Monument to Soviet cosmonaut German Titov opened in Vietnam. How Ho Chi Minh gave Soviet cosmonaut German Titov a whole island

Less than six months have passed since the flight of German Titov into space, when he had a chance to look at the planet Earth again, only not from the heights of the stars. The cosmonaut was vied with invitations to visit friendly countries, he, as part of a large Soviet delegation, traveled around the world with pleasure, talking about his flight and preparations for it. And he got acquainted with the culture different countries: East Germany, Romania, Mongolia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Indonesia, Vietnam. And even in the United States, German Titov also visited the space forum as part of a delegation from the Academy of Sciences.

German Titov arrived in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the personal invitation of President Ho Chi Minh. After that, the astronaut will note the attentiveness and wisdom of the Vietnamese president. In a busy schedule of meetings and interviews, Ho Chi Minh set aside one day for the Soviet delegation to rest and took the guests for a walk along Halong Bay in the South China Sea. Literally Halong translates as "where the dragon descended into the sea." This name of the bay was not accidental.

Scattered in the bay more than three thousands of islands, they are all of different sizes and shapes, but if you look at the water surface, it really seems as if a real dragon has dozed off in the water, and only parts of its stone ridge appear as islands on the water surface.

When the morning mist cleared, German Titov was able to fully appreciate the beauty of the bay. fishing boats with sails only emphasized the pristine beauty of nature.

The astronaut even wanted to plunge into its waters. The water temperature was only 16 degrees, but this did not frighten the native Siberian. However, he could not just throw himself into the water, he asked permission from Ho Chi Minh. The Vietnamese president, at the time of his acquaintance with German Titov, asked to call him Bak Ho (Uncle Ho) and really behaved like a caring relative.

The head of the country, in response to the request of the astronaut, only asked if he would freeze in cold water Halong. And then he gave the command to the commander of the boat to turn to the nearest island.

Its sheer cliffs went straight under the water, only in one place was a golden speck of a small beach visible.

German Stepanovich took a swim with pleasure and very pleased with his swim, returned to the boat. Ho Chi Minh just smiled slyly and shook his head, expressing his approval. And he asked the commander of the boat what the name of this island was. It turned out that he did not even have a name, on the map he was listed as an island at number 46.

But at the direction of Ho Chi Minh, from that day on, the island began to bear the name of German Titov. Buck Ho announced that he was giving the astronaut this island and giving him his name. Since he cannot leave the astronaut himself in Vietnam, he will make him the master of the island, where he can come at any time. True, there are no “ov” endings in the Vietnamese language, and all Russian surnames automatically receive the “op” ending. So the island of Titov became T-top.

For a long time, German Titov did not manage to visit the island named after him again. Despite frequent visits to the DRV, he had so many urgent matters that one could not even think about rest. Moreover, during the period of American intervention, German Titov, who headed the Soviet-Vietnamese Friendship Society, was concerned not only with the situation itself, but with the opportunity to provide friendly assistance to the people suffering from the war.

Thanks to the direct participation of Soviet-Vietnamese society in different corners countries supplied medicines, food, stationery and furniture for schools. It is for this activity that German Stepanovich will subsequently be awarded high awards from the Vietnamese leadership, and in fact, from the entire people of this country.

Today, tourists from different countries come to Halong to enjoy its unique beauty. And the story is also passed from mouth to mouth about how German Titov, on one of his last visits to Vietnam, nevertheless decided to visit the island named after him. However, he had to buy a ticket for this.

The young usher categorically refused to believe that in front of him was the same Soviet cosmonaut, in whose honor the island No. 46 received its name. But now a monument to German Stepanovich Titov has been erected on the island, and at the very top there is Observation deck from where Ha Long opens in all its glory.

The Vietnamese do not live on Ti-Top Island and tourists do not stop there. Pleasure boats and ships moor here so that travelers can sunbathe on the golden beach and swim in Halong Bay. And each of them is greeted by the Soviet cosmonaut German Titov.

Ti Top Island, located in Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam, is today one of the most popular tourist spots countries. But for Russian tourists, this island covered with greenery is especially symbolic, because a monument to the second Soviet cosmonaut German Titov awaits them on the pier, whose name is forever inscribed in the history of Soviet-Vietnamese relations.

Personal guest of Ho Chi Minh

German Titov visited Vietnam in the winter of 1962 just a few months after his historic space flight. The visit took place at the invitation of Ho Chi Minh, the first president of Democratic Republic Vietnam. The Vietnamese leader decided to show the Soviet cosmonaut one of the most beautiful places in the country - Halong Bay, known for its picturesque rock islands.

