The first Tay ethnic general of the Vietnam People's Army

At the end of January 1941, Uncle Ho returned to Vietnam through the Cao Bang border, after exactly 30 years away from home. When he set foot across the Vietnamese border, he bowed down and kissed the Vietnamese land, filled with emotion. The person who brought Uncle Ho back to the country on that trip was the Tay ethnic youth Dam Van Mong - later Major General Le Quang Ba - the first Commander of the Viet Bac Military Region and also the first Tay ethnic General of the Vietnam People's Army.

The house of Major General Le Quang Ba and his wife in Trung Tu Collective Housing Area is very simple and plain.

In the small attic that Mrs. Le Quang Ba (young name Hoang Thi Dao) used as a living room, there was a portrait of the late Major General Le Quang Ba, the photos he took with Uncle Ho and the noble Ho Chi Minh Medal signed by the late Chairman of the State Council Vo Chi Cong, all of which were solemnly hung by Mrs. Hoang Thi Dao in that small living room.

24 years after Major General Le Quang Ba passed away, the living room and the memorabilia that Major General Le Quang Ba left behind are still preserved and cherished by Ms. Hoang Thi Dao.

At the age of 90, Mrs. Hoang Thi Dao's memory is not as sharp as before, but she still enthusiastically tells me stories about Major General Le Quang Ba. She said that occasionally reminiscing about him is also a great happiness for her.

Major General Le Quang Ba

Major General Le Quang Ba and his wife were both born in Ha Quang district, Cao Bang province, only in different communes. In the late 1930s, when the revolutionary movement was still facing many difficulties, many Tay people in Cao Bang did not know what revolution was, both of them participated in the revolution.

Ms. Hoang Thi Dao said that her hometown is Soc Ha commune, Ha Quang district. Her mother died early, she lived with her father, brothers and sisters-in-law in the family. When she was a young girl, the first time she heard her cousin talk about the revolution, she ran away from home to join the revolution and was assigned to do women's work.

Major General Le Quang Ba was then a friend and comrade of her cousin. He, along with comrade Hoang Sam (later Major General Hoang Sam) and Le Thiet Hung (the first Major General of the Vietnam People's Army), had the task of propagating and enlightening the revolution to the Tay ethnic people in Cao Bang province.

Through Major General Le Quang Ba, Major General Hoang Sam, Major General Le Thiet Hung, Ms. Hoang Thi Dao understood a lot more about the revolution and was more determined to follow the path she had chosen.

Thanks to that, just a short time later, in 1942, she was admitted and became a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Often going on business trips together, doing propaganda tasks together, Major General Le Quang Ba began to admire the Tay girl Hoang Thi Dao, 10 years younger than him, small, gentle but very charming and resilient.

Mrs. Hoang Thi Dao's cousin and Mr. Hoang Sam and Mr. Le Thiet Hung also strongly supported Major General Le Quang Ba, constantly "inciting" and advising the two to get to know each other.

Mrs. Hoang Thi Dao said that Major General Le Quang Ba was a gentle, quiet person who rarely expressed his feelings through words. When they were getting to know each other, he occasionally visited Soc Ha commune to visit her.

But every time he visited her house, he only talked to her father and the adults in the family, and never tried to have a private conversation with her. Seeing that he was always serious and dignified, her father loved him very much, but she sometimes felt sad because she could not talk to him.

Although he rarely showed his feelings, he was very attentive and caring towards her. He often went to China for work, and every time before leaving, he would ask her: "What would Dao like to buy there so I can buy it for her?"

At that time, goods in Vietnam were still rare, so the fabrics, combs and mirrors he brought back were cherished by her.

After a year of knowing each other, they got married. The wedding was witnessed by many of their colleagues and colleagues. Everyone had a feast with a pig weighing over 70kg that her brother had raised as a “wedding gift” for his sister’s wedding.



