2023 marks 30 years since Ms. Nguyen An Vinh - Deputy Head of the Propaganda and Education Department, returned to work at Kim Lien Relic Site. Having been with the unit and doing the interpreting work for many years, up to now, every time she meets a new group of visitors and tells old stories, she still retains the same emotions as the early days. Among the thousands of groups of visitors she has met, there are stories she will never forget...
Ms. Vinh said: About 20 years ago, in the winter, on a rainy and cold day, I welcomed a group of foreign guests, including a guest from Japan. When visiting the house of Mr. Pho Bang Nguyen Sinh Sac, I saw him listen to the explanation very carefully and stand still for a long time, unlike many foreign guests. In particular, when I was introduced to the wooden bed and the small room where Uncle Ho, his brother and family lived from 1901 to 1906, I saw him very emotional. A moment later, he asked me to sit on the wooden bed, but according to the regulations of the relic site, no one is allowed to sit on the artifacts; he said: "Let me sit so I can find the warmth of President Ho Chi Minh"...
Another time, Ms. Vinh and her colleagues at the relic site received a delegation of artists from the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Normally, with guests from abroad, they would either use the local language or use an interpreter. But with their Lao friends, they asked to listen to the explanation in Vietnamese to fully understand Uncle Ho and his relics. Listening to the story of Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan, a hard-working woman who sacrificed her whole life for the country, for her husband and children, listening to the story of Uncle Ho's family sacrificing their personal feelings for the common good of the country, looking at the simple life and the simple house of the head of the country... no member of the delegation could hold back their tears. After a moment of silence due to emotion, the friends from Laos, together with the brothers and sisters at the relic site, held hands and sang loudly the song "Love of Vietnam and Laos brothers" by musician Ho Huu Thoi...
Like Ms. Vinh, the tour guides and other workers at the Kim Lien Relic Site all have a special affection for this place. They believe that in this "common homeland" they are lucky to "receive guests on behalf of Uncle Ho". With this special affection, after many years of being attached to this job, although doing very familiar tasks every day, with each different group of guests, each souvenir is always told with new and unique emotions.
Perhaps that is why, whether it is the first time or many times, visitors and people are moved. As a veteran in My Dinh (Hanoi), returning to visit Uncle Ho's hometown in this special month of May, Mr. Do Xuan Lich remembers the Tet holiday in 1973. At that time, he was a young man from Hanoi who, after a period of training, was mobilized to fight in the South. On the march, his unit of more than 100 people celebrated the first New Year's Eve away from their families right in Uncle Ho's hometown. His group then went to the South, and 3 people never returned...
Peace, Mr. Lich returned to Uncle Ho's hometown for the first time in the 1980s. After that, he visited many times, but each time he had a different feeling. He said: "In recent years, I returned to Uncle Ho's hometown and saw many different things, much more beautiful than before. But even though the scenery has changed, the thatched houses and artifacts in Uncle Ho's hometown are still intact. Looking back at the relics, I understand Uncle Ho's personality even more and respect a truly noble and simple personality...".
Since 1956, right after the victory of the resistance war against France, the Party and the Government have had a policy to restore the Sen Village Relic and Hoang Tru Relic to meet the people's sentiments and needs for sightseeing and learning about the beloved leader of the nation. In 1964, the exhibition house on the life and revolutionary career of President Ho Chi Minh was built. In 1970, one year after Uncle Ho passed away, the President Ho Chi Minh Memorial House was added here, and at the same time, the President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Site in Kim Lien was officially established. This is also the first memorial site in the system of museums and memorial sites about President Ho Chi Minh to be restored, promoted and honored to welcome Uncle Ho during his two visits to his homeland.
Along with the relic complex, this place is preserving many valuable original artifacts. One of the most valuable original artifacts is the wooden chest which is considered a dowry of Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan given by her parents when she got married and moved out to live separately. In 1895, when President Ho Chi Minh's family moved to Hue, Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan gave the chest to her younger sister, Hoang Thi An, and it changed hands many times. When the house was restored, the staff of Nghe An Department of Culture had to work hard to collect the exact chest to display in the relic.
The Gat 69 car that carried Uncle Ho back to his hometown in 1961 was initially managed by the Nghe An Provincial Administrative Committee, then transferred to the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, the Department of Finance, and in 1979, transferred to the Finance High School for management and use. Nearly 20 years later, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Uncle Ho's first visit to his hometown, the car was donated to the Kim Lien Relic Site Management Board for preservation, serving the needs of domestic and foreign tourists to learn about Uncle Ho.
Most recently, the Relic Site has collected dozens of letters, including those sent by Uncle Ho to the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee; letters sent to students of Kim Lien Secondary School; letters sent to the people, soldiers and cadres of Vinh City; and letters sent by Uncle Ho to the elderly. In particular, the letters sent by students from many schools in the province to congratulate Uncle Ho in the 1960s showed the affection of teenagers and children throughout the province for him. Many letters expressed their longing and wish for Uncle Ho to visit their schools with the promise of "studying hard and improving their conduct to be worthy of being Uncle Ho's good students".
To promote the value of the relic, over the past 60 years, Kim Lien Relic Site has always done a good job of scientific research to serve the conservation and preservation of the original relic clusters and adjacent relics in a systematic manner. Mr. Lam Dinh Hung - Head of the Relic Site's Professional Department also said: Currently, Kim Lien Relic Site is preserving 290 artifacts with 100 original artifacts and artifacts of the same type. In addition, the artifact storage area also stores 42 types with nearly 4,000 artifacts and hundreds of documents and artifacts, including documentary photos, souvenirs of domestic and foreign delegations from localities that have donated to Kim Lien Relic Site and collected documents, contributing to enriching the story of President Ho Chi Minh during his years living in his homeland as well as during his two visits to his homeland.
Most of the artifacts have been digitized and thus, contributed to enriching the information about President Ho Chi Minh during his years living in his homeland as well as his two visits to his homeland. The artifacts displayed here have become a bridge, containing many historical values, through which we understand more about President Ho Chi Minh's life and appreciate more the humane and noble values that he left for us today...
