The ceremony held in Sầm Sơn City, Thanh Hóa province, on October 27 evening. VNA/VNS Photo

THANH HÓA – A ceremony was held in Sầm Sơn city in the north-central province of Thanh Hóa on October 27 to mark 70 years since the welcome of compatriots, cadres, soldiers, and students from the South gathering in the North (1954 - 2024).

Addressing the event, Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education, lauded the sentiments of people in the North, including Thanh Hóa, towards compatriots, cadres, soldiers, and students from the South, a demonstration of the truth that “the North and the South share the same home” and “Việt Nam is one country, the Vietnamese are one nation”.

He said the entire people stood side by side with one another during wartime, and they needed to stay unanimous to maximise each locality’s strength and assist one another for a peaceful, independent, democratic, wealthy, and strong Vietnam.

Nghia asked localities, including Thanh Hoá, to continue caring for the material and spiritual lives of families of revolution contributors, relatives of the southern cadres and soldiers gathering in the North and, especially families supporting compatriots, soldiers, and students coming from the South at that time.

He also requested localities to promote communications about the significance of the 70th anniversary among all Party members and the public, particularly the youth. Meanwhile, all-level Party committees and administrations in Thanh Hoá need to bring into play the site commemorating the southern compatriots, cadres, soldiers, and students as Sam Son was designated by the Party and then President Hồ Chí Minh as the first place in the North to welcome them.

In his speech, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyễn Doãn Anh said that 70 years ago, it was Thanh Hóa’s honour to be assigned to receive compatriots, cadres, soldiers, and students from the South. Despite numerous difficulties and hardships due to the war and natural disasters, the Party organisation, army, and people of all ethnic groups in Thanh Hóa focused on recovering infrastructure, boosting production, and preparing food, essential supplies, and necessary conditions to welcome people from the South.

The date of September 25, 1954 became an unforgettable historical moment when the first ship carrying people from the South entering Lạch Hới estuary of Sầm Sơn amidst the cheer of thousands of local residents. In nine months, from September 1954 to May 1955, Thanh Hoa received 47,346 cadres and soldiers, 1,869 injured and sick soldiers, 5,922 students, and 1,443 families of cadres from the South, welcoming the largest number of those among all localities.

The province set up tens of welcome stations, along with many hospitals and clinics in Sầm Sơn as well as Hoàng Hóa and Thiệu Hóa districts to provide health care for people from the South as soon as they set foot in the North. A donation movement spread across Thanh Hóa to support the southerners to quickly settle down.

Over the last 70 years, especially since the South Liberation and National Reunification in 1975, the province has managed to address the war aftermath, boost socio-economic development, and obtain major and comprehensive achievements, Anh noted.

On this occasion, Thanh Hóa unveiled a commemorative site for the compatriots, cadres, soldiers, and students from the South gathering in the North in Quang Tiến ward of Sầm Sơn City. VNS