Little did I know that when my girlfriend asked me to come to visit her family in her hometown of Long Xuyen City that I would come across one of Vietnam’s most famous sons.
Paying our respects to Uncle Ton
By Derek Milroy in Long Xuyen City
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| A young girl has a look around the museum to honor Ton Duc Thang with his famous bicycle among the exhibits - Photo: Derek Milroy |
Little did I know that when my girlfriend asked me to come to visit her family in her hometown of Long Xuyen City that I would come across one of Vietnam’s most famous sons.
After venturing into the unknown of An Giang Province in the Mekong Delta I was amazed that in the small village of My Hoa Hung (also known as Tiger Island) that I would come across Ton Duc Thang. I had heard of his exploits in the revolutionary wars with Ho Chi Minh but was stunned to learn that he came from the same small place as my girl.
Having settled into my new surroundings and was the only white face for a good few kilometers, well that was what I thought. The next morning after arriving, I was met with a few green-shirted employees of a Saigon tourist company cycling past my family home with some western tourists, their white skin almost blinding me as much as the searing hot sun.
So onto the park honoring Ton Duc Thang named Khu Di Tich Lich Su and what a pleasant experience it was. The thing I love about tourist sites that I have visited in Vietnam is that they are real community places designed for visitors to take in the historical information on offer but also to have a real fun day out. Little picnic tables were strung around and the flowers were beautiful in the really peaceful location.
After reading up on Uncle Ton’s exploits, well my girl had to explain to me as it was in Vietnamese and buying some souveniers we relaxed at a little local cafe inside the park. It turns out the owner was a family friend so we, sorry they caught up as I half listened and half watched all the families smiling as they walked around having fun in the searing sunshine. The Vietnamese are such a happy race of people.
I particularly loved the little wooden varnished designs in a little area of the park. We strolled around and looked on at the beauty of the Delta and it was time to go home for lunch.