Two-egg meal and the touching story of General Vo Nguyen Giap's wife
Báo Dân trí•19/09/2024
(Dan Tri) - Through each contact with General Vo Nguyen Giap and his wife Dang Bich Ha, Colonel Tran Hong clearly felt that Mrs. Ha was a kind woman, living simply, sincerely, and loving her husband and children very much.
General Vo Nguyen Giap's wife lived a wonderful life.
On the afternoon of September 17, Colonel, journalist, and photographer Tran Hong - former reporter for the People's Army Newspaper - quietly reopened his photo archive of General Vo Nguyen Giap. He selected 4 photos out of thousands and shared them on his personal page with the status: "Respectfully farewell to Mrs. Dang Thi Bich Ha - wife of General Commander-in-Chief Vo Nguyen Giap". General Vo Nguyen Giap's wife Dang Bich Ha (Photo: Tran Hong). Mr. Hong received the news that Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Bich Ha - the wife of General Vo Nguyen Giap - passed away at 0:50 on September 17 from Mr. Vo Dai Ham - the General's nephew and the person who took care of management and reception when guests visited the General's house in Quang Binh. Journalist, Colonel Tran Hong followed General Vo Nguyen Giap for 20 years to record the simple moments of the Commander-in-Chief. He has published 4 photo books and organized many exhibitions about General Vo Nguyen Giap, donated 111 photos of the General to the National Archives Center III, adding to the precious archive of documents about the legendary General. Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Colonel Tran Hong said that for him, "the happiest thing in life is to hold a camera" and "the luckiest thing in life is to take photos of the General". For him, any photo of the General is "the most beautiful photo". During many years of recording the life of the General through photographs, he had many opportunities to meet Mrs. Dang Bich Ha. Therefore, when he heard the news of the passing of General Vo Nguyen Giap's wife, he could not help but feel moved. The Colonel was moved and said: "I think the lady passed away peacefully because she lived a wonderful life, fulfilling her duty as a strong rear for the talented general." Colonel Tran Hong shared that starting from October 1994, General Vo Nguyen Giap agreed to let him accompany him to record images in many important events as well as his family life. Through each time he met the General and his wife Dang Bich Ha, he clearly felt that she was a kind woman, living simply, sincerely and always very tactful. The first time photographer Tran Hong came to General Vo Nguyen Giap's house was one morning in October 1994. At that time, the General and his wife were preparing breakfast. The meal was so simple that it surprised Mr. Hong. He said: "Looking at the dining table, I raised the camera and then lowered it several times. There was a bowl of rice with two eggs on the table. She kept pushing it to him and he kept pushing it back to her. He said: "Eat it", and she said: "Eat it so you have strength". Just a few sentences but I felt that they had a very special concern for each other. I tried to hold back my emotions and took 2-3 photos". General Vo Nguyen Giap and his wife at a simple meal (Photo: Tran Hong). There is a special thing in the way the General and his wife address each other that impressed journalist Tran Hong. When in crowded places or with guests, the General always calls his wife "Ms. Ha", while his wife calls her husband "General Vo Nguyen Giap"; and when at home, with only close relatives, the General calls his wife affectionately "Ha" or "em". The delicate and appropriate way of addressing each other in each situation makes Mr. Hong feel more about the affection and respect they have for each other. Colonel Tran Hong said that Mrs. Ha dresses very simply, usually only when there are guests, she wears ao dai. She is also an extremely modest person, never using her position as the General's wife to make things difficult for others. Mr. Hong recalled the time he organized a photo exhibition about General Vo Nguyen Giap on the occasion of the General's 95th birthday in Quang Binh. This exhibition, as well as other exhibitions on the General's own theme by Mr. Hong, General Vo Nguyen Giap never came to see. That time, after Mr. Hong returned home from Quang Binh, he received a piece of paper with a message from Mrs. Dang Bich Ha. The words made Mr. Hong unable to forget and treasure the piece of paper until now: "Mr. Tran Hong, when you return to Hanoi, please let my wife and I know so we can see your photos." According to Colonel Tran Hong, Ms. Dang Bich Ha is a kind woman, lives simply, is sincere and is always very tactful (Photo: Tran Hong). A day later, the General's son Vo Dien Bien and grandson Vo Hoai Nam came to Mr. Hong's office to get the photos to show the General and his wife. "I thought that in their position, they could ask me to bring the photos to their house to show them, but Mrs. Ha was very modest and did not want to bother me," journalist Tran Hong said.
