when Uncle Ho visited and entered the hall, in his excitement, joyful applause resounded throughout the hall. Speaking to the students of the school, Uncle Ho called each student of each ethnic group to stand up in turn. And when it came to the Dan Lai ethnic group, there was only La Van Tham alone.

Teacher La Van Tham searches for photos and mementos of his meeting with Uncle Ho in the house in Thai Son village. Photo: Chu Hanh

Seeing that, Uncle Ho was surprised and asked: Why is there only you in the Dan Lai ethnic group? In the future, you must try to impart knowledge so that more Dan Lai people can go to school, especially girls.

And at that sacred moment, La Van Tham was also one of three ethnic minority students of the school who received a gift from Uncle Ho, which was a canteen. “Then Uncle Ho pulled me over and took a photo as a souvenir,” Mr. Tham said.

The photo of La Van Tham with Uncle Ho that day and the canteen Uncle Ho gave him are still kept by him as lifelong souvenirs.

The canteen Uncle Ho gave him was kept by Mr. Tham as a treasure. Photo: Chu Hanh

It is known that in the past, in the entire Co Phat village where Mr. Tham's family lived, no one could even finish secondary school. The people here faced many difficulties in life. They lived isolated in the mountains and forests, and the roads were far away, so most of the people in Co Phat village only cared about feeding their children.

When Mr. Tham was studying at Nghe An Mountainous Pedagogical School, every time he returned home, he had to walk for nearly a month to get home, but that did not discourage him.

Imbued with Uncle Ho's teachings, after graduating from school, young man La Van Tham volunteered to go to remote and difficult areas of the district to teach students.

In 1963, after graduating, he went to work at Chau Khe Primary School and 2 years later he became the Principal. With the desire to bring his talent, love and intelligence to the generation of students in the land where he was born, in 1967 he applied to work at Mon Son 3 Primary School. Here, where he worked, there were times when almost all Dan Lai students had dropped out of school.

Taking into account Uncle Ho's advice, so that Dan Lai children would no longer be out of school, he and other teachers of the school went directly to each student's house to persuade them to return to school. Some children had followed their parents into the forest to make a living, and he did not hesitate to go deep into the forest to advise and bring them back to school.

Keeping in mind Uncle Ho's teachings, teacher La Van Tham has become a role model for the Dan Lai people. Photo: Chu Hanh

During many years of teaching, thanks to the guidance of Mr. Tham, many generations of Dan Lai students have been successful in their studies, including teachers and doctors.

After retirement, he actively participated in local activities and movements. He was elected as Secretary of the Party Committee, Head of the Elderly Association of Thai Son village and then Vice Chairman of the Elderly Association of the commune.

In recent years, our Party and State have had a policy of resettling the Dan Lai ethnic group, moving the Dan Lai people to a new place to live. As a son of Dan Lai, despite his old age and weak health, he still volunteered to go upstream of the Giang River to the headwaters of Khe Khang to persuade and mobilize the people to migrate to a new place to live.

With his dedication, enthusiasm and above all his prestige, his words are always trusted and voluntarily followed by the people of Dan Lai.

Chu Hanh - Ba Hau