The delegation taking a commemorative photo in front of the three-compartment thatched house where Uncle Ho was born on May 19, 1890 in Hoang Tru village

Hoang Tru Village, the origin of a great character

About 2 km from Sen village and approximately 15 km from Vinh city, Hoang Tru village (also known as Chua village) in Kim Lien commune, Nam Dan district, Nghe An province is President Ho Chi Minh's maternal homeland. This place is associated with his early years and is where he was born on May 19, 1890, in a simple three-compartment thatched house belonging to his parents - Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac and Ms. Hoang Thi Loan.

Hoang Tru relic cluster is 3,500 m2 wide, including: The house of Mr. Hoang Xuan Duong - Uncle Ho’s maternal grandfather; ancestral house of Hoang Xuan lineage; and the house of Uncle Ho's parents.

History records that: Mr. Hoang Xuan Duong was a renowned Confucian scholar who lived with integrity and devotion to relationships. He ran a home-based class for children in the village. He took in Nguyen Sinh Sac, a poor orphaned student, to raise and educate. Admiring the talent and virtue of his student, he decided to overcome the strict social conventions of that time and gave his eldest daughter, Hoang Thi Loan, in marriage to Nguyen Sinh Sac. Out of love for his daughter, Mr. Duong allocated a portion of his garden, measuring one sao and three thuoc (Vietnam traditional measurement units, approximately 432 m² in Northern Vietnam) and built a small three-compartment house, allowing his daughter to "live separately" with hopes for a warm and bright family home.

In this modest and simple thatched house, President Ho Chi Minh spent his childhood years in the loving embrace of his family. The house is still preserved almost intact, with the bamboo bed, water jar, weaving loom and the old hammock... All these items recreate part of Uncle Ho's childhood memories and serve as living testimony to the roots that formed the character, intellect and noble soul of a great man - a World Cultural Celebrity and National Liberation Hero of Vietnam.

The hammock and weaving loom in the small house are connected to Uncle Ho's childhood and his mother's life

The three-compartment thatched house and mother's lullabies by the weaving loom

In the small three-compartment thatched house amidst a small garden, where President Ho Chi Minh uttered his first cries on May 19, 1890, exactly 135 years ago, my heart was silent before the rustic scene and simple household items: The wooden trunk - a keepsake given by Uncle Ho's maternal grandparents to his mother when she got married; the small bed of Ms. Hoang Thi Loan, where he was born; beside it, the jute hammock, the weaving loom his mother used to weave fabric to support her children and the small kitchen...

The guide, a gentle-voiced woman from Nghe region with a warm tone, began telling our delegation the story of Uncle Ho's family: A poor rural family, a hardworking mother, an intelligent and respectful boy, a compassionate grandfather... I don't remember every word, but one thing I know for certain: In this house, it was the "au o" lullabies during the summer afternoons in Nghe region, those childhood years of poverty yet filled with love, that planted in young Nguyen Sinh Cung's soul the first seeds of moral principles, love for his homeland and the aspiration to find a path to save the country and liberate the nation.

I closed my eyes for a moment, imagining Ms. Hoang Thi Loan sitting by the weaving loom, little Nguyen Sinh Cung running barefoot on the red soil courtyard with puddles remaining after a recent downpour, the creaking sounds of the hammock alongside the shuttling loom... these sounds and images from this small house tell me a grand story, the story of a great character formed from the simplest elements.

Visiting the reception area and teaching space of Mr. Hoang Xuan Duong - Uncle Ho's maternal grandfather

The silent mother and inconsolable losses in Uncle Ho's Childhood

After giving birth to three children: Nguyen Thi Thanh, Nguyen Sinh Khiem and Nguyen Sinh Cung, Ms. Hoang Thi Loan and her children left their small house and their Nghe homeland to follow her husband on foot to the Imperial City of Hue. The journey took over a month under extremely difficult conditions - all stemming from a mother's faith and aspiration: hoping her children would receive education and expand their intellect in the capital. This exemplifies the determination, sacrifice and vision of Vietnamese parents during times when the country was still immersed in slavery.

