Unique coffee spaces with Uncle Ho
After a busy period of work at the end of the year, Nguyen Hoai An, an interior design company employee, went to LeLaz Café in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City, to choose books on Uncle Ho. He also introduced to his friends about the reading space, a place to relax, and the unique Ho Chi Minh Cultural Space at the coffee shop.
An often chooses cafés with reading spaces, especially the stores that have bookcases displaying publications featuring the life, revolutionary career, ideology, morality, and lifestyle of President Ho Chi Minh. "The more I learn about President Ho's life, the more motivation I have to work and study. He is a truly great example of the value of education," An said.
An and his friends, together with many young people, have recently enjoyed the Ho Chi Minh Cultural Spaces in LeLaz Café and other coffee shops across Ho Chi Minh City. These spaces are mostly designed with small, rustic bookshelves filled with numerous books about the life, career, and testament of President Ho Chi Minh.
Meanwhile, at the Hung Minh Tu temple in Ward 10, District 6, there is also a Ho Chi Minh cultural space to serve 400-500 people who daily visit the temple for medical examinations.
Mr. Le Thanh Vu, 62, said that he usually read books on President Ho Chi Minh during his waiting time at the medicine room in the temple.
According to Mr. Tran Ngoc Giau, General Secretary of the Central Executive Board of the Vietnam Pure Land Buddhist Association, the Ho Chi Minh Cultural Space was originally placed inside the main hall. However, it was then placed in the medicine room to help people access the bookcase and learn about the life and revolutionary career of President Ho Chi Minh.
Spreading the footsteps of the Leader
The first time visiting her foster mother's house, Phathalinh, a Laotian student at Nguyen Tat Thanh University, was surprised to see many pictures, quotes, and books about President Ho Chi Minh in the living room.
When her foster mother, Saligia, an ethnic Cham woman residing in Ward 11, District 8, who is currently adopting three Lao students as part of the ‘Vietnamese families with Laotian and Cambodian students studying in HCMC” program, introduced the Ho Chi Minh Cultural Space under the theme "Family," Phathalinh became even more curious and delighted.
During family gatherings, Mrs. Saligia would often introduce and share stories about the simple life of President Ho Chi Minh, his thoughts on family, and his diplomatic activities with international friends. When Phathalinh and the other children of Mrs. Saligia listened to her stories with pride, they gained a deeper understanding of President Ho Chi Minh and showcased admiration for Uncle Ho.
Mrs. Saligia shared that she created the Ho Chi Minh Cultural Space in her home because of her deep respect and love for President Ho Chi Minh and her desire to educate and spread his example to her children. Through cultural practice sessions and gatherings with other women in the community, she has helped many Cham ethic women have the opportunity to access and learn from the moral example of President Ho Chi Minh.
The Ho Chi Minh Cultural Space at home has been implemented by many families in the city. In addition, thousands of creative and unique Ho Chi Minh Cultural Spaces have been carried out in localities and organizations featuring tangible and intangible values.
While residents who are busy decorating Ho Chi Minh Cultural Space for the Tet holidays in the park in Quarter 14, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tan, Secretary of the Party Cell of the quarter in Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward, District 1, said that for a long time, Saigon - Gia Dinh has been a place that holds many of President Ho Chi Minh's marks on his journey to seek a path for national salvation. It is also a place the late President always longed to return to, as he once said 'The South is in my heart". Therefore, building the Ho Chi Minh Cultural Space is not only an honor but also a responsibility for every resident of the city named after him.
