Hoa Lu Festival opens in Ninh Binh

Hoa Lu Festival, the national cultural heritage in the northern province of Ninh Binh, kicked off on April 5, or the 9th day of the third lunar month. 

Among the highlights of the festival is a water-carrying procession from the Hoang Long River to the King Dinh temple in the early morning of the same day.

The established ritual aims to remember the services of Dinh Bo Linh, the first Vietnamese emperor following the liberation of the country from the rule of the Chinese southern Han Dynasty and the founder of the Dinh Dynasty and a significant figure in the establishment of Vietnamese independence and political unity in the 10th century.  

During the three-day festival, there will be many other cultural and sport activities, including a requiem, a temple gate-opening ceremony, and displays of coloured lanterns and flower garlands, and performance of folk games.

The festival contributes to preserving and upholding the country’s traditional cultural values, and promoting the locality’s tourism potential and strengths as well.  

In the late 10th century, Hoa Lu was capital as well as the economic, political and cultural centre of Dai Co Viet founded by Dinh Bo Linh  (968-979), and then the Early Le Dynasty (980-1009).

Vietnam makes significant efforts to settle consequences of unexploded ordnance

Deputy Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), Nguyen Trong Dam has emphasised that the Vietnamese Government has taken significant steps to settle the consequential impact of leftover unexploded ordnance (UXO).

The MOLISA official made the statement while addressing an arts programme, commemorating the World Day of Bomb and Mine Prevention in Hanoi, on April 4.

Speaking at the event, he elaborated on a range of programmes and policies that have been deployed to detect explosive materials, clear landmines, improve the livelihood of bomb and mine victims and help them integrate into the community.

Vietnam has also mobilised a significant source of support from domestic businesses and organisations as well as non-governmental organisations in implementing such programmes, he added.

He called for joint efforts from the entire society and further financial support and humanitarian aids from international organisations and donors in speeding up the settlement of consequences by bombs and mine.

At the event, the association for settling UXO consequences presented 71 gifts worth VND 12 million (US$ 530) each to 71 bomb and mine victims from Ha Giang, Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces who are living amidst constraints.

According to statistics, more than 18% of total land in Vietnam is still contaminated with unexploded ordnances. Over 40,000 Vietnamese people have been killed and 60,000 have been injured by war residuals (bombs and mines) so far. Besides posing risks to people’s lives, it has also hindered the country’s socio-economic development and caused environmental pollution.

Measures needed to prevent illegal wildlife trade

Despite tighter wildlife trade management, the complex development of an illegal wildlife trade requires strengthened efforts from the whole society to preserve biodiversity.

Vietnamese authorities have uncovered dozens of illegal wildlife trade cases since 2011. From 2016 until now, Vietnam has seized more than seven tonnes of ivory, over 150 kg of rhino horns, more than two tonnes of pangolin scales, and many other specimens of wild animals.

According to the Vietnam Forest Protection Department, although the number of violations in wildlife trading, transport and consumption decreased from 459 in 2014 to 295 in 2015 and 256 in 2016, the crime in this area is still complicated, as criminals choose Vietnam as a transit point on all three routes of sea, road and air.

In addition, criminals often use social networks such as Facebook, Zalo or Wechat to carry out illegal wildlife trade activities, making it difficult for authorities.

Meanwhile, the handling of illegal trade and transportation of wildlife specimens and wild animals by competent authorities merely stops at confiscation and processing of administrative violations. Criminal prosecution and handling has not been implemented due to a bottleneck in the provisions of the 1999 Penal Code (revised 2009), while the new 2015 Penal Code has not yet taken effect.

In 2017, the world is taking strong and sustained action to close illegal wildlife trade markets and reduce demand for wildlife products. To prevent this crime, which is also a manifestation of Vietnam's commitment when it joined the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as well as bilateral and multilateral agreements and UN Resolutions on combating illegal trade of wild fauna and flora species, on September 17, 2016, the Prime Minister issued Directive No. 28/CT-TTg on urgent solutions to prevent and combat illegal acts affecting wild animals.

Through this, functional agencies should organise communication campaigns and dissemination of information to citizens and civil servants, especially law enforcement forces, on the war for protection of wild fauna and flora species, while coordinating with international organisations on transnational wildlife trade lines.

