Herbalist writes more than 3,000 verses about Uncle Ho

      Nguyen Gia Ninh could not hide his emotions as he held a long story in his hands, a poem he wrote about the life and work of President Ho Chi Minh.
"It is my greatest happiness to finish my work by the age of 60," he said.
This herbalist from Mieu Nha Hamlet in the Tu Liem District of Ha Noi used two year's worth of salary from writing out prescriptions to finish a special poem about President Ho Chi Minh.
Tu Lang Sen (From Sen Village) is a 3,668 luc bat (six-eight word distich metres) verse poem which cost Ninh VND30 million (US$1,700) to write.
A simple herb-doctor, he studied at the Tue Tinh Medicine School and graduated from a literature course at the Ha Noi Literature and Arts Association. After experiencing the harshness of the Quang Tri battlefield during the American War, he didn't pursue a life as a writer, but chose to become an herb doctor to save people's lives.
"I've seen and read a variety of artistic works by many Vietnamese and foreign artists, but I felt they weren't enough. For this reason, I decided to write this poem," he said.
Ninh hopes his poem will help the country's children easily understand more about President Ho.
"It's not only me, but all of humanity that loves peace and respects him," he added.
"One night in 1960, when I was still young, I went to see a movie near the Co Nhue Agriculture and Forestry College. It rained a lot, so I wasn't able to go home and I had to stay near the school.
"When I woke up the next morning, I saw a crowd at the school's gate and tried to make my way through it. From a distance, I heard people saying Uncle Ho was coming.
"Finally, I was able to elbow myself into the middle of the crowd, and it was my luckiest day because I had the chance to meet Uncle Ho," Ninh said with tears in his eyes.
"In 1965, I decided to join the army at Quang Tri's battlefield. Ever since, I have always dreamed of writing something about Uncle Ho."
Putting the life and career of the great historical personality in more than 3,600 verses might not be easy work for everyone. Ninh was no exception.
"He was always emotional; he wrote constantly and his papers were spread everywhere in the house," said Ninh's wife.
"When he ran out of paper, he went to photocopy shops to ask for their extras. Sometimes I also saw him write on gift wrapping paper," she added.
Another big problem for Ninh was access to documents. With the money earned as a herbalist, he travelled by bike to various libraries and museums in search of books and other writings about President Ho Chi Minh.
He faced many difficulties in conveying the ideas from the documents into poetic language.
"Each time I met with obstacles that made the fear I would have to give up, I burnt incense in front of Uncle Ho's photo and prayed to him to give me strength and energy. Finally, I was lucky enough to fulfil my wish of writing about him," Ninh said.
Ninh is the co-author of two poetry collections called Canh Buom (The Sail) and Mot Mua Xanh (A Green Season). But the modest man has never considered himself a poet.