HÀ NỘI – The annual Việt Nam Glory programme honouring national spirit and patriotism presented awards to 12 individuals and 18 organisations at a ceremony in Hà Nội on Saturday. 

They include Professor Nguyễn Anh Trí, Director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, and Dr Nguyễn Văn Hiệu, former Director of  Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences, Military Hospital 103 and the Airports Corporation of Việt Nam.

Addressing the event, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc praised the organisations and individuals for their outstanding contributions to the country’s Đổi Mới (Renewal) cause over the past 30 years.         

Phúc said that after 30 years of renewal, Việt Nam had recorded great achievements. From a poor agricultural economy, Việt Nam had become a middle-income country with the poverty rate declining from 60 per cent in 1990 to 4.45 per cent in 2016. 
He attributed the achievements to contributions by all economic sectors, people from all walks of life and socio-political organisations, with the worker class always a pioneer in the renewal and integration, and national construction and safeguarding process. 
The honoured individuals and organisations were received by Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng. 
Praising their contributions to the nation’s renewal achievements, the Party chief asked the honoured organisations and individuals to keep up their excellent performances and contribute more to the country’s industrialisation and modernisation, and nation construction and safeguarding cause.

The awardees were selected from a total of 189 proposals representing millions of workers across the country by the programme’s organising council and the Việt Nam General Confederation of Labour. 

Introduced by 15 ministries and sectors from different areas of 43 provinces and cities, 11 of the recipients were awarded for economic achievement, eight for national security and defence, five for scientific technology and two for politics. - VNS