Once a battlefield, province celebrates 40 years of liberty
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| Flower garlands and coloured lanterns are set afloat on the Thach Han River to show gratitude to war martyrs who sacrificed their lives for national liberation in the central province of Quang Tri. — VNA/VNS Photo Ho Cau |
QUANG TRI — The central province of Quang Tri held a ceremony yesterday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its liberation.
Addressing the event, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Le Huu Phuc said Quang Tri was the first province in southern Viet Nam to be liberated.
The victory was important in the liberation of the south and national reunification on April 30, 1975, he said. Politburo member Dinh The Huynh, secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its Commission for Popularisation and Education, congratulated Quang Tri Province on its development over the past 40 years.
He said the provincial Party, army and people must uphold the revolutionary tradition and strengthen solidarity to find solutions in order to foster socio-economic development, ensure defence and security and develop the strong political system.
The province should also continue to promote its geographic advantages to help socio-economic development, Huynh said.
Among Quang Tri Province's achievements was an annual economic growth rate of 10.8 per cent last year, with an export turnover 11 times that of 2009 and a per capita income of VND21.6 million (over US$1,000).
The province had also progressed in the fields of education, health, social affairs and culture.
Earlier on the night of April 30, hundreds of lanterns and flowers were floated on the southern bank of Thach Han River in Quang Tri Town as tributes to those who laid down their lives for national independence.
On the same day, a Vietnam News Agency delegation led by General Director Nguyen Duc Loi offered incense and laid flowers to remember fallen journalists at the National Truong Son Cemetery. More than 250 VNA journalists died during the war for national independence. — VNS