Lotus scent of Uncle Ho's hometown

Uncle Ho's lotus village. Photo: Document

In May, visiting Uncle Ho's hometown, we walk in the fragrant lotus scent, our hearts suddenly overflow when singing in our hearts the song "Uncle Ho visits his hometown" by musician Thuan Yen with a soulful melody, full of affection: "Walking in the midst of affection, in the midst of the immense lotus scent" and " Ho Chi Minh, you are the lotus season spreading the fragrance of the fields". Poet Tran Huu Thung - author of the famous poem "Visiting rice", a son of Nghe An, wrote the poem "Uncle Ho's hometown lotus" which is quite touching, simple, spreading love and sympathy to many people: "Lotus in the middle of the pond, close to the road / With lotus, the pond suddenly turns into a mirror / The chirping of grandchildren around to see their reflection / The scent of youth, the scent of lotus, intertwined with love" . Uncle Ho's hometown lotus, in addition to the old lotus variety of Kim Lien village (yellow lotus), is also developed and propagated from a number of localities with famous lotus varieties. Especially Hue lotus, the place associated with Uncle Ho's childhood when he followed his parents to Hue at the age of 6 and the Dong Thap Muoi lotus, where there is the tomb of Mr. Pho Bang Nguyen Sinh Sac - Uncle Ho's father. Uncle Ho's hometown has the name of the land, the name of the village, many places associated with lotus such as: Kim Lien, Con Sen, Bau Sen, Dam Sen... There is an interesting coincidence that in May, when Uncle Ho's hometown's lotus blooms with its fragrant scent, it is also the month of Uncle Ho's birthday. Lotus is like a gift to Uncle Ho and the Sen village becomes a familiar cultural address, close to everyone, suddenly becoming a common hometown. Poet Xuan Hoai had a rather delicate and touching discovery of the poem "Common Homeland": "Suddenly hearing the voices of hundreds of regions/ When I step to Sen village, Chua village". Not only have all the children of Vietnam from all over the country come here, but there is also: "Footsteps of friends from all over the world/ Standing close together, moving closer together this way" . Lotus has made the name of the village, made the character of the people with a simple and noble beauty like Uncle Ho's life.

The lotus has unique characteristics that no other flower has, which is a pure distillation of "Close to the mud but not tainted by the smell of mud". Only the lotus has a "lotus heart", the word "heart" in Buddhism is the seed of human love, of compassion, joy and forgiveness. The lotus is considered the national flower of Vietnam, a "cultural identity" and a "spiritual identity". The lotus bud resembles a heart, cherishing faithfully, yet soft, supple, and graceful like the slender hands of a girl in an ancient dance. When it blooms, it radiates a halo like the halo around the statue of Buddha meditating on a lotus pedestal. Perhaps the image of the country "Rising off the mud and shining brightly" in Nguyen Dinh Thi's poem also begins with the suggestion of the lotus image. And on the wings of Vietnam Airlines, there is a prominent lotus flower printed, symbolizing softness, suppleness but also indomitability and resilience - a pure Vietnamese beauty to international friends. Visiting Uncle Ho's hometown in May, we see here the typical features of a Vietnamese village. Those are the bamboo alleys and bamboo gates rustling in the midday sun. Bamboo grows densely to protect each other, symbolizing the character and virtue of Vietnamese people: "When we love each other, bamboo does not live alone/ From there, the ramparts are built, my friend" (Vietnamese Bamboo - Nguyen Duy). In Uncle Ho's house, there are many items made from bamboo. From the bamboo bed that lulled Uncle Ho to sleep, to the cupboard that holds the bowls, also made of bamboo. And the thatched roof house is built with simple bamboo pillars and beams.

Visiting Uncle Ho's hometown in the midst of the sunshine and lotus scent, we can understand why Uncle Ho is a person who loves nature, loves children with a soul of a true practitioner. Uncle Ho's lotus village is the cradle that nurtured him from the folk songs of the origin to the sweet fragrance of lotus and he himself has made the country's mountains and rivers shine, the lotus village shines that the poet Bao Dinh Giang once praised as a wonderful folk song: "The most beautiful lotus in Thap Muoi/ The most beautiful Vietnam has the name of Uncle Ho" . Returning to Uncle Ho's hometown this May, the lotus petals still silently spread their fragrance with so much loyalty "Even though we are apart, our hearts are still entwined" (Nguyen Du). Even though he has been away from his hometown for decades and has set foot on many continents around the world , when he returned to visit his hometown, Uncle Ho still kept his warm voice asking about each person, recalling many memories from the Co Dien forge to the Coc well. And even in the song of the fabric guild, Uncle Ho did not forget to change the word "water" to "nác" (a local word). Uncle Ho's "pure and unblemished" life, like the pure beauty of the lotus flower, radiated its fragrance like a bright mirror throughout his life for the country and the people of Uncle Ho - the beloved leader of the nation.

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