The fateful meeting and journey back to Vietnam of the descendant of King Ly Thai To

(Dan Tri) - Mr. Ly Xuong Can compared returning to Vietnam to his destiny and the reason for his life. He said that even if he dies, he wants to die in his homeland.

In May 1994, from the window of a plane about to land at Noi Bai airport, Mr. Ly Xuong Can (then 35 years old, 31st generation descendant of King Ly Thai To), spread his eyes to see the red river with heavy alluvium, the alluvial plains, and the high-rise roofs hidden behind the clouds.

Although he has never set foot in Vietnam, this man's heart is filled with a "special emotion" that he calls "the feeling of a son setting foot in his homeland for the first time".

This was a special trip not only for Mr. Ly Xuong Can but also for the entire Ly Hoa Son family in Korea, because after many years of exile, for the first time they were able to return to their homeland.

Even Mr. Ly Xuong Can did not expect that this trip would create a turning point that would change his entire life later.

Although he is not the eldest grandson in the family, Mr. Ly Xuong Can believes that "he is the chosen one" to find his roots in Vietnam (Photo: Character provided).

Special Message and Surprise Visit to Korea

On December 22, 1992, Vietnam and South Korea established diplomatic relations, opening a historic turning point in the relationship between the two countries. At that time, Mr. Nguyen Phu Binh was a diplomat assigned to serve as the first Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea.

Before leaving for his political assignment, Mr. Binh was privately met by domestic historians, including Professor Phan Huy Le, who "entrusted" him with the important task of finding the Ly family, descendants of King Ly Thai To, who were exiled 800 years ago to Korea (now Korea).

According to Professor Phan Huy Le, during the transition of the Dai Viet Dynasty from the Ly to the Tran in the 13th century, to avoid a possible disaster for the family, royal uncle Ly Long Tuong - the 7th prince of King Ly Anh Tong (1138-1175) - and some royal family members crossed the sea to live in seclusion in Goryeo (present-day Korea).

According to historical records, they were granted land by the King of Goryeo to live and do business. Later, their uncle Ly Long Tuong contributed greatly to driving out the Mongol Empire and protecting Goryeo from invaders. Thanks to this feat, the King of Goryeo granted the title of Hoa Son to his uncle Ly Long Tuong. The Ly family in Korea was therefore also highly respected and developed increasingly strong in Korea later on.

History books record it like that, but whether or not there is actually a Ly Hoa Son family, descendants of King Ly Thai To, in Korea is still an unverified mystery.

Mr. Ly Xuong Can and Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh in a meeting (Photo: Provided by the character).

As soon as he arrived in Korea, Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh tried to inquire about information and find out through many sources. However, the Ly family in Korea was very popular, and diplomatic work at that time was quite busy, so for the first few months, Mr. Binh still had no clues.

While the search seemed to have reached a dead end, one day in early 1993, at the office of the Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea, Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh unexpectedly received a special delegation of guests.

Led by Mr. Ly Xuong Can, who was then in his 30s, along with the elders of the Ly Hoa Son clan. They brought with them a very detailed and complete genealogy, proving that they were the 31st generation descendants of King Ly Thai To, and the 26th generation direct descendants of his uncle Ly Long Tuong.

For Mr. Ly Xuong Can, the meeting with Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh brought him "strange emotions" that he compared "as if he had seen the day he returned to his homeland" (Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam ).

The surprise visit moved Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh. He held each person's hand and said: "We were also looking for everyone, luckily, we met each other."

Recalling this unexpected meeting, Mr. Binh emotionally shared with Dan Tri : “After reading the genealogical information that Mr. Ly Xuong Can provided, I immediately called Professor Phan Huy Le to inform him. He was very happy and said: These are exactly the people we are looking for. Immediately after that, I also informed the leaders of our Party and State to grasp the situation.”

For Mr. Ly Xuong Can, this meeting was a historical turning point that brought him "strange emotions" that he compared "as if he had seen the day of returning to his homeland".

The Chosen One

Mr. Ly Xuong Can was born in 1958 in Korea. Since childhood, the elders in his family have reminded him of his uncle Ly Long Tuong and his roots in Vietnam. During the 1950s and 1960s, Mr. Ly Xuong Can's paternal uncle, Mr. Ly Hoon, organized many delegations in his family to return to Vietnam.

Unfortunately, due to historical circumstances, Vietnam was divided into two parts at that time, so Mr. Hoon could only go to Saigon and did not have the opportunity to return to his Ly family's homeland in Bac Ninh.

