The exhibition “Ho Surname in Western Thua Thien Hue: History and Witnesses” at Ho Chi Minh Museum
Deep imprints
Amid the busy street, the three-compartment tiled house on Mai Thuc Loan St., Hue City is where President Ho Chi Minh's family lived when they came to Hue for the first time. Such objects as Mr. Do Sac's bookshelf, Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan’s spinning wheel, loom and betel table, oil lamps, pots, bowls, plates, etc., all remind visitors of their modest life in poverty in the early years of the twentieth century.
His childhood memories in Hue were the pain of losing his mother and the cries of his younger brother for milk. Hue is the place where his will and desire for independence and freedom for the nation were shaped. In his heart, Hue was not only part of his beloved South, but also his homeland and his childhood.
Together with the Uncle Ho memorial house on Mai Thuc Loan St., the communal house, his house in Duong No and Quoc Hoc High School in Thua Thien Hue are related to him. It is an honor for the party committee and people in Thua Thien Hue to preserve and promote the value of that great tangible and spiritual heritage.
Those relics have been so far important destinations for people, officials, soldiers and students to visit. However, the promotion of the value of the monuments especially in tourism is not in accordance with their potential and strengths. They have not become familiar destinations for tourists to Hue yet.
“We have a valuable heritage related to Uncle Ho, but we have not promoted it adequately yet. Not many tourists know that Thua Thien Hue is the place associated with the childhood of President Ho Chi Minh,” said Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of Department of Culture and Sports.
Preparing documents for the recognition of the relics as special national monuments
On the occasion of the 74th National Day (September 2, 2019) and to mark the 50th year carrying out President Ho Chi Minh's Will, the government delegation led by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited and offered incense at the memorial house on Mai Thuc Loan St. “We were deeply moved to learn about to the life of Uncle Ho and his family in this small but great house, which helped to shape his personality and awareness of the miserable life of our people and his will to liberate people from the rule of the colonialism and feudalism,” stressed Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in the visitors’ book.
Understanding the importance of the complex of monuments about President Ho Chi Minh in Thua Thien Hue, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc advised officials and employees at Ho Chi Minh Museum to preserve and promote the heritage, making them important destinations for the young generation to learn about patriotism.
Also from this event, the Department of Culture and Sports intends to ask the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to recognize the complex of monuments associated with President Ho Chi Minh in Thua Thien Hue as special national monuments and to improve and promote the value of this monument complex. Doing this also means carrying out the Resolution No. 54 of the Politburo about developing Thua Thien Hue. Currently, the Department of Culture and Sports has taken initial steps to prepare relevant documents.
According to Mrs. Le Thuy Chi, Director of Ho Chi Minh Museum in Thua Thien Hue, in order to promote the value of the complex and to attract visitors, it is necessary to restore and embellish the whole complex.
Besides restoring and embellishing the facilities, the campus of the monuments need to be expanded too. “If possible, it is necessary to enlarge the culture space of the houses on Mai Thuc Loan St. and at Duong No, making them look like what in the 19th-20th centuries and organizing extra activities so that they will become attractive destinations for tourists. The enlarged parts also serve as the belts protecting the monuments. Of course, this needs big funding,” suggested Mrs. Nguyen Hong Hanh, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh Museum.
In the immediate future, Ho Chi Minh Museum will build a logo to help recognize the monuments and a project aiming at promoting the value of the President Ho Chi Minh heritage in tourism, restoring and embellishing the monuments, designing tours, and organizing conferences with the participation of travel agencies. As for the monuments in Duong No, it is necessary to build a parking lot so that tourists can go sightseeing along Pho Loi River and visit the communal house and other relics.
“Along with raising the awareness for authorities at all levels and local people of protecting and embellishing the monuments, preserving and promoting the heritage, Ho Chi Minh Museum in Thua Thien Hue needs to find those who are really interested in studying about President Ho Chi Minh and about the Vietnamese revolution. The museum should collect relevant materials and artifacts, improve the way to introduce and promote the heritage complex,” stressed Dr. Phan Thanh Hai.
Story and photo: MINH HIEN