Party General Secretary Tô Lâm offers incense at Phú Quốc Martyrs’ Cemetery. VNA/VNS Photo

AN GIANG – Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and his entourage offered flowers and incense at President Hồ Chí Minh Monument, Phú Quốc Martyrs’ Temple, and Phú Quốc Martyrs’ Cemetery on Thursday morning, as part of their working trip to the southern province of An Giang.

The General Secretary expressed profound gratitude for the immense contributions of President Hồ Chí Minh and heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives for national independence and freedom, and people’s happiness.

The Hồ Chí Minh Monument, situated at Hồ Chí Minh Square, features a 20.7m statue of the late leader, with the bronze-alloy figure itself measuring 18m, a 0.3m bronze base, and a 2.4m pedestal made of natural stone. The figure shows the revered leader with his right hand over his heart - an iconic gesture conveying the message “The South is in my heart”.

Behind the statue is a large-scale bas-relief comprising 484 stone panels arranged into two sides. The front features landscapes and iconic sites from the 17th parallel southward, associated with President Hồ Chí Minh’s life and revolutionary activities. The reverse depicts distinctive landmarks affirming Vietnam’s maritime and island sovereignty from Sa Vĩ Cape in northern Quảng Ninh Province to Thổ Châu Island in Phú Quốc Special Zone.

The Phú Quốc Martyrs’ Temple stands as a cultural and historical site embodying the Party, State and people’s gratitude toward fighters who died for national liberation, construction and defence, while serving as an educational venue to pass revolutionary traditions to younger generations.

Completed in 1985 after construction began in late 1983, the adjacent Phú Quốc Martyrs’ Cemetery spans 34,070sq.m and includes a traditional house, a reception hall for martyrs’ families, and parking facilities. Its burial grounds occupy 25,695sq.m, divided into eight sections, with nearly 3,300 martyrs’ graves. VNA/VNS