State President extends congratulations on 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s Traditional Day of the Elderly

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a congratulatory letter on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s Traditional Day of the Elderly (June 6, 1941-2021).

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (Photo: VNA)
State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (Photo: VNA)

In the letter, the State President cordially send his dearest regards and best wishes to all Vietnamese elderly at home and abroad, along with officials and members of the Vietnam Association of the Elderly (VAE).

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasised that Vietnamese people have always upheld the good moral of “respecting the elderly”, which is the tradition, the motto of behaviour and the beauty of the thousand-year national culture. Throughout his life, President Ho Chi Minh has always been an exemplary model of caring and respecting the elderly. Immediately after returning home to lead the Vietnamese revolution, Uncle Ho fully and comprehensively recognised the great role and responsibility of the elderly in the cause of national liberation and construction.

In the letter “Regards to the compatriots” dated June 6, 1941 and “A summons to unite all the elders” in June 1941, Uncle Ho emphasised that the responsibility of theelders for the mission of the country was really important. The country existed and flourished thanks to the elders’support. In response to Uncle Ho’s call, during the two long resistance wars of the nation, under the leadership of the Party Central Committee and Uncle Ho, Vietnamese elderly always upheld the revolutionary spirit and patriotism, encouraged their families, descendants, neighbours and the whole country to bring the revolutionary cause to victory.

Entering the Doi Moi (Renewal) period, generations of the elderly in Vietnam continued to show themselves as a class of people representing the noble qualities of the nation, making great contributions to the cause of national renewal, construction and defence through their enthusiastic dedication, wisdom, experience, and participation in educating the nation’s historical, patriotic, and cultural traditions to the next generations. Those great contributions have added to the beauty of the noble rewards awarded by the Party and State such as the Gold Star Medal, the First-class Labour Order and golden words: “The higher the age is, the higher the morale is, setting bright examples for the cause of national construction and defence”.

The State President also shared with the elderly who are still suffering from many difficulties, living alone, and lacking affection; as well as condemned all acts of abuse of parents and the elderly. Besides, he highly appreciated and welcomed all levels, branches, families, collectives, individuals and the social community for having many practical actions imbued with humanity, actively taking care of the material and spiritual life for the elders so that they can live a happy, healthy, meaningful life, making an important contribution to cultivating and embellishing the nation’s good moral and humanistic tradition, as well as promoting the country’s sustainable development.

The country is entering a new period of development with the goal of becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045, the State President wrote, underscoring the important role of every citizens including the elders in order to realise the aspiration to build a prosperous and powerful country.

Affirming the Party and State’s attention and support to the elderly, State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his wish that the Vietnamese elderly at home and abroad continue to promote the glorious tradition, well implement the patriotic emulation movement, and contribute their wisdom and experience to building the country with for the goal of wealthy people and a strong, democratic, fair, and civilised nation.

He also urged the Vietnam National Committee for the Elderly, Party committees and authorities at all levels, social organisations, every family, every citizen always care, love and respect the elderly, multiply practical actions to take care of the material and spiritual life of the elderly, thereby cultivating and preserving the nation's fine tradition of morality and humanity. In each Vietnamese family, social security should be well implemented to maximise the contribution made by the elderly for the country’s rapid and sustainable development.