(VNF) - A monument dedicated to Vietnamese volunteer soldiers was inaugurated in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on October 27^th after a period of restoration.

The inaugural ceremony was jointly held by the National Council of the Solidarity Front for the Development of Cambodia’s Motherland, the Phnom Penh City Hall, and the Vietnamese Defence Attache Office in Cambodia.

The inaugural ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister of State at the Cambodian Ministry of Cults and Religion Ngem Valy; the Vice Governor of Phnom Penh Eang Ony; Head of the Vietnamese Defence Attache Office in Cambodia, Colonel Nguyen Anh Dung; Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Thach Du and 500 Cambodian officials, civilians, and students.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of State at the Cambodian Ministry of Cults and Religion Ngem Valy highly appreciated efforts made by relevant sides in restoring and embellishing the monument in Phnom Penh and others in localities in Cambodia in general, saying that those contribute to strengthening the Vietnam-Cambodia relations.

He thanked Vietnam’s Party, State, Government, National Assembly and the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF), soldiers and their families for helping Cambodia escape from the Pol Pot genocidal regime.

Colonel Nguyen Anh Dung, head of the Vietnamese Defence Attache Office in Cambodia, said the monument is a symbol of the Vietnam-Cambodia friendship and a reminder of Cambodia’s hardship times in the past, adding that it will help educate both nations’ young generations on the bilateral ties.

The monument dedicated to Vietnamese volunteer soldiers was inaugurated in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Previously, at their working session in late 2013, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hunsen and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan agreed on a plan to restore and upgrade 17 monuments to Vietnamese volunteer soldiers across Cambodia.

The Solidarity Front for the Development of Cambodia’s Motherland has coordinated with the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence to implement the work.

The construction of the memorial started in March 2016 and finished in September. The memorial in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh is second monuments to be embellished after the memorial in Kampot province.

To date, eight out of 17 memorials were restored. The remaining ones are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017. The upgradation of the memorial also contributed to strengthening and consolidating Vietnam-Cambodia friendly relations./.

Minh Phuong