Springtime in Uncle Ho's hometown!

In the early days of the new year, the warm weather makes the atmosphere of celebrating the Spring Festival even more joyful and happy. Along the roads, from cities to rural and mountainous areas, people are happily enjoying the spring festivities. At the Kim Lien Historical Site, the atmosphere is truly bustling as streams of pilgrims come to visit President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace...

Among the crowds visiting Uncle Ho's memorial were first-time visitors, repeat visitors, elderly people, and children from many provinces and cities across the country. They all felt deeply moved upon arriving at Lang Sen. They were all immersed in the atmosphere of Lang Sen, beside Uncle Ho's house, reluctant to leave. "Offering incense to Uncle Ho on the first day of the new year, remembering his contributions, is my heartfelt wish. Every year on the first day of Tet, my family comes here to light incense for him," shared Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung from Hong Son ward, Vinh City.

Sharing the same sentiment as Mr. Tung, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha's family in Hung Nguyen town, Hung Nguyen district, made a pilgrimage to the Kim Lien Historical Site to offer flowers and incense in remembrance of President Ho Chi Minh on the morning of the first day of Tet (Lunar New Year). She confided: "To express our gratitude for President Ho Chi Minh's immense contributions to the nation, on his birthday, his death anniversary, or during the traditional Tet holiday, our family always comes to offer incense and show our respect to him. Afterwards, we return to light incense at our ancestral temple, and we set up a separate altar for him at home." For the people of Kim Lien and surrounding areas, at the moment of New Year's Eve, they come to offer incense and flowers in remembrance of President Ho Chi Minh before returning home to celebrate the New Year with their families.

Having lived far from his homeland for many years, every year during the Lunar New Year, Mr. Pham Xuan Long and his children return to light incense for their ancestors. The first place he visits is the Ho Chi Minh Memorial House. By lighting incense for Uncle Ho, he hopes to instill in his children the tradition of remembering their roots, their birthplace, and to remind them, future generations, of President Ho Chi Minh's contributions to the homeland and the country.

Souvenir stalls at the Kim Lien historical site during Tet (Lunar New Year). Photo: Archival.

As Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) approaches, the Kim Lien Historical Site is ablaze with the vibrant colors of peach blossoms, as the family of Mr. Nguyen Nhan Dao from Nhat Tan Ward, Tay Ho District, Hanoi, continues to donate three peach trees to the site. After the Tet holidays, the family will take these three trees back to their home to replant and maintain them, and they will be brought back for display at the site the following Tet. In another initiative, Huy Hiep Company Limited has voluntarily assigned staff to clean and maintain the area around the historical site.

The Lunar New Year holiday is a time for pilgrims from all over to visit President Ho Chi Minh's birthplace. The Kim Lien Historical Site serves both as a memorial to him and a tourist destination. Mr. Nguyen Ba Hoe, Director of the Kim Lien Historical Site, said: "During the Tet holiday, the number of visitors is very high; on average, we welcome 70-80 groups of visitors each day. During the Tet holiday, souvenir shops are always open to serve the needs of the people, and staff are on duty day and night to welcome groups coming to pay their respects to President Ho Chi Minh."

These days, Uncle Ho's hometown is filled with the colors of spring, with gentle sunshine after a long period of intense cold. Streams of people from the South to the North are heading towards their roots, like tree roots always deeply embedded in the earth.

At the Quang Trung - Nguyen Hue Temple on the breezy Dung Quyet mountain peak, visitors flocked to the temple on the first day of the year. Mr. Hoang Ngoc Hung, from Dong Da district, Hanoi, who was visiting his maternal grandparents' home in Quan Bau ward, Vinh City for Tet (Lunar New Year), shared: "This is my first time visiting the Quang Trung Temple, and I find the scenery truly beautiful. Coming to light incense for King Quang Trung on the 222nd anniversary of the Ngoc Hoi - Dong Da victory (1789 - 2011) truly moved me." For Mr. Nguyen Viet Phuong's family, with three generations from Hung Dung ward, coming to the temple to light incense on the first day of the year was to educate future generations to cherish the value of peace, independence, and freedom today, so that they can continue to strive for the development of themselves, their families, and their homeland.

The Central Park in Vinh City was bustling during the Tet holiday. Ms. Chu Thi Nga, Deputy Head of the Business Department of the Central Park, said: "The park has been operating continuously since the Tet holiday. Hundreds of staff and workers have been working hard to contribute to making the Tet holiday more joyful and wholesome. During the Tet holiday, an average of thousands of visitors came to the park each day, an increase of 15-20% compared to last year's Tet. In addition to traditional games such as the swing, paragliding, flying fortress, 360-degree swing, flying cars, speed cars..., the park has added folk games to serve visitors such as dart throwing, tin can throwing, fishing basket throwing, nail throwing... Especially during Tet, the park dedicated 20% of the 50 games to free services, such as swings, bamboo pole jumping, pot smashing, seesaws..."

It can be said that not only in Vinh City but also in every rural area of ​​the province, cultural and artistic activities and celebrations were organized to welcome the Party and the New Year, creating a healthy and beneficial playground that motivated enthusiastic competition among all strata of the people, contributing to achieving many new victories in the new year of Tan Mao 2011.

TL-MH