SOLDIERS BY THE MAUSOLEUM TELL STORIES ABOUT UNCLE HO
Colonel NGUYEN HUU MANH
Political Commissar of Unit 275
President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum High Command
Along the journey from Hanoi to Hai Phong to attend a Storytelling Competition on the shining moral examples of President Ho Chi Minh for the entire Northern region's military zone, Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Cam Thach (officer of the Department of Biochemistry Sciences, Institute 69) and Professional Lieutenant Phan Thi Dong (library staff at the Political Department) enthusiastically exchanged ideas on the additional topics introduced by the Organizing Committee. Personally, I was lost in thoughts about competitions at grassroots levels, and the competitions at the Party Committee of Unit 969.
Since early May 2007, all grassroots party committees and block-level youth union units organized competitions. Unit 275's Party Committee was the first to organize a competition to draw experiences. Despite some initial confusion, party committees, and participants made great efforts. Each story conveyed deep respect for Uncle Ho. The competition organized by the Executive Committee of the Party Committee of Unit 969 was highly successful. The selection of exemplary candidates for training and participation in the military-wide competition was made. Nguyen Cam Thach and Phan Thi Dong, two outstanding candidates from the Party Committee of Unit 969, were chosen to participate in the military-wide competition.
However, being a small unit with a limited number of officials, employees, and soldiers participating in the competition, coupled with limited experience, raised concerns about whether this mission could be accomplished. The words of admonition from Major General Nguyen Ngoc Lam, the Political Commissar of the High Command, always echoed in our ears: The soldiers of the Mausoleum Protection Force are directly responsible for preserving Uncle Ho’s body, serving as exemplary learners of Ho Chi Minh's moral example. Above all, they must express their thoughts and feelings through stories that reflect Uncle Ho’s ethical example. Simultaneously, disseminate the stories of "Soldiers guarding Uncle Ho's Mausoleum," who maintain the peaceful sleep of Uncle Ho and wholeheartedly serve the people and international visitors. This is to deepen the political and cultural significance of the Mausoleum and contribute to the overall success of the movement for the entire Party, people, and military.
The city of flamboyant flowers is vibrant during the summer days due to the influx of tourists, seemingly becoming more lively with the presence of a large number of officers and soldiers from the entire northern region coming to the competition. Around the area of the High Command Headquarters and the Naval Forces’ Guesthouse, vibrant flower flags are welcoming the delegations to the competition. After settling the accommodations for the delegation, I took the opportunity to exchange information with the delegation leaders and the Organizing Committee. The delegation leaders from Military Region 4, Military Region 3, Naval Forces all mentioned that they had organized the competition meticulously and selected outstanding candidates to participate. Each unit organized the competition at 4 to 5 levels (Battalion, Engineer Brigade, Division, Military Region), selecting from hundreds of candidates from the grassroots, reporting the results to their agencies and units to train their psychology and communication skills for storytelling. They believed they would achieve good results in this regional-level competition in the North.
Taking advantage of the time after the dinner, we discussed the situation, adjusted the competition plan, and continued to proficiently review storytelling techniques and exchange additional knowledge about the content of the cultural questions posed by the judges. Thach responded smoothly to 20 questions, while Dong still had some areas to improve. That same evening, the Organizing Committee held a meeting with all delegation leaders and contestants to disseminate the competition plan and allocate the competition venues for the contestants. Nguyen Cam Thach chose the 12th position for the competition in Area 2, and Phan Thi Dong chose the 16th position for the competition in Area 1.
Early on the second day, the competition began. After the speech by Lieutenant General Pham Hong Thanh - Deputy Head of the General Political Department, Comrade Phan Thi Dong had the honor of representing the contestants and delivering a speech expressing determination to tell the story of Ho Chi Minh's moral example to achieve the highest results.
During the initial rounds of the competition, we exchanged experiences regarding the quality of the competition in different areas and shared a common observation: all contestants were well-prepared psychologically, had storytelling skills, and knew all the knowledge questions. Both Thach and Dong seemed a bit anxious, but everyone was determined to make the most of the time for preparation to achieve the highest results.
On the afternoon of the third day, Nguyen Cam Thach entered the competition at table 2 at the location of Team H76. Thach stepped onto the stage with a calm and confident demeanor, starting the story "Uncle Ho with the Two Visits and the Will." His storytelling style, alternating between humor and seriousness, conveyed Uncle Ho's relaxed and carefree demeanor during visits to Nguyen Trai at the Con Son – Kiep Bac temple and to Confucius before writing the will for the entire Party, people, and military. Thach's answer to the knowledge question section was philosophical and captivated the audience. However, surprisingly, the Judges did not ask additional questions but commented: that the task had been completed. Thach was concerned about the results, but I believe he performed well in presenting his story.
At the end of the morning on the fourth day, Phan Thi Dong entered the initial competition at Table 1. It was suspenseful because before Dong, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thi Hoa - a teacher at the Military College of Culture and Arts - had performed very well with the story "How could I get angry with you, brother?" describing the emotions during the visit to Uncle Ho by her sister Nguyen Thi Thanh.