As German Stepanovich himself recalled in his book “Seventeen Cosmic Dawns”, while walking along Ho Chi Minh Bay, he offered him a swim, not believing that his guest would agree to this, because the temperature that day was only +16 degrees. But the Soviet cosmonaut, who grew up in the Altai Territory, was not afraid of the local weather conditions. The historic swim took place near the island, which at the time was number 46.

“We give you this island! Come here whenever you want, you will be a dear guest! ”, exclaimed Ho Chi Minh and ordered to rename the island number 46 into the island of German Titov.

Difficulties in translation

Why, then, the island, symbolically donated by G.S. Titov by the Vietnamese leader, was called Tee-top? The fact is that the ending “-ov” is not found in the Vietnamese language, so in Russian surnames it is automatically transformed into “-op”.

Now this can confuse Russian tourists, who, according to the Vietnamese guide, do not immediately understand which Soviet hero the island was named after. Yes, and German Stepanovich himself once became a victim of such an interpretation of his surname. On one of the last visits of G.S. Titov to Vietnam in the 1990s. he decided to visit his island, which is on the list world heritage UNESCO, but faced the fact that he had to buy an entrance ticket. He was simply not believed that Tee-top Island was named after him.

The visit of 1962 was only the beginning of the colossal work that G.S. Titov did to strengthen Soviet-Vietnamese relations. In 1966, he became chairman of the Soviet-Vietnamese Friendship Society (OSVD), established eight years earlier. This happened at a difficult time for the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, at the height of American intervention. During this period, the support of the USSR played a special role for the DRV. Soviet military specialists were sent to Vietnam, and weapons were also supplied, which to a large extent made it possible to repel American aggression.

The contribution of the Soviet-Vietnamese Friendship Society, which stood at the head of the solidarity movement, was also enormous. Thanks to the efforts of the Society, medicines, food, school equipment and supplies were sent to the DRV. In addition, OSVD carried out political actions, including months and weeks of Soviet-Vietnamese friendship, in which millions of Soviet citizens took part in condemning US policies.

G.S. Titov, as chairman of the OSVD, himself repeatedly visited the DRV at this time and received delegations through the Society. Subsequently, for his contribution to the development of Soviet-Vietnamese relations, he was awarded such high awards as the Order of Ho Chi Minh and the Order of Friendship, as well as the title of Hero of Labor of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. In 1991, German Stepanovich became honorary chairman of the Russian-Vietnamese Friendship Society and held this position until his death in 2000.

Monument on Ti-Top Island

In September 2015, in honor of the 80th anniversary of the birth of the second Soviet cosmonaut, a marble monument German Stepanovich Titov. Since then, he has daily met numerous tourists arriving on the island in order to climb to the very top of the cliff, which offers an unforgettable view of the Sleeping Dragon Bay. And now no one can doubt who this place was named after.

Monument to Pilot-Cosmonaut Hero Soviet Union German Stepanovich Titov was solemnly opened today in the northern Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh, TASS correspondent Yuri Denisovich reports. The bust of the second cosmonaut of the planet, made of gray marble, is installed on the island bearing his name in Halong Bay of the Gulf of Tonkin, South China Sea.

memory and friendship

The opening of the monument, which was built on the initiative and with the support of the Russian-Vietnamese and Vietnamese-Russian Friendship Societies, was timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the birth of Titov, who is called a great friend of the Vietnamese people, celebrated on September 11. For a quarter of a century, he remained the permanent chairman of the Soviet-Vietnamese friendship society, and in 1991 he became the honorary chairman of the Russian-Vietnamese friendship society, a post he held until his death in 2000.

"German Titov has done a lot to develop relations of traditional friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between our countries. The Soviet-Vietnamese Friendship Society headed by him, together with the Vietnamese-Soviet Friendship Society, has for many years served as a connecting bridge between several generations of people whose life is inseparable from the Soviet Union , Russia and Vietnam," Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Konstantin Vnukov said at the opening ceremony of the monument.

"German Stepanovich has always been very loved and respected in Vietnam. It is no coincidence that in 1962 the first President of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, decided to name the island in Ha Long Bay after German Titov. Later, the Soviet cosmonaut was awarded the title of Hero of Labor of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and also awarded high state awards of Vietnam - the Order of Ho Chi Minh and the Order of Friendship," the diplomat recalled.

"The monument to German Titov has become a symbol of strong traditional friendship and all-round cooperation between the peoples of Vietnam and Russia," said Academician Dao Chong Thi, Chairman of the Vietnamese-Russian Friendship Society.

History and modernity

"We wanted to perpetuate the memory of a remarkable person on Vietnamese soil, who devoted himself entirely to the development of friendship between the peoples of our countries," he stressed. The cosmonaut's widow Tamara Titova, who was present at the opening ceremony of the memorial, on behalf of all members of his family, expressed sincere gratitude to the friendship societies of the two countries, the authorities of Quang Ninh province and all the people, thanks to whose participation the appearance of the monument became possible.

