A ceremony was held at the National Conventional Centre in Hà Nội on Monday on the occasion of the late President Hồ Chí Minh’s 130th birthday (May 19). Incumbant and former leaders of the Party, State, National Assembly, Government and the Fatherland Front attended the event. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — A ceremony to mark the 130th birthday of late President Hồ Chí Minh (May 19, 1890 – May 19, 2020) was held on Monday by the Hà Nội Party Committee and Government. 

The ceremony aimed to highlight the remarkable contributions by the late President to the national revolutionary cause.

In attendance were members of the Central Committee of the Party, State Presidency, Government, National Assembly and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee. 

Addressing the ceremony, Party General Secretary and President Nguyễn Phú Trọng said the Vietnamese nation and people gave birth to President Hồ Chí Minh, the great national hero, and it was President Hồ Chí Minh who glorified the Vietnamese nation and people.

"Every step forward, every achievement of the Vietnamese revolution has been attributable to the great contribution of President Hồ Chí Minh, the illumination and stewardship of his thought," Trọng said.

"In the cause of innovation, in the face of complicated developments in the world and difficulties that the country has to embrace, our Party has stood firmly on the foundation of Marxism-Leninism, President Hồ Chí Minh's thought, and applied them creatively in the country’s situation and have gained great achievements."

Trọng said that from a poor and backward country, Việt Nam has risen to become a developing country with middle income. The achievements of 35 years of renewal have affirmed the Party's renovation policy based on Marxism-Leninism and President Hồ Chí Minh's thought is the right path and consistent with the development of the times.

He also pointed out that Việt Nam is celebrating the birthday of the great President at a moment of transcendental importance, which presents both challenges and opportunities.

"We are proud of what we have achieved but we can’t be satisfied just yet. Our country is still facing many difficulties and challenges. In leadership, management, in the organisation of implementation, we still have many limitations and weaknesses; there are still issues that have not been thoroughly solved, many bottlenecks have not been removed; while new requirements, tasks, challenges and contradictions, large and complex issues continue to arise," Trọng said.

Such limitations and shortcomings require the whole Party, population and political system to seriously acknowledge and have higher determination to strive to overcome the difficulties, he said.

Trọng emphasised the need for strong unity and efforts, high determination and endeavours, dynamism and creativity from the Party and people and armed forces to overcome the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensure social security and welfare for the people and grasp opportunities to fulfill the socio-economic tasks set for 2020.

Special memories

Nguyễn Văn Đoàn, 73, a guard for President Hồ Chí Minh from 1965 to 1969, recalled the special memories he had with the late leader.

"Those were the best days and greatest honour of my life," Đoàn said.

He talked about the days when President Hồ Chí Minh became ill but still tried to work with the Government on urgent matters of the country like flooding and improving dykes.

"On August 12, 1969, despite his illness, he still tried to come and hear the report by a group of the Government members who had just returned from a working trip."

"Five days later, he became serioulsy ill."

"I know that those were the days that his health was in critical condition, but still he tried to work along with the Government to take care of the country," Đoàn said.

“I always tell myself to learn and follow Uncle Hồ's example, whose ultimate goal was the country’s independence," Đoàn said.

Trọng, meanwhile, pointed out the tasks ahead for every Party member to follow President Hồ’s revolutionary morality: continuing to enhance the building and rectification of the Party and the entire political system, making them pure and strong in politics, ideology, organisation and morality; and improving the leadership, governance and combat capacity of the Party and building a socialist state ruled by law, “of the people, by the people, and for the people".

It is necessary to promote close-knit relations between the Party and the people, build the Party based on the people, promote the people’s democracy and right to ownership, and preserve solidarity and consensus with the Party, he said.

“In following President Hồ’s instructions on enhancing revolutionary morality and sweeping away individualism, we need to resolutely, persistently and actively purify the Party, prevent and drive back corruption, degradation in political ideology, morality and lifestyle of officials and Party members, and phenomena such as ‘self-evolution’ and ‘self-transformation’ within the Party,” he stressed. — VNS