A panoramic view of the Memorial Site of President Ho Chi Minh in Kim Lien commune, Nam Dan district, Nghe An province. (photo: baonghean.vn)

From Vinh city we follow provincial road 46 to km 13 and turn left onto a paved road leading to the special national relic, the memorial site of President Ho Chi Minh in Sen village.

Sen means lotus, which grows abundantly in the village. Nestled among bamboo plants, there is a small thatch house where Nguyen Sinh Cung, the original name of President Ho Chi Minh, was born and spent his early years. Inside the house are a hammock, a weaving loom, a small bed, and other objects that recall President Ho Chi Minh’s childhood. The lotus pond next to the house always has fragrant flowers.

The house of Nguyen Sinh Sac, Ho Chi Minh’s father, was built by Sen villagers after he passed the Junior Doctorate exams in 1901, bringing honor to the village. In the house are two plank beds, a wooden box, a cabinet, a food container, and a black wooden tray. In the main room of the three-room house is an altar to Hoang Thi Loan, Ho Chi Minh’s mother, who died at the age of 33. 

Visitors are greeted by lotus flowers at the entrance of the village. Bamboo, upright, supple, and flexible, epitomizes the character of the Vietnamese people. Bamboo plants grow closely together, create a rampart to defeat all enemies. Nguyen Kim Thanh, a tour guide, said: “When Ho Chi Minh returned to his home village for the first time, there was only one cottage. He visited a second time in 1959, when another house was built next to the old one. Ho Chi Minh appreciated the positive changes in his home village and encouraged villagers to form cooperatives and work to support Vietnam’s frontline forces in their fight against American troops to liberate the south and reunite the country.”

The childhood home of Ho Chi Minh’s mother is in Hoang Tru village. It has been preserved and is open to tourists. It served as a meeting place for patriotic scholars in the early 19th century, where they discussed the nation’s destiny. These discussions nurtured Ho Chi Minh’s patriotism and kindled his ambition to seek a path to national salvation.

“President Ho Chi Minh was born in a 3-room house and lived there for 5 years. After 50 years away from home, he was moved to return to his old house, where many items had been kept intact and meet the villagers,” said tourist guide Kim Thanh.

Visitors to the Memorial Site of President Ho Chi Minh in Kim Lien village also visit Dong Tranh mountain, where the tombs of President Ho Chi Minh’s grandmother and mother are located. The tomb, which resembles a huge lotus flower, is covered by a roof that looks like a loom weaving a silk band. Behind the tomb is a stone wall carved with the image of 9 clouds over a lotus pond. 

Huyen Trang, a tourist from Hanoi, said: “I felt moved to visit President Ho Chi Minh’s home village and I learn about his revolutionary career and simple life. My children were also impressed by the visit. The more we learn about his life, the more we love and respect him.”

Every year on President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday on May 19^th, people from all walks of life come to the special natonal relic site to pay tribute to President Ho Chi Minh.