Babette - Uncle Ho's Goddaughter and Memories of Vietnam

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Special bond between little Elisabeth and the Vietnamese leader

In her small apartment in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, Elisabeth Helfer Aubrac cherishes and preserves many souvenirs from Vietnam. The kind-hearted French woman was born in 1946, when President Ho Chi Minh visited France as a distinguished guest. It was the friendship between her father, Raymond Aubrac, a famous revolutionary and close friend of Uncle Ho, that initiated the special bond between little Elisabeth and the Vietnamese leader.

President Ho Chi Minh holding his goddaughter, Babette. (Documentary photo)

Talking to the Vietnamese press, she said: "In 1946, when he went to France to attend the Fontainebleau conference, President Ho Chi Minh met my father, a former member of the French National Assembly. My father invited him to visit our family, and, at my father's invitation, President Ho Chi Minh moved into our house and garden from early August to mid-September 1946. On August 15 of that year, my mother gave birth to me, named Elisabeth. President Ho Chi Minh visited the Port-Royal maternity hospital in Paris to visit us, gave us gifts, and accepted to be my godfather. He called me by my intimate name Babette".

From then on, President Ho Chi Minh sent Elisabeth gifts, handwritten letters, or photos with messages of love on her birthday every year. Little Babette often drew pictures and wrote letters in response to her godfather. Despite his busy schedule, he showered his little goddaughter in faraway Paris with affection.

Elisabeth Helfer Aubrac with the small ball given to her by Uncle Ho on her birthday. (Photo: VOV)

One of Elisabeth Helfer Aubrac’s most cherished keepsakes is a piece of yellow silk gifted to her by Uncle Ho in 1967, along with a heartfelt message: to use it for her wedding dress when she got married. Decades later, the silk has retained its soft texture and vibrant hue. Tucked inside is a small slip of paper that reads clearly: “Van Phuc Silk Village, Ha Dong, Ha Noi.”

She has preserved many other mementos as well - a small ball, a coin, a photograph bearing his signature. “Even that ball,” she said proudly, “I still consider it a symbol of intelligence, luck, and faith in a bright future.”

Continue to nurture the Vietnam-France friendship

Elisabeth Babette was raised in the warmth of her parents’ love and the spiritual guidance of a remarkable godfather. Reflecting on her bond with President Ho Chi Minh, she shared: “President Ho Chi Minh was truly extraordinary in his way of life - so deeply humane, yet grounded in simplicity. He possessed a natural warmth and persuasive charm that could touch the hearts of everyone he met. Unlike the typical demeanor of a leader, politician, or diplomat, he was genuinely close to all walks of life, from workers to farmers. I think of him every single day, and I feel a profound connection to the people and the country of my beloved godfather.”

President Truong Tan Sang posthumously awarded the Ho Chi Minh Medal to Raymond Aubrac, September 25, 2012. (Photo: Sports & Culture Newspaper)

The friendship between Raymond Aubrac and Ho Chi Minh left a deep impression. Aubrac always stood side by side with the Vietnamese people in the two resistance wars. He made positive contributions to Vietnam's cause of renovation and the cultivation of friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and France. He helped sign the first Trade Agreement between the two countries (1955); exchanged messages between Hanoi and Washington to determine the unconditional end of the US bombing of Vietnam (1967); called for an end to the bombing of the Red River dikes (1972); represented the United Nations Secretary General in implementing the United Nations assistance program for a unified Vietnam (1976). He also assisted in requesting McNamara to transfer to Vietnam the map of the minefields at the 17th parallel (1979) and carried out many technical cooperation programs of the United Nations, FAO, and France to support Vietnam since 1976.

In 2012, President Truong Tan Sang posthumously awarded him the Ho Chi Minh Medal - a noble award that Elisabeth received on behalf of her family in Hanoi.

Beyond preserving family memories, Elisabeth and her husband made many trips to Vietnam to teach at the French–Vietnamese Center for Management. With each return, she was moved by the changes in the S-shaped strip of land, which, according to her, was the realization of Uncle Ho's dream.

As she returns to Vietnam this time, Elisabeth carries with her memories of Uncle Ho and the Vietnam-France friendship, to once again live in the land she has long considered her second homeland.

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