Sen Village attracted tourists in Nghe An

Published: 11:27 Wednesday - January 02, 2013

Starting from Vinh City along Road 49, and turning at a red earth road lined with shady eucalyptus and "filao" trees, visitors reach Sen village, whose scholarly name is Kim Lien (Golden Lotus).

There are several lotus ponds along the village roads. The house in which President Ho Chi Minh lived during his childhood was a thatched bamboo and wooden house. In the house there are some pieces of furniture such as a wooden bed, a bamboo bed, a jute hammock and an altar, the same as those used by local farmers.

The house was built in 1901 with contributions of labour and funds as present from the villagers to the father of President Ho, Mr Nguyen Sinh Sac, when he won a "Junior Doctor" degree in literature, bringing honour to the whole village.

Chua Village (scholarly name, Hoang Tru): It is the native village of President Ho's mother, about 2 km from Sen Village. Chua Village was where he was born and brought up in his early childhood.

The Tomb of Mrs Hoang Thi Loan : Mrs Hoang Thi Loan (1868-1901) was a typical meritorious Vietnamese mother who had brought up her children to be patriotic, including little Nguyen Sinh Cung who later became President Ho Chi Minh. Mrs Hoang Thi Lan was the second daughter of Mr Hoang Duong, Bachelor of Arts, a native to Hoang Tru village, Nam Lien commune, Nam Dan district. She married Nguyen Sinh Sac and gave birth to three children.

In 1895 she and her family moved to the royal capital of Hue and made a living for the whole family while Mr Sac was busy preparing for an academic degree. She died of fatal disease in Hue in 1901.

Also in that year, her husband achieved his scholar degree. In 1922, Ms Nguyen Thi Thanh, President Ho's older sister, moved their mother's tomb to the back yard of their house in Sen village.

Knowing that his brother was revolutionary leader Nguyen Ai Quoc, Mr Nguyen Sinh Khiem, the eldest brother of President Ho, secretly moved the tomb of Mrs Hoang Thi Loan to Dong Tranh mountain in 1942 to avoid possible revenge from the authorities.

On the occasion of the 95th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh in 1985, the people of Nghe An rebuilt the tomb of Mrs Hoang Thi Loan. There are some 300 steps of granite from the foot of the mountain leading to the tomb. The ferroconcrete roof of the tomb stylizes a handloom because when alive President Ho's mother gained her family's living by weaving cloth.

Source: Cross Indochina