Uncle Ho Statue on Co To Island

At the statue of Uncle Ho, offering a stick of incense in memory of him who came to this place more than 60 years ago, everyone has a surge of emotion - as if Uncle Ho is still here...

“Oh Uncle Ho, I miss you so much, the country and mountains are so grateful to you; May, summer days, lotus season, reminding us morning and evening…”. The lyrics of the song May, remembering you remind everyone of you when setting foot on Co To Island - the pearl island at the end of the Northeast sea of the Fatherland in May, summer. At the statue of Uncle Ho, offering a stick of incense to commemorate the person who came to this place more than 60 years ago, everyone has a surge of emotion - as if Uncle Ho is still here…

Uncle Ho Statue on Co To Island

Unforgettable memories of a historical building

On May 9, 1961, Uncle Ho visited Co To Island. During a conversation with cadres, soldiers and people on the island, Uncle advised: “Although the capital Hanoi is far from the islands, the Party and the Government always care about the islanders and hope that they will unite, strive and progress…”.

Nowadays, the geographical distance between Hanoi, localities in the country and Co To island has been connected by high-speed trains bustling day and night. Life has become convenient and modern with national grid electricity, mobile phones, internet. Co To is also the first wifi-covered island in Quang Ninh province and the whole country, the first island far from the mainland to have a national grid electricity line stretched over 50km across the sea to serve cadres, soldiers and people on the island. In recent years, when the tourism potential has been awakened, in the summer, thousands of tourists have come to this beautiful, pristine island. What is special is that when setting foot on the island, everyone visits the Uncle Ho statue, because this is the first and only statue that Uncle Ho agreed to build while he was still alive.

Co To island district in Quang Ninh province holds a strategic position in the Northeast sea of the country. After Uncle Ho visited the island, the people of all ethnic groups on the island asked to build a statue of him so that they could be with him every day and report to him about the work of building the island. The people's feelings and wishes were accepted by Uncle Ho. In early 1968, the statue of Uncle Ho was made by sculptor Nguyen Van Que and his colleagues. The bust, made of plaster, is 1.8m high (including the pedestal is 4m). The project was inaugurated on the occasion of the 78th anniversary of Uncle Ho's birth (1968). In June 1976, the bust was replaced by a full-body statue made of reinforced concrete. The statue is 4.5m high (including the pedestal is 9m), facing west and 100m from the sea. The statue of Uncle Ho stands majestically, his back leaning against the mountain, his right hand raised high, his face looking out towards the vast East Sea as if protecting the country and people of this coastal area.

In 1996, on the occasion of the 106th anniversary of Uncle Ho's birthday, the reinforced concrete statue of Uncle Ho was replaced with granite. In 2005, cadres, soldiers and people on the island built a temple to worship Uncle Ho, and then expanded it into the Ho Chi Minh Memorial Site on Co To Island, covering an area of over 62,000 ^{square meters} , including the monument grounds and Uncle Ho's temple, Uncle Ho's fish pond and many other items. In addition to the above cultural and historical works, visitors to the island can also visit the salt fields and sweet potato banks - where Uncle Ho came to watch the sweet potato digging and stopped to chat with the locals.

View of the East Sea

We arrived at Co To island district just when the place was preparing to organize various types of summer tourism in 2025 and celebrate the 64th anniversary of Uncle Ho's visit to the island, with many cultural, artistic, and sports activities attracting the attention and participation of many people and tourists. According to the leaders of Co To island district People's Committee, in recent years, the number of domestic and foreign tourists to Co To has been constantly increasing. In particular, the annual Culture - Sports and Tourism Weeks alone have attracted more than 20,000 participants.

In addition to its strengths of beautiful beaches, forests, pristine seas, fresh seafood, etc., Co To also attracts tourists with historical and cultural relics, especially the works marking Uncle Ho's footsteps in this island region. In 2012, when the national power grid was extended across the sea to the island, the urban face of the island region here clearly developed with bustling tourist areas, architectural and cultural works, and houses close together. In the near future, Co To will be the pearl island of the Northeast sea of the Fatherland, an attractive place for domestic and foreign tourists to visit, have fun, etc.

Going back in time to more than 60 years ago, when the North was still struggling to rebuild the country, the South was still in the arduous days of fighting for independence, but with the far-sighted vision of a genius leader, President Ho Chi Minh put aside many tasks to come to the people of all ethnic groups on the sea and islands of Co To. Perhaps, that was like a reminder from Uncle Ho to his descendants today to look out to the East Sea, turning the wild islands into pearl islands, to contribute to protecting the sovereignty of the Fatherland's maritime borders.

Today, each of us has the opportunity to come to Co To, standing in the middle of the vast waves, when looking at the statue of Uncle Ho, we feel like we are given more strength to overcome all difficulties and challenges, vowing to follow Uncle Ho's example, living up to the previous generation. Therefore, it can be affirmed that the statue of Uncle Ho on Co To Island has a very special meaning and position in the system of President Ho Chi Minh statues at home and abroad.

HOAI NAM

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tuong-dai-bac-ho-tren-dao-co-to-post795855.html