The wife of the second cosmonaut of the Soviet Union told the audience how she appeared in picturesque corner Gulf of Tonkin Island, named after her husband. For the first time, German Titov visited Vietnam in the winter of 1962 at the invitation of the country's first president, Ho Chi Minh, who once personally accompanied the Soviet guest on a boat trip along Halong Bay.

When the sun came out, Titov decided to swim, despite the fact that the water temperature was about 16 degrees - the lowest for that time of year. He, along with Ho Chi Minh, was taken by boat to a rocky island covered with greenery, where a small sand beach. On the map, it was number 46. After the swim, Ho Chi Minh hugged the astronaut and said: "We give you this island! Come here whenever you want, you will be a dear guest!" And, already addressing the captain of the ship, he explained his thought: "Correct it on the maps: this island will henceforth be called the island of German Titov." So island 46 became Titov's island, and cosmonaut Titov became a close friend of the Vietnamese people for life.

The visit of 1962 was only the beginning of the colossal work that G.S. Titov did to strengthen Soviet-Vietnamese relations. In 1966, he became chairman of the Soviet-Vietnamese Friendship Society (OSVD), established eight years earlier. This happened in a difficult period for the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, at the height of American intervention. In those years, the support of the USSR played a special role for the DRV. Soviet military specialists were sent to Vietnam, and weapons were also supplied, which made it possible to resist American aggression.

The Society for Soviet-Vietnamese Friendship stood at the head of the Solidarity Movement. Thanks to the efforts of the Society, medicines, foodstuffs, equipment and supplies for the school went to the DRV. In addition, OSVD carried out political actions to condemn US policy, as well as months and weeks of Soviet-Vietnamese friendship, in which millions of Soviet citizens participated.

G.S. Titov, as chairman of the OSVD, himself repeatedly visited the DRV at this time and received delegations through the Society. Subsequently, for his contribution to the development of Soviet-Vietnamese relations, he was awarded such high awards as the Order of Ho Chi Minh and the Order of Friendship, as well as the title of Hero of Labor of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. In 1991, German Stepanovich became honorary chairman of the Russian-Vietnamese Friendship Society and held this position until his death in 2000.

Photo by Sergey BASHLYCHEV

One of these days, a memorial plaque will open on the house of the family of cosmonaut number two in the village of Polkovnikovo, and a new a tourist route to the favorite places of German Titov. On the eve of the event significant for the whole region, "AP" visited memorial museum his name.

"Diamond" time

2016 is the anniversary year. The family of German Titov, his friends and colleagues, employees of the "Altai Museum of Cosmonautics", as Muscovites call it, celebrated the 55th anniversary of the flight of our famous fellow countryman into space. Tatyana Kaigorodova, director of the museum, who replaced Galina Paroshina in early September, told AP about what new exhibits the museum funds have replenished this year, what new excursions and routes visitors can expect.

We chose Monday for the trip not by chance. On other days people come and go here. You can talk calmly only on a legitimate museum day off. On the porch, three tourists from Novosibirsk, the Gorbachev family, were perplexedly studying the schedule of the museum. Well, travelers didn’t look at the museum site, going on a car tour of Altai, with whom it doesn’t happen. The doctor Lyudmila Vasilievna, her husband engineer Alexander Georgievich and nephew Igor, choosing the route, the first point of the program was Polkovnikovo, and now it’s a discrepancy ...

Don't worry, we will arrange a tour for you. Officially, of course, Monday is a day off, but if it happens like today, we do not refuse hospitality to anyone, - the director of the museum reassured the guests.

Together with the Gorbachevs, we take pictures at the L-29 training aircraft on the lawn and go on a tour of the familiar halls, not yet knowing that the new products will capture the spirit as if we were in orbit. From the gifts to the museum in honor of the anniversary of Titov's flight - a watch, which looks like an hourglass. Time is counted by diamond dust particles - this is a gift from the director of the Kristallin plant, Alexander Zhiltsov. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc handed over to the museum a painting depicting a historic moment - Ho Chi Minh is presenting German Titov with the Order of the Hero of Labor. The canvas is made of rice, thousands of tiny grains create a stunning portrait resemblance of the characters. Not everyone knows that German Titov headed the Society of Soviet-Vietnamese Friendship, Ho Chi Minh presented him with an island in Halong Bay, named after cosmonaut No. 2.

