The Keeper of Hope in Kinh Bac Region

Labor Hero and People's Teacher Nguyen Duc Thin is a name that is no longer unfamiliar to the people of Bac Ninh province in particular and the people of the whole country in general. He is famous not only for his valuable writings and literary works or for being "a hero wholeheartedly devoted to the Temple of the God of ... God of the Temple of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple of the God of the God of the Temple

Special tour guide at Do Temple

We arrived in Bac Ninh, at the Do Temple, at the busiest time – the first days of the Lunar New Year. Thinking that Mr. Nguyen Duc Thin would still be enjoying a peaceful and joyful New Year with his family, we decided to offer incense at the Do Temple first. But as soon as we stepped through the Five Dragon Gate of the temple on the morning of the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, our group recognized a familiar small figure, along with a calm yet majestic voice emanating from the main courtyard.

"The rivers and mountains of the South belong to the Southern king."

It is clearly defined in the Book of Heaven.

Why did the invaders come to trespass?

They will be utterly defeated!

He's over eighty, an age rarely reached, and has to "live with" the aftereffects of leprosy, but meeting him while he's "on duty" like this, I couldn't help but think to myself: He's still so healthy and sharp-minded!

Image of teacher Nguyen Duc Thin at the Do Temple.

While waiting to interview Professor Nguyen Duc Thin, I recalled the articles and stories about him that I had read before coming to Bac Ninh. Despite only finishing 7th grade, he became a teacher at 18. At 23, he launched the "Doing a Thousand Good Deeds" movement. At 30, he contracted leprosy and underwent treatment for four years at the Quynh Lap Leprosy Colony. After that, Professor Thin continued his great career of "nurturing people" without rest. He retired at 51 with over 30 innovative ideas and scientific projects at various levels, thousands of pages of books, and hundreds of articles. Thinking about this, I couldn't help but feel somewhat honored. I probably won't have many opportunities in my life to meet such an outstanding role model.

Writings of a position

When we expressed our desire to be interviewed, Mr. Thin didn't hesitate and led us to the traditional room in the left wing of the temple. There, without waiting for us to ask any questions, he immediately showed us some of his books. With a proud tone, he said that he had published 25 books, meaning that since his retirement, he had written more than 5,000 published pages. Some of his books have been reprinted by publishers dozens of times, and some have even been adapted into films. He affirmed that his books are all true, because he wrote them for his family, his neighbors, his colleagues, and his generations of students to read, so there is no fiction.

“But, from the pain of life comes love.” At this point, the teacher’s voice softened slightly. He choked up as he recounted: “On the day of the land reform, I was the children’s group leader, marching and beating drums to welcome the land reform policy. When I reached the end of the alley, I heard people declare my family landlords. So I had to drop the drum myself. The drum rolled down the drain, and I cried.”

At this point, the teacher's voice choked up. “Then the next day, in the village square, my relative was sentenced to death by firing squad right by the pond. At 15, I burst into tears. I was scolded for losing my principles, for weeping for the landlord. From that day until now, I haven't dared to lose my principles.” The teacher declared, his voice and eyes filled with determination.

These writings are full of the stance of teacher Nguyen Duc Thin.

Hope and the will to live

Next, Mr. Nguyen Duc Thin recounted the 1461 days he spent receiving treatment at Quynh Lap Hospital. He recorded this period in his poetry collection "Early Dawn" under the pen name Nhiet Cam Sinh. He explained that Nhiet Cam Sinh represents a different era from that of Mr. Han Mac Tu.

"His poems sell moonlight."

My poems are bought with a handful of sky.

Life's journey through Yin and Yang, Cold and Heat

He is deeply in love with a poet.

Knowing my heart, I become a hero.

Heroic poets all share a common aspiration.

Poetry speaks the voice of the heart.

Life has Han Mac Tu

Life has its passions.

