Mr Manh made the statement at a ceremony in Vinh city, central Nghe An province on May 18, to mark the 117^th anniversary of late President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday (May 19).

“It was President Ho who founded, led and trained the Communist Party of Vietnam and established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” said Mr Manh. “He led the entire Party, army and people to unite in the fight against enemies and write the glorious history of the nation.”

“Our nation is proud to have given birth to President Ho – a great national hero and an internationally recognised “Great Man of Culture”. The noble cause of national independence and socialism founded and fostered by President Ho will be further developed and promoted by present and future generations of Vietnamese people”.

He recalled President Ho’s two visits to his hometown in Nghe An province in 1957 and 1961 and his teachings and noted that over the past years the Party and State have issued big policies for Nghe An to bring President Ho’s wishes to life. They included Conclusion No20 of the Political Bureau on Nghe An development till 2010, the socio-economic development strategy for the western part of Nghe An till 2010 and a scheme to develop Vinh City into an economic and cultural centre in the north-central region.

He said President Ho’s birthday is celebrated at a time when the entire nation has been implementing the campaign “Studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s moral example”. Therefore, he said it is necessary to combine the implementation of the campaign with that of resolutions of Party congresses at all levels as well as patriotic emulation movements. In addition, he said all sectors and localities should devise appropriate plans to help people understand and implement the campaign efficiently.

“All Party organisations and leaders of State agencies must heighten the responsibility and their leadership role in carrying out the campaign to make it more efficient and practical,” said the Party leader.

He expressed his hope that Nghe An and the rest of the nation will successfully organise the upcoming election of deputies to the 12^th National Assembly slated for May 20.

In his address, Nguyen The Trung, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and chairman of the provincial People’s Council, said that to realise President Ho’s teachings, over the past 50 years, the Party and people of Nghe An have taken full advantage of internal resources, overcome numerous difficulties and challenges and made important contributions to promoting socio-economic development, culture, education, health care, sports, security and national defence and Party building.

However, he pointed out weaknesses to be addressed, including low and unsteady economic growth, low competitive edge of products, a high poverty rate and low per capita income.