Babette - Uncle Ho's adopted daughter and memories of Vietnam

Nearly 80 years after President Ho Chi Minh went to France to attend the Fontainebleau Conference, his adopted daughter - Mrs. Elisabeth Helfer Aubrac, affectionately known as Babette - is preparing to return to Vietnam on the occasion of National Day on September 2 this year, when the country celebrates its 80th anniversary. For her, it is not just a trip, but a return to a place where she has a part of her childhood memories, attached to her beloved godfather.

The special bond between little girl Elisabeth and the Vietnamese leader

In her small apartment in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, Elisabeth Helfer Aubrac cherishes and preserves many mementos of Vietnam. The kind-hearted French woman was born in 1946 - the year President Ho Chi Minh visited France as a distinguished guest. It was the friendship between her father - Mr. Raymond Aubrac, a famous revolutionary and close friend of Uncle Ho - that opened up a special bond between little Elisabeth and the Vietnamese leader.

President Ho Chi Minh holding his adopted daughter Babette. (Photo: KT)

Talking to the Vietnamese press, she said: "In 1946, when he went to France to attend the Fontainebleau conference, President Ho Chi Minh met my father, a former member of the French National Assembly . My father invited him to visit his family and accepting my father's invitation, President Ho Chi Minh moved into our house and garden from early August to mid-September 1946. On August 15 of that year, my mother gave birth to me, named Elisabeth. President Ho Chi Minh came to the Port-Royal maternity hospital in Paris to visit mother and child, gave gifts and accepted to be my godfather. He called me by the intimate name Babette".

From then on, on every birthday, President Ho Chi Minh sent gifts, handwritten letters or photos with affectionate messages. Little Babette also often drew pictures and wrote letters back to her adoptive father. Despite being busy with hundreds of tasks, he still had affection for his little adopted daughter in faraway Paris.

Ms. Elisabeth Helfer Aubrac with the small ball given by Uncle Ho on her birthday. (Photo: VOV)

One of the most treasured keepsakes is the yellow silk that Uncle Ho gave her in 1967, with a message to make a wedding dress when she got married. For decades, the silk has kept its soft, yellow color, with a small piece of paper inside that clearly states "Van Phuc Silk Village, Ha Dong, Hanoi ". She also keeps many other gifts: a small ball, coins, a photo with his signature... "Even that ball, I still consider it a symbol of intelligence, luck and faith in a bright future", she said proudly.

Continuing the Vietnam - France friendship

Elisabeth Babette grew up in the love of her parents and the spiritual support of her special foster father. She said: "President Ho Chi Minh was truly great in his way of life imbued with humanity, with simple things. He was close and convincing to everyone he faced. Unlike the style of a leader or politician or diplomat, President Ho Chi Minh was close to all classes from workers to farmers. I always remember him every day and I feel a close connection with the people and the country of my respected godfather".

President Truong Tan Sang posthumously awarded the Ho Chi Minh Medal to Mr. Raymond Aubrac, September 25, 2012. (Photo: Sports & Culture Newspaper)

The friendship between Raymond Aubrac and Ho Chi Minh also left a deep impression. Mr. Aubrac always stood side by side with the Vietnamese people in the two resistance wars, made many positive contributions to the cause of Vietnam's renovation and the cultivation of friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and France. He was the one who helped sign the first Trade Agreement between Vietnam and France (1955); exchanged messages between Hanoi and Washington to determine the unconditional end of the US bombing of Vietnam (1967); called for an end to the bombing of the Red River dikes (1972); represented the United Nations Secretary General in implementing the United Nations assistance program for a unified Vietnam (1976); asked McNamara to agree to transfer to Vietnam the map of the minefields at the 17th parallel (1979) and to carry out many technical cooperation programs to help Vietnam by the United Nations, FAO and France since 1976... In 2012, President Truong Tan Sang posthumously awarded him the Ho Chi Minh Medal - a noble award that Mrs. Elisabeth received on behalf of her family in Hanoi.

Not only preserving family memories, Mrs. Elisabeth and her husband also returned to Vietnam many times to teach at the French-Vietnamese Center for Management. Each time she returned, she was moved by the changes in the S-shaped strip of land, which, according to her, was the dream that Uncle Ho always cherished.

Returning to Vietnam this time, Elisabeth brought with her memories of Uncle Ho and the Vietnam-France friendship, to once again live in the land she considers her second homeland.

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/babette-nguoi-con-gai-nuoi-cua-bac-ho-va-ky-uc-ve-viet-nam-215699.html