Present at the event were former Party General-Secretary Le Kha Phieu; former Defense Minister General Pham Van Tra, former Director of the General Department of Politics Senior Lieutenant General Pham Thanh Ngan, Senior Lieutenant General Luong Cuong, Director of the General Department of Politics, and Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang, Chief-of-the-General Staff and Deputy-Defense Minister, together with over 700 retired military staff in the northern region.

leftcenterrightdel
Delegates at the gathering

At the gathering, General Ngo Xuan Lich informed delegates on outstanding regional and international developments, new plots and tricks of hostile forces, results of the military-defense missions and the military external affairs in 2017, plans towards 2018. He stressed that the Ministry of National Defense and the Central Military Commission always acknowledged former senior officers’ contributions in the past and their sharing of valued experience to reinforce the national defense-security and protect the fatherland at the current time. He hoped that the retired officers continue bringing into play the traditions of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers”, and furthering their contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the building of the Vietnam People’s Army.

General Lich also extended greetings to all former senior officers on the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year 2018.

The gathering for former senior officers is considered as a meaningful activity, which displays the good traditions of the Vietnam People’s Army, the “When drinking water, remember who dug the well” of the Vietnamese people and the belief of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense on former officers.

It is also a good opportunity for retired senior officers to share their experience and contribute opinions to the Party, the State, and the army, for the building of the all-people defense posture and the Vietnam People’s Army in the current context.

Translated by Trung Thanh