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A 50-member “Meeting at Uncle Hos Hometown” Chinese friendly personages delegation led by Wang Yunze, vice president of the China-Vietnam Friendship Association (CVFA), paid a visit to Vietnam from May 15 to 23. Nguyen Minh Triet, Vietnamese president; Vu Xuan Hong, chairman of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO); Nhu Thi Hong Lien, vice chairperson of the Peoples Committee of Quang Ninh Province; Hoang Xuan Luong, executive deputy secretary of the Nghe An Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV); Le Hung Quoc, chairman of the VUFO of Ho Chi Minh City; and Nguyen Thanh Tai, executive vice chairman of the Peoples Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, met with and entertained the delegation. The delegation visited Hanoi, Quang Ninh Province, Nghe An Province and Ho Chi Minh City, and attended the “Meeting at the Uncle Hos Hometown” evening partyin Nghe An, hometown of Ho Chi Minh, in celebration of the 118th birthday of Chairman Ho Chi Minh.

Great importance attached to the visit by the governments of the two countries resulted in the realization of promoting governmental relations through people-to-people contacts and developing both governmental and nongovernmental relations.On May 16, President Nguyen Minh Triet met with the delegation at his office in Hanoi. He said, the members of the delegation have rendered great service to Chairman Ho Chi Minh, and made great contributions to the Vietnamese revolution and Vietnam-China friendship. This activity organized on the occasion of the 118th birthday of Chairman Ho has a far-reaching significance, and reflects the Vietnamese peoples fine tradition of “remembering past kindness and reciprocating the kindness received”. He stated, the CPV and the Vietnamese government and people will forever remember the long-term support and aid given by the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government and people for the Vietnamese revolution. Vietnam attaches great importance to developing relations with China. Regular exchanges of visits by high-ranking leaders of the two countries have promoted bilateral cooperation. In the new era, Vietnam and China will adhere to the principle of “maintaining long-term stability, looking ahead to the future, deepening good-neighbourly relations and carrying out cooperation in all aspects” set by the leaders of the two countries, and further consolidate traditional friendship and strengthen cooperation in all fields between the two countries so as to continuously push forward bilateral relations.He stressed, in the new era when world situation is constantly changing, the two countries should unite as one and stick to the socialist road. Vietnam is willing to make concerted efforts with China to further enhance the traditional friendship forged by Chairman Ho Chi Minh, Chairman Mao Zedong and revolutionaries of the older generation. He also expressed his heartfelt condolence and sincere sympathy for the victims of May 12 Sichuan earthquake.

Wang Yunze expressed his thanks to President Nguyen for meeting with the delegation in the midst of pressing affairs. Wang said, the facts that the Vietnamese side invited a 50-member Chinese delegation to visit Vietnam on the occasion of the 118th birthday of Chairman Ho and that President Nguyen met with the delegation cordially fully show that the CPV and the Vietnamese government attached great importance to China-Vietnam relations, greatly heartening all the members of the delegation. Wang said, Chairman Ho Chi Minh was not only a great leader of the Vietnamese people, but also a good friend of the Chinese people. With the careful cultivation by the leaders of the older generation of the two countries including Chairman Ho and Chairman Mao, the two countries forged profound traditional friendship. He said, China and Vietnam are close neighbours with similar cultures, identical ideals and related destinies. In the period of revolutionary wars, the two peoples sympathized with and supported each other. In the new era, the two countries will continue pushing forward their traditional friendly relations in accordance with the principle set by the leaders of the two countries. The Chinese people will never forget the support given by the Vietnamese people. Wang expressed his thanks to the Vietnamese government for its attention to the Olympic torch relay in Ho Chi Minh City and its heartfelt sympathy for the victims of the snow disaster in early 2008 and May 12th Wenchuan earthquake.

Cherishing the memory of Chairman Ho Chi Minh and deepening traditional friendship between the two peoples. During its stay in Vietnam, the delegation visited the Chairman Ho Chi Minh Museum and his former residence. With a heavy heart and deep memory, the delegates burned joss sticks before the Ho Chi Minh statue, and visited the places where Chairman Ho had worked and lived. Some of the members of the delegation had served as Chairman Hos interpreters and some as his doctors, nurses and bodyguards. Some were veterans helping Vietnam in its revolution and some have long been engaged in Vietnamese studies. They had deep affection for Chairman Ho and were moved to tears when seeing these places and the scenes of their working for Chairman Ho reappeared in their minds. Their profound sentiments of friendship seen on the TV and reported in the newspapers evoked strong repercussion among the local people.

On May 19, the delegation attended the evening party “Meeting atUncle Hos Hometown” to commemorate the 118th birthday of Chairman Ho together with representatives of the Ho Chi Minh Museum, the VUFO, the government of Nghe An, as well as local university students and foreign students studying in Vietnam. In his speech at the party, CVFA Vice President Wang Yunze said, China and Vietnam are close neighbours joined by common mountains and rivers. The traditional friendship between the people of the two countries dates back to ancient times. In the struggles for national independence and liberation, the two peoples supported each other and fought shoulder to shoulder and forged profound “comradeship and brotherhood” friendship. In the socialist revolution and construction, we make explorations together, learn from each other and constantly enrich and develop each others theories and practice of the socialist construction of our countries. We are happy to see that with the concerted efforts of the new leadership of the two countries and care by the two peoples, the flower of China-Vietnam friendship tended personally by Chairman Ho, Chairman Mao and other leaders of the older generation are continuing bursting into gorgeous bloom. At the party some members of the delegation were interviewed by reporters of the local TV station. They told moving stories about how they worked for Chairman Ho in the old days, fully displaying their love and memory of the chairman. The audience there was greatly touched.

Strengthening the relations between the CPAFFC and the VUFO, consolidating and developing nongovernmental diplomatic work. In his meeting with the delegation, Vu Xuan Hong, chairman of the VUFO said, the traditional friendly relations between the two countries have laid a solid foundation for nongovernmental diplomacy. The delegations visit to Vietnam expressed the Chinese peoples profound friendship for the Vietnamese people and fully demonstrated the importance of nongovernmental diplomacy. In the new era it is particularly important to further promote the Vietnam-China friendship in accordance with the foreign policies set by the two countries and through the combination of governmental and nongovernmental diplomacy. He said, in future, the VUFO will as always strengthen its contacts with the CPAFFC and make joint efforts to carry forward the traditional profound “comradeship and brotherhood” friendship between the two countries.During the meeting the VUFO conferred “Peace and Friendship” medals upon 39 Chinese friendly personages. All the members of the delegation were greatly inspired.