THE K59 PISTOL
Presented by President Ho Chi Minh to Mr. Ho Dong in 1959
Mr. Ho Dong, an officer in the People's Army of Vietnam, was born in Vinh Thai Commune, Phu Vang District, Thua Thien Hue Province.
In 1959, the 15th Plenum of the 2nd Central Committee of the Communist Party convened and passed a resolution on the revolutionary path for Southern Vietnam. At that time, Mr. Ho Dong was assigned to join the Thua Thien Hue delegation attending an extended conference held in Quang Ba, Hanoi. Before returning to the South, Mr. Ho Dong, along with other members of the delegation, had the honor of meeting President Ho Chi Minh.
Before their departure, President Ho Chi Minh presented Mr. Ho Dong with a K59 pistol and gave him the important advice: to fight bravely and never hand over the pistol to anyone unless he had fallen in battle, in which case the weapon could be passed on to someone else. More than just a gift of "a weapon to kill the enemy," the pistol symbolized President Ho Chi Minh’s and the entire Vietnamese nation’s determination to defeat the American invaders, liberate the South, and reunify the country.
Inspired by President Ho Chi Minh's profound words, Mr. Ho Dong kept the pistol by his side and fought courageously until the victory of the resistance.
On March 27, 1998, Mr. Ho Dong donated the pistol to the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Thua Thien Hue for preservation.