In addition, regular patrols should be held to collect information and firmly control the situation in localities with an illegal wildlife trade, as well as closely supervising wild fauna and flora products to set up specialists to fight and thoroughly handle violations, especially control of trade and prosecution of outstanding cases involving ivory and rhino horn trade.

Along with that is the requirement to effectively strengthen enforcement of the law, even to replace, amend and supplement some relevant laws, especially the 2015 Penal Code, as well as developing solutions to create decent jobs for those involving in legally raising and trading wild animals and plants in Vietnam.

Can Tho’s Buddhists work to develop Vietnam Buddhist Sangha

Buddhist dignitaries and followers in the Mekong delta city of Can Tho are determined to promote their unity to work for the thriving of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and the stronger national unity bloc.

They declared their determination at a congress of Can Tho city’s Buddhist Sangha held at Truc Lam Phuong Nam pagoda in My Khanh commune on April 5, which discussed works for the 2017-2022 term.  

The municipal Sangha will focus on training and encouraging monks, nuns and followers to participate more in charitable activities, poverty reduction efforts, and assistance to disadvantaged people, especially children who want to pursue education.

It planned to develop a system of clinics for poor people and respond actively to movements and campaigns launched by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Central Committee and the Vietnam Fatherland Front.

In 2011-2016, the municipal Buddhist Sangha launched charitable activities worth 84 billion VND and joined in building new style rural areas and public social works and eradicating poverty.

It coordinated with relevant agencies to organize Buddhism exchanges with Buddhist dignitaries from Cambodia, China and Sri Lanka.

At the congress, Most Venerable Dao Nhu was re-elected as Head of the 49-member Executive Board of the municipal Buddhist Sangha.

26-yr-old Vietnamese gets job offers from ‘Big Four’ accounting firms

At the age of 26, a Vietnamese man has been hunted by all four of the ‘Big Four’ accounting firms – the four largest professional service networks in the world – and founded North America’s largest Pan-Asian organization for business professionals.

Duong Van Linh has been described by Professor Nguyen Dinh Phu from the University of California, Irvine as a “rising star” for his remarkable achievements on foreign soil.
In 2007, Linh was forced to abruptly terminate his high school education in the US to return to Vietnam following the death of his father, a decision he took without hesitation out of compassion for his mother.

“She had been a great mother who had sacrificed a lot for us,” Linh said. “I wanted to be her mental support during those difficult times.”

Two years later, Linh was admitted to Drexel University in the US, where he spent weekends in the library and his free time participating in activities of the Association of Vietnamese Students and Professionals in the U.S.

During his time at Drexel, Linh also founded and served as president of ‘Ascend’ – the largest non-profit Pan-Asian organization for business professionals in North America, which aims to ‘enhance the presence and influence of current and future Pan-Asian business leaders and serve as a collective voice for Pan-Asian business communities.'

After graduating from Drexel, Linh was offered work at the New York City-based global investment management corporation BlackRock, which is the world's largest asset manager with US$5.1 trillion in assets under management as of 2016.

The bespectacled Vietnamese man also received job offers from the world’s ‘Big Four’ accounting firms – Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ernst & Young (EY), and KPMG – which are known to recruit mostly from top universities.

After having gracefully maneuvered a big merger and acquisition (M&A) project at EY, Linh was among the only two Asians promoted to become senior strategy advisors at the New York City headquarters of the multinational services firm.

At the end of 2016, Linh was invited by PwC to work as its senior strategy advisor at the firm’s U.S. headquarters, in charge of developing its M&A change management advisory division.

Apart from his jobs at the accounting firms, Linh also teaches short-term courses at Columbia University and New York University, and participates in many activities of the Vietnamese community in America.

“To be frank, I had intended to pursue a career in accountancy, which was in line with what I learnt in university and the wish of my family,” Linh said. “Despite promotion opportunities and the good salary a job in the field would have offered, I was clouded with doubt, perhaps because it wasn’t what my heart desired.”

As a strategy advisor, Linh’s job is to ‘diagnose’ the conditions of his clients and offer them solutions and a vision.