The pain of not being able to fulfill his family's wish of returning to his homeland always made Mr. Hoon feel pain in his heart.

Before passing away, he called his nephew Ly Xuong Can and instructed him: “At all costs, you must find a way to return to your homeland in Vietnam and pay respect to our Ly ancestors.” After that, Mr. Hoon handed over the entire genealogy and historical documents that he had spent years searching for and keeping.

Mr. Ly Xuong Can said that he was not the eldest grandson of the family but “maybe he was the chosen one”. “At that time, I knew nothing about Vietnam, but deep down I always believed that I would return, even if I died, I would find my homeland”, he confided.

Mr. Ly Xuong Can (in a suit, standing in the middle) took a photo with the people of Dinh Bang village on his first visit to Bac Ninh in 1994 (Photo: Provided by the character).

After meeting with the Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea, through the connection of Mr. Nguyen Phu Binh, Mr. Ly Xuong Can and 18 members of the Ly Hoa Son family made their first trip back to Vietnam in 1994. That time, Vietnamese diplomatic officials and Professor Phan Huy Le personally waited for the group at the airport.

The whole group then moved to Do Temple (Bac Ninh) - this is the temple to worship the 8 kings of the Ly Dynasty of Vietnam. As soon as the car stopped on the side of the road, many people from Dinh Bang village were present, they gave Mr. Ly Xuong Can and the people of the Ly Hoa Son family a warm and friendly welcome, like welcoming children who had been away from home for a long time.

“This is probably the most meaningful moment of my life. I can proudly tell the descendants of the Ly family in Korea: I have set foot on the land of my ancestors, we have reconnected the relationship that seemed to have been broken…”, Mr. Ly Xuong Can emotionally recounted.

Every time he returned to Do Temple (Bac Ninh) to attend important festivals of the people, Mr. Ly Xuong Can was deeply moved (Photo: Provided by the character).

After bowing to his ancestors, Mr. Ly Xuong Can wrote in Korean in the book kept at the temple with the promise "to bring the descendants of King Ly Thai To living in Korea back to Vietnam in the future".

Since that trip, this man has often traveled between Korea and Vietnam to learn more deeply about his roots. Each trip brought him special emotions that he later admitted: “Born in Korea but soul in Vietnam”.

“I want to die in Vietnam”

The story of Mr. Ly Xuong Can's search for his roots has attracted special attention from the community. During his visits to Vietnam, he was honored to meet many Party and State leaders.

Once, during a meeting with former General Secretary Do Muoi, to express his feelings, he gave Mr. Do Muoi a pair of parallel sentences: "The body is thousands of miles away - The soul lingers in the Fatherland of Vietnam".

Mr. Ly Xuong Can in a meeting with former General Secretary Do Muoi (Photo: Provided by the character).

In 2000, through the introduction of an official from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ly Xuong Can also had a friendly meeting with General Vo Nguyen Giap at his private home. Although the conversation was constantly interrupted because he did not speak Vietnamese fluently and had to go through an interpreter, when he heard the story of the descendants of King Ly Thai To returning to their homeland, the General was very moved.

“The General held my hand and warmly advised me: You are Vietnamese, with Vietnamese blood, you must try and make an effort to contribute to the country.

When I heard these words, I was very moved. At that moment, my heart was filled with emotions and strong determination: I must return to live and work in Vietnam," Mr. Ly Xuong Can recalled.

The meeting with General Vo Nguyen Giap in 2000 inspired Mr. Ly Xuong Can to return to Vietnam to start a career (Photo: Character provided).

This was also the meeting that he said had a profound impact on his life. Returning to Korea, Mr. Ly Xuong Can discussed with his family about selling all of his assets to move to Vietnam to live and start a business.

At this time, he is an engineer for a large company in Korea with a stable, solid career and steady income.

Mr. Ly Xuong Can's decision to leave everything behind and return to Vietnam to live surprised and shocked his entire family. At that time, Mr. Ly Xuong Can's three children were all very young, the eldest daughter was Ly Hue Tran (born in 1989, then 11 years old), the son was Ly Hach San (born in 1991, then 9 years old), the youngest son was Ly Viet Quoc (born in 1998, in kindergarten).

Mr. Ly Xuong Can believes that returning to Vietnam to live is his destiny (Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam).

His parents believed that changing the living and learning environment could affect the children's psychological development, so they advised their son to think carefully. His friends also thought that "this decision was too reckless and might have to pay the price".

Even Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh - a friend of his family - was worried and sincerely advised: "Vietnam is still poor compared to Korea, if he returns home, he may encounter many difficulties."

