Memories of National Day September 2nd of the owner of the house that was visited by Uncle Ho twice

Mr. Cong Ngoc Dung (61 years old , residing in Phu Thuong Ward, Tay Ho District, Hanoi) is always moved and feels very sacred and strangely attracted every time he remembers President Ho Chi Minh and National Day September 2.

The house welcomed President Ho Chi Minh twice

Every day, Mr. Dung always wakes up very early, dresses neatly and goes to house number 6, lane 319, An Duong Vuong street (Phu Thuong ward, Tay Ho district , Hanoi) to clean the tables and chairs, arrange fresh flowers and offer incense at the altar of President Ho Chi Minh.

Mr. Cong Ngoc Dung always wakes up very early to clean the tables and chairs and offer incense at the altar of President Ho Chi Minh.

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The tiled-roof house, stained with the colors of time, has been open to domestic and international visitors for many years because of its special historical value. It was the first place where President Ho Chi Minh lived and worked when he returned to Hanoi from the Viet Bac resistance base in 1945.

Sharing with Thanh Nien , Mr. Dung said that he is very emotional every time he remembers those special days. Although he was not born yet, he still remembers every word his grandmother and father told about the memories of those August days, 78 years ago.

He said that in August 1945, the family of Mrs. Nguyen Thi An (Mr. Dung's grandmother) was honored to welcome a delegation of cadres, including President Ho Chi Minh, from the Viet Bac resistance base to live and work from August 23 to 25, 1945.

During his three days here, President Ho Chi Minh worked directly with the late General Secretary Truong Chinh, the late General Vo Nguyen Giap and many revolutionaries to prepare for the National Day on September 2, 1945 - the day he read the Declaration of Independence giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) at the historic Ba Dinh Square.

Mr. Dung is always moved when recalling memories of Uncle Ho.

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"On the evening of August 23, 1945, Uncle Ho came to my family's house. At that time, the whole family did not know who he was, only that there was a group of cadres returning from the Viet Bac resistance base. In that group of cadres, there was an old man, wearing indigo clothes, a long beard, bright eyes, a high forehead, but he was very thin and weak. It seemed that he had just recovered from an illness," Mr. Dung clearly remembered the stories told by his father and grandmother.

Every time he talked about Uncle Ho, his eyes lit up with emotion and pride. Mr. Dung said that despite his thin figure, the old man was still agile. After greeting everyone in the family, he continued to work hard until late at night before going to bed.

"Early the next morning, my family saw him go to the pond to exercise and then get back to work. That officer who had just returned from the war zone was busy all day, with little time to rest, except when he heard comrades from Hanoi reporting on the situation," Mr. Dung said.

Revolutionaries who worked in the house of Mr. Cong Ngoc Dung's family

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Mr. Dung continued, after the delegation stayed at his house for 3 days, on the afternoon of August 25, when his father was preparing to cook, he saw the old man waving and calling back. "Comrade, are you calling me?", Mr. Dung's father asked. At this time, the old man replied: "Now go invite the family members in here so I can talk." After listening, Mr. Dung's father went to call all the relatives in the family.

"I came back here with my family, and my family has helped me wholeheartedly. Now I have to go on a business trip. I thank my family for their help. I wish my family good health and I will come back to visit again some time," the old man said.

About a week later (September 2, 1945), Mr. Dung's father had the great honor of attending the historic moment of the Vietnamese nation at Ba Dinh Square. That was the event when President Ho Chi Minh read the "Declaration of Independence", solemnly announcing to the world the birth of a new state: the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam).

The relics in the house are kept intact.

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"My father said that he was honored to attend the historic event at Ba Dinh Square, so no one slept on the night of September 1. Everyone was busy preparing flags, ranks... just wanting to go quickly and arrive early. When they arrived, everyone was very solemn, just looking up at the stage, showing their eyes of aspiration waiting for President Ho Chi Minh to read the " Declaration of Independence" . At that time, my father vaguely saw an old man with a tall, thin figure, a Nghe accent similar to the old man at his house a few days ago, but he did not dare to admit it. When the event was over and he returned home, everyone asked about the old man, but my father did not dare to admit it either," said Mr. Dung, adding that this showed the nature of the safe zone, his family's base was always kept secret during the revolution. Even people like Mr. Dung's father who had the closest contact with Uncle Ho did not know who he was.

Mr. Dung shared more, after that, Mr. Hoang Tung (former Secretary of the Party Central Committee, term V) told my father that it was President Ho Chi Minh, who had been with the family since the previous days. "After hearing that, the atmosphere of the family in general and the mood of revolutionary soldiers like my father who were close to Uncle Ho cried in extreme joy", Mr. Dung was moved when recalling the memory of September 2, 1945, heard from his grandmother and father.

After National Day September 2, Mr. Dung's family returned to their normal work as self-defense officers of Phu Gia village (present-day Phu Thuong ward).

Preserving relics associated with Uncle Ho at the house

Mr. Dung said that the memories of President Ho Chi Minh coming, resting and working at the family are forever engraved in the minds of the family members. Every time he remembers it, it makes him emotional and feels very sacred, strangely attractive.

Mr. Dung introduces the special house

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Mr. Dung added that the second time Uncle Ho visited Phu Gia village and his family was on November 24, 1946 after he returned from the National Cultural Conference.

"One of my memories is that Uncle Ho was very equal to all classes of people. President Ho Chi Minh, in his position as President since 1946, was always simple and respectful. Seeing Uncle sitting on the sofa in the house, my grandfather returned and was about to clasp his hands in prayer, but Uncle quickly held his hands and said: "No, no! Now that the revolution has come, we are all brothers, it is no longer like the feudal colonial regime before...". The two of them held hands and sat on the sofa talking," Mr. Dung heard his grandmother recount.

He added that during the conversation, Uncle Ho asked: "Now the French are preparing to attack us again, are you afraid?" Mr. Cong Van Truong (Mr. Dung's grandfather) replied: "Sir, the French have many tanks and planes, I wonder if we can defeat them?". As soon as Mr. Truong finished speaking, Uncle Ho immediately and firmly said: "The French are strong, but we have the people's hearts. Our people are united and we will definitely win." Mr. Truong replied: "Yes, our people will listen to your wishes and will defeat the French."

"The second time he visited Phu Gia, he met and worked with commune and district officials. He spent an afternoon working with the government to discuss and remind them to prepare for the long-term resistance war against French colonialism. These are the memories I heard from my grandmother and father during the two times he came to work and visit the family," said Mr. Dung.

Memorabilia about Uncle Ho kept by Mr. Dung

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After nearly 80 years, Mr. Dung's family's house is considered a "memory museum" preserving memories of Uncle Ho's footprints. Currently, the house is still preserved intact in an area of ​​187.6 ^m2 with 14 relics, artifacts and many documents and images related to the events that President Ho Chi Minh stayed here.

That is the sofa set where Uncle Ho used to sit and work; the wooden bed where Uncle Ho used to rest; the typewriter and rattan suitcase that he brought back from the Viet Bac resistance base; and the water tank, mirror, and bronze wash basin that President Ho Chi Minh used… The two small rooms at both ends of the house are where many photos of revolutionary cadres who stayed in this house to carry out revolutionary activities during the resistance war against the French are displayed; along with photos of Party and State leaders who visited the family.

The house was recognized as "Uncle Ho Memorial House" and officially opened to visitors since 1996. In 2021, the house was recognized as a national monument by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

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