Hanoi (VNA) – A grand meeting was held in Hanoi on June 3 to mark the 70thanniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s call for patriotic emulation on June 11,1948.

Attending the meeting were General Secretary of theCommunist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, former Party General SecretariesLe Kha Phieu and Nong Duc Manh, President Tran Dai Quang, Prime Minister NguyenXuan Phuc who is also President of the Central Council for Emulation and Reward, Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, former NA ChairmanNguyen Sinh Hung, permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s SecretariatTran Quoc Vuong, and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Tran Thanh Man.

Leaders of ministries and localities were also present atthe event, along with 700 delegates who are Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, Heroesof the People's Armed Forces, Labour Heroes, and role models in various fields.

Seven decades ago, in the Spring of 1948, the country wasstruggling as it waged its resistance war against the French. To encourage thenation to contribute to the war, President Ho Chi Minh made an appeal forpatriotic work emulation on June 11, 1948.

Opening the appeal he wrote: “The purpose of patriotic workemulation is to eliminate poverty and hunger and illiteracy and foreignaggressors. It means our entire people have enough rice to eat and clothing towear. The entire population will know how to read and to write. The soldierswill have enough food and weapons to defeat the foreign aggressors. These areaimed to unite the entire nation. Thus we will have an independent nation, freecivil rights and happy welfare of the people."

In her opening remarks, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh,First Vice President of the Central Council for Emulation and Reward, said that70 years ago, the call by late President Ho Chi Minh became an appeal openingup the nation’s patriotic emulation movement under the leadership of theCommunist Party of Vietnam.

The appeal has encouraged all people to promote thetradition of patriotism and solidarity and step up emulation work in order toovercome all difficulties and challenges in the struggle for nationalliberation and during the nation building and development cause, stated Thinh.

According to Thinh, over the past seven decades, the Partyand State have granted the “Hero of the People's Armed Forces” title to 7,814collectives and over 9,300 individuals, the “Labour Hero” title to 1,332collectives and individuals, and the “Heroic Mother” title to nearly 140,000women, and commended millions of role models across the country.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong expressed histhanks for efforts by the Central Council for Emulation and Reward, ministries,sectors, localities and the entire people to step up patriotic emulationmovements, thus helping create socio-economic development achievements,consolidate defence security, build a firm political system and safeguard thenational sovereignty.

However, he pointed to several shortcomings in emulationmovements and commendation work which need to be solved soon.

He asked the Councils for Emulation and Reward from thecentral to grassroots level, and leaders of ministries and local authorities toheighten their sense of responsibility and continue reforming the leadershipand organisation of emulation and reward work.

The Party chief called on all people and soldiers tocontinue following late President Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts on patrioticemulation, add the emulation work in their daily activities, and effectivelycarry out the Party’s policies and the State’s laws related to emulation andreward work.

Emulation movement should be practical and bring aboutcertain benefits for the nation, society and people, and inspire the sense of responsibilityand self-consciousness of the entire people in order to create a new motivationfor the nation building and safeguarding cause, he stressed.

On this occasion, 70 collectives and individuals who havemade great contributions in research, learning, labour and production werehonoured.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc handed over the Government’semulation flags to 10 ministries, sectors and 10 cities and provinces leadingin the emulation movements in 2017, including the Vietnam News Agency.

Earlier, leaders of the Party, State, Government andNational Assembly, and delegates paid tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh athis Mausoleum.-VNA