Visiting Bac Tan Uyen to adore memorial site of poet and military general Huynh Van Nghe

Getting to War Zone D to listen to the story of Poet General Huynh Van Nghe, we are very proud of his feats and rejoicing with the epic poems rich in love for the country and the people.

Born into a poor family with 9 children in Tan Tich village of Tan Uyen district in Bien Hoa province, which is now Thuong Tan commune of Bac Tan Uyen district in Binh Duong province, Huynh Van Nghe is an iconic person who always preserved the soul, mettle, and industrious qualities of a talented leader. He received a scholarship from Pétrus Ky Saigon High School and soon became enlightened to participate in revolutionary activities. In the years of 1936-1939, he joined the Indochinese movement congress at the Saigon Railway Department and participated in the Cochinchine uprising before going to Thailand to work in the overseas Vietnamese patriotic movement and organized the publication of Co Huong newspaper, calling for patriotism towards the fatherland, and supporting the revolution of Vietnamese overseas.

Youth union members of 4 communes of Thuong Tan, Tan My, Lac An, and Dat Cuoc in Bac Tan Uyen district organize a training camp for union officers in 2022 at the memorial area for Poet General Huynh Van Nghe

In 1944, he returned to the country to establish Dat Cuoc insurgency in Tan Uyen, and was admitted to the CVP. He then established the Veterans' Union and participated in the August Revolution uprising. He directly commanded to seize power in Bien Hoa, commanded many big battles, became Deputy Commander of the Zone Command, and at the same time a member of the Standing Committee of the provincial Party Committee and the captain of Thu Bien province commanding many battles to protect the Southern Command stationed in War Zone D. In May 1953, he was sent to the North to study and continue working in the army with the rank of lieutenant colonel and head of the Sports Division, deputy director of the Military Training Department under the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army.

In 1965, he was sent back to the South to in turn hold the positions of Head of the Central Base Division of the South and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Central Base of the Southern Division, Deputy of the Central Department of Economic Affairs of the South, Head of the Central Forestry. After the South was completely liberated, he was the General Director of the General Department of Forestry of the South and Deputy Minister of Forestry. On March 5, 1977, he fell seriously ill and died at Thong Nhat Hospital in Ho Chi Minh city at the age of 63. He was posthumously awarded the Hero of the People's Armed Forces and the State Prize for literature and art.

Visiting the Memorial of General Huynh Van Nghe, we feel even more proud of and appreciate the contributions of the talented Hero of the People's Armed Forces. The memorial area is located in Thuong Tan commune of Bac Tan Uyen district, and built in a beautiful campus including a memorial house, graves of the poet and his family, and reliefs of the poet statue. The memorial house is built with 2 floors; upstairs is the worshiping part in Vietnamese tradition; the lower floor displays photos and artifacts of the poet.

Remembering the merits of the outstanding poet, every year, the two provinces of Binh Duong and Dong Nai hold his death anniversary very solemnly. On the eve of the death anniversary of the general, which is on January 16 of the lunar calendar, local youth union members often organize a clean-up of the memorial site, and many artists from all over also come to perform cultural programs to serve locals. Now, the memorial is also a place to educate about the local revolutionary tradition. Bac Tan Uyen district Union regularly organizes activities of lighting gratitude candles, cleaning and sanitizing the area or listening to talks and reviewing traditions about the heroic status and revolutionary career of the poet general.

To admire the images and artifacts of the poet at the Memorial of Huynh Van Nghe as well as to enjoy the poetic poems boldly in love with his country and his people, you are welcomed to watch the next episode of Toi Yeu Binh Duong. The program is broadcast at 6 AM on Sunday of March 5-3 at www. baobinhduong.vn.

Reported by Minh Hieu – Translated by Vi Bao