This event marked the 55th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's passing, 55 years of fulfilling his sacred testament, 55 years of preserving and promoting the values of the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site at the Presidential Palace (1969-2024), and the 70th anniversary of Uncle Ho’s return to live and work at the Presidential Palace (1954-2024).
Speaking at the ceremony, Le Thi Phuong, Director of the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site in the Presidential Palace, noted that although President Ho Chi Minh lived and worked in many places throughout his revolutionary career, the Presidential Palace is honoured to be the place most closely associated with him, as it is where he spent the last 15 years of his life (1954-1969).
As one of the first 10 sites nationwide to be recognised as a Special National Relic Site (in the first round in 2009), and as the leading site among memorials dedicated to Uncle Ho, the relic site is currently carrying out two key political tasks including preserving and maintaining the living and working spaces of President Ho Chi Minh at the Presidential Palace as they were during his lifetime, and effectively promoting his legacy at the site. In particular, the preservation and maintenance of the site are core political tasks, while promoting the values of the site is an important political responsibility.
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Le Thi Phuong, Director of the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site in the Presidential Palace, speaks at the ceremony. (Photo: TRANG ANH) |
She also expressed determination that the site will continue its efforts in the new phase, welcoming and creating new opportunities to further fulfil the political mission of preserving and promoting the heritage of Uncle Ho at the Presidential Palace.
Highlighting the immense value of the Presidential Palace’s Relic Site, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong praised it as a "sacred address" for learning and spreading the ideology, morality, and style of President Ho Chi Minh; and a "destination" and "highlight" in high-level diplomatic relations of the Party and State. Over the past 55 years, around 90 million domestic and international visitors have come to the relic site to learn and study; 70-80% of high-level diplomatic delegations have also come to visit Uncle Ho's living and working quarters at the Presidential Palace.
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Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong speaks at the ceremony. (Photo: TRANG ANH) |
Through the efforts in preservation, collection, inventory, scientific research, and promotion of archival materials, especially the stories of witnesses who had the honour of meeting, working with, and serving President Ho Chi Minh, the relic site has successfully fulfilled its mission of educating and spreading the simple yet profound lessons from Uncle Ho’s living and working spaces to people from both in Vietnam and around the world.
Over the years, in recognition of its achievements, the relic site has been awarded the Ho Chi Minh Order, the Independence Order, the Labour Order, certificates of merit from the Prime Minister, and the Emulation Flag of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, along with many other prestigious honours.
At the commemorative ceremony, Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong presented certificates of merit from the Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to the units and individuals with significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site at the Presidential Palace.
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Awards for the “Tour Guide at the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site in the Presidential Palace” contest were also presented. (Photo: TRANG ANH) |
As part of the ceremony, the Relic Site’s managers organised an award presentation for the best tour guides as well as the winners of a photo contest on the “beauty of the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site in the Presidential Palace.” These meaningful activities contribute to bringing to life the image, value, and status of the relic site in the public's heart.
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The first prize winners for the photo contest on the “beauty of the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site in the Presidential Palace.” (Photo: TRANG ANH) |
Notably, an exhibition themed “55 Years since Uncle Ho’s Passing, 55 Years of Preserving and Promoting the Values of the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site in the Presidential Palace (1969-2024)” officially opened on the same day.
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The ribbon cutting ceremony for the exhibition. (Photo: TRANG ANH) |
The exhibition introduces over 240 documents arranged in three sections including the first showcasing images and documents about President Ho Chi Minh's daily life and work at the Presidential Palace from 1954 to 1969, the second featuring the relic site’s efforts in the preservation and promotion of its values from 1969 to 1992, and the last highlighting the results and milestones in preserving and promoting the values of the site from 1992 to present.
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Visitors and locals to the exhibition. (Photo: Trang Anh) |
The opening of this exhibition not only provides an opportunity for all people to pay their respects to Uncle Ho and recall the years he spent living and working at the Presidential Palace, but also to reflect on the achievements made over the long journey, learn valuable lessons, and continue to preserve, maintain, and promote the values of the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site at the Presidential Palace.