“It’s part of the job description to be constantly on the move,” Linh said. “I can be in different cities or different states each week. In addition, I have to constantly update myself with new knowledge, as this position requires both profound professional insight and a proficient command of English comparable to that of a lawyer.”

Linh has been having sessions with a US pronunciation expert to perfect his English, an essential part of his job.

Despite his success at such a young age, Linh said the path he took had not always been paved with roses.

“There were times when I felt down, but I told myself to focus on the long-term and viewed the immediate challenges as an inevitable part of life,” Linh said. “I told myself to get back up and learn.”

Aware of his inexperience, Linh always places himself in the position of a ‘late-comer’ who is willing to learn from his predecessors.

As for the future, Linh said he would continue to commit himself to strategy advisory and education, with a vision to bridge projects in both fields between Vietnam and the US.

GoBear Vietnam gives 2-people Singapore tour to lucky website user

In celebration of the upcoming launch of its travel insurance comparison product on its website gobear.com/vn, GoBear Vietnam will host a small online competition for users with the special prize being a 2-people Singapore tour worth of VND20 million ($880).

The competition provides a chance for travel lovers a safe and accomplished trip when joining GoBear Vietnam to search for, compare and choose their most favoured travel insurance plan before actually being on the go. 

This new offering of GoBear Vietnam also provides users with the opportunity to get hands-on experience in searching and comparing among 26 different products with approximately 100 international travel insurance plans from 21 suppliers already in the Vietnamese market, including non-life insurance companies and insurance brokerage firms. This will help users in Vietnam save time and efforts in search for and selecting the travel insurance products that best fit their needs.

“Travel insurance is seen as a useful solution that helps travelers explore the world without having too much on their mind about the potential risks of the trip. This ‘safety card’ will come in handy for them in the event of personal accident, medical expenses, loss of baggage and personal belongings, trip cancellation, along with numerous other benefits,” said Tran Nhat Khanh, GoBear Vietnam country director. 

“So far, whenever we need access to a travel insurance plan, we often rely on the advice or recommendations of friends and family. By unveiling a tool to compare financial insurance products in an unbiased and unique way, we are trying to create a routine of comparing and searching for information among users so that they can independently select the products that befit their own needs.”

It is safe to say that GoBear is the first webpage in Vietnam that offers users a free, personalised, manifold and most importantly unbiased way to compare travel insurance products, thus helping users in Vietnam to find the benefits packages that best fit their needs, to ensure that whether they go on a retreat or business trip, they and their family will be guaranteed safety and fun.

Since it officially went live in Vietnam in early December 2016, with two products – comparison of credit cards and personal loans, GoBear Vietnam was able to land over 200,000 comparison hits on the website gobear.com/vn and became a trusted provider of search and compare services for financial products in Vietnam. 

The travel insurance comparison product launched at this stage is part of GoBear’s strategy to diversify services and adding more benefits to users over time. In markets like Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Philippines, travel insurance comparison has increasingly been a trusted and favourite practice among users.

Vietnam, Germany cooperate in training medical manpower

Germany’s Braunschweig Hospital will provide training for medical students of the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine in Ho Chi Minh City under a cooperation agreement signed by the two sides on April 4. 

From November 2018, the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine will send the first 32 students from the Vietnam-Germany Faculty of Medicine to Germany to pursue a training course named “practice year” in line with the Johannes Gutenberg Mainz University’s standards and regulations on training doctors. 

The 1,600-bed Braunschweig Hospital is an establishment specialising in training. It is capable of meeting all requirements related to facility, technique, equipment, and personnel for training. 

Assoc. Prof, PhD. Ngo Minh Xuan, Director of the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, said the Vietnam-Germany Faculty of Medicine was established in 2013 and the hospital has cooperated with the Johannes Gutenberg Mainz University to organise a general doctor training programme for six years and three months, in line with European standards. 

As many as 120 students from the faculty are pursuing the programme. In their two last semesters, students will join a practice-oriented training course in a general hospital in Germany. 

At the signing ceremony, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Ngyuyen Thi Thu appreciated the close cooperation between the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine and the Johannes Gutenberg Mainz University in training high-quality medical human resources for the city. 

