THE WATER CUP  
A keepsake of Mr. Le Quang Ton at the 3rd National Congress of Heroes and Emulation Soldiers  

Mr. Le Quang Ton, born in 1928, hailed from Xuan Hoa village, Huong Long ward, Hue city. In 1945, he worked as a laborer at the Thuan Hoa silver and copper workshop in Hue. In September 1946, when the French army returned to occupy the region, the workshop was closed, and machinery was moved to the resistance base. Mr. Le Quang Ton joined the guerrilla forces but was later captured by the enemy. In 1954, after peace was restored, he was released and went to the North to continue working at the administrative office of the Interzone IV resistance base in Nghe An.  

One of the most memorable moments in Mr. Le Quang Ton's life was meeting President Ho Chi Minh three times. The first was in 1957 when President Ho visited Nghe An. The second time was in 1959, during a training session in Hanoi, where Mr. Ton was part of a delegation from Nghe An. During the training, President Ho came to visit and spoke with the group, offering guidance.  

The most cherished memory was the third time he met President Ho in Hanoi. In 1962, Mr. Le Quang Ton was elected as a National Emulation Soldier and attended the 3rd National Congress of Heroes and Emulation Soldiers in Hanoi. At this congress, President Ho Chi Minh visited and gave a speech. Mr. Ton was honored with a 3rd Class Labor Medal by the Government and received an enameled water mug with the inscription: "3rd National Congress of Heroes and Emulation Soldiers 1-5-1962."  

These three encounters with President Ho Chi Minh left a profound and lasting impact on Mr. Le Quang Ton's life, shaping his personal character and lessons in living an exemplary life.  

He donated the keepsake to the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Thua Thien Hue on September 27, 2002.