"My happiness is having Mr. Van"
Another time, when visiting Mr. Tran Hong's house, Mrs. Bich Ha stood for a long time looking at a picture of General Vo Nguyen Giap carved on a stone, a work given to Mr. Tran Hong by a friend. Seeing that, Mr. Hong offered to give her this work but she immediately refused and said: "What are you talking about? The picture is very precious to you, why would I take it from you?". According to Mr. Tran Hong, Mrs. Dang Bich Ha has the typical characteristics of a Nghe An person because of her straightforward personality, always independent and never relying on General Giap. This personality is suitable for General Vo Nguyen Giap because he was a loyal and upright general. "Mrs. Dang Bich Ha represents the qualities of a Vietnamese woman, taking care of her husband completely and taking good care of her children. She treats her children fairly, taking care of the General's stepdaughter Vo Hong Anh like her own child", Mr. Hong said. Many of the photos Mr. Hong took feature the "trio": General Vo Nguyen Giap, his wife Dang Bich Ha and daughter Vo Hong Anh. Commemorative photo of Colonel Tran Hong (far left) with General Vo Nguyen Giap and his wife (Photo: Tran Hong). During the days when the General was recuperating at the 108 Central Military Hospital, in addition to the assistance of Colonel Nguyen Huyen, former Assistant to the General, Mrs. Ha became an excellent "secretary". Every day, she received a lot of information and documents but carefully arranged and classified the necessary documents to send to her husband. Mr. Hong said that in his impression, General Vo Nguyen Giap and his wife were a perfect couple in every aspect. He recalled a saying that made him remember forever and respect his wife even more: "Once, Associate Professor Dr. Dang Thi Hanh - Mrs. Ha's younger sister - when she was still alive asked: "What is your happiness?", Mrs. Ha replied: "My happiness is having Mr. Van". The short statement but encapsulated her love for him. Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Hai - former assistant to General Vo Nguyen Giap also said that Mrs. Dang Bich Ha was a simple person, very approachable. Not only Mr. Hai, many people also felt that Mrs. Ha treated everyone equally, regardless of whether they were people with titles, farmers, intellectuals or ordinary workers. In the family, Mr. Hai never saw any loud arguments between the General and his wife or between Mrs. Ha and her children. "I came to help the General since 1987. I called the General Mr. Van and his wife Ms. Ha. During his lifetime, the General was very busy. "Mrs. Dang Bich Ha is the one who has made great contributions in taking care of and educating the children, making the family always warm," said Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Ha. General Vo Nguyen Giap was busy with national affairs, Mrs. Ha had the responsibility of taking care of the family. Although her husband held an important position, Mrs. Ha and her children lived very simply. Sometimes she also had very ordinary worries when she had to balance expenses or when her husband's salary was late... Ms. Dang Bich Ha accompanied General Vo Nguyen Giap at an event (Photo: Tran Hong). Mrs. Ha is also a very thoughtful wife, always taking care of her husband's smallest habits. Previously, the General had a habit of having a snack between meals at 9am, sometimes a banana, sometimes a piece of butter... Normally, that was the job of the servants. However, Mrs. Ha often did those things herself as a way to care for and look after her husband. Hearing the news of Mrs. Dang Bich Ha's passing, those who had met and talked with Mrs. Ha many times, such as Colonel Tran Hong or Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Hai, could not help but be moved. They recounted their memories and impressive stories about the honorable wife, who had quietly stayed behind as a solid support for the legendary general of the Vietnamese people.
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