H'Mong family calls for better preservation of historical palace
H’Mong King Palace in Dong Van stone plateau

Vuong Quynh Xuan, a grandson of Mong King Vuong Chi Sinh (right) hands the objects to director of Ho Chi Minh Museum at a solemn ceremony held in Hanoi on August 2. Photos thethaovanhoa.vn

The objects include a steel sword made by the weapons workshop of the Ministry of Defence according to an order by president Ho Chi Minh in 1949, which was then sent as a gift to Vuong Chi Sinh or Vuong Chi Thanh (1886-1962), king of the ethnic Mong in Ha Giang. The sword cover has eight Vietnamese Nom ideograph characters written by President Ho literally meaning "whole-heartedly serve the nation, never accept as a slave".

The other object is a padded cotton waistcoat, a gift from Hai Duong Province’s Viet Nam Women's Union to President Ho Chi Minh in 1950.

The steel sword that President Ho gave to Mong King Vuong Chi Sinh as a gift.

The coat was embroidered with a yellow star and some words: Special Gift to President Ho - Viet Nam Women's Union Hai Duong Province.

After receiving the waistcoat, President Ho asked his staff to embroider some more letters: Gift to Vuong Chi Thanh, a member of the National Assembly. Then President Ho's name was embroidered on the waistcoat.

Vuong Chi Sinh is the second son of Vuong Chinh Duc (1865-1947), who acted as King of the Mong in Dong Van District in Ha Giang before the August Revolution in 1945. Duc’s reign ruled the north, east and northwest region of 70,000 Mong people, most of whom cultivated poppies.

A padded cotton waistcoat, also a gift from President Ho to Mong King Vuong Chi Sinh.

Before 1945, he hoped to set up a self-ruling kingdom of Mong people in Dong Van District, not following the French colonial regime. In 1945, President Ho invited Vuong Chinh Duc to Hanoi to meet. But due to his old age, Duc sent his son Sinh to go instead. Sinh then worked for the Ho Chi Minh government. He was a member of the first and second National Assembly, and chairman of Dong Van District's People's Committee.

The objects have been kept as treasures by Vuong Chi Sinh’s descendants for the past few decades.

“The two holy objects bear a profound message that President Ho Chi Minh wanted to send to the leader of the Mong ethnic minority people,” said Vu Manh Ha, director of the museum.

“Responding to the trust of President Ho, Vuong Chi Sinh shared hardships with the Mong to fight and maintain the sovereignty of Meo Vac-Dong Van region in the most severe period of the revolution against the French invaders.”

Ha noted that the memorabilia will from now on be kept by the museum and introduced to the public to help people understand the solidarity of president Ho Chi Minh, the contributions by the Mong to the country as well as on the feelings of Vuong Chi Sinh and his descendants to President Ho.

“Many years have passed. The sword and the waistcoat have been kept among my family’s most valuable treasures,” Vuong Quynh Xuan, a grandson of Vuong Chi Sinh said at the handing over ceremony held in Hanoi on August 2.

“We swore to continue to follow our ancestors’ path, follow President Ho and the Government."

VNS