She expressed her belief that by the end of 2019, European-standard general doctors graduated from the first training course, will contribute to improving the quality of disease diagnosis and treatment in the city.    

Vietnam attends regional Francophone tertiary education forum

Representatives from 52 French-teaching universities in Vietnam attended the Regional Conference of Rectors of the Francophone University Agency in the Asia-Pacific region (AUF) (CONFRASIE) in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 4.

The biennial event, the 12th of its version, was also attended by representatives from over 100 educational organisations and research institutes from Cambodia, the Republic of Korea, China, Laos, Mongolia, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Thailand.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Jean-Paul de Gaudemar, AUF Director underlined the need to protect French language, promote teaching and scientific studies at Francophone universities.

Themed “Universities in the Asia – Pacific region: today and tomorrow”, the conference discussed challenges in tertiary education, including training and research quality, graduates’ job opportunities, as well as the social responsibility of universities. 

In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency, Director of the AUF’s Asia – Pacific Office Sophie Goedefroit said the event aimed to establish dialogues among members, thus boosting French-teaching tertiary education in the region, while developing a support network among members in the region and the world.

According to CONFRASIE President Nguyen Ngoc Dien, the event’s agenda laid the foundation for the conference of the AUF university members worldwide which is slated for May in Marrakech in Morocco.

On the occasion, CONFRASIE welcomed two new members, the Republic of Korea’s Ajou University, and the Diplomatic Academy of China, raising the total number of members to 85.

Toyota Vietnam joins hands in developing green schools

Toyota Motor Vietnam Co. Ltd. (TVM) will plant 1,000 trees in eight secondary and primary schools in Vinh Phuc, Nghe An and Dong Nai provinces as part of the programme “Toyota chung tay xanh hoa hoc duong” (Toyota joins hands for green schools) launched in Vinh Phuc province on April 4.

Speaking at the event, Nguyen Viet Dung from the Vietnam Environment Administration under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) said that the programme will create a tree planting movement nationwide, especially at schools.

He added that through the programme, the MoNRE hopes for greater involvement of local people, organisations, schools and armed forces in afforestation and forest protection.

The programme will be carried out annually and more trees will be grown to create a clean and fresh environment, he highlighted.

Meanwhile, Toru Kinoshita, General Director of the TVM, said that the programme, held for the first time in line with the orientation of Japanese Toyota Motor Corporation, will contribute to the global environment’s sustainable development.

Aiming to raise public awareness of environment protection, the company attaches special importance to educating young generations about environment improvement in Vietnam.

Since its establishment in Vietnam in 1995, the TVM has made efforts to carry out social activities in numerous areas, especially environment protection with a line-up of meaningful programmes like using biogas for small-scale electricity energy production, ecological village building, and the television programme Green Journey.

Lao drug smugglers arrested at Vietnam border

Heroin was seized from the three Lao nationals attempting to enter Vietnam.

Three Lao nationals were caught attempting to smuggle heroin in two cars over the Vietnam-Laos border by local authorities at around noon on April 4, according to border guards from the central province of Ha Tinh. 

A total of 97 packs, or approximately 34 kilograms of heroin, two cars and documents were seized during the swoop.

The suspects were identified as Po Ly, 23, Xa Ly, 29, and Ho Giang, 23, TuoiTre reported.

Police said they had been tracking the international drug ring for some time and had made the arrests after a reconnaissance unit discovered their plan to smuggle drugs into Vietnam.

Further investigations are being conducted by both countries.

Vietnam has some of the world’s toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty.

The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death.

Although the laws are strictly enforced with capital punishment handed down regularly, drug smugglers continue to operate regularly in border areas. Several drug raids are carried out at the Vietnam-Laos border every month.
  
EU-funded project promotes forest law enforcement

A project to promote forest law enforcement, governance and trade (FLEGT) in Southeast Asia through the involvement of civil social organisations (CSOs), has been effective, heard a seminar in Hanoi on April 4. 

The EU-funded project aimed to improve the capacity of CSOs and forest-dependant communities to understand the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on FLEGT, negotiated by Vietnam and the EU, and help them join the negotiations and the process of forest law enforcement and governance.