Stepping onto the stage, recognizing the faces representing the contestants who spoke during the opening ceremony, Dong received a round of applause from the audience. Naturally, Dong took everyone through every sentence, every word in the story "Uncle Ho with the South." After the initial moments of lively discussions, the audience in the auditorium began to fall silent, everyone attentively following the performance. Looking down, I saw many officers and soldiers with teary eyes. The story concludes with the final lines of the song "From the South, I've come to see you," creating a highlight that expresses the longing of Southern children to meet Uncle Ho. Before Dong could say goodbye, the applause erupted continuously.
In the final part of the competition, Colonel Le Cuong - Head of the Judging Board, asked a question: "Comrade, why did Uncle Ho have such special feelings for the South?" Both Thach and I were a bit perplexed. After a moment of contemplation, Dong calmly answered: Because the South is where Uncle Ho set out to find the path to save the country, but never once did he return to visit the Southern people who were suffering and sacrificing due to the invasion of the imperialist United States. Talking about family's reasons personally, reasons are that Uncle Ho’s mother passed away in Hue, and his father is resting peacefully in Cao Lanh, Dong Thap.
The answer had just ended, and a wave of applause erupted in appreciation. Outside the auditorium, many naval officers and soldiers were gathering, requesting exchanges, meetings, and taking commemorative photos with Dong.
When returning to the guesthouse for lunch, the loudspeaker of the Naval Command echoed the narrations of the story 'Uncle Ho with the South.' We became even more confident that Dong's exam results were excellent. I reported a summary of the results to Colonel Le Hong Duong - Deputy Head of the Political Department, hoping that Dong would continue to participate in the semi-final this afternoon.
At 01:00 PM, the semi-final of the competition for the entire Northern Military Region took place. The organizing committee would select two contestants with the highest scores from each region to present their stories to the judging panel and the audience. A special aspect was that the organizing committee did not announce the list of selected contestants for the semi-final in advance. Instead, all contestants gathered in the auditorium, and anyone could be called on stage to present their story right away to ensure fairness. Since no one was allowed to prepare in advance, everyone was nervous and hopeful: perhaps they would get the chance to participate. If any contestant participated in this round, it was almost certain that they would win a high prize in the competition.
The first, second, and third contestants quickly told their stories. As the fourth and fifth contestants approached, a small buzz began in the auditorium. Everyone was guessing who the next contestant would be, and whether their unit would be included. I looked at Thach, Thach looked at Dong, and Dong glanced at Truyen (the driver). Each of us appeared anxious. When the organizing committee introduced the audience to the story 'Uncle Ho with the South,' we were elated. However, the organizing committee announced that the performer is Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Binh, Naval Forces. I couldn't believe my ears anymore. Was there a mistake? No, it was clear that Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Binh stepped onto the stage, greeted the organizing committee, greeted the audience, and presented the story. At this point, my mind was confused, and I couldn't focus on listening to the story, as I was thinking about how Naval Forces soldiers would share their experience with Dong. Thus, Dong had no more opportunities. Because in Region 1, there were already two contestants, and after seven contestants, no one had presented the same story. During that time, Colonel Le Hong Duong called Dong to ask if she had presented the story in the semi-final. My mind was in turmoil, and I answered the chief with a lack of confidence: 'Dong has not presented yet, sir! There is only one more contestant left. Perhaps Dong is not sure yet and must wait for another occasion, sir!' Chief Duong seemed to understand our thoughts, so he encouraged us to continue monitoring the situation, supporting each other, and promptly reporting any new developments.
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Binh finished his performance, and the auditorium fell silent, listening intently as the organizing committee called the last contestant for the final round to tell a story before the competition: 'Please welcome on stage, Lieutenant Colonel Phan Thi Dong, from the Mausoleum High Command, to continue telling the story 'Uncle Ho with the South.' I felt relief like a thousand tons got off my shoulders. Thach came running to me, whispering, "We’ve made it”. I immediately called Chief Le Hong Duong to report. Chief Duong, also nervous like us, but joyfully and exclaimed, “Good luck”.
Still the same story, but when Dong narrated it, the auditorium fell silent again. Perhaps this was the final story of the competition, so everyone was focused. The determining factor, however, remained Dong's storytelling skills, her ability to convey emotions and captivate the audience. Dong cleverly led the story, helping everyone understand the special feelings Uncle Ho had for the people, soldiers in the South, and the profound emotions of the people and soldiers in the South who always longed to meet him – like children willing to meet their father. A long-awaited reunion and the belief in victory on the revolutionary path that he had guided the entire Party, the entire nation forward. At the end of the story, she told about the story of Nguyen Hong Son, who cared for his ill mother Sanh from Ca Mau to Hanoi, to visit Uncle Ho's Mausoleum, tears welled up in the eyes of many spectators. Phan Thi Dong deserved the second prize in the entire Northern Military Region.
Later on, the story 'Uncle Ho with the South' continued to be supplemented and perfected by Phan Thi Dong, who participated in competitions at various levels. She won the second prize at the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the first prize in the preliminary round of Region 4 in Vung Tau City, and the first prize in the National Storytelling Competition on the shining moral examples of President Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi in October 2008.
