State President Lương Cường and delegates at Ngọc Sơn temple, Hoàn Kiếm Lake. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — State President Lương Cường and his wife, along with official delegates and 100 overseas Vietnamese (OVs), held an incense-offering ceremony at the statue of King Lý Thái Tổ and the Ngọc Sơn Temple in downtown Hà Nội on Sunday morning, the 20th day of the final lunar month.

As part of the annual Homeland Spring programme jointly organised by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hà Nội People’s Committee, the ceremony aims to spread a message of great national unity.

It confirms that overseas Vietnamese are an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation and have consistently accompanied the homeland’s development.

The event also demonstrates the Party and State’s affection for and attention to the Vietnamese community abroad, promoting patriotism and encouraging them to preserve Việt Nam’s cultural identity, traditions and language, as well as fostering confidence and inspiring aspirations to contribute to the country’s sustainable development in the new era.

Representatives from ministries, agencies and Hà Nội authorities joined the president, his wife and OVs in respectfully offering incense to honour King Lý Thái Tổ and the forebears who built and defended Thăng Long – Hà Nội over one thousand years of history, safeguarding the nation and enriching its invaluable cultural and historical heritage.

They prayed for national peace and prosperity, and for Việt Nam to enter a new era of development with greater breakthroughs toward peace, independence, democracy, prosperity, civility and happiness.

State President Lương Cường, his wife and delegates release carp into Hoàn Kiếm Lake. VNA/VNS Photo

The tribute continued with a symbolic release of carp into Hoàn Kiếm Lake. This ritual, performed just days ahead of the 23rd day of the last lunar month (the traditional day for sending the Kitchen Gods to heaven), symbolises the carp leaping over the dragon's gate, a metaphor for perseverance and ambition leading to growth and success.

In a warm and joyful atmosphere celebrating the Party and welcoming the Lunar New Year, Cường and his wife spoke with members of overseas Vietnamese communities about their work and daily lives. The president expressed his sincere gratitude to Vietnamese communities worldwide for their affection toward the homeland and extended his best wishes for a new year of peace, prosperity and success.

The overseas Vietnamese delegation had previously paid tribute at the Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum and laid wreaths at the Monument to Heroic Martyrs on Bắc Sơn street in Hà Nội.

With the theme 'Việt Nam’s Aspiration: Peace and Prosperity', the Homeland Spring 2026 programme runs from February 6 to 9 in Hà Nội, with activities also taking place in Ninh Bình Province.

This dual-location format, linking two destinations with deep cultural roots in a single journey, is a distinctive feature that reflects respect for historical values and confidence in Việt Nam’s development potential in the new era. The event is expected to welcome around 1,500 OV delegates and their relatives. — VNA/VNS