Vietnamese State President Lương Cường (left), former Chilean President Michell Bachelet (centre), and Mayor of Cerro Navia district Mauro Tamayo at the ceremony. VNA photo

SANTIAGO – State President Lương Cường and a high-ranking delegation of Việt Nam on November 10 morning (local time) visited and laid a wreath at the statue of President Hồ Chí Minh in a park named after the late leader in Santiago, as part of their official visit to Chile.

Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, President of the Communist Party of Chile Lautaro Carmona, Mayor of Cerro Navia district Mauro Tamayo and a large number of local residents also joined the activity.

Commemorating great President Hồ Chí Minh, Cường along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation and distinguished Chilean guests took a minute to express their gratitude to the late leader for his great contributions to the Vietnamese revolution, and friendship and solidarity with progressive peoples in the world.

On behalf of the administration and people of Cerro Navia, Tamayo expressed his delight and honour to welcome Cường and the Vietnamese delegation. He highlighted the shining moral example of President Hồ Chí Minh and his great contributions to Việt Nam's struggle for national liberation.

Tamayo affirmed that the administration and people of Cerro Navia will continue to contribute to caring for and preserving the park as a symbol of solidarity and friendship between the governments and people of the two countries.

For her part, Bachelet expressed her honour to participate in this especially meaningful activity. She said that Cường's visit to Chile took place at a time when the two sides were continuing to promote and further strengthen the bilateral friendship.

Bachelet recalled the unforgettable memories of her visits to Việt Nam in many different positions as well as the warm, close and sincere sentiments that generations of Vietnamese leaders and people have given to her and the Chilean people. She also expressed her admiration for the indomitable and resilient spirit of the Vietnamese people in their struggle for national independence, which became a symbol in the hearts of peace lovers around the world.

The former President affirmed that the meeting between the Vietnamese delegation with the people of Cerro Navia was not only a symbol of the friendly relations over the years but also an opportunity to open up new, more comprehensive and profound directions between the two countries.

Speaking at the ceremony, Cường expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the people of Chile, particularly Cerro Navia residents, for preserving the Hồ Chí Minh Park as a symbol of the special solidarity, friendship, and cooperation between the two countries.

He highlighted that President Hồ Chí Minh’s statue placed within the park stood as a testament to the deep affection of the Chilean people towards the Vietnamese late leader.

Recalling the special relationship between President Hồ Chi Minh and President Salvador Allende, Cường said Allende's Việt Nam visit in May 1969 in his capacity as President of the Chilean Senate brought the Vietnamese people a profound sense of solidarity and invaluable spiritual support. This visit became a symbol of the friendship between the two peoples.

The park was established in 1969 by a group of young members from Chile's communist and socialist parties to express Chile’s solidarity and support for the Vietnamese people’s struggle for national liberation. Over the years, it has been renovated and installed with President Hồ Chí Minh’s statue, and efforts are now underway to expand the area with a “Ho Chi Minh Space”.

Following the ceremony, Cường and Bachelet planted a commemorative tree in the park, another symbol of the enduring friendship between the two peoples.

Nam Đàn District of Việt Nam’s central province of Nghệ An and Cerro Navia District in the Santiago Metropolitan region of Chile exchange the memorandum of understanding on establishing their friendly and cooperative ties. VNA photo

 They also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on establishing the friendly and cooperative relationship between Nam Đàn District of Việt Nam’s central province of Nghệ An and Cerro Navia District in the Santiago Metropolitan region of Chile. VNA/VNS