A Son of Ban Ngan
Mr. Doan Hong Ky, whose real name was Doan Nguyen Nhat, was born on January 13, 1913, in Vinh Quang Commune, Hoa An District, Cao Bang Province. He passed away on October 9, 1990, at the age of 78.
Featured image of the Doan Hong Ky Memorial House in Nung Tri Cao Ward
To understand a life like his, you need to look at the era he grew up in. When he had just turned 17, on April 1, 1930, the province’s first Communist Party cell was founded at Nam Lin, in Hoang Tung Commune, not far from his hometown. The movement spread quickly. From a single cell of three members, by 1935 Cao Bang had 10 active cells across five districts, including Hoa An.
The generation of young people born in Hoa An in the 1910s grew up amid that revolutionary wave. Many left their villages to join the revolution, serving as couriers, sheltering cadres, and later taking part in both resistance wars. Doan Hong Ky belonged to that generation. According to his family, he devoted his entire life to his revolutionary homeland of Cao Bang and to the country.
His life spanned nearly the whole of Cao Bang’s 20th century: the years of underground activity, the day of liberation, the two resistance wars, and later the country’s renewal period.
A House That Holds a Lifetime
The memorial house was started on May 1, 2021, in his home village. It was built by his own family, who wished to preserve images and stories of his life in the very place where he was born and where he devoted his life.
The inauguration date was chosen as January 13, the same day as his birthday. In the family’s words, the house was built not only to honor his memory, but also to welcome him “home” on the very day he came into the world.
Inside the memorial house is a space displaying milestones from his revolutionary career. It is not a large museum with hundreds of artifacts, but rather a warm, intimate family space. Every photograph and every keepsake has been carefully preserved by his descendants.
The house’s value lies precisely in that simplicity. In Cao Bang, history is not only told at large heritage sites, but also kept alive in small village homes, where descendants recreate their ancestors’ stories with their own hands. Visiting here, you’ll see how the revolutionary history of a region is pieced together from such individual, very human lives.
How to Visit
The memorial house is located in Ban Ngan Hamlet, now part of Nung Tri Cao Ward, close to the center of Cao Bang City. As this is a private family site, it’s best to contact the family before visiting, dress respectfully, and ask permission before taking photos inside.
You should combine your visit with a stop at Ky Sam Temple, located in the same hamlet. Set on a low hill at the foot of Khau Sam Mountain, it is the largest temple in the province dedicated to Nung Tri Cao and has been recognized as a National Historical and Cultural Relic since 1993. An afternoon in Ban Ngan will take you through a thousand years of history—from an 11th-century Tay leader to a son of the village in the 20th century.
If you have more time, you can also visit the Nam Lin Historical Site, where the province’s first Party cell was founded, to gain a deeper understanding of the movement his generation followed.
Not every historical figure makes it into textbooks. But in Cao Bang, many small villages still quietly preserve the memory of the people who helped shape their homeland’s history. The Doan Hong Ky Memorial House at the foot of Khau Sam Mountain is one such place.
