The four brothers – including Quynh at 100, Nguyen Ngoc Giao at 98, Nguyen Ngoc Hoan at 95 and Nguyen Ngoc Can at 91 – have a remarkable past, with the three eldest having been guerrillas. during the First Indochina War, who then held civil servant positions in different regions. They now reside with their large families in Van Giang district, which is part of Hung Yen province, adjacent to Hanoi.
Can, the youngest brother, accepted a professorship at the Vietnam Agricultural Academy after his military service.
Together, the vast lineage of siblings includes more than 300 descendants, including children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, spread across various provinces and cities.
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(middle row, second right to left) Nguyen Ngoc Giao, Nguyen Ngoc Hoan, Nguyen Ngoc Quynh and Nguyen Ngoc Can, surrounded by their descendants, on the anniversary of their father’s death in October 2023 .Photo courtesy of Quynh |
“It is extremely rare for a family to have four siblings over the age of 90 and still maintain a sharp mind and the ability to take care of themselves independently like we do,” Giao remarked .
He noted that one of the key factors underlying their long lives is their consistent positive attitude and healthy lifestyle, characterized by regular eating and sleeping schedules, regular physical activity and abstaining from smoking. .
Quynh, who celebrated her 100th birthday earlier this year, remains intellectually dynamic, as evidenced not only by her prolific reading and regular poetry writing, but also by her mastery of Chinese-to-Vietnamese translation. He considers regular meetings with his brothers, where they check on each other’s well-being and share new poems they have composed, to be their most effective method of maintaining their memory.
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Nguyen Ngoc Quynh (seated) celebrates his 100th birthdayth birthday on February 15, 2024. Photo courtesy of Quynh |
Following in his older brother’s footsteps, Giao also committed to reading daily, viewing it as an invaluable source of wisdom. When it comes to subjects, his interests include history, popular culture, and Buddhism. In previous years, when mobility was less of a problem for him, he frequently explored the historic sites in and around Hung Yen alone.
A veteran bearing the scars of war wounds, Giao places great importance on physical activity. He makes it a point to walk 1,000 steps in his garden every morning and afternoon.
His diet consists of eating three meals a day at the right time: breakfast before 8 a.m., lunch before 11 a.m. and dinner before 7 p.m. He adheres to a sequence of meals starting with vegetables, followed by other main dishes and rice, a strategy that helps in fiber absorption, weight control, physical strength and longevity, he believes. .
Instead of easily turning to medicine, Giao prefers to use herbs from her garden, such as fever vine, guava leaves, lemongrass and ginger, to treat her illnesses unless prescribed by a doctor.
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Nguyen Ngoc Giao, 98, at his home in Hung Yen, taken on March 14, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Nguyen |
The third brother Hoan emphasizes that it is crucial to nourish both the mind and the body, but it is essential to maintain an optimistic outlook, a positive life attitude and to avoid bitterness or negative self-talk towards others. The brothers and sisters collectively advise that a healthy mind is essential for a healthy body.
At 91, the youngest brother, Can, remains actively involved in many local organizations, including the Senior Citizens’ Association, the Pensioners’ Association, the local party cell, and a poetry club made up of former teachers of the Vietnam Agricultural Academy. He also quietly indulged in gardening, growing enough vegetables to support his household and provide for his children residing elsewhere.
Can is expected to attend the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu as a guest of honor next May through his participation in the campaign.
“Even though I am over 90 years old, I am confident in my health to participate in all the activities of the event,” Can said. “The joy of growing old while having brothers with whom to share memories of such meaningful experiences brings me happiness.”
Nguyen Ngoc Tuyen, the head of the brothers’ neighborhood, also highlighted the rarity of having brothers and sisters in their 90s and 100s who not only maintain their health and mental acuity, but also actively contribute and support their village’s community efforts. and their community.
He said that in 2023, illustrating their community spirit, the brothers facilitated the movement of 108 family graves to enable the construction of the capital’s Ring Road No. 4, which passes through the commune.
Nguyen Ngoc Nham, 55, Giao’s eighth child, said spending time with his father and three uncles in good health and mental clarity is a major pleasure for the extended family.
He explained that his father and three uncles raised all their children – and their children’s children – according to the family’s Confucian ethos, where scholarship lays the foundation and virtuous character is esteemed. Thus, from their formative years, he, his siblings and their respective descendants were instructed in proper etiquette, behavior and societal engagement.
Every year, during the Tet Celebrating the Lunar New Year, multi-generational family members gather at their ancestral shrine in Hung Yen to honor their ancestors and exchange wishes for good health. Even amid the vastness of their family, the quartet of older brothers are constantly reminded of each individual’s name and family connection.
One of the brothers’ unfulfilled aspirations is to capture a photograph encompassing all members of this vast clan, something they have not yet managed to do given that many relatives live in different areas.
Nham expressed it this way:
“All four are eager to obtain a complete family portrait as quickly as possible encompassing all their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even great-great-grandchildren, as well as their spouses.”
