State President Lương Cường and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited the President Hồ Chí Minh Relic Site in the Presidential Palace on May 5 morning. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — State President Lương Cường and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited the President Hồ Chí Minh Relic Site in the Presidential Palace in Hà Nội on Monday morning within the framework of the latter’s state visit to Việt Nam.

The President Hồ Chí Minh Relic Site in the Presidential Palace is a particularly important national historical and cultural relic, where President Hồ Chí Minh lived and worked for the last 15 years of his life (from December 1954 to September 2, 1969) with many relics, documents, and original artifacts associated with his life and career. These are evidence of the thought, style, morality, lifestyle, and dedication of great President Hồ Chí Minh to the revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese people. This place not only preserves the ideological values, ethics, simple and noble lifestyle of President Hồ Chí Minh but also becomes a vivid symbol, an important "destination" for high-level diplomatic relations between Việt Nam and countries around the world.

The two Presidents visited relics associated with the life and career of President Hồ Chí Minh such as the stilt house and the fish pond, admiring the bronze statue "Uncle Hồ sitting working in the flower garden of the Presidential Palace" and artefacts preserving many memories of the late leader.

Sharing with the President of Sri Lanka about the life and career of President Hồ Chí Minh, President Cường affirmed that he was the most beautiful symbol of patriotism and revolutionary heroism of Việt Nam, the shining crystallisation of morality, intelligence, spirit, and conscience of the nation and the era. At the same time, he devoted his entire life to the glorious revolutionary cause of the Party and the Vietnamese people.

Sri Lankan President listened about the history of Uncle Hồ's Stilt House. — VNA/VNS Photo

The Sri Lankan leader also heard about the history of Uncle Hồ's Stilt House, built in the style of stilt houses of ethnic minorities in Việt Bắc, the place where President Hồ Chí Minh lived during the nine years of the resistance war against the French colonialists. Uncle Hồ moved to live and work in this house from 1958 to 1969 and here, he thought day and night to complete the strategic guidelines and policies for the Vietnamese revolution, and together with the Politburo, continuing to lead the people to overcome difficulties and challenges. It was also the place where he regularly received international delegations. The documents and artifacts displayed here fully, clearly and truthfully depict the life, thought, ethics and working style of a leader who devoted himself to the country, the people, and the cause of peace, friendship and progress of the peoples of the world.

During his lifetime, Uncle Hồ was a person who loved nature very much and that is shown through the system of outdoor relics such as mango paths, the fish pond, gardens, coconut trees in front of the stilt house, southern milk fruit trees, persistent banyan trees, and flower trellis of the Presidential Palace. This is a harmonious element in the overall relic site, contributing to creating a unique value for the Presidential Palace Relic Site.

Moved by the simple but meaningful space, reflecting the pure, humble lifestyle and great thought of the late leader, President Dissanayake expressed his respect and admiration for President Hồ Chí Minh, who inspired the movement for independence and freedom around the world; and was proud of Sri Lanka's solidarity with Việt Nam in the revolutionary struggle. He thanked the Vietnamese State and people, and President Cường himself, for the warm and respectful reception they gave him and the Syrian delegation during their visit to Việt Nam.

The visit to the Presidential Palace Relic Site by President Cường and President Dissanayake once again affirmed that Hồ Chí Minh's cultural values will continue to be a bridge for the close relationship between Việt Nam and Sri Lanka to develop strongly in many fields. — VNS