Uncle Ho monument is the first tourist attraction in Hoa Binh. Standing atop Tuong hill which is nearly 180m from sea water level, the monument seems to have witnessed national construction achievements made by provincial officials and people. At the monument site, one could see the panorama of the hydropower plant with the vast bed of Hoa Binh reservoir and the Da river which is running gently as a silk strip flowing downstream.
Construction of the monument was completed on January 8, 1997 – one year since its groundbreaking ceremony. It was inaugurated on the day marking the 67th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. It is as high as 18m, featuring the 13.5-m-tall body of the statue and the 4.5m high pedestal. The statue weighs nearly 400 tonnes, made of ultra-high and granite concrete made by the Institute of Building Materials.
The hill is called Tuong (elephant) as it looks like a prostrate giant elephant that uses its trunk to get water from the Da river. There are 79 rungs of ladder symbolising 79 springs throughout the life of the beloved leader of the nation who dedicated his life to national liberation, independence of the country, and happiness and prosperity of people.
The Uncle Ho Monument was designed by sculptor Nguyen Vu An – a lecturer of the Hanoi Architectural University. The architecture of the monument complex was commissioned by Russian architect Serebriansk. The monument meets the requirements of fine arts, landscape, architectural and cultural values of humanity.
The idea of building Uncle Ho’s monument on Hoa Binh hydropower plant came up after Uncle Ho visited the Party Committee and people of different ethnic groups in the province, during which he called on the Socialist Working Youth school in Yen Mong commune, Hoa Binh city. His visit came in the flooding season so that local people made a large raft to take him across the river. Standing on the raft, he pointed down the river and said: “After the country is united, we have to conquer this river to prevent floods and serve the interest of the people”. For such a reason, the image of Uncle Ho pointing his finger down to the river is expressed in the work.
