Senior Party and State leaders, former officials and representatives from Laos attended the ceremony, alongside delegates from ministries, sectors and local authorities nationwide.
Originating in 1981 as the “Sen Village Singing Festival”, a grassroots arts movement celebrating President Ho Chi Minh, the homeland and the Communist Party, the event was elevated in 2002 into the annual Sen Village Festival. Every five years, it is organised on a national scale to coincide with the late leader’s birthday.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Thai Van Thanh, Vice-Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People’s Committee, said this year’s festival carried particular significance as Viet Nam enters “a new era of strong and prosperous national development”.
He also announced the groundbreaking of two major infrastructure projects on the same day: the Quynh Lap LNG Thermal Power Plant and the Vinh–Thanh Thuy Expressway. The projects are expected to strengthen regional transport and energy networks while boosting investment and economic growth in the province.
A highlight of the opening night was a large-scale semi-reality stage performance retracing Ho Chi Minh’s journey from Sen Village to his aspiration for national independence and reflected the country’s ambitions for development in the modern era.
During the ceremony, Politburo member and President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics Doan Minh Huan presented the first-class Labour Order to the Kim Lien Special National Relic Site for its contribution to preserving and promoting the legacy of President Ho Chi Minh.
In addition, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also officially recognised Kim Lien as a National Tourism Area.
The festival runs until May 30 with a wide range of cultural, artistic, sporting and tourism activities.