In the Imperial City of Hue, Ms. Hoang Thi Loan gave birth to her youngest child - Nguyen Sinh Sin. However, the impoverished and deprived living conditions caused her to fall gravely ill and pass away at only 33 years of age, leaving behind an inconsolable grief for her family. When she drew her last breath, her husband and eldest daughter were both away from home, while young Nguyen Sinh Cung - later President Ho Chi Minh - was only 11 years old. This was the first major loss deeply etched in his young soul.

Before recovering from the pain of losing his mother, Nguyen Sinh Cung had to witness the tragic death of his youngest brother due to starvation and malnutrition. These consecutive losses during his childhood early forged in him an extraordinary spirit of self-reliance, profound compassion and a deep understanding of the people's suffering.

No one could empathize with the misery of compatriots better than someone who had experienced losing a mother and a brother to poverty. Likewise, no one cherished labor or valued each grain of rice and drop of sweat like he did - a person born and raised amid hardship. It was from these painful memories that Nguyen Sinh Cung early nurtured a great ambition: To find a way to save the country, liberate the nation from the yoke of slavery and bring food sufficiency, warm clothing and a happy life to the Vietnamese people...

Delegations from all regions of the country return to Kim Lien, Nam Dan, Nghe An to offer incense in memory of Uncle Ho on the occasion of his birthday

Returning to Hoang Tru village - Where Vietnamese faith and will were nurtured

After years of traveling across the world, President Ho Chi Minh became the leading figure of Vietnam's national liberation movement and that of colonial countries worldwide. Yet no matter how far he traveled, deep in his heart, Hoang Tru village remained his place of return, a symbol of homeland, memories and the most primordial and profound love.

In 1961, at the age of 71 and as President of the country, Uncle Ho visited Hoang Tru village. It was his return to his maternal homeland after more than half a century away and also his only visit. When he entered the old house connected to his childhood and saw that everything inside was still nearly intact, with eyes brimming with emotion, he said: "The people have preserved it so well - This is my house." These words not only expressed gratitude but also affirmed the unbreakable bond between a son and his birthplace. The betel trellis, areca palms, weaving loom and water jar form a sacred space preserving the spiritual roots of an entire nation.

Today, Hoang Tru village is a special national historical relic that is preserved. Pilgrims from all over the country and international friends visit this place not only to learn about Uncle's birthplace, but also to feel the Vietnamese culture of kindness, gratitude and loyalty. Every artifact and every small detail in the cottage have profound educational value, becoming a vivid history class for the younger generation.

Standing in the thatched house, observing the straight areca palms reaching towards the sky, the sweet potato beds planted in Uncle Ho's garden and the hibiscus fence, I saw not just a historical space but a world of emotions. My heart truly stirred, my eyes filled with tears as I looked at the artifacts and listened to the guide's voice. I suddenly understood why thousands of people come here each year to stand silently before the old bamboo bed, beside the hammock, looking at the weaving loom worn by the hands of Uncle Ho's mother...

This May, commemorating the 135th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth, tens of thousands of people return to Kim Lien commune, home to both Hoang Tru village, his Mother's hometown and Sen village, his Father's hometown. From Hoang Tru village, the light of compassion, revolutionary ideals and silent yet noble sacrifice radiates across every region of the country. It is where a great mother gave birth to a great man for the Vietnamese nation and also a place affirming the belief that Vietnamese people, regardless of difficult circumstances, can always rise to greatness, living with a bright mind, resilient spirit, fervent patriotism and a benevolent heart.

That house, which witnessed the childhood of the nation's elderly Father, carries a simplicity yet contains a profound meaning about roots and patriotism. Looking back at the thatched house, the garden and the bamboo groves rustling in the wind, I could sense his resilient and modest spirit still echoing forever. Leaving the house, my delegation members and I carried with us both pride and great responsibility. That is to live worthy of the noble values Uncle Ho left behind. Farewell to Hoang Tru, but the image of that small house will forever be a source of inspiration, a guiding light for us on our journey of dedication to the country and the people.