Uncle Ho is the inspiration for my writing.

The event of Uncle Ho visiting Con Son exactly 60 years ago left many touching stories about the leader with the local people, which were introduced by the press.

That year, Uncle Ho was 75 years old but still healthy. He climbed the mountain, rested at Thach Ban, waded through streams, and admired the poetic scenery of the mountains and forests. He visited the pagoda, read the Con Son stele, and remembered Nguyen Trai. In the afternoon, Uncle Ho brought back rice balls from Hanoi to eat amidst the peaceful scenery of Con Son.

In Con Son, he talked with local people, including monk Qua Hai, abbot of the pagoda.

The story of Uncle Ho in Con Son and the dialogue between the leader and the monk that year are still circulated forever.

The story is told, Uncle Ho asked intimately:

- How old is the monk this year?

- Yes, 59 years old.

- Let's say it's exactly 60. Thank God, thanks to Buddha, the monk will live another twenty or thirty years. Every year, the monk plants five or ten trees and takes care of them so that they grow well. In the future, when the trees provide shade, the monk has contributed to making the temple "smoked" the trees of the past into a green temple. His descendants will be grateful to him! Can he do it?

- Yes, you can do it!…

The story is simple but the meaning is profound. Con Son Pagoda is a particularly important historical and cultural relic of the country, commonly known as Hun Pagoda. In the past, people came here to chop wood to make charcoal, hence the name.

It is touching that the beloved leader of the nation, with so many important matters to attend to, still pays attention to planting trees at the temple...

The image of Uncle Ho in Con Son on the afternoon of February 15, 1965 was recorded in the country's history and is vividly portrayed in poetry, music and painting.

As someone who loves writing poetry, 15 years later I took that inspiration to write the poem "The Green of Con Son".

The poem tells the story of the day before Uncle Ho came to visit, Con Son was still deserted, the forest trees were sparse, the mountain roads were deserted, the wheels waded timidly through the streams, the patches of wormwood along the roadside were rugged... But the day Uncle returned brought with them the spring sunshine. His words to the monks to plant trees moved the mountains and forests. After that, the tree planting movement spread further and the green color of Con Son spread throughout the Northeast region. The poem was printed and distributed many times.

With a surge of emotions, I chose a suitable singing tune for the ancient temple space. The song was performed by Meritorious Artist Trung Sinh and has been broadcast on Voice of Vietnam Radio for decades:

The wind rustles and the pines sing
I absentmindedly remember Uncle Ho when he came back here...
Uncle Ho visited Con Son land
Looking for Nguyen Trai, the source of righteousness
The space is filled with the scent of incense.
Reading the stele, Uncle Ho's heart was filled with emotion.
Uncle Ho remembers Uc Trai
The glass is blurred with tears, His eyes are filled with tears
Remembering Nguyen Trai, the heroic strategist
Ten years of tears, writing the book Binh Ngo
Chase the enemy to the end of the world
Sword wielding to kill the enemy, a poem of love
The Star of Khuê is shining brightly.
The good name will last forever
And then on Con Son land
Uncle Ho - Nguyen Trai, souls meet
Temple yard full of colorful frangipani flowers
Fragrant forever passionate...

It has been 60 years since Uncle Ho returned to Con Son. The country has changed a lot, but Uncle Ho's advice to monk Qua Hai still echoes somewhere.

As for me, the image and story of Uncle Ho 60 years ago still lingers in my mind and inspires my compositions.