The teacher joked that perhaps that's why he's so healthy, still feels useful to life, and sees life filled with warm human affection. "This year I'm eighty-four years old according to the Gregorian calendar. The elders say I'm eighty-five, the year of the Dragon. And this year is the year of the Wood Dragon, the Dragon soaring with aspirations." As he spoke, he introduced his latest poetry collection – "Six-Eight Verse Poems of the Sacred Dragon Land." This book was inspired by the event of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong shaking hands with Mr. Nguyen Duc Thin, wishing him good health, and the fact that he had read Nguyen Binh's poem "Homeland. " "I think the General Secretary wanted to remind us of human relationships and our homeland. Therefore, using my smartphone, I typed out these six-eight verse poems in about a month – 282 poems. Adding those three numbers together makes 12, meaning the 12 zodiac signs, so that anyone who reads this whole book will find at least one poem about themselves."

His sentence was left unfinished when the teacher quickly flipped through the pages of his book, stopping at the page with the two pictures we had long awaited him to tell us about. He said in a loud voice, “With my disabled, senseless hand, but with a mechanical camera and color film, I captured this sacred image of the Golden Dragon atop the Temple of the Gods and the Eight Emperors manifesting themselves.” He affirmed that it was a genuine photograph, a rare stroke of luck, because the image only appeared for a fleeting moment, and many young reporters were present and couldn't capture it. Afterward, the museum requested that he preserve the painting, noting that “despite his disabled hand, Hieu Nghia, Nhiet Cam Sinh (his two pen names) still managed to capture sacred images for his homeland and country.”

The sacred image that Master Thin took and printed in the book "Six-Eight Verse of the Sacred Dragon Land"

A heart devoted to the country.

As the conversation gradually shifted from his career to the country, he told us a story about his relationship with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. “Let me tell you, I’ve met the General Secretary many times. Once, just before the millennium anniversary of Thang Long, the General Secretary invited me to Hanoi to talk. At that time, Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong’s hair was still dark. But when he came here as Chairman of the National Assembly, half of his hair had turned gray. And the year before last, when he came here, his hair was completely gray. Therefore, I recorded this historical milestone and wrote a poem about it.”

"For the country, for the people, for the Party"

The elderly bear responsibility over time.

Every time I meet the virtuous Nguyen Phu Trong

"With unwavering faith, we will follow our Party."

On this occasion, Mr. Nguyen Duc Thin also wishes to send a few wishes to the General Secretary on the occasion of the New Year: "I respectfully wish the beloved General Secretary of our Party and the Vietnamese nation abundant health to lead the Vietnamese revolution to success and continue the revolutionary ranks and heroic people to successfully realize the aspirations of our nation and our Party."

I remember hearing the General Secretary wonder if young people still knew the famous work "How the Steel Was Tempered" by the Soviet writer Nikolai Ostrovsky. "Of course they know it, right?" he affirmed, then hummed the song for us.

"People only live once, so life is incredibly precious."

We must live our lives to the fullest, so that when we die, we have no regrets.

"I only find joy in dedicating my life to serving the people."

In 2023, Mr. Thin accomplished a great feat: together with the people and youth organizations, he organized 65,000 charitable activities across the country. All the profits from his published books were donated to the "Lighting the Flame of Compassion" Fund, helping disabled children like himself. Through his own suffering and disabilities, he has ignited a flame of compassion in life. The compassion and patriotism stemming from such a resilient person as Mr. Thin are truly admirable and worthy of emulation.

The group of students from the Academy of Journalism and Communication and Professor Nguyen Duc Thin

A message for the noble profession of educating people.

Throughout his life, Mr. Nguyen Duc Thin has contributed greatly to the cause of education. He affirmed that, as a journalist and an educator, it is only natural for him to help younger generations and the future talents of the country.

In that poignant moment of farewell, our beloved teacher gave us his calligraphy lessons, along with a message: "I wish you, the students of the next generation, good health and even greater success than our generation. Thank you!"

Carrying those wishes back to the capital, I felt a surge of energy and determination in each of us, an indescribable resolve. It was the energy and determination to dedicate ourselves completely to the cause of building our beloved homeland.

The calligraphy was provided by teacher Nguyen Duc Thin.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nguoi-giu-ngon-lua-hy-vong-xu-kinh-bac-272526.html