Building the Great National Unity Block and Preserving the Cultural Values of the Ancestral Land

In the process of nation-building and defense, the Vietnamese people throughout history have always turned toward the Hung Kings — who not only laid the foundations for the nation and the Van Lang State, but also serve as a symbol of pride and the Vietnamese people’s aspiration to rise. Today’s Phu Tho Province is therefore not only a converging point of unique cultural values, but also the origin of patriotic spirit, community consciousness, and the tradition of great national unity.

The Special National Historical Relic Site of Hung Temple attracts a large number of domestic and international visitors who come to explore and pay tribute to the Hung Kings for their contributions to nation-building.

The Hung Temple Historical Relic Site is ranked as a Special National Monument, occupying a unique position in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people. From this sacred place, the moral principle of “When drinking water, remember the source” has been handed down through generations, becoming a bond that connects communities, nurtures love for the homeland and country, and fosters a sense of responsibility toward the fatherland.

During his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh visited Hung Temple twice. During his visit on September 19, 1954, he advised: “The Hung Kings had the merit of founding the country. You and I must together defend it,” emphasizing the responsibility of generations in nation-building and defense. During his visit on August 19, 1962, he advised to protect and plant more flowers and trees so that Hung Temple would become increasingly solemn and beautiful, turning into a “historical park” for future generations. Those two instructions consistently reflect his ideology regarding the responsibility to preserve the nation, its origins, and its ethnic cultural values.

His ideology holds long-term value for today’s heritage preservation and promotion efforts. Hung Temple is not merely a place to commemorate the Hung Kings, but also a space to educate tradition, nurture patriotism, reinforce community awareness, and spark aspirations for national development.

That spirit was clearly demonstrated in President Ho Chi Minh’s attention to the Hung Kings Commemoration Day from the early days of national founding. He signed a Decree stipulating official holidays for Lunar New Year, historical anniversaries, and religious celebrations, including the Hung Kings Commemoration Day on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month. In 1946, in Hanoi, President Ho Chi Minh presided over the Hung Kings Commemoration Ceremony, a significant milestone affirming the position of the Worship of Hung Kings in the nation’s spiritual life. On April 2, 2007, the National Assembly approved amendments and additions to Article 73 of the Labor Code, granting workers a fully paid day off on the Hung Kings Commemoration Day, further affirming the enduring vitality of the tradition of turning toward one’s origins in modern life.

As the Ancestral Land, Phu Tho preserves a rich system of cultural heritage, notably the Worship of Hung Kings, Phu Tho Xoan Singing, alongside many tangible and intangible cultural values associated with Hung Temple. These are valuable cultural assets and an important spiritual resource to cultivate people, consolidate communities, and strengthen the power of the great national unity block.

Promoting Ho Chi Minh’s ideology on great national unity, the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Committee of Phu Tho Province ties gathering and awakening the people’s strength with preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Ancestral Land. According to Comrade Bui Van Luyen, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the province, over the past period, VFF committees at all levels have actively promoted Party guidelines, State laws and policies, traditional education, and effectively implemented patriotic campaigns and emulation movements that create widespread community impact. Movements such as “All people unite to build new rural areas and civilized urban areas”, “Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese goods”, environmental protection, and housing support for disadvantaged households have contributed to sparking a spirit of mutual support, mobilizing public strength, and strengthening community unity. From 2021 to date, VFF committees at all levels in the province have organized 746 supervisory visits, provided feedback to 1,036 units, and recommended 472 items to local authorities, with 90.1% of recommendations successfully resolved. Through this, the people’s right to mastery is enhanced, social consensus is strengthened, contributing to consolidating trust and the great national unity block.

In the new development phase, Phu Tho determines that heritage preservation must go hand-in-hand with value promotion so that heritage truly becomes a resource for education, culture, tourism, and human development. The province focuses on encouraging people to preserve the Worship of Hung Kings and Xoan Singing, teach younger generations, and promote the role of artisans; while advocating for a civilized lifestyle and the protection of monuments and landscapes during the Hung Kings Commemoration - Hung Temple Festival, thereby spreading cultural values and reinforcing community consciousness.

On May 6, 2026, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 801/QD-TTg approving the adjusted Master Plan for the Preservation and Promotion of the Values of the Hung Temple Historical Relic Site, which added the construction of a President Ho Chi Minh Monument at Phan Bung Hill in the Festival Center area. The project serves as an important cultural highlight, contributing to creating a vivid traditional educational space for generations, especially the youth. It allows every citizen returning to the Ancestral Land an opportunity to explore the connection between the Hung King Era and the Ho Chi Minh Era, between ancestors' nation-building efforts and the struggle for independence, freedom, and national construction. The project will contribute to perfecting the relic’s cultural space, creating a meaningful meeting point of history, ideology, and culture. More importantly, it represents a concrete continuation of his instructions. From “together defending the country” to the responsibility of protecting and preserving Hung Temple for future generations is a continuous thread of thought: to build a sustainable nation, one must cherish its origins; to promote national strength, one must consolidate the great national unity block; to look toward the future, one must inherit the fine values of the past.

Today’s Ancestral Land is not only a place for Vietnamese people to return to their ancestors, but also a meeting point of identity, pride, and development aspirations. Promoting Ho Chi Minh’s ideology on great national unity alongside preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Ancestral Land means converting values forged over thousands of years of history into endogenous strength. This is also a practical way for Phu Tho to continue affirming its status as the Ancestral Land, fostering patriotic, united, and responsible individuals, and stepping forward alongside the entire country into a new era.

Huong Lan