The small-format logbook has been kept here since 2013, and this year the staff put it in open access enlarged copy. Now visitors can decipher German Stepanovich's illegible notes made aboard the Vostok-2. But how could a person with well-placed, almost calligraphic handwriting leave such crooked lines? Tatyana Kaigorodova explains: it is difficult to write in weightlessness. But the notes made in between radio sessions are quite readable: “Flying over Africa, I send greetings to the freedom-loving people of Africa from the Vostok-2 spacecraft,” “Pulse 78, I feel great.” Or this: “I ate the pate. It's not tasty. I didn't want to eat anything else." Editorial from Pravda in 1961, in the center of the picture - Khrushchev, on the sides - Gagarin and Titov with smart faces on camera, hiding their real relationship. Stunning museum premiere - copyright photos taken from the board
ship with the Konvas camera. The horizon in the shade and on the illuminated side of the planet is equally beautiful… “The Case of the Space Flight Records of German Stepanovich Titov, a Citizen of the USSR” is a folder of more than 20 sheets, formed in 1961 at the Central Aeroclub. Whatever our fellow countryman did during the day of his stay in orbit - he dined, wrote or photographed, everything was for the first time, and everything is a record.

"Bird home"

I am not new to the museum business, - says Kaigorodova about herself. - She is a local, a teacher by diploma. I have been working in the museum since 2006. She was in charge of the department of excursions and educational activities, organized excursions and events, communicated with our partners and friends - military personnel, schoolchildren, donors and, of course, the family of German Stepanovich, who handed over to us almost a complete family archive. People always came to us, even when we huddled in an old small building. And when we received this beautiful building from the administration of the region, thanks to her a lot, the flow of tourists increased significantly. We are located next to federal highway. And even if the plans of tourists from other regions of the country do not include visiting the museum, they will certainly come in and stay here for a long time, shocked. People, especially Muscovites, admit that they did not expect to see in the Altai village modern museum organically integrated into the natural landscape.

The basis museum expositions founded by Kaigorodova's predecessor, Galina Paroshina. But does this mean that everything in the topic “Titov and space” has been studied and the guides can only pronounce the memorized text? No, it's not. According to Tatyana Dmitrievna, the time has come for a deep study and understanding of the heritage, archives, correspondence. So something new is found, like these space photos, which, by the way, were included in the book “My Blue Planet”, published in 2016 based on the materials of German Titov with the assistance of his daughter Tamara Germanovna.

On this topic, by the way, Tatyana Dmitrievna grew up. She remembers how, as a girl, she touched the school desk, at which the schoolboy Titov was sitting, and could not understand: how, this celestial being studied here? Her village was visited by many celebrities. I remember the concert arranged for the villagers by Joseph Kobzon. The master sang, accompanying himself on the school piano. Titov himself liked to come to Polkovnikovo without official accompaniment, in private. Knowing about the culinary tastes of a fellow countryman, they boiled round potatoes for him, serving with a crispy pickle. On his last visit to Altai in 2000, before his death (felt?), he made his fellow villagers laugh. When asked why he decided to become a pilot, he answered: because of his pants with blue stripes. They say the girls like it.

As an adult, Tatyana understood: this unattainable person who traveled the whole world is native, earthly, unable to live without Altai, its strength. Isn't this what the old song says: "... we are your children, dear Earth"?

Tatyana Dmitrievna spoke about her idea. At the Star City Cosmonautics Museum, visitors can taste astronaut food. They also tried to launch such a project in Polkovnikovo. They brought the products of the Biryulyovo Experimental Plant, which produces space rations. The samples sold out. But the Biryulyovites are not interested in constant deliveries to the Altai village. They probably just don't know, they don't know what Polkovnikovo is. Hope - for the support of Yuri Roy, CEO of NPK "Precision Instrumentation Systems", which is part of Roscosmos. He is an associate of Galina Paroshina and Tatyana Kaigorodova, a friend of the Titov family. Perhaps Yuri Arsentievich will help to resolve this issue.

On Titov Street there is a modest family house. "Swallow's Nest", as the cosmonaut's father Stepan Pavlovich called it. Brother and sister, German and Zemfira, grew up here. The head of the family, a village teacher, adored Pushkin, he gave the names of his favorite characters to his children. A new tourist route around the village starts from the Swallow's Nest. Now they are preparing for the opening of the memorial plaque, scheduled for September 12, they are restoring the fence.

Maria Seltsova, who still lives in the neighborhood, was digging potatoes on a fine day. When she saw the guests, she stopped. "I'll have a rest, otherwise I'm tired of something," the woman, who turned 88 this year, complains. In the middle of the twentieth century, Maria Vasilievna was the director of a local school. The astronaut's father is her colleague, friend, neighbor. Together they remembered the mother of German Stepanovich, Alexandra Mikhailovna, a wise, sympathetic person. The family left Polkovnikovo in the mid-60s, following their son to Moscow. Leaving, Stepan Pavlovich left permission for rural teachers to live in " swallow's nest". Fact from Maria Seltsova, previously unknown. It was believed that before the renaming, the street was named after Frunze, but the woman remembers that she was always called Nizhnyaya. So, we are dealing with a double renaming.