Once, when he returned to the Gie Trieng ethnic minority area in Dak Kroong commune, Dak Glei remote district (Kon Tum province), doctor So Lay Tang visited Dak Vot village. Seeing a very poor family, in a stilt house, the old man of the house was shirtless, wearing a loincloth in the cold winter, the Secretary of Kon Tum Provincial Party Committee immediately took off his shirt and gave it to the old man. The old man was extremely touched by that affection, hugged Secretary of Provincial Party Committee So Lay Tang and cried, and he could not hold back his tears either... That is one of the touching stories about doctor So Lay Tang - the son of the great Central Highlands.
A time of youthful adventure
In So Lay Tang's memory, Nu Vai village in Dak Kroong commune, Dak Glei district (Kon Tum province), his hometown, was burned down by the enemy and lost two villages. People fled to Laos and drifted down rivers and streams, some died, some survived. When he was eight years old, when the revolution came to Nu Vai village, he and his parents returned to their birthplace. So Lay Tang recalled: When the revolution came to the village, the villagers thought it was a fierce enemy so they ran away. He was sick and could not run away. "Uncle Ho's" soldiers gave him medicine and he recovered. From then on, he was enlightened about the revolution. From that moment on, So Lay Tang was the first person in the village to have his hair cut (because at that time, the elderly, children, boys and girls all had long hair and never cut it). His "revolutionary career" began with the role of a liaison. During those years, the boy So Lay Tang wore a loincloth, bare-chested, day and night, regardless of danger, crossed high mountains and deep rivers to bring hot information to serve the revolution. And in a few times when his work was exposed, he had to crawl into the bushes, dive into streams to hide from the enemy. There were also cold nights in the deep mountains and forests, with many hardships and difficulties, but the soldiers trusted him, and he never failed in any task.
The silent feat of the young liaison soldier contributed significantly to the victory of Dak Pet. In 1954, Kon Tum was liberated, when he was just 15 years old. He was also present in the army troop that walked from his hometown Nu Vai village to Kon Tum to attend the victory ceremony. Recalling that heroic moment, he could not help but laugh. It was only on the fifth day of walking (when he had thrown a few dozen machetes - PV) that the troop reached Dau Lau slope (Dak Ha district, Kon Tum province now), and he could not go any further. The organizing committee sent a bicycle to pick him up. The organizers carried him to the luggage rack to carry him away, but he still couldn’t sit up, falling down several times.
Attending the victory ceremony in Kon Tum was a day that So Lay Tang would never forget, it was like a dream but it was true. He said: “They told me to take off my loincloth and give me pants to wear to attend the victory ceremony. At first, I felt uncomfortable because they were so loose, but I gradually got used to it”. On the way back to Nu Vai village, his comrade Pham Nho (former Deputy Secretary of Kon Tum Provincial Party Committee) asked him: “So Lay Tang, do you want to go see Bok Ho?” At that time, he didn’t understand who Bok Ho was, but in the young man’s heart, a strong belief in the revolution, in the people who had guided and taught him, burned within him, so he immediately agreed. And the change in his life began from here.
From a loincloth-wearing, illiterate boy, sent to live in the capital Hanoi, So Lay Tang studied for 16 years straight, from first grade to university. Holding a medical doctor's degree, following the army to the South to the Military Medical Department of Zone 5, his heart was filled with joy. On the first day of moving to the South, he did not work in a specialized field, only cleared the fields and increased production. His superiors said: "This guy can do anything, very good!" Praised by his commander, he rushed to fight malaria, plague, dig latrines, and clean up villages for the people. And that same year, he won the title of "Emulation Fighter", was elected to the Party Committee, and was in charge of youth in the unit. As fate would have it, in 1974 he returned to his hometown Kon Tum, and was appointed as a member of the Provincial Military Medical Department. With his hard work and dedication to work, in 1976 he held the position of Deputy Head of the Health Department; studied at Nguyen Ai Quoc School for 2 years and became Head of the Department. Then he held the positions of Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, then Deputy Secretary, Chairman of the People's Committee of Gia Lai-Kon Tum province (old).
Help the homeland prosper
In December 1991, at the 10th Kon Tum Provincial Party Congress, Dr. So Lay Tang - Chairman of Gia Lai - Kon Tum Province (old) became the Provincial Party Secretary in the first stage of the new and arduous re-establishment of the province, with a high number of votes of confidence. The Kon Tum Provincial Party Congress was successful, the people in the province happily responded in an excited mood and trusted the Party's choice. As for So Lay Tang, his responsibility as the "captain" of a province in the far North of the Central Highlands, the poorest and second poorest in the country, made him worry many times. He said: "To have the right policy, we must stay close to the people, go to the grassroots a lot, listen to what people say, and think deeply. All policies and resolutions must start from life".
