Attending the reception were Mr. Bui Hong Phuc, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam - China Friendship Association; Ms. Tran Xuan Oanh, Deputy Director General of VUFO’s Asia - Africa Department; representatives of Department for External Relations of Ministry of Defence, Embassy of China in Vietnam and other delegates.
At the meeting, Mr. Hong warmly welcomed all the delegates. The visit took place at the time when the Vietnamese people are making preparations for the 60th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory and the 39th anniversary of the national unification.
Vietnam and China are two friendly neighbors sharing cultural similarities. The two peoples have entertained long traditional exchange of friendship. During the last time, the comprehensive strategic cooperation and partnership between Vietnam and China has witnessed good maintenance and new developments, Mr. Hong said.
On behalf of the Vietnamese people, Mr. Hong extended his thanks for the wholehearted assistance of the Chinese Party, State, people and People’s Liberation Army, particularly the Chinese experts and advisors during the resistance wars for national independence and reunification of Vietnam.
Mr. Qi Jianguo expressed his thanks to VUFO for its hospitality to the delegation’s first visit to Vietnam. He said: the solidarity and friendship between the two countries are the common invaluable assets; the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory is a good opportunity to commemorate the two great leaders of the two countries - President Ho Chi Minh and President Mao Zedong, who cultivated the solidarity between the two countries, and Generals like Vo Nguyen Giap, Chen Geng, Wei Guoqing and Nguyen Son, who made great contributions to the development of the two countries’ relationship. The organization of this visit expressed the Vietnamese’s spirit of gratefulness to the merits and contributions of former Chinese experts and advisors in the struggle for national defense, he added.
Mrs. Xu Qiqian, General Wei Guoqing’s lady, recalled unforgettable memories of the years when General Wei Guoqing stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Vietnamese people in the struggle against the French colonialists. The traditional friendship between the two countries forged by President Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong will be unchanged and sustainable for generations, she hoped.
Mr. Chen Zhijian, Senior General Chen Geng’s son, on behalf of his family, thanked for the hospitality. He said, Uncle Ho is the person who he most respects. From his father’s memoirs, he knew that the Vietnamese people and the Communist Party of Vietnam were resilient and the Vietnamese People’s Army was heroic and battle-hardened. The visit to Vietnam would bring him an opportunity to better understand Vietnam well as her people.
Duc Minh
