THE COLORS OF UNCLE HO’S UNIFORM
Colonel TRAN QUANG CHAU
Former Deputy Chief of Staff
President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum High Command
Welcoming Uncle Ho back to the Mausoleum, witnessing the endless stream of people paying tribute to him day by day, including officials, workers, soldiers, and those tasked with safeguarding his eternal rest, is a profoundly moving experience. Each individual silently pledges to Uncle Ho a determination to excel in their duties, ensuring the absolute long-term safety of Uncle Ho's body for future generations to visit, admire, and follow the path he chose.
As a technical officer entrusted for many years with the responsibility of securing supplies for the task of preserving Uncle Ho's body and the activities of the Mausoleum, I vividly recall the significant and sensitive task of choosing the fabric and color of Uncle Ho's uniform. This was a matter of utmost importance, not only in terms of color but, more crucially, ensuring that the fabric material was suitable for preserving the body and facilitating the ceremonial tributes. The fabric had to withstand decay, not turn yellow when exposed to preservation solutions, be resistant to wrinkles, and remain unaffected by moisture.
During his lifetime, Uncle Ho often wore a light yellow khaki uniform on major occasions, when receiving foreign leaders or visiting various sites such as factories, schools, and military units. This image became deeply ingrained in the hearts of our people. It was also the color chosen for Uncle Ho's attire when bidding him farewell on his long journey. The color of Uncle Ho's uniform is one of the distinctive features of his beloved image in the hearts of our people and international friends, deserving respect and preservation.
Therefore, finding the right fabric to match Uncle Ho's attire was imperative. Though the quantity needed was not large, such fabric was exceedingly rare in the market at that time. In the rationed grocery stores of the centrally planned economy, the variety and color of available fabrics were extremely limited. Even on the open market, the options were few, and the origin of the fabric, if found, was uncertain. Was it reliable, and could it be consistently supplied?
To tackle with this challenge, the procurement officers suggested seeking assistance from the General Textile Corporation. Subsequently, the High Command personally liaised with the Deputy Minister of Light Industry, who also served as the General Director of the General Textile Corporation of Vietnam. The outcome of their meeting was swift and efficient. Following this, the General Textile Corporation requested the High Command to provide the fabric material and color for the Vietnam Textile Technology Institute to analyze, accurately count the quantity, assess the quality of the fabric fibers, and establish a production process. The General Textile Corporation assigned the Thanh Cong Textile Factory to weave this particular fabric.
After two months of diligent research, the skilled hands of the Thanh Cong Textile Factory's artisans successfully produced the required quantity of fabric. Before accepting the fabric, our unit entrusted Institute 69 to thoroughly examine and send samples to the Soviet Union for testing. The results of both Vietnamese and Soviet tests were excellent. The entire batch of fabric was then delivered to our unit for the tailoring of Uncle Ho's attire.
Gazing at the rolls of fabric that were tested and met all the specified requirements in a short period, I silently expressed gratitude for the sentiments and intelligence of the officers and workers of the Thanh Cong Textile Factory. Additionally, I highly ranked the contributions of people and soldiers nationwide who actively joined their hands, demonstrating their deep gratitude to Uncle Ho, whom they cherished immensely.
