In his speech, Secretary of the Quang Ngai provincial Party Committee, Pham Dinh Khoi recalled the time when Ba To guerrillas rose up to fight better-armed Japanese and French occupational forces in 1945.

The Ba To guerilla group- the first armed force of the Communist Party of Vietnam in south-central region, was established on March 11 1945, under the leadership of the Quang Ngai provisional Party Committee. With only 17 guerillas at its establishment, the group wiped out the Ba To post, ensuring the victory of the uprising and the establishment of a revolutionary administration in Ba To district.

At the ceremony, President Triet praised Quang Ngai’s outstanding achievements over the past 35 years and called on the province to uphold the heroic tradition and the spirit of undaunted struggle of the Ba To guerillas by turning Quang Ngai into a prosperous and beautiful province.

Mr Triet then presented the Labour Order, first class, to the cadres and people of Ba To district in recognition of their contribution to national development in the 2005-2010 period.

Mr Triet also attended a ceremony to commemorate to the Ba To uprising and planted memorial trees at the Ba To Museum.