Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm attends the Great National Unity Festival and Việt Nam Culture Day in Đa Lộc Hamlet, Châu Thành Commune, Vĩnh Long Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

VĨNH LONG — Culture should be built from everyday ways of living conducted within each family and community, and family must nurture compassion, honesty, gratitude and responsibility.

Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm made the statement on Thursday while attending celebrations for the Great National Unity Festival (November 18) and Việt Nam Culture Day (November 24) in Đa Lộc Hamlet, Châu Thành Commune, Vĩnh Long Province.

After more than a year of operating the two-tier local government model, management, administration and public service work in Châu Thành Commune has gradually become more stable and streamlined. Many administrative procedures are now handled directly at the commune level, bringing maximum convenience to residents.

Education, training and healthcare have continued to receive attention. At present, 100 per cent of children in the hamlet have been encouraged to attend school, 100 per cent of residents have received health check-ups and screenings, and the proportion of residents with health insurance has reached 100 per cent.

At the festival, speakers expressed their gratitude to the Party, the State and the Vĩnh Long Province Party Committee for their care for the material and spiritual lives of Khmer people, and for their attention to education, healthcare, social security and the preservation of ethnic cultural identity.

They expressed confidence that the policies of the Party and the State will become increasingly embedded in everyday life.

Speaking at the festival, Party General Secretary and State President Lâm noted that 80 years ago, at the First National Cultural Conference, President Hồ Chí Minh said: “Culture must light the way for the nation.” According to the top leader, this teaching sets out a long-term responsibility: to use the finest values of the nation to cultivate people, guide ways of living and conduct and shape the country’s path forward.

The Party chief made clear that linking Việt Nam Culture Day with the Great National Unity Festival carried profound significance.

It is an occasion for every person to gain a deeper understanding of their roots, to value the heritage of their own nation, to understand and appreciate more fully the culture of their fellow citizens, and to nurture the shared values of Việt Nam’s cultural heritage within every family, every residential community and every individual.

For the festival to create a lasting impact, the top leader asked that Party committees, authorities, the Việt Nam Fatherland Front of Vĩnh Long Province, its member organisations and the people work together to strengthen bonds between communities and build a shared sense of pride and responsibility towards their homeland.

Every ethnic group should have its identity preserved, and every person should be heard and given the opportunity to contribute to common endeavours.

Vĩnh Long’s cultural diversity should be promoted as a unifying resource, so that people in every locality clearly feel that they are part of a common homeland and share responsibility for building it, he said.

Everyone can enjoy culture

The nation's top leader asked that continued attention be paid to the Khmer language and script, performing arts and traditional crafts and community spaces.

Conditions must be created for the younger generation to understand the value of this heritage, to be able to engage with it, and to develop the passion to carry it forward, he said.

Party members must set an example in everything from their attitudes in speaking with citizens and the way they handle work to keeping their promises to the people.

Party General Secretary and State President Lâm called for greater attention to children, elderly people, people with disabilities, disadvantaged families and communities in remote areas.

The role of the Fatherland Front, religious dignitaries and respected community figures should be promoted, while the front must stay close to the people, understand them and fulfil its role in gathering and representing the aspirations of the people, he said.

Joint initiatives among people of different ethnic groups and religions should be encouraged, so that solidarity becomes ever deeper and more enduring through shared work and responsibilities.

Organising the festival should allow time for people to meet, talk, showcase the beauty of their culture and express their aspirations. It should also be conducted in a dignified, warm and economical manner, the top leader said.

The top leader expressed the hope that, from today’s festival in Đa Lộc Hamlet, this spirit of solidarity and affection will continue to be nurtured in every household and every village.

He said that every child should grow up hearing and understanding the language of their own people, and learn to value the culture of their fellow citizens. Every elderly person should feel reassured that the precious things they have preserved will be carried on, and every family in difficulty should always find the support of the community. — VNS