President Lương Cường calls to open aid corridors to help Palestinians and lift embargo against Cuba. VNA/VNS Photo

NEW YORK — On the night Việt Nam marked its 80th Independence Day at the Metropolitan Museum, the celebration kicked start on a deeper resonance as President Lương Cường delivered a powerful call for peace at the United Nations Assembly the next day on September 23rd.

During his speech, President Cường urged an immediate ceasefire in ongoing conflicts, condemning the unprecedented violence faced by the world today and emphasising the urgent need to protect ordinary citizens.

He appealed for safe and open humanitarian corridors to reach those trapped in conflict zones, praised nations recognising the Palestinian state and stressed the critical importance of supplying aid to the Palestinian people.

President Cường also urged the United States to lift its embargo on Cuba and remove the country from its list of terrorist states, highlighting the need for greater international cooperation and justice.

President Cường called on the international community to uphold multilateralism and international relations based on recognised international laws with the UN at the centre.

He also shared Việt Nam’s story, rising from the ashes of war, from a poor country enduring war and international trade embargoes, overcoming insurmountable challenges to become a developing country with a middle-income rate and deeper integration in international affairs.

He reiterated that peace must be both the goal and the prerequisite condition for a stable, democratic and wealthy future. He called on all countries to respect international law and the UN Charter, respect independence and sovereignty, refrain from interfering in other countries’ domestic affairs, avoid the use of force or threats of force, and resolve all conflicts by peaceful means.

Ambassador Đỗ Hồng Việt, permanent representative of Việt Nam to the UN (2nd left) and staff welcomes President Lương Cường and his spouse at the Việt Nam Delegation to the UN in New York City. VNA/VNS Photo

A delegation of top Vietnamese artists from Việt Nam and around the world accompanied the President on his trip to New York City for a ceremony commemorating the 80th Independence Day.

More than 350 members of the international Foreign Diplomatic Corps in New York participated in the event.

Speaking at the event, Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said: “Over the course of eight decades, Việt Nam has grown from throwing off the shackles of colonialism to the thriving modern state we see today.

“Drawing on its long history and rich culture, Việt Nam has prospered into a modern vibrant society and a regional leader. It is a tourist destination of choice, a robust economy and a central figure in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“And the people of Việt Nam have charted their own course — one that is truly independent and truly Vietnamese.”

He went on to elaborate on how it has never been easy for the people of Việt Nam to reach where they are today. The world knows only too well how Việt Nam has endured wars and conflicts on a colossal scale over the past eight decades.

It has suffered a bombing campaign larger than all the ordnance dropped during the Second World War. Vietnamese people have witnessed the horrors of landmines and other destructive weapons, and the environment has been ravaged. Việt Nam has seen and helped stop a genocide in a neighbouring country.

GLOBAL HARMONY: A concert featuring Việt Nam’s leading traditional and classical musicians alongside world artists was presented to the UN Diplomatic Corps at the Metropolitan Museum on September 22. VNS Photos courtesy of the Vietnamese Delegation at the UN

Việt Nam has shown its independent spirit that has allowed the country to prevail.

Looking at the images of Việt Nam’s landscapes on the giant screen accompanied by live music from VNAM’s orchestra, it is beyond anyone’s dream that some of the musicians from Việt Nam’s Academy of Music learned their notes in trenches during the war, between bombing raids in the 1960s, and can now perform in one of the United States’ signature cultural establishments, the Metropolitan Museum.

Việt Nam’s most prominent world pianist Đặng Thái Sơn, who is based in Canada, travels the world to perform and teaches master classes, including music schools in the US. He played Chopin’s Concerto No. 2, which helped him win the International Chopin Piano Competition to become the first Asian from a war-torn country to ever win the highest honours. For many years, Đặng Thái Sơn, Việt Nam’s People’s Artist, has served as a judge of the competition and one of his students, Bruce Liu of Canada, also won the competition in 2021.

A strong team led by VNAM Deputy Director Bùi Công Duy and other leading artists, mostly born in a unified Việt Nam, performed under the baton of conductor Trần Nhật Minh, one of the country’s most celebrated classical music conductors.

Last but not least, traditional Vietnamese music from bamboo instruments never fails to amaze international audiences and leaves a lasting impression.

American film director Tony Bùi, author of the film Three Seasons, also helped in the celebration at the Met.

To remember the hard early days of the founding father of today’s Việt Nam, President Hồ Chí Minh, who spent his youthful days studying to become a pastry chef at the Omni Parker House in Boston, the organisers of the event ordered the house’s most famous rolls. 

According to pastry chefs, the Parker House signature rolls were created during the 1870s. One version of their origin story tells of an angry chef throwing unfinished rolls into the oven. While we do not know for certain if the then pastry chef apprentice mastered the skills to make those half-moon rolls — soft, buttery, slightly sweet with a crispy shell — we do know that he tried every way to lead his country to freedom and independence, which have become reality today.

With the number of bakeries mushrooming in neighbourhoods across Việt Nam today, these rolls can be enjoyed by all Vietnamese at home some day soon, serving as a sweet reminder of the hard early days nearly a century ago in a faraway country. — VNS