VietNamNet Bridge – At the 9th National Patriotic Emulation Congress that opened this morning in Hanoi, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung recalled President Ho Chi Minh’s recommendations.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung delivers speech at the Congress.

Speaking at the conference, PM Dung, also Chairman of the Central Committee for Emulation - Reward, emphasized that this is an important political event, a great festival of the entire Party, people and army.

He said the congress is a milestone marking and promoting the achievements over the past 67 years with a focus on evaluating outcomes, addressing shortcomings of the work over the past five years and devising a plan for the 2016-2020 period.

He also said that the congress is an opportunity to honour outstanding individuals and groups, stimulate the national unity bloc’s strength, boost the renewal process and effectively implement the 12th National Party Congress’ resolutions, contributing to industrialisation, modernisation and national construction and defence, he added.

He said the emulation campaigns have successfully exploited the concerted strength of the nation to realise the development targets on socio-economic and cultural affairs, the environment, defence-security, diplomacy, and international integration.

Warmly welcoming 1,800 delegates to the congress, the Prime Minister stressed that performing President Ho Chi Minh’s recommendation "Emulation is patriotic, patriots must emulate", many emulation movements have been launched and become revolutionary enthusiasm of the masses.

"Imbued with Uncle Ho’s teaching, we have to jointly promote patriotic emulation to overcome all difficulties and to accomplish all missions," the Prime Minister said.

In the near future, facing advantages and disadvantages of the situation in the country and the world, the Prime Minister emphasized that the country has to promote patriotic emulation movements.

The Prime Minister believed that the Congress will cheer and encourage the people and arouse the tremendous strength of the great national unity bloc, to comprehensively promote the renovation cause, and to create motivation to successfully implement the cause of building and defending the country.

At the opening ceremony, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan - First Vice Chair of the Central Council for Emulation and Rewards - presented the summary report of the patriotic emulation movements and reward tasks in 2011-2015 and the orientation and tasks for the period of 2016-2020.

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan said positive changes in terms of both form and content have been made to emulation campaigns with more focus on pragmatic goals, helping attracting wider response from Party organisations, authorities at all levels, and people of all walks of life.

She reported that over the past five years, the Vietnamese Party and State presented 17 Gold Star Orders, 85 Ho Chi Minh Orders, 3,080 Independence Orders, 377 Military Exploit Orders, 31,119 Labor Orders, 169 Great National Unity Orders and 2,187 Friendship Orders and Medals.

In addition, the title of Hero of Labour was conferred on 124 units and individuals and 81 were given the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces in the "Doi Moi" (renovation) period.

The Party and State also granted 194 Ho Chi Minh Prizes and 215 State Prizes, along with many other prizes and titles to honour outstanding individuals in the national patriotic emulation campaigns, the Vice President noted.

Chung Hoang - Hong Nhi – Hoang Long