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In October 1910, Uncle Ho came to live in Saigon and chose this house as his residence, where he accumulated experience and prepared both mentally and materially before leaving the homeland to seek ways to save the country in June 1911.
General information
Today, the memorial space is displayed with many precious images and documents, honoring the life and career of President Ho Chi Minh, inspiring future generations.
| Address | 5 Chau Van Liem, Ward 14, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City |
| Opening hours | 08:00 – 16:00 daily |
| Level of Monument | National Historical Relic since 1988 |
House No. 5 Chau Van Liem, located in Ward 14, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, was the important historical relic associated with the first milestones in President Ho Chi Minh’s journey to find a path to rescue our country. Not many people know, before He left Nha Rong Wharf on June 5th, 1911, He had stopped this house, which was the headquarters of Lien Thanh division – a branch of Lien Thanh Trading Household.
House No. 5 – Chau Van Liem Street, Ward 14, District 5 – where President Ho Chi Minh had stayed before He launched to find a path to rescue our country – has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Information as a Historical Relic at nation level in 1988 under Decision No. 1288-VH/QĐ dated on November 16th, 1988.
Lien Thanh Trading Household was established on June 6th, 1906 in Phan Thiet following to the suggestion of Mr. Phan Chau Trinh. There was one of the economic organizations founded by patriots in the Duy Tan movement, with the goal of developing the national economy as a foundation for the country’s revival. This organization was operated in many fields, most notably education and trade.
At the end of 1906, Lien Thanh Trading Household expanded its operations then established the branch in Saigon, which was called Lien Thanh division, was located at 1-2-3 Quai Testard (formerly Tong Doc Phuong Street, today Chau Van Liem Street, District 5). This branch was not only the business place but also a meeting place to connect patriots in the Duy Tan movement. Therefore, there was also the important place in the journey to find a path to rescue our country of Mr. Nguyen Tat Thanh – later President Ho Chi Minh.
Before coming to Saigon, Mr. Nguyen Tat Thanh had left Hue then come to Phan Thiet from the introduction of Mr. Truong Gia Mo – the close friend of Mr. Nguyen Sinh Sac Junior Doctor (Mr. Nguyen Tat Thanh’s father). In Phan Thiet, He taught at Duc Thanh School – the school founded by Lien Thanh Trading Household and managed by Mr. Nguyen Quy Anh. Duc Thanh School was not only the educational institution but also had the mission of inspiring the patriotic ideology to the younger generation. At that time, Duc Thanh School had about 30 students and mainly was children of patriotic families in the Southern. During his teaching time, Mr. Nguyen Tat Thanh was exposed to many new ideas, fostered the patriotism and desire to find a path to liberate our nation.
However, with concern for the fate of the country, Mr. Nguyen Tat Thanh early realized that to rescue our country we needed to learn more about the foreign in the world. Therefore, He decided to leave Phan Thiet come Saigon to find an opportunity to go abroad. On September 19th 1910, with the help of the Lien Thanh organization, Nguyen Tat Thanh arrived in Saigon with papers under the name Van Ba. Initially, He temporarily stayed at the house of Mr. Le Van Dat, a member of the Lien Thanh prganization, at 185/1 Dumortier Street (now Co Bac Street, District 1). However, He later moved to the Lien Thanh division at 1-2-3 Quai Testard, where He worked and lived for a while before figruing out an opportunity to find a path to rescue the country.
The Lien Thanh division not only provided accommodation and employment for Mr. Nguyen Tat Thanh during His time in Saigon, but also played an important role in helping Him approach patriots with progressive ideas. There was a meeting place where patriots discussed the fate of the nation and possible paths to gain independence. At there, Mr. Nguyen Tat Thanh further strengthened His determination in order to find a path to rescue the country, believing that the path to national liberation could not rely solely on the reform movement but needed a more radical solution from other foreigns.
In Saigon, Mr. Nguyen Tat Thanh sought to access international shipping routes to have the opportunity to go to the Europe countries. Thanks to the introduction of people in the Lien Thanh organization, He went to Nha Rong wharf and asked to work as a kitchen assistant on the Amiral Latouche-Tréville, which was a big French ship. On June 5th, 1911, from here, Mr. Nguyen Tat Thanh officially left Saigon, starting the 30-year challenge-journey to find a path to rescue the country.
Today, The House No. 5 Chau Van Liem, which used to be the headquarters of Lien Thanh division, still exists as an important historical relic. This place was recognized as a revolutionary historical relic on November 16th, 1988, becoming a meaningful destination for those who want to learn about President Ho Chi Minh’s journey to find a path to rescue the country.
There is a townhouse, consisting of a first floor and a second floor, about 4m width, about 9m length, tiled floor, iron sliding door. The height from the ground to the ceiling is about 3m, the second floor has a balcony protruding in front. Currently, the entire space inside the relic is used to display additional items. The first floor is divided into two rooms. The front room has an altar for President Ho Chi Minh, on both sides of the wall are mainly displayed images reminiscent of His hometown, leaders of patriotic movements, establishments of Lien Thanh Trading Household, and a map of Saigon – Cho Lon in 1911. The back room has a wooden upstair leading the second floor. The second floor displays documents, images and illustrations about President Ho Chi Minh; the role model of President Ho Chi Minh; the next generations will continue the tradition, study and follow the role model of President Ho Chi Minh. The exhibition content includes the following sections:
– Biography and revolutionary life of President Ho Chi Minh.
– Leader Ho Chi Minh and lifelong-learning – Vietnamese tradition of encouraging learning and respecting talented people;
– President Ho Chi Minh – An exemplary model of lifelong self-learn;
– President Ho Chi Minh with the building of a learning society and lifelong learning in Vietnam;
– Vietnam is in the process of building a learning society and lifelong-learning.
With the awareness of preserving historical relics, the Party Committee and the People’s Committee of District 5 have repeatedly renovated and urgently repaired this house, collected and displayed documents and artifacts related to the life and revolutionary career of President Ho Chi Minh, especially His youth with the name Nguyen Tat Thanh – Nguyen Van Ba.
Today, the house No. 5 Chau Van Liem is the historical address (“red” address), there is the honor and pride of the Party Committee District 5 and People in District 5.