10 consecutive years as Secretary of Kon Tum Provincial Party Committee, 15 years as a National Assembly delegate, nearly 8 years participating in the Party Central Committee, So Lay Tang - the son of the Central Highlands mountains and forests has left many events in the history of Kon Tum Provincial Party Committee - from nothing to something. Although Kon Tum is not yet rich and powerful, poverty has been and is being pushed back, a new life is gradually spreading to every home. The effort to "open mountains and break rocks" belongs to the collective of the Provincial Party Committee, but his contribution is not small.
There are many anecdotes about him, but when he was in office, there was a story like this: Whenever he had time, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee So Lay Tang would "jump" to the grassroots, to find ethnic minorities in nearby villages and far away villages. He said: "People are very happy to meet the highest leaders of the province. People tell me everything, about food, clothing, money, policies, and life in the countryside. Although he has not yet satisfied all the people's problems, he has done about 80%, which is also a joy. But I still owe the people a lot...". Once returning to Dak Kroong commune (Dak Glei district), So Lay Tang went to Dak Vot village, saw a very poor family, the male owner of the house was shirtless, wearing a loincloth, he immediately took off the shirt he was wearing and gave it to the old man. Returning to Tan Canh commune (Dak To district), he had to borrow clothes from the commune officials to wear to continue his work trip.
Going to the grassroots to mobilize people for new ways of doing business, he had to be an example for the people. The image of Provincial Party Secretary So Lay Tang enjoying himself all night with jars of rice wine and sleeping in communal houses with the people in remote villages showed how close he was to the people. So Lay Tang said: "Only then will the people believe and listen to you, you have to live and die with the people, losing the people means losing everything". Not only that, when he went to the base, he always carried a portable first aid kit, ready to treat the people. That is why there were many stories about him delivering babies, "mother and child safe and sound" was a normal thing.
Even when he was still the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and now retired, his house on Phan Dinh Phung Street, Kon Tum City was always crowded with guests, especially the people. People from the district came to the province to visit, stay overnight, and eat. Although the house was large and had many beds, when it was crowded, they still had to spread mats on the floor. For patients treated at the Provincial General Hospital, relatives served them, cooked, ate, and slept at his house. Fortunately, his wife was as devoted as he was, devoted to the people.
And everyday life
While still in university, young student So Lay Tang had a passionate love affair with Lam Thi Thoan, a girl from the rice fields of Thai Binh. So Lay Tang set a condition: "If we love each other, Thoan must go to the South with me." Thoan agreed. On graduation day, they got married and the girl from the "5-ton homeland" joined the army marching south with the young man from the Central Highlands. When they reached the Northern Central Highlands, a severe malarial fever took away his young wife. Turning grief into the strength of a communist, doctor So Lay Tang continued his long journey through deep forests, high mountains, and steep passes, with a desire to return to his village when he had defeated the enemy. In 1974, he followed a working group to Dak Glei district to recruit soldiers. Head of the group Phan Vung advised: "Mr. Tang has been away from the village for a long time, now let him visit his family and recruit soldiers at the same time." With such words, the day he returned to his hometown, the villagers carried So Lay Tang as if he was the most outstanding child of the village, because the boy Tang who used to wear a loincloth, herd buffaloes, and was half-literate is now a doctor, Deputy of the provincial medical department, very big! So Lay Tang had just had a village meeting and assigned military recruitment targets.
On this occasion, he was introduced by a relative and he and a girl from Y Soi village became sworn brothers. On the happy day, the girl's and the boy's families each contributed 5 jars of rice wine, 2 pigs, and the party lasted for 3 consecutive days. After a week of marriage, he said goodbye to his wife and returned to the province to work. As the days passed, he and his wife gave birth to 3 children, the eldest daughter So Lay Mai is currently working at the Kon Tum City Party Committee's Inspection Committee; the son So Lay Ngai is a military officer, the youngest son is a police officer of Kon Tum province.
Mrs. Y Soi - the wife of doctor So Lay Tang boasted to us at the beginning of the new year of Canh Dan: "Since we got married, my husband and I have never argued. Now we are old but we still take care of each other like we did when we were young. My husband is easy-going, he never nags at his wife and children. Eating is also very simple, he eats whatever is available, he never asks for anything, just instant noodles and raw vegetables and he eats until he is full". There are only old couples in the house, many times she follows her daughter to the coffee fields to weed the coffee but she still worries about him at home because no one goes to the market. She confided: "When he was still working, he went to National Assembly meetings for a whole month and it was fine, now we miss each other even if we are apart for a day". Mrs. Y Soi also revealed that although he is now retired, Mr. So Lay Tang is still a member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education.
Saying goodbye to doctor So Lay Tang's family, spring is also knocking on his door. The wild orchid branch hanging in his living room has begun to bloom. The white petals are like the heart of the old doctor. So Lay Tang - he lived with the ethnic minority villages of the Central Highlands like a love that never stopped flowing, still as clear as the source of the stream, still steadfast, loyal to the love of the People - the Party.
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