On September 7, 2024, the Party Cell of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City organized a "back to the roots" journey to the Nguyen Dinh Chieu Tomb and Memorial Site and the Dong Khoi Historical Site in Ben Tre province. The trip saw the participation of party members and elite masses from the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies Party Cell.
The first destination of the journey was the Nguyen Dinh Chieu Tomb and Memorial Site (Nguyen Dinh Chieu mausoleum and tomb) located in An Duc commune, Ba Tri district, Ben Tre province. This is the place for worshiping and burying the patriotic poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu, along with his wife, Le Thi Dien, and his daughter, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Khue (Suong Nguyet Anh).
The delegation visiting the Nguyen Dinh Chieu Mausoleum and Tomb Site - Photo: Faculty of Vietnamese Studies Party Cell
Nguyen Dinh Chieu (1822-1888) is a typical representative of the generation of patriotic scholars who used poetry as a means of struggle. He played an important role in the resistance against the French, fighting with his pen, immersing himself in the people's struggle, and becoming a spokesperson for the anti-French patriotic movement. He was the first Vietnamese poet to speak about people's war, upholding the role of the peasantry in uprisings against the French with an awareness of their duties and rights, as they needed to fight to protect their own "land and vegetables, rice and clothes," and to protect the sacred sovereignty of the country.
The delegation listening to the presentation about the Nguyen Dinh Chieu Memorial Site - Photo: Faculty of Vietnamese Studies Party Cell
Poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu is a cultural phenomenon of 19th-century Vietnam. His works have profound influence and great vitality in contemporary society and even today. He was one of the pioneers of the patriotic anti-French literary movement in Vietnam in the second half of the 19th century, while also marking a new development for culture in general and literature in particular in the six southern provinces of Cochinchina, expressing progressive social ideals and positive aesthetic-ideological trends.
The Nguyen Dinh Chieu Tomb and Memorial Site (Ba Tri district, Ben Tre province) has been ranked as a special national monument by the Prime Minister (according to Decision No. 2499/QD-TTg dated December 22, 2016).
The delegation listening to the presentation about the Nguyen Dinh Chieu Tomb Site - Photo: Faculty of Vietnamese Studies Party Cell
The next destination of the journey was the Dong Khoi Ben Tre Historical Site located in Dinh Thuy commune, Mo Cay Nam district, Ben Tre province. This is where the historical Dong Khoi event took place, marking the beginning of the Dong Khoi movement of the Southern Vietnam revolution, where people simultaneously rose up in many places, disintegrating the grassroots government of the Republic of Vietnam. The Dong Khoi movement dealt a strong blow to the US neo-colonial policy, completely defeating the unilateral war of the US and their puppets, marking a leap in the development of the Southern revolution, transitioning from maintaining forces to an offensive stance. This was a particularly important turning point, with a great influence on the revolutionary movement in the South, leading to the liberation of the South and national unification. The Dong Khoi Ben Tre site has been ranked as a special national monument by the Prime Minister (according to Decision No. 2499/QD-TTg dated December 22, 2016).
The delegation visiting the Dong Khoi Ben Tre Historical Site - Photo: Faculty of Vietnamese Studies Party Cell
The journey was extremely meaningful, not only serving as traditional education to help each party member and individual gain a deeper awareness of our nation's heroic historical traditions but also serving as an occasion for bonding and sharing, contributing to enhancing the spirit of solidarity and the sense of responsibility of each party member and individual. The positive values gained from each "back to the roots" trip will be the motivation for the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies Party Cell to successfully implement the activities and tasks set out in the Party Cell Congress Resolution for the 2020-2025 term./.
