Nguyen Sinh Sac monument site is constructed to satisfy expectations of officials and people in Binh Duong

In gratitude for the great contributions of Nguyen Sinh Sac to the nation in general and to Binh Duong province in particular and traditional education for generations, in 2020, the provincial authority decided to a memorial area for vice magistrate Nguyen Sinh Sac in Thu Dau Mot city, which is the wish of the veteran revolutionists and leaders of the province of all times as well as the desire of the people of Binh Duong for ever since.

Hoi Khanh Pagoda has become a national historical and cultural relic

Thu land imprinted by his footsteps

Vice magistrate Nguyen Sinh Sac was the father of President Ho Chi Minh. After leaving the monarch, he traveled to many places to propagate the ideology of patriotism including the land of Thu Dau Mot in Binh Duong province where Nguyen Sinh Sac had come to live and work for quite a long time (1923-1926) at Hoi Khanh pagoda in Phu Cuong ward. Hoi Khanh has always been an ancient temple that had been recognized as a national-level historical and cultural site and is currently the main office of Binh Duong provincial Buddhist Association of Vietnam.

For long, an altar to worship Nguyen Sinh Sac has been set up right inside Hoi Khanh pagoda. Therefore, on talking about the process of propagating the patriotism of Nguyen Sinh Sac during his time at Hoi Khanh Pagoda, the Venerable Monk Thich Hue Thong, Head of the Political Bureau of the Vietnamese Buddhist Discipline, perhaps know the best thanks to his thorough researches. He said: "According to Professor Tran Van Giau, Nguyen Sinh Sac was not in residence anywhere as long as in Thu Dau Mot and at no other place did he establish Patriotic Honor Society like in Thu Dau Mot.” According to Thich Hue Thong, around the end of 1923, under the supervision of a French spy, he went to Hoi Khanh pagoda to meet his comrade, Phan Dinh Vien. And from here on, together with Thien Quoi, Tu Van, teacher Ky Coi and many more, he established the Patriotic Honor Society, taking the temple as its headquarter.

The association's activities were known as propagating, disseminating and revitalizing Buddhism but inside it was essentially propagating and advocating the patriotic movements through lectures and literacy classes, health examination, religious translation among others. The patriotic ideological propaganda of the Patriotic Honor Society had spread among the patriots and the people of Thu Dau Mot. "The event that vice magistrate Nguyen Sinh Sac participated in the establishment of the Patriotic Honor Society in Thu Dau Mot had become an important highlight in the history of national liberation of the people in Thu Dau Mot," said Thich Hue Thong.

A worthy cultural construction will be in place

In the 2020-2025 tenure, Binh Duong provincial authority determines to focus on economic development but promotion of more cultural development, especially, historical and cultural relics and landscapes must be paid great attention to. The decision of building the memorial area of Nguyen Sinh Sac was also approved by the provincial authority to be one of the major works of the province in this term. Currently, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is promoting related work to prepare for the implementation of this project as soon as possible.

Recently, at the meeting with Thich Hue Thong and working with leaders of Thu Dau Mot city, Nguyen Khoa Hai, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said on the basis of the policy of the province, the department has coordinated with other departments and agencies to advise and propose ideas to Binh Duong provincial People's Committee to report to the Standing Committee. After the Standing Committee of Binh Duong provincial Party Committee and Binh Duong provincial People's Committee delivered specific instructions, the department presided and coordinated with relevant consulting units to have a sketch of Nguyen Sinh Sac memorial area. According to Hai, Nguyen Sinh Sac memorial area will be built in association with promoting the value of the relic where Nguyen Sinh Sac used to live, which is the national monument of Hoi Khanh pagoda. The total area of ​​the project is about 2.47 hectares. In 2 construction phases, the project is expected to have 20 items such as the central monument ceremony yard, reception house, gallery, temple, steles, President Ho Chi Minh's house on stilts, Nguyen Sinh Sac's house, President Ho Chi Minh's fish pond and so on.

Hai also informed that the department would preside and coordinate with Binh Duong provincial Historical Science Association to organize a historical science seminar with the participation of historical researchers to comment on the items to be built in memorial area. After the workshop, the department will report the results to Binh Duong provincial People's Committee to consult the Standing Committee of Binh Duong provincial Party Committee on the decisions, ideas and design of Nguyen Sinh Sac Memorial Site to implement the next steps.

Being highly agreed with the decision of building the memorial area for Nguyen Sinh Sac, Thich Hue Thong said that the Buddhists of Binh Duong province and the people have been very happy to hear that the provincial authority has been planning to build a memorial area the vice magistrate Nguyen Sinh Sac in close association with his activities during his time living in Hoi Khanh pagoda. Thich Hue Thong said: “The memorial area is built to show gratitude to him and is a very educational matter in lives and culture of Vietnamese people towards their seniors. Although it has been a bit late, our decision is very popular and consistent with what we have for President Ho Chi Minh's father during his time living, working, and propagating patriotism in Binh Duong province, which is extremely happy for myself and Buddhism in Binh Duong province as well as for the people of Binh Duong province."

Thich Hue Thong also said that he would contribute ideas in the implementation of the project into a worthy center, recreating the images associated with Nguyen Sinh Sac. The bid was that the project would be completed at a monumental scale that contains both cultural and spiritual values of highly educational merits for the people of Binh Duong as well as all Vietnamese people throughout the country and abroad.

Under the high determination of the provincial leaders in speeding up the implementation of the meaningful project, it is hopeful that the memorial project of the vice magistrate Nguyen Sinh Sac would quickly start so that Binh Duong people could enjoy the cultural and spiritual values that the project may bring at the soonest.

Reported by Hong Thuan – Translated by Vi Bao