One of the “must-see” places on the journey to rediscover the history of the Vietnam-Thailand relationship is May village. This place marks the activities of leader Nguyen Ai Quoc in Thailand. In July 1928, under the alias Thau Chin, he came to Nakhon Phanom to open training classes and enlighten patriotic overseas Vietnamese youth.

Here, he suggested that the villagers change their name from Nachok (wolf) village to May village, meaning “New Village”, marking the renewal of the village established by the Vietnamese community. Currently, there are about 80,000 Vietnamese people in the Northeast of Thailand, accounting for 80% of the Vietnamese living in Thailand. The largest number of Vietnamese people live in Nakhon Phanom. In May village alone, there are 118 households with nearly 1,000 people, of which more than 90% are Vietnamese.

Tour guide Nguyen Trung Hieu, Flamingo Redtours Joint Stock Company, showed visitors the space of the curved communal house roof and lush fruit trees to demonstrate a Thai village with many Vietnamese people living there. Nguyen Trung Hieu said: “The Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Village and the President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Area built right in May village are symbols of the cooperation and development of the two nations. The memorial area consists of 12 items, of which the space of the Uncle Ho memorial church is built in Vietnamese architecture”.

Tourists take souvenir photos at the Ho Chi Minh Memorial in Nakhon Phanom.

In Nakhon Phanom, there is also the "Overseas Vietnamese Tower for the occasion of repatriation", built by the Vietnamese community in 1960 with 4 clock faces, the roof is designed with a curved shape in the traditional Vietnamese architectural style. Today, in Nakhon Phanom, there are many relics associated with the Vietnamese community, but almost everyone wants to come here to take pictures, shop and watch the winding Mekong River to appreciate the beautiful symbol of the friendship between Vietnam and Thailand.

Nakhon Phanom also has many other attractive attractions and experiences. Visiting this land, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thang (Kim Lien, Dong Da, Hanoi) recalled his childhood when he and his parents went to work on the farm in Thailand. At that time, his father wanted to join the revolution so he found a way to bring his family back to Vietnam. The imprints of the country that he and his siblings considered as their second homeland kept coming back after decades of being able to return.

Article and photos: BICH HUE

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