Uncle Ho visits Nhan Dan Newspaper.

On the occasion of the 136th birthday of our beloved President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2026) and also the 70th anniversary of his visit to Nhan Dan Newspaper, I am writing this article to recall the affection he once had for the Party newspaper.

Uncle Ho handed out candy to children at Nhan Dan Newspaper (1957).

I met Uncle Ho for the first time at the Nhan Dan Newspaper.

That day, around December 1-2, 1956 (lunar calendar), which was also January 1-2, 1957 (solar calendar), was winter in the north. The weather was cold and foggy, obscuring visibility. For some reason, several people rushed out to look out at the courtyard of the Nhan Dan Newspaper office. Everyone looked and asked each other questions… behind them, explanations could be heard, saying that a high-ranking official was about to visit the office.

Everyone looked out excitedly. A moment later, a cream-colored car pulled up from the gate. The car stopped in the middle of the courtyard, and when the door opened, an old man stepped out. Everyone ran after him, shouting: "Uncle Ho! Uncle Ho…" At that moment, everyone thought Uncle Ho would go into the living room, but he asked where the kitchen was. Then, following someone, he went into the kitchen. Once inside, he asked the cooks if they were working too hard; what dishes were they cooking today… Looking at the basket of freshly washed celery and the blocks of tofu waiting to be fried, Uncle Ho said, "You all try your best to cook delicious food to ensure the health of everyone in the office so they can work well."

After encouraging the three cooks, Uncle Ho asked about the restrooms. Everyone led him to inspect the bathroom and toilet at the back. He praised the cleanliness of the facilities. Only then did he go up to the main office of the agency. Everyone was clamoring and jostling to see him, to be close to him. Uncle Ho said, "Please be quiet so I can give candy to the children in the agency." We, the children of the Nhan Dan Newspaper, gathered near him. First, he gave candy to the little ones, and we all eagerly raised our hands to ask for some. There were so many children in the agency, and I was the oldest, so I received mine last.

After handing out the candy, Uncle Ho said: "Today I've come to visit you all and talk to you about a few things." He reached into his jacket pocket, took out a pocket watch with his right hand, and asked the entire staff: "Do you know what this is?" Everyone replied: "It's a pocket watch!" Uncle Ho continued: "Today I've come to visit and heard that some of you are not yet at ease with your work. So, what does this watch have?" The answers varied and were somewhat disjointed…

The President then explained: He held up a clock and said, "This is the casing, just like you all are protecting the machinery inside. Some are like the hour hand, some the minute hand, some the numbers, some the wheels—each with their own job. If everyone does their part, the office will function smoothly. Do you all understand? If everyone wants to write, who will be left to protect, type, cook, and do other tasks?" At this point, the President asked, "Are you all reassured?" The whole office shouted, "Yes, sir!"

Uncle Ho continued, "Secondly, I'll talk about preserving the Vietnamese language." Then he asked everyone in the office, "Who here knows Chinese, Soviet, Lao, Khmer...?" Several people raised their hands, and Uncle Ho said, "Good, we should promote it..." He then asked, "Who knows French, English?" Several people raised their hands, and Uncle Ho said, "These are products of colonial imperialism..." The whole office burst into laughter. Uncle Ho said, "Okay, I was just joking." After that, he instructed the staff, "You all work in journalism to serve the people, so you must write clearly and simply so that people can easily read and understand, and not use foreign words that make it difficult for people to read and understand."

The photographers who took pictures of Uncle Ho's visit that day were Hoang Linh and Bui A. After Uncle Ho finished speaking, Hoang Linh asked if he could take a commemorative photo. It was a cold, drizzly day, and we all vied to stand close to Uncle Ho to get our pictures taken. Uncle Ho also showed favoritism to the younger children. Then it was the adults' turn to sit under the shade of the banyan tree and pose for photos. After the photos were taken, the car arrived, and the security guard invited Uncle Ho to get in and leave.

Uncle Ho and the children pose for a commemorative photo during his visit and work with the Nhan Dan Newspaper in 1957.

This is the second visit from Uncle Ho.

That morning, the first day of Tet in 1957, the sky was clear and bright, and the entire Nhan Dan Newspaper office was deserted. Looking around, I saw only me and Chinh – the son of Editor-in-Chief Hoang Tung – playing under the tamarind tree next to the photo developing house. Suddenly, a cream-colored car pulled up from the gate. My intuition told me it was President Ho Chi Minh's car because a month earlier he had arrived at the newspaper office in this car.

As soon as Uncle Ho got out of the car, we both shouted, "Oh, Uncle Ho!" Uncle Ho, along with the security guard, walked towards us. The security guard then asked us where the office's reception room was. We pointed the way and led Uncle Ho inside. Uncle Ho stood and talked to us, asking, "What grade are you in, and are you a good student?" I was in first grade at the time, and I was doing quite well (ranking 8th), so I replied, "Yes, Uncle Ho, I'm a good student." After that, Uncle Ho took a packet of candy from his pocket and gave two pieces to each of us. Just then, Mr. Vien, the gatekeeper, came in to greet Uncle Ho. Uncle Ho immediately asked, "Where is Mr. Hoang Tung?" Mr. Vien replied, "Uncle Ho, Mr. Hoang Tung went to wish everyone a Happy New Year." Uncle Ho said, "I came to wish the office a Happy New Year today, but Mr. Tung is away. When Mr. Hoang Tung returns, tell him that I came to visit and wish the office a Happy New Year." Uncle Ho gave the packet of candy to Mr. Vien and said, "I only have this small packet of candy, but there are so many of you in the office. Tell Mr. Hoang Tung to buy more and mix it in so there's enough for everyone." After the President finished speaking, the security guard asked Mr. Vien: "Which way does the office take to get to the Thong Nhat Club so that the President can visit and wish a Happy New Year to the cadres from the South who have relocated to the North?"

I remember back then, in the office, Ms. Lanh's telephone operator's room had a large window overlooking the grounds of the Le Loi Temple, where there was a statue of Le Loi returning the sword to the sacred turtle. At that time, the temple and the Thong Nhat Club weren't separated by a wall, so we often crossed back and forth when Ms. Lanh wasn't around to go to the club. I quickly said, "Uncle, you can get to the club from Ms. Lanh's room." Then I ran ahead to lead the way. When we arrived, the security guard went first. Uncle followed. Chinh and I also followed Uncle.

Upon arriving, as they entered the back door of the club, everyone realized that Uncle Ho had arrived and rushed forward, crowding around him as he went inside. Seeing a young child, Uncle Ho immediately picked him up and, along with the child's mother and others, went onto the stage. Holding the baby, Uncle Ho asked everyone to be quiet so he could speak. He inquired about the well-being of all the cadres from the South, asking if they were eager for reunification… and advised them to focus on their studies and training to fight for the reunification of the country. After a while, he suggested everyone sing a song of unity. While everyone was enthusiastically singing and clapping along to Uncle Ho's lead… Uncle Ho was nowhere to be seen. It turned out he had gone out the main door; his car was waiting there.

LE THIEM

Source: https://nhandan.vn/bac-ho-ve-tham-bao-nhan-dan-post962905.html