President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (centre) offers incenses at the Quảng Trị Citadel. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

QUẢNG TRỊ — President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Friday offered incense at the Quảng Trị Citadel in Quảng Trị Province — a famous relic that is considered a 'cemetery without graves', to remember all the soldiers who passed away for the cause of protecting the country.

It was a part of a programme for the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Quảng Trị.

President Phúc and his delegation respectfully expressed their infinite gratitude of the martyrs’ great merits, who dedicated their youth and lives to the Fatherland’s independence and freedom.

During the resistance war, in the brave and courageous fight to defend the citadel and Quảng Trị Town over 81 days in the summer of 1972 (from June 28 to September 16), the ancient citadel of Quảng Trị has gone into the national history as a shining milestone of revolutionary heroism.

Thousands of soldiers are forever buried in the ground of Quảng Trị Citadel so that the country could be independent and unified and the people happy and prosperous like today.

Here, the President and his delegation attended the issuance ceremony of a set of postage stamps: "50 years of protecting the Quảng Trị Citadel".

The ceremony was jointly organised by the Quảng Trị People's Committee and the Ministry of Information and Communications.

The stamps are based on the idea of: "resounding the great song forever, remembering the sacrifices of the army and people of Quảng Trị Province and looking to the future".

Artists designed the stamps with vibrant and bright colours.

The main image is a "large cluster of lanterns" depicting the heroic fighting process of the soldiers defending the citadel under bombs and fire.

The stamp issuance will raise awareness among all classes of people and educate generations about patriotism and the glorious history of the nation and of Quảng Trị Province.

Also on Friday, President Phúc offered incense at the memorial area of late Party General Secretary Lê Duẩn in Hậu Kiên Village, Triệu Thành Commune, Triệu Phong District.

He respectfully remembered and expressed his gratefulness for the outstanding merits of Party General Secretary Duẩn for the cause of national liberation and reunification. 

Writing in the remembrance book, President Phúc stated that late Party General Secretary Lê Duẩn was a resilient leader who dedicated his life to the Fatherland and the country's socialism.

The President hoped that Quảng Trị Province would continue to pay attention to embellishing this important relic to educate the nation’s tradition for generations.

After that President Phúc attended the inauguration ceremony of the Triệu Thành Junior Secondary School in Triệu Phong District.

He had called for benefactors to build the school.

Emphasising that Triệu Phong is the hometown of late Party General Secretary Lê Duẩn and a land rich with revolutionary traditions, the President wished that teachers and students would promote the glorious revolutionary tradition of their homeland, make efforts to teach and study and contribute to the development of the province and the country.

The President then attended the groundbreaking ceremony of a coastal road project connecting the East-West economic corridor Phase One.

The work is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Quảng Trị Province's liberation.

The project has an investment of more than VNĐ2 trillion (US$87 million). It is 55km long, has many lanes and ensures a speed of 60-100km per hour.

The project is expected to be completed in 2025. The completed project will create an inter-regional traffic route, promoting marine economic development for Quảng Trị and neighbouring provinces. — VNS