Addressing the event, Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations Nghiem Vu Khai said the project, which ran through 2014-2017, was effective and transparent under the management of the Sustainable Rural Development centre.  

When the VPA takes effect in Vietnam, the network of CSOs needs to focus on voluntary independent supervision and builds communication documents related to forest law enforcement and governance, Khai said. 

Communication campaigns will be intensified to raise public awareness of the agreement, while studies will be carried out to assess impacts of the agreement on forest-dependant communities. 

According to EU representatives, the project was implemented in the context that Vietnam and the EU conducted three official negotiation rounds. 

The project helped raise partners’ awareness of efforts made by Vietnam and the EU throughout the negotiation process, helping parties involved in VPA-FLEGT negotiations understand more about the role played by CSOs in the negotiation process. 

Participants to the seminar stressed that the State should issue regulations on supervision of timber processing establishments and policies to promote planting of large trees. 

Forest planters should be provided with loans, while processors should be helped to use advanced technologies, they noted. 

Vietnam officially entered into FLEGT–VPA negotiations with the EU in May, 2010, with three negotiation rounds having taken place so far.

Apart from Vietnam, the FLEGT project was also implemented in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia.

70 percent of vocational school graduates land jobs

Some 70 percent of graduates from vocational colleges or schools found jobs with starting salaries from 3.6 million to 7 million VND in 2016.

There were more than 1.76 million new holders of vocational training degrees last year, the Directorate of Vocational Training at the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs announced during a workshop to review admission processes and the organisation of final examinations in 2016 and plan for 2017 on April 4.

The directorate aims to have about 2.2 million students enrolled in vocational training courses nationwide.

The target may be ambitious due to students favouring universities.

Financial career workshop held for Vietnamese students in France

A finance career workshop was recently held in Paris by VnFinance, a group of Vietnamese experts, researchers and students majoring in finance in France, to promote careers for Vietnamese students in the country.

The annual event aimed to provide an overview of finance professions and help students find internships in France.

Discussions on trends in labour markets in the Vietnamese and global finance industry were held during the workshop, together with recruitment interviews with major French banks and companies.

Established in 2007, VnFinance France has conducted various activities to support its members and overseas Vietnamese in the country.

Work starts on non-state funded bridge across Tam Bac River

The Son Truong Co., Ltd kick-started the construction of a nearly VND80 billion (US$3.52 million) bridge across Tam Bac River in the northern port city of Hai Phong on April 4.

The bridge will be 21 metres wide, including nine metres for vehicles and two sidewalks measuring six metres each, and 174 metres long – 130 metres for the bridge component and 44 metres for the roadway section.

The facility, which is totally financed by Son Truong and will be presented to Hai Phong for free, is expected to contribute to expanding, changing and embellishing the space of Tam Bac river banks.

Due for completion after 90 days, the project will open a new traffic axis connecting the inner city and many neighbouring areas isolated by Tam Bac River, specifically connecting Tran Nguyen Han Street and Chuong Duong Street.

Addressing the ground-breaking ceremony, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee, Le Van Thanh spoke highly of the Son Truong company’s practical contributions to the building of the city, voicing his wish that more businesses would participate in city construction.

As planned, the bridge across Tam Bac River will be officially inaugurated on the occasion of the upcoming National Day (September 2, 2017).

Son Truong Co., Ltd operates mainly in the field of construction, particularly the construction of bridges and ports and the manufacture of concrete piles.

VTV to host large-scale film and television technology exhibition

Vietnam Television (VTV) will host the fifth Telefilm, a large scale film and television technology exhibition, from June 8 to 10 at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center in HCMC’s District 7.

During the past years, the event has been a good platform for Vietnamese companies and organizations to exchange and search for business cooperation with foreign partners in movie and television industries for producing, distributing, post editing, editing, translating, and recording.

This year, the event is expected to have more innovations with diversified activities to help benefit participants, including local prestigious companies and channels like VTV, SCTV, FPT, BHD, ADT, Lastasa, and Song Vang, and international partners from the U.S., Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Turkey.

