PM Dung made the call at a ceremony on April 23 to celebrate the victory, which was considered a turning point in the general offensive to liberate Military Zone No9.

Due to losses on the battlefield and the diplomatic front, the US and US-backed Saigon puppet regime agreed to sign the Paris Peace Accord on January 27, 1973, which recognised Vietnam as a sovereign nation and called for a withdrawal of US troops from Vietnamese territory. 

Shortly after that the US violated the agreement by aiding the Saigon puppet administration to occupy the liberated land and destroy Vietnam’s revolutionary bases. Hundreds of battalions of the enemy supported by air raids and bombardments launched attacks on southern fronts, including the Chuong Thien area of Hau Giang.

The Military Zone No9 Party Committee decided to launch counter-attacks to wrest back and control the land, culminating in the victory at Chuong Thien in 1973.

“The ceremony is a chance for us to review historic events and the heroic tradition of our nation’s fight against foreign invaders, and to honour heroes, war martyrs and fellow countrymen who sacrificed their lives for southern liberation and national unification,” said Mr Dung.

He said the victory paved the way for Vietnamese soldiers to launch a general offensive on various fronts to protect local people, control occupied land, decimate the enemy’s forces and expand the liberated area. 

He noted that since Vietnam initiated the Renewal process in 1986, Mekong Delta provinces have made extraordinary efforts in national defence and security, economics, social affairs and culture, and have significantly improved their standard of living.

The PM specially acknowledged that since being split from Can Tho province six years ago, impoverished Hau Giang has made enormous strides in economic development, with its annual GDP growing more than 12 percent. Industrial zones, trade centres and urban areas have been taking shape along its Xa No canal.

He pointed out Hau Giang’s weaknesses in development, including poor economic competitiveness, low quality human resources, low efficiency in the application of advanced technology to agricultural production, and a high rate of unemployment among youth.

He assured the people of Hau Giang that the government will work with their provincial administration to solve these problems and ensure that Hau Giang continues making headway toward sustainable development.