Dragon Port - The 30 years journey of the First President of Vietnam

A century ago, June 5, 1911, from Dragon Port, the young man -Nguyen Tat Thanh with passionate patriotism, infinite love and extraordinary energy has gone out to find the truth.

https://www.vntrip.vn/cam-nang/ben-nha-rong-sai-gon-15793 

The colonial port of Sai Gon

At that time, Vietnam was under the French domination, a member of French colonized system, People were poor, treated bad and abused by the colonists.

You know, before leaving, he told his parents:

"In the French colonial school, I was taught about France - Liberté, égalité, fraternité, I translated into English it meant:" Liberty, Equality, Fraternity " I want to go to France, I want to examine that Liberty, Equality and Fraternity in Europe.”

However, I must admit to you that, during the 80 years under French colonialism, the French carried out a series of brutal policies, killing, disseminating marijuana drugs, laboring hard for the natives.

1. Human Tax

They have devised a tax, called human tax.

 I understand simply that if you were born human then you would have to pay taxes, even if the some Vietnamese were dead, the French authority also demanded their children, their relatives to fulfill taxes for the dead.

Unbelievably!!! Unacceptable!!!

That's why Nguyen Tat Thanh did not believe in what he was taught at school, he did not believe that the French propaganda of freedom, equality and fraternity was true. So he decided to board a ship to France, to Europe, he wanted to see European civilization developed and how they live to return to liberate Vietnam.

2. Dragon Port!!!

After my back, you can  see the Dragon Port, this is the colonial port that the French built this is the only place that from Vietnam can go to France at that time. Shortly after the capture Sai Gon, French colonialists opened the port of Saigon and built the headquarters of the Yellow Emperor Transport Company.

Dragon Port is a 3-storey building (2 floors) built in the Western style, but on the roof is attached two large dragons with earth shaped under the motif "Double Dragon". So the building is called the Dragon Port and the harbor is called the Dragon Port .

Later, I wrote an article about the port of Marseille, the first place that Nguyen Tat Thanh landed after leaving for France.

However, you know not, it is a very very long trip.

3. A trip of 30 years!

I just went to exchange Erasmus students in Spain for 10 months that I learned a lot of good things and experiences but Nguyen Tat Thanh has gone for 30 years and he not only went to Europe but also traveled America, going to Africa ... he wanted to understand the world about the French colonial system.

My first impression when I came here, standing in front of an immense dock with so many water waves, I admire about Nguyen Tat Thanh - an ideal man. Perhaps 100 years ago, June 5, 1911, he was standing here like me, looking out to sea far away. The young Nguyen Tat Thanh, who was thin at that time, was carrying a heavy mind and a great ambition.

Watching the fierce waves pounding on the shore and the little boats fluttering over the water, I asked,

 Did not know when he boarded the ship Amiral Latouche Tréville to Europe to find a way to save the nation, in his heart did he feel scared or not?

Because the sea voyages are often met with inertia, there have been so many boats that have failed before the waves of perpetual sinking deep in the sea that his journey is far away. know when to arrive?

I thought  probably not. Because of his infinite love of the homeland, the love of the people, the pain of witnessing our fellow citizens being mistakenly enslaved under the heels of imperial colonialists of French has created in him a noble ideal. That has determined him to find a way to liberate our nation.

Looking at the present life, I also admire him more when we are living in a free society, we are learning, an open society with good opportunities for the future. We would like to choose. Yet, how many of us have lived without ideals, so many have fallen into the evils, into the pleasures of day to kill their lives.

Entering the museum, I was introduced to the life of Nguyen Tat Thanh, a life ups and downs, fluctuations. He spent his life, seemingly not wasting any day, to fight for the country, for the nation.

5. Ho Chi Minh's desire for Vietnam Independence

I thought to myself: "Dear! I feel the enthusiasm of national liberation and the mind of the nation. "

Ho Chi Minh keeps working to find a solution for Vietnam against the French, Later on by defeating France in the battle of Dien Bien Phu, He became the national hero.