The organizer will host conferences and meetings on how to protect copyrights and the future of internet television in Vietnam and the trends and challenges for Vietnamese TV dramas.

Ngo Bich Hanh, general director of BHD Company, said in a statement that she was amazed to see the larger scale of the event after several years of establishment with the increase in the number of participants.

For further information, contact Mr. Vu Ngoc Thang on 0912 681 808, email: vungocthang@tvad-vtv.vn or Mr. Hai Nam on 0988 626 006, email: info@telefilm.vn.

Extra social insurance contribution required for maximum pension

From 2018 onwards, workers will have to contribute social insurance for five more years, meaning 35 years for men and 30 years for women, if they want to enjoy the highest pension rate of 75%, according to a Vnexpress report.

The 2014 Law on Social Insurance stipulates a gradual increase in the period of social insurance contribution to be eligible for the maximum pension.

From January 1, 2018, retired female workers who have contributed social insurance for 15 years will get a pension equaling to 45% of their average monthly salary. Starting from the 16th year, the pension grows by 2%.

Those female workers who have made social insurance contributions for 30 years will enjoy the maximum pension rate of 75%. The current duration is 25 years.

Meanwhile, male workers who have had 15 years contributing social insurance currently get a pension representing 45% of their average monthly wage. From 2018 onwards, to enjoy such a pension rate, the duration of their social insurance contribution should be 16 years.

Starting from 2022, they will have to contribute social insurance for 20 years if they want a 45% pension. To qualify for a pension of 75%, male workers will have to contribute social insurance for 35 years, instead of the current 30 years.

Male workers who retire in 2018 and have contributed social insurance for 31 years can receive a 75% pension. If they retire from 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 onwards, the duration of social insurance contribution must be 32-35 years to enjoy the highest pension.

Bui Sy Loi, deputy chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs, said the new calculation method will reduce pensions for workers, especially those in the private sector.

He noted not everyone who retires before 2018 would be better off than pensioners from 2018 onwards because pension depends on many factors such as entitlement, average salary, the start date of pension payment and the length of the pension plan.

From January 1, 2016 to 2017, social insurance contribution is based on wage plus allowances stated in the labor contract. From January 1, 2018 onwards, social insurance contribution will depend on salary, allowances and other benefits stated in the labor contract.

Korean Days 2017 to be held in Hanoi

The Korean Days 2017 celebrating the 25th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Korea will be held at the Ly Thai To Flower Garden on April 8-9.

The event will include a series of activities presenting and promoting Korean culture ad tourism to Vietnamese people, such as a magic show by the JeJu Air Magic Team, EDM festival, and music performances with the participation of Kpop bands such as EXID, Fantastic, Gook bob, Jump, Super.

On this occasion, Miss Global Beauty Queen 2016 Nguyen Thi Ngoc Duyen will become ambassador for the tourism industry of Gangwon Province of South Korea.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Duyen, 23, was named Miss Global Beauty Queen 2016 after beating out over 50 contestants from around the world. She was the first Vietnamese woman to win an international beauty pageant at the awards ceremony, which took place in South Korea in 2016.

Exhibition features late Party chief Le Duan’s revolutionary career

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong cut the ribbons to launch an exhibition depicting late Party General Secretary Le Duan’s life and career in Hanoi on April 5.

The exhibition is part of activities to celebrate the 110th birth anniversary of the late Party chief (April 7, 1907-2017).

Nearly 300 photos, documents and objects chronicled the late leader’s revolutionary career as well as his contributions to the national liberation, building and defence cause.

In the memory book, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong wrote that late Party General Secretary Le Duan is a steadfast communist, a standout leader, and a brilliant successor of late President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology and revolutionary cause.  

Le Duan, real name Le Van Nhuan, was born on April 7, 1907 in Bich La village, Trieu Dong commune, central Quang Tri province’s Trieu Phong district. He was the Party’s First Secretary and then the Party General Secretary from 1960 to 1986.

His leadership helped the Party to successfully guide the people to carry out revolutionary missions in both the North and South of the country, contributing to the country’s victory in the resistance war against the US in 1975, as well as national construction and defence after that.

The exhibition at the Ho Chi Minh Museum will open until May.  

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE