92-year-old Nguyen Nhu Gia, a senior revolutionary from Da Nang’s Thanh Khe District, had the honour of meeting Uncle Ho many times.  Despite the passage of time, never-forgotten memories of him still lie deep in his mind.

Mr Gia recalled his most memorable meeting with Uncle Ho in 1958, when he was 34-years-old.  At that time, Gia was the Head of the Department for Foreign Expert Affairs in the former Viet Nam Irrigation Ministry, which was the forerunner of the current Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. 

Mr Gia reading the Da Nang Newspaper

Therefore, Gia had the opportunity to work with many Soviet experts at the construction site of the Thac Ba Hydropower Plant in Yen Bai Province, the first of its kind in Viet Nam. 

At the end of 1958, 7 Soviet experts completed their assigned tasks on the project, and they expressed a strong desire to meet with President Ho Chi Minh before they returned to their homeland.  Fortunately, their wish came true, and Gia was responsible for guiding them, and some Vietnamese government officials, to the Presidential Palace in Ha Noi to meet with Uncle Ho.

During his one-hour meeting with his guests, President Ho Chi Minh showed his gentle and compassionate characteristics, and he asked his guests if they liked candy.  To his guests’ surprise, Uncle Ho confidently talked with the Soviet experts in Russian without needing an interpreter.  He also showed his respect for Lenin, Stalin and the major revolutionary events in the Soviet Union, as well as the fruitful bilateral relationships with the Soviet Union.  He added that he had lived in the Soviet Union for many years, and he was very moved at the Soviet people’s emotional attachments to him.  Therefore, he considered this beloved land his second home.

In particular, Uncle Ho stressed the need for Gia and the other Vietnamese officials to continuously improve their knowledge and learn from the valuable experiences of the Soviet experts during the construction of the Thac Ba Hydropower Plant, which helped to promote the development of socialism in the North and defeat the American invaders in the South.

After national reunification in 1975, Gia carried out numerous topographical surveys and made recommendations about the construction of irrigation works in the central region and highlands which supplied irrigation water for agricultural production.

Gia retired in 1982, but he became actively involved in local social activities and showed his great dedication to educating the younger generations about the country’s fine traditions.  Despite his old age, Gia always spends time reading newspapers and listening to the radio to keep up to date on the country’s current news.

He said he hopes that the younger generations will do their utmost to increasingly improve their knowledge to make greater efforts for the country’s progress and meet Uncle Ho’s strong aspirations.