I saw a photo of a woman hugging her in the lap of a dead child and around her dead children. Behind her was the babies older than the baby she was carrying. I do not know how to describe her face. His brows frowned, his eyes trying to hold back the pain. The woman's mouth was crying without words. The woman was falling to the ground, the baby behind her was very scared.

I stood looking at the picture for a long time, inside me as if something was tightening. I groaned, choked and murmured:

"On the French Revolution of civilization, the Vietnamese must live so painfully."

I have known about this time through the history of poetry, but I have never imagined, feeling such pain. Oh how independent, so free! Then understand why, he decided to leave that day.

Looking at the statue "Taking the land in the South", I suddenly heard the words of Nguyen Khoa Diem as a reminder: "Baby you! Water is the blood of your bones / Must know the shape of the country. In my heart, the youth's determination to contribute to the construction of this country - the S-shaped country dear to the earth, is the blood of his father's father.

I also saw at the Museum Nguyen Tat Thanh , there are many photos that Ho Chi Minh President has taken with the presidents of other countries.

Although he is the President, he is still a simple, plain brown shirt, slippery rubber slippers. I can say that he dressed up not so classy.

For example, in a photo, I saw him standing between two other people and they were holding hands, laughing intimately as if they were a family. Then he sat on the stairs talking to the boy as he was talking to him. I have never seen a president as simple as he is. Now you understand why the whole nation calls him father. He is the father not only for the cause he left but also for his great love.

That Day that he passed away is the day that our parents still call "life tears, it will rain." The whole nation weeps in love.

Before going away, he was still worried about the South revolution. I must tell you that Vietnam was still civil war at the time,

6. From a young man of 20 years old from Sai Gon, He has never come back to Dragon Port as Vietnam was still in War with American.

From the day he left Saigon at the age of 20 until he closed his eyes, he always wished to return to Saigon.

However his wish did not come true. I just said small: "Now you are the son of the South, standing here to learn about him gratitude, love the infinite.

"My President!  Dragon Port stood here witnessing your shadow passed on the ship in the midst of the great waters towards Europe, Dragon Port has been here for 100 years waiting from him to come back.

The interesting thing about visiting the Ho Chi Minh Museum was that I not only witnessed the important material heard in the auditorium. Most especially here, I also saw handwritten letters that he wrote to Party members, written for soldiers, the masses, the children ... in each letter written by Uncle Ho. whether public or private, are filled with sentiment. Each letter in the letters contains sincere deep heartfelt affection. Perhaps, it is these sentiments that have become the driving force for the entire Vietnamese nation to unite the war with France.

My emotions rose when I heard about Ho Chi Minh’s last years. He wished to visit South Vietnam as a way to make amends for his children after many years of painful distress but was unable to do so. I was struck by the story that he had told himself about his life:

"The biggest dream of my whole life is to make my country independent, my nation free and all people to be happy and peaceful."

When I came here, I understood the meaning of that statement. All his life was for the nation; All love for the people. In his heart, there is only love left to our people and people.

 I find that love so noble and beautiful.

The view of Ho Chi Minh city from the top of Dragon Port.

Visiting Ho Chi Minh Museum, each person will have different feelings. Particularly for myself, the visit has partly supplemented the knowledge about Ho Chi Minh that I just learned on paper.
By the way, I remind you again that after 30 years of being abroad in many countries, Nguyen Tat Thanh finally met up with communists and nationalism forces, then he came back to Vietnam.

Then, he led the whole nation to fight against the French, making Vietnam the first country in French colonized system have got independent

I know that it is very hard to say about this controversial figure – Nguyen Tat Thanh ( later on known as Ho Chi Minh – But I admired and recognized his passion and desire.

Perhaps he is a communist; I do not care about that!

However, I understood him somehow he was a really great man, a patriotic and a nationalist and he is one of the greatest president s I have ever known in history.

Dragon Port – Ho Chi Minh museum is a must-visit place if your guys visit Ho Chi Minh city or Sai Gon, thus your guys will understand more about history and the national leader of Vietnam- Ho Chi Minh.

I think your guys also notice that the name of city has been changed from Sai Gon to Ho chi Minh city .

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