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In
praise: President Traàn Ñöùc Löông is flanked by fellow
leaders as he speaks of a bright future from the Ho Chí Minh
Mausoleum on Saturday. (VNA/VNS Photo Nguyeãn Khang) |
"The Vietnamese
people are on the right track. Vietnam is facing a bright
future," President Traàn Ñöùc Löông said at Ba Dình
Square in Hanoi on Saturday to mark the 55th anniversary of the
August Revolution, August 19, and the National Day.
President Löông
recalled that at Ba Dình Square on September 2, 1945, President Ho
Chí Minh solemnly read The Declaration of Independence giving birth
to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic
of Vietnam.
The meeting and
military parade were attended by Party General Secretary Leâ Khaû
Phieâu; advisors to the Party Central Committee Ñoã Möôøi, Leâ
Ñöùc Anh and Voõ Vaên Kieät; President Traàn Ñöùc Löông,
member of the Politburo’s standing board of the Party Central
Committee; Prime Minister Phan Vaên Khaûi, member of the
Politburo’s standing board of the PCC; President of the Presidium
of the Fatherland Front Central Committee Phaïm Theá Duyeät,
member of the Politburo’s standing board of the PCC; and General
Vo Nguyen Giap.
The guests and crowd
included veteran revolutionaries, Vietnam’s Heroic Mothers,
families whose members contributed significantly to the nation and
other representatives of Vietnamese heroes of the armed forces and
the working people. They were joined by soldiers, intellectuals,
members of different religious groups and ethnic people, overseas
Vietnamese, the diplomatic corps and foreign organisations in
Vietnam.
Speaking of the
historic significance of the August Revolution, President Löông
said: "Under the correct leadership of the Communist Party of
Vietnam, founded and led by President Ho Chí Minh, the
Vietnamese people unanimously rose up in arms, shattered the
slaves’ shackles, won back independence and freedom, and became
master of their own destiny.
"The August
Revolution shattered the cruel colonial rule, eliminated the
obsolete feudal regime, and established a People’s Democratic
Republic, the first worker-farmer State in Southeast Asia.
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In
rows: thousands pack the square for the
colourful celebrations that fanned out across
the Nation. (VNA/VNS Photo) |
"In order to
safeguard the independence and freedom of the Motherland, the
Vietnamese people had to conduct two long resistance wars for 30 of
the past 55 years and won glorious victories. Those were the great
victories of the Vietnamese people in the 20th century over the
cruel colonialist and imperialist aggressors who possessed modern
weapons and a material strength many times greater than ours.
"The Vietnamese
people had the honor to make, together with other oppressed peoples
of the world, an important contribution to the collapse of the old
colonial system and to the struggle against oppression and
exploitation by neo-colonialism the world over.
"After April 30,
1975, the Vietnamese people performed their task of national
construction and defense in a fully re-unified country. Against a
background of great difficulties, the Party, the State and people of
Vietnam continued to show an indomitable, consistent and creative
stance, actively healed the wounds of war, overcame all trials, and
created the important prerequisites for a comprehensive renovation
process in the next period.
"The renovation
process initiated by the Communist Party of Vietnam at the sixth
Congress in 1986 and the 1991 Platform took our country out of its
own socio-economic crisis and opened up a new period of development
which we can be very proud of.
"Our economy has
registered a fairly rapid growth rate and developed comprehensively.
Our people’s material and spiritual life has been visibly
improved. Our country is changing for the better day after day.
"The highly
significant achievements recorded in the renovation process have
created the necessary material and technical conditions to take our
country into a period of accelerating industrialisation and
modernisation in its steady advance to socialism."
President Löông
continued: "Over the past 55 years, the revolution in our
country has undergone many periods of different international and
national conditions, and we have flexibly carried out specific tasks
and revolutionary strategies in each period.
"However, we
have always adhered to the strategic goal of our revolutionary
cause, namely independence for our nation; unity and territorial
integrity for our country; freedom, democracy and a happy life for
our people; and equality, civilization, solidarity and mutual love
for our society.
"Vietnam
wants to befriend all other countries and peoples in the world for
peace, national independence, democracy and social progress. That is
the combination of national independence and socialism.
"The strategic
task of our Party, State and people in the 21st century is to
continue the renovation process and accelerate national
industrialisation and modernisation with the aim of achieving the
goal of ‘a prosperous people, a strong country, and an equitable,
democratic and civilized society’ and firmly safeguarding
socialist Vietnam.
"Economic
development is always the central task. We must use all means
possible to overcome the present state of poverty and backwardness.
Our nation can only have a worthy position in the international
community if, in the process of development, we can fully utilize
the internal strengths of our country, primarily the wisdom and
capabilities of our people, consider the development of education
and training, science and technology as the primary national policy,
preserve national cultural identity, and inherit in a selective
manner the quintessence of mankind’s culture.
"In order to
develop our country, we must maintain political stability, build a
sound society, ensure strong national defense and security, and see
to it that everybody complies with the law.
"The nature of
our regime and the new requirements of national development require
us to continue building and perfecting our socialist State, the main
instrument to ensure the people’s democratic rights under the
Party’s leadership.
"We must
resolutely struggle to repulse red tape and corruption, actively
carry out administrative reform at all levels.
"Our Party
considers it a key task to combine the Party building and
strengthening work with the perfection of the political system to
make itself capable of leading the entire people in fulfilling the
strategic targets of the revolution in the new situation."
After recalling the
great contributions made by generations of revolutionary veterans
and the entire people to the cause of national independence and
freedom, President Löông said: "The victories of our
revolutionary cause over the past 55 years were victories of the
national unity block with the worker-farmer-intellectual alliance
led by the Party as the core. Upholding that fine tradition, let our
people throughout the country and overseas Vietnamese, for the sake
of a prosperous people and a strong country, promote their tradition
of patriotism, self-reliance and national pride, march into the 21st
century with the invincible strength of the national unity block.
"The great
achievements of our people over the past half-century were also the
results of our international friendship and solidarity.
" At this solemn
meeting, we express our sincere and profound gratitude to the
Governments and peoples of the former and present socialist
countries, to our traditional friendly countries, our neighboring
countries, the international movements for solidarity with Vietnam, and our friends on all the five continents, who have
wholeheartedly supported and assisted our people in the struggle for
national independence as well as in our national construction at
present.
"We thank the
international organisations, governments, non-governmental
organisations and our international friends for giving important
support to the Vietnamese people in the current renovation process
for national construction and development."
President Löông
went on: "At the close of the 20th century, looking back over
the past 55 years full of changes and trials, our people are very
proud of their glorious victories and achievements. Our country,
from a semi-feudal colony, has become an independent and free nation
with its position and prestige on the international arena.
"Today, the
international community knows of Vietnam not only as a courageous
people determined to fight foreign aggression, for their national
independence and sovereignty, but also as a people with a consistent
stance and a high resolve to build a new happy life and a prosperous
developed country.
"The status of
our country is rising and our people are marching with confidence
into the new century. The Vietnamese people are on the right track.
Vietnam is facing a bright future. United we stand, we shall
win," said President Löông .
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Socialist Republic of Vietnam
