Unique souvenir for Vietnamese Heroic Mother Le Thi Thoi

Representative of Quang Ninh Province Customs Branch presented a souvenir, a Chu Dau ceramic vase with a portrait of mother Le Thi Thoi.

On a journey across Vietnam to paint thousands of portraits of Vietnamese Heroic Mothers across the country, in early August 2025, artist Dang Ai Viet visited house number 90 Thai Thi Boi, Thanh Khe, Da Nang city - the residence of the family of Vietnamese Heroic Mother Le Thi Thoi to visit and paint her portrait.

And even more meaningful, also at the above address, on the occasion of the August Revolution and National Day September 2, representatives of the Quang Ninh Provincial Customs Department visited Thoi's mother according to the unit's annual tradition. On this occasion, the delegation brought many gifts for her mother, especially a souvenir, a Chu Dau ceramic vase, on the surface of the vase depicts the portrait of mother Le Thi Thoi according to the original painting by artist Dang Ai Viet drawn not long before.

Portrait of mother Le Thi Thoi painted by artist Dang Ai Viet.

Mr. Pham Quoc Hung, Head of the Quang Ninh Provincial Customs Department shared: “Before this trip to Da Nang to visit my mother, the unit accidentally discovered a portrait of my mother drawn by artist Dang Ai Viet that was widely circulated online, so we discussed recreating a version on a Chu Dau ceramic vase to convey the local identity (in front of the ceramic vase is a portrait of Thoi's mother, behind is a scene of Ha Long Bay). Moreover, this year my mother is over 100 years old, we want to have a very special gift for her and her family to remember for a long time...”.

Mother Le Thi Thoi is 104 years old this year, was awarded the title of Vietnamese Heroic Mother in 1994, had a husband and two children who sacrificed their lives to protect the Fatherland in 1968, 1969, 1970 (including the heroic martyr of the People's Armed Forces Lam Quang Thoi). She herself also made many great contributions to the resistance war.

One of the anecdotes about mothers, typically the story told by Mr. Truong Duy Thai, a veteran currently living in Hanoi . That was in the years 1965 - 1966, from the North marching to Front 44 Quang Da, he met and received help, love and care from many mothers of Quang.

The most memorable memory was one night when his platoon passed through Phu Thuan market (Dai Loc) from Dong Lang base and was taken by cadres to Thoi’s mother’s house - the mother of 7 children, her husband and two sons had “jumped the mountain”. Seeing Thai carrying a heavy load on his shoulders, his mother eagerly asked him to put it down and helped him change to a lighter cover made from an American flare parachute.

A few months later, he unexpectedly saved his life. While on a reconnaissance mission in the Da Trang Pass area, he was shot by enemy artillery and bled profusely. When his teammates discovered him, they used the parachute hammock that Thoi's mother had given him, which he always wrapped around his waist, to carry him to the infirmary for emergency treatment.

After the peace in 2015, Mr. Truong Duy Thai returned to Phu Thuan market (now in Phu Thuan commune, Da Nang city) to inquire, and finally met his mother again... That year, Thoi's mother was over 90 years old, and had just recovered from a serious illness, but when she heard the story of the parachute hammock, she was moved and said: "Back then, I made you a hammock as if it were for my son who was far away (martyr Lam Quang Thoi)".

Source: https://baodanang.vn/ky-vat-doc-dao-tang-ba-me-viet-nam-anh-hung-le-thi-thoi-3300738.html