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Nation celebrates Uncle Hồ’s 120th birthday

VGP - A solemn meeting was held in the capital city of Hà Nội on May 18 to celebrate the 120th birthday of President Hồ Chí Minh, a national liberation hero and a world-acclaimed man of culture.

May 19, 2010 7:20 AM GMT+7

“Hồ Chí Minh’s Thoughts will always light the way for the Vietnamese revolution and lead our nation to a bright future,” stresses Party chief Nông Đức Mạnh, Hà Nội, May 18, 2010 – Photo: VGP

In his speech at the ceremony, Party General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh recalled the great contributions the beloved President has made to the revolutions for national liberalization and socialism as well as the struggle for peace, independence, democracy and social progress in Việt Nam and the world. He highlighted the profound significance of President Hồ Chí Minh’s Thoughts and the example set by the latter’s life and career.

“Hồ Chí Minh’s Thoughts will always light the way for the Vietnamese revolution and lead our nation to a bright future,” stressed the Party chief.

He underlined opportunities and challenges facing the Vietnamese revolution, adding the Party must grasp, follow consistently, develop and apply creatively Marxism-Leninism and Hồ Chí Minh’s Thoughts in order to supplement, better and develop the Party’s guidelines in line with the country’s development requirements during the new stage.

Regarding the nation’s major tasks in the time being, the General Secretary emphasized the need to improve the Party building work and enhance the unity within the Party, describing it as the nucleus of national solidarity.

From now until mid-21st century, the entire Party and people should spare no effort to build Việt Nam into a socialist-oriented industrial nation, he said.

To this end, the entire Party and people must steadfastly uphold national independence and socialism, and speed up the industrialization and modernization process combined with developing a knowledge-based and a socialist-oriented market economy, the Party leader said.

The entire nation should build up an advanced culture imbued with national identities, firmly protect national defense and security, and implement a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, development and active international integration.

Promoting the socialist democracy, strengthening national solidarity, building a socialist law-governed State of the people, by the people and for the people, and making the Party cleaner and stronger are also majors tasks for the time to come, he noted.

The General Secretary affirmed that Hồ Chí Minh’s Thoughts are an invaluable heritage of the Party and nation, adding that their practical and noble value lies in its close link with the life, “deeds speak louder than words.” Being imbued with Hồ Chí Minh’s Thoughts, the Party is determined to successfully realize the President’s teachings, he said.

In regard to 2010 - a year of important events, the Party leader called upon the entire Party, people and army to follow Hồ Chí Minh’s Thoughts and moral example, continue to enhance the Party’s leadership and combating capacity, step up the renewal process, successfully build socialism and protect firmly the Fatherland.

Typical art performance in honor Great President Hồ Chí Minh,  Hà Nội, May 18, 2010 – Photo: VGP

UNESCO Representative in Việt Nam, Katherine Muller Marin, said in 1987 the UNESCO General Conference adopted a resolution recommending that member states join in the commemoration of the birth of President Hồ Chí Minh, a Vietnamese national hero and a great man of culture, in order to spread the knowledge of the greatness of his ideals and of his work for national liberation.

“Today, many people from around the world celebrate his birth because he has been considered an outstanding symbol of national affirmation who devoted his entire life to freeing Việt Nam and the  people, thereby contributing to the common struggle of all people for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress,” she said.

The representative highlighted President Hồ Chí Minh’s huge contributions in the areas of UNESCO operations such as culture, preservation of cultural heritages, communications, gender equality, protection of the environment and natural resources, education and diplomacy.

“Hồ Chí Minh has made great contributions in the fields of culture, education and the arts, and has made clear his interest in the aspirations of people as they strive to affirm their cultural identity and promote mutual understanding.

“Hồ Chí Minh was a man of vision who foresaw the grandiose flourishing of this nation and therefore contributed to developing a new style of Vietnamese diplomacy that has led Việt Nam to a successful positioning in the region and the world, very much in line with UNESCO-promoted concepts of peaceful cooperation and world mutual understanding.

“Hồ Chí Minh believed in the value of communication and introduced a new style of journalism in the country, focusing on the nation and the people as main news topics,” Marin said.

The official concluded her speech by quoting the famous words of Hồ Chí Minh which are still so valid and powerful in today’s world context: “Nothing is more precious than independence and liberty.”

VNA