Major General Le Quang Ba with Uncle Ho in the working delegation

After the ceremony to officially declare their marriage in front of the organization, they lived in a shack in Pac Bo, along with many other cadres from the Viet Minh agencies. Mrs. Hoang Thi Dao said that her time in Pac Bo was a very beautiful time in her life. Although life at that time was very difficult and deprived, it was warm and happy.

At that time, Uncle Ho lived in the hut inside, often going to the hut where the couple and other Viet Minh cadres lived. He asked about everyone very kindly, advised everyone to eat and drink in moderation, get up early to exercise and train their health to have the strength to carry out the revolution for a long time.

Among the cadres in Pac Bo that day with Uncle Ho, Uncle Ho loved Major General Le Quang Ba very much, because he was one of the people who overcame many dangers to go to China to bring Uncle Ho back to Vietnam safely.

The name Le Quang Ba was also given by Uncle Ho to the first Tay General of the Vietnam People's Army (Major General Le Quang Ba's real name is Dam Van Mong).

Later, when he was active in the revolution, Major General Le Quang Ba took this name. For him, being named by Uncle Ho was both a happiness and a source of pride for him in particular and for the Tay people of Cao Bang in general.

In 1959, Le Quang Ba was promoted to Major General. He became the first Tay ethnic general of the Vietnam People's Army and the first Commander of the Viet Bac Military Region (currently Military Region I - located in Thai Nguyen).

Mrs. Hoang Thi Dao said that his promotion to General was a source of pride for her family and the Tay people of Viet Bac. The day he officially received the rank of Major General, when he came to see her, his eyes sparkled with joy.

He said: 'My dear, if we just live simply, modestly and try to contribute our best, we will be loved by our comrades and our compatriots.' Indeed, throughout his life, Major General Le Quang Ba has always lived by that principle.

No matter what position he held, he lived simply, honestly and was approachable. The people of Cao Bang in particular and the people of Viet Bac in general loved him everywhere for his friendliness, simplicity and kindness.

During his lifetime, Major General Le Quang Ba was a very kind husband and father who loved his wife and children very much. He never beat or scolded his children. When teaching his children, he often said:

“Dad doesn’t force you to do anything. Live the way you want, do what you like, just remember that whatever you do, don’t violate family traditions.”

When the children of Major General Le Quang Ba and Mrs. Hoang Thi Dao reached the age of marriage, they were often advised by him that if they loved someone, they must stick with that person, and must wholeheartedly care for and nurture that relationship.

Ms. Hoang Thi Dao said that in the decades they lived together, she had never seen him speak harshly to her even once.

When he was in Viet Bac, she worked in the Women's Association of Cao Bang province. Later, he returned to Thai Nguyen to become Commander of the Viet Bac Military Region, then returned to Hanoi to hold other important positions in the government. She followed him back, sometimes working in the Children's Committee of Thai Nguyen province, sometimes working as an officer in the Ministry of Transport.

He always told her that he was grateful to her for the sacrifices she made for her husband and children during the difficult years of resistance against the French and the Americans.

All their lives, Major General Le Quang Ba and his wife lived simply and honestly. The house where Mrs. Hoang Thi Dao lives today, compared to the houses of other Generals' families, can be said to be very simple and modest.

Although Major General Le Quang Ba held important government positions, when he returned home, he and his wife were just an ordinary Tay couple, speaking the Tay language and living simply with the customs and practices of the Tay people.

Neighbors around his house still remember him as a simple, friendly General who often stopped by his neighbor's house every afternoon after work to share a few funny stories.

In 1988, Major General Le Quang Ba passed away at the age of 74. Many Party and State leaders, generals and veteran revolutionaries came to see him off. But the person who suffered and lost the most was Mrs. Hoang Thi Dao.

More than 20 years have passed, and to this day, for her, the image of him, the first Tay General of the Vietnamese Army, is still filled with love and affection.

According to Phunutoday - nt