Anniversaries marked across nation



HA NOI — The 58th anniversaries of the August Revolution (August 19) and the National Independence (September 2) have been solemnly commemorated in Ha Noi and other parts of the country.

A high-ranking delegation of the Party, State, Government and Fatherland Front laid floral tributes at Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and the War Martyrs’ Monument in Ha Noi on Monday.

The delegation included Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, former Party General Secretaries Do Muoi and Le Kha Phieu, former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, President Tran Duc Luong, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An, and other senior Party and State officials.

They also attended a mass meeting held by the Ha Noi authorities at the Friendship Culture Palace the same day to mark the major national anniversaries.

Speaking at the function, Ha Noi Mayor Hoang Van Nghien underlined the historical significance of the events 58 years ago which, he said, ushered in a new era for the Vietnamese nation - the era of national independence and socialism.

"The triumph of the August Revolution was the success of the Ho Chi Minh thought," the Mayor said, highlighting the close combination of the national democratic revolution and the proletarian revolution as well as the strength of the nation and that of the era.

He reviewed major achievements recorded by the Ha Noi people over the past decade, especially in the execution of the resolutions of the ninth Party Congress and the current 2001-05 five-year State plan, toward the targets of industrialisation and modernisation.

In the first half of the year, Ha Noi’s industrial output grew 31 per cent and its development investment rose by 10.4 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The city’s production increased by 10.3 per cent, among the fastest growing localities in the country, actively contributing to the improvement of the local people’s living conditions and the development of the national economy.

Similar meetings were arranged early this week in HCM City and other cities and provinces across the country to mark the festive days of the nation. Special programmes for music and film shows, painting and plastic art exhibitions, sports and physical culture activities have been also organised in different parts of the country. —VNS