Uncle Ho, you are the most passionate love

When May comes, songs dedicated to Uncle Ho resound everywhere, making millions of Vietnamese people miss Uncle Ho endlessly. I still remember my school days, every May, Uncle Ho's birthday month, we, the team members and union members, were told stories about Uncle Ho by the team leaders and union leaders.

Image of Uncle Ho in the painting "Listening to Uncle Ho's teachings" by artist Vuong Trinh (Source: baodantoc.vn)

Each story is very simple, very ordinary but contains profound lessons. That is the story of the pocket watch - an artifact that throughout the arduous years of resistance until the day Vietnam was independent, Uncle Ho always kept with him.

Around the clock are many meaningful stories expressing President Ho Chi Minh 's aspiration for great unity.

The story goes: “In 1954, the cadres participating in the land reform were attending a summary conference in Hiep Hoa ( Bac Giang ) to gain experience in doing well in the new phase in the liberated areas when the Central Government ordered to withdraw some people to attend the class to take over the capital. Everyone was eager to go. Especially those from Hanoi. After many years away from home, missing the capital, now having the opportunity to return to work, the brothers discussed very enthusiastically. Many people asked their superiors to take care of their personal feelings and let them fulfill their wishes. The thoughts of the cadres attending the conference tended to be scattered... The leadership felt somewhat awkward.

f309(1).jpg — Storytelling lesson "The Clock" in Vietnamese book grade 5, volume 2

In the meantime, Uncle Ho came to visit the conference. It was mid-autumn, but the weather was still hot. He stepped onto the stage, sweat soaking the shoulders of his brown shirt… When the applause had subsided, Uncle Ho looked around the hall and talked about current events. Speaking of the task of the entire Party at this time, Uncle Ho suddenly pulled out a pocket watch from his pocket and asked:

- Do you see anything here?

Everyone said in unison:

- The watch.

- What are the words on the clock face?

- There are numbers.

- What are the short and long needles for?

- To indicate hours and minutes.

- What is the machine inside used for?

- To control the needle running.

He smiled and asked again:

- So in a clock, which part is important?

While everyone was still thinking, Uncle Ho asked again:

- Can I remove a part from the clock?

- No, sir.

Hearing everyone's answers, Uncle Ho raised the watch and concluded:

- Guys, the parts of a watch are like the organs of a State, like the tasks of the revolution. All of them are important tasks of the revolution, they all need to be done. Guys, think about it: In a watch, if the hands want to be the numbers, the machine wants to be the dial… if they keep fighting for position like that, can it still be a watch?

In just a few short minutes, the story of Uncle Ho's watch made everyone feel deeply, and dispelled their unreasonable private thoughts.

President Ho Chi Minh awarded badges to soldiers who made many achievements in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign (Photo: Archive)

With the same watch, one time at the end of 1954, Uncle Ho visited an artillery unit stationed in Bach Mai. After visiting the soldiers' accommodation and meals, he spent a long time talking to his comrades. He took a pocket watch out of his pocket, looked at everyone and said: "For so many years, the hands of the watch have been running to tell us the time, the numbers on the face have remained still, the machine has been working steadily inside. Everything is working in harmony according to that assignment", if the positions of each part were swapped, would it still be a watch!!!

Then, Uncle Ho concluded that: Each part has its own function, which may not be visible to outsiders, but all have the task of making the clock run and show the correct time.

From a watch, Uncle Ho evoked in each person a lesson of eternal value - the lesson of solidarity. Vietnamese people, no matter where they live, at home or abroad, in the plains or in the mountains and islands, all have a common origin, a blood bond with each other. Perhaps, Uncle Ho is the person who understands most deeply the great meaning of solidarity and widely disseminates that truth to cadres, party members and the people.

For us, the younger generations have never met Uncle Ho, but we still find his image very familiar. We are not lucky enough to receive gifts or souvenirs from him like our fathers and grandfathers, but we can still feel his warm affection through the stories of those who were lucky enough to meet and work with him, and through the documents that still live on about him.

Rubber sandals followed Uncle Ho on every journey (Photo: Archive)

While studying at a university in Hanoi, we students had the opportunity to visit the Ho Chi Minh Museum and see with our own eyes the very simple mementos of him.

Among them, the one we stopped to look at the longest was the pair of worn rubber sandals that Uncle Ho often wore. The pair of rubber sandals were used by President Ho Chi Minh from 1960 to 1969. The soles were made of tires, the straps were made of car inner tubes, good quality rubber, odorless and very durable. However, the soles and straps of those sandals were worn out due to long use. They followed Uncle Ho on every journey.

President Ho Chi Minh received American intellectuals protesting the war in Vietnam (1967) (Photo: Archive)

Whether receiving domestic or international guests, soldiers, workers, farmers or intellectuals, Uncle Ho often wore those sandals. When he encountered a stream or a rainy day, the sandals would be slippery and muddy, making it difficult to walk, so he took them off and carried them in his hand. When visiting farmers, he would roll up his pants and wade through the fields, carrying the sandals in his hand or under his arm. In winter, he wore socks to keep his feet warm.

Many times, the comrades serving Uncle Ho asked him to change his sandals, even to hide his sandals, but all were unsuccessful, because according to Uncle Ho: "Buying another pair of sandals is not worth much, but when it is not necessary, it is not advisable. We must save because our country is still poor...".

Uncle Ho visited farmers harvesting rice in the fields of Hung Son commune, Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen (Photo: Archive)

When Uncle Ho passed away, this pair of sandals was placed at the foot of his body in Ba Dinh, Hanoi, so that compatriots and comrades at home and abroad could come and pay their respects. After the funeral, this pair of sandals was brought to the CQ 41A agency (ie President Ho's Office).

In early 1970, the sandals were displayed in the house where Uncle Ho stayed while he was sick and passed away.

On December 23, 1970, the sandals were transferred to the Ho Chi Minh Museum to be kept and displayed until today.

The image of the worn rubber sandals that accompanied Uncle Ho for a long time moved us to his simple and frugal nature, because in his mind at that time, "our country was still poor, our people were not happy, and our compatriots in the South were still suffering"...

Each of us has learned the story of Uncle Ho since we were young and heard it many times when we grew up in the activities of the Youth Union and the Party...

To learn and follow exactly Uncle Ho is very difficult and may be unrealistic, but each of us just needs to keep in mind one of his teachings: "Whatever is beneficial to the people, we must do our best to do. Whatever is harmful to the people, we must avoid at all costs."

screenshot-839-(7).png — The book series "Uncle Ho lives forever" by Kim Dong Publishing House introduced to the public

"Loving Uncle Ho makes our hearts purer" (To Huu). Learning and following Uncle Ho is not only for cadres but also for every citizen, all of us. Listening to Uncle Ho's stories, we need to transform our emotional tears into actions in our work and life.

May comes with the fragrant scent of lotus, millions of Vietnamese hearts turn to Uncle Ho's birthday, songs continue to resound reminding us of the great leader of the country.

“
"Uncle Ho brought the sunlight to dispel the cold night
Uncle Ho brought spring back, bringing beautiful flowers to life.
Uncle Ho is like a folk song lulling a baby into life.
Uncle is like a bright star in the vast sky
Like a tireless bird flying across the homeland sky
Please engrave his grace in the Vietnamese soul".
Thuan Yen