However, ignoring all advice, on August 30, 2000, Mr. Ly Xuong Can and his family boarded a flight back to Vietnam.

His family rented a house on Nghi Tam Street (Tay Ho, Hanoi) to live. Unlike foreigners who send their children to international schools, Mr. Ly Xuong Can wants his children to “live like real Vietnamese”, study in public schools, and receive education like everyone else. To start a business, he and a few “relatives” in Dinh Bang established a company and started expanding their business.

At first, due to the language barrier, not only Mr. Ly Xuong Can but also his family members encountered many difficulties. The business was not favorable, and there were times when this man thought he could not recover. However, in the most desperate moments, when he wanted to give up, Mr. Ly Xuong Can admitted that "Vietnamese blood gave him more motivation to start over".

Viet Ly Mien Trung Company Limited (headquartered in Da Nang) - founded by him, specializes in manufacturing products for agricultural and rural development from recycled materials to protect the environment and is growing with more than 50 Vietnamese employees.

With the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on October 16, 2009, the President issued a Decision allowing him and his family to obtain Vietnamese citizenship.

He was also appointed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as Vietnam Tourism Ambassador to Korea for three consecutive terms (2017-2020; 2021-2024 and 2024-2029), becoming the first Tourism Ambassador to hold this responsibility for the longest and most continuous term ever.

Not only connecting Vietnamese and Korean travel businesses, he also directly supported dozens of Vietnamese localities to promote destinations in the Korean market - especially provinces and cities such as Khanh Hoa, Da Lat (Lam Dong); Quang Nam (now Da Nang) ...

In the moments when he wanted to give up the most, Mr. Ly Xuong Can admitted that "Vietnamese blood gave him more motivation to start over" (Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam).

In 2019, he established the Vietnam National Tourism Administration's Tourism Promotion Representative Office in Korea... Every year, he organizes tourism promotion events between the two countries. It is worth mentioning that all expenses are contributed by him out of his own pocket.

“In my bloodline, after 31 generations, only 0.01% is of Vietnamese origin, 99.99% is of Korean origin, but my love for Vietnam is always strong and sacred. Korea is where I was born, but Vietnam is my homeland. I spent half of my previous life in Korea, I want to dedicate the remaining half of my life to Vietnam, I want to die in my homeland if I die,” Mr. Ly Xuong Can confided.

He is currently planning to complete a joint film between Vietnam and Korea about Prince Ly Long Tuong to promote the culture and tourism of the two countries.

After more than 20 years in Vietnam, Mr. Ly Xuong Can said that he is “completely a true Vietnamese”. He feels happy every day when he opens his eyes to see the landscape and people of his homeland, to witness and immerse himself in the development and change of Vietnam.

What Mr. Ly Xuong Can is most proud of is that his three children all graduated from high school and studied at prestigious universities in Vietnam, speak Vietnamese fluently like native speakers and especially "all love Vietnam deeply and intensely".

Compared to his family members, Mr. Ly Xuong Can admitted that "he himself is not good at speaking Vietnamese" but no matter how difficult his mother tongue is, this man affirms that he will still learn it.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the Vietnamese leaders who respect and recognize the historical value of the Ly Dynasty and care for their descendants living in Korea. That is the typical national spirit of the Vietnamese people, as the saying goes: A country that respects its past will prosper!

I am also very happy that the Vietnam-Korea relationship has developed amazingly in just the past 30 years. I think that the relationship between Vietnam and Korea is more than fate, like an irreplaceable destiny, so I believe that in the coming time, the relationship between the two countries will continue to reap new progress", Mr. Ly Xuong Can said.

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Mr. Nguyen Phu Binh (former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, first Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea) said that until now he still maintains a close relationship with Mr. Ly Xuong Can.

According to Mr. Binh, Mr. Ly Xuong Can is a special person with a deep and rare love for Vietnam. In the Ly Hoa Son family, Mr. Ly Xuong Can is the first person to return to Vietnam to live, settle down and obtain Vietnamese citizenship, with a desire to contribute and enrich his homeland.

“As the Ambassador of Vietnam Tourism in Korea, Mr. Ly Xuong Can has always made efforts and actively and regularly worked to promote the friendly and cooperative relations between Vietnam and Korea, especially in the field of tourism,” said Mr. Binh.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/doi-song/cuoc-gap-dinh-menh-va-hanh-trinh-ve-viet-nam-cua-hau-due-vua-ly-thai-to-20250813102207232.htm