As part of the Vietnamese Week in St. Petersburg, nearly 500 people participated in a wreath laying ceremony in front of the monument to the late leader in Vyborg district on May 19.
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Representatives of the Vietnamese community in Russia and officials of St. Petersburg pose for a group photo in front of the monument to President Ho Chi Minh in the city on May 19. |
They included Chairman of the External Relations Committee of the Russian city’s administration Evgeny Grigoriev, head of Vyborg district Viktor Polunin, former Soviet Union experts who used to come to assist Vietnam, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Phan Anh Son, and Chairman of the Vietnamese People’s Association in Russia Do Xuan Hoang, and representatives of the Vietnamese community.
After that, Ambassador Khoi and staff members of the Vietnamese Embassy visited and presented gifts to teachers and students of a nearby school which houses a Ho Chi Minh museum.
On early May 20, the Palace Bridge, the main one in the city, was opened to visitors and lit up red and yellow – the colors of Vietnam’s national flag.
This year’s Vietnamese Week was the third of its kind held in St. Petersburg.
Also on May 19, the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and officials from other representative bodies of Vietnam in South Africa offered incense in commemoration of the late leader.
Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Hoang Sy Cuong said the activity was an occasion for cadres and Party members performing duties overseas to reflect on the traditions of the homeland and the victories of the Vietnamese revolution and, especially, express gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh – a genius leader of Vietnam and the first Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country.
The same day, representatives of the India - Vietnam Solidarity Committee in West Bengal state laid wreaths at the monument to the President to mark his 134th birthday.
Chairman of the committee Kusum Jain and Vice Chairman Prem Kapoor recalled President Ho Chi Minh’s commitments to the people. They stressed that in the current global situation, the world needs devoted leaders like Ho Chi Minh, who used to have special links with Kolkata city and local people.
Meanwhile, the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangladesh coordinated with the liaison board of the Vietnamese community in this country organized a ceremony at the embassy’s headquarters on May 17 to celebrate President Ho Chi Minh’s 134th birthday.
Ambassador Nguyen Manh Cuong highlighted some landmarks of the leader’s life and revolutionary career, as well as his great contributions to the struggle for national liberation, reunification, and people’s happiness.
He affirmed that President Ho Chi Minh’s thought and sentiments towards overseas Vietnamese have always been treasured and upheld by generations of Party and State leaders. He also called on the Vietnamese people in Bangladesh to push ahead with studying and following the late leader’s ideology, moral example, and style, maintaining traditions and solidarity, assisting one another, and contributing to the homeland’s development.
On May 19, an international workshop was held at Sejong University in Seoul, connecting Vietnamese intellectuals, students, and people living in the Republic of Korea (RoK). It aimed to emphasize the importance of creating a peaceful society.
Taking place on the occasion of the 134th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh – an undaunted revolutionary in the struggle for national liberation and also a symbol of peace and friendship, it was significant to not only the Vietnamese community in the RoK but also international friends of Vietnam.
The workshop was organized by the board of the Vietnam Fatherland Day project in the RoK, Sejong University, and the Vietnamese people’s associations in the Northeast Asian country.
On May 18, the association of fellow-countrymen from Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, the largest organization of Vietnamese in the Czech Republic, held an annual gathering at the Sapa trade centre in Prague.
With the participation of nearly 400 people, the event became even more meaningful when it coincided with the 134th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh, a native of Nghe An.
Source: VNA