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Party and State leaders pay homage to President Ho Chi Minh. (Photo: NDO)

Party, State leaders pay tribute to President Ho Chi Minh

On the occasion of the 131st birthday of President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890-2021), a delegation of the Party, State, National Assembly, Government and Vietnam Fatherland Front leaders laid wreaths and paid tribute to the late President at his mausoleum in Hanoi on May 18.

The delegation included State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue, Permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Vo Van Thuong, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Do Van Chien, and other senior officials.

The delegates respectfully commemorated and expressed their deep gratitude for the significant merits of President Ho Chi Minh, the great leader and beloved teacher of the Party and the entire nation, who gave his whole life to Vietnam’s revolutionary cause.

They later laid wreaths and offered incense to national heroes and fallen soldiers at their monument on Bac Son Street, recalling the sacrifices made by martyrs for national independence and reunification.

That same day, delegations from the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of Defence, the Central Public Security Party Committee and the Ministry of Public Security, and the Party Committee, People’s Council and People’s Committee of Hanoi, paid homage to President Ho Chi Minh at this mausoleum, and placed wreaths at the monument to national heroes and martyrs, according to NDO.

PM orders ensuring success of general elections

The Prime Minister has asked ministries, agencies and People’s Committees at all levels to raise the high sense of responsibility and pay great attention to preparations for the general elections, slated for May 23.

In a document sent to ministries, agencies and localities ahead of the elections of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils for 2021-2026, the Government leader urged the Ministry of Health to regularly provide updates on the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministry needs to supplement appropriate plans and solutions to deal with any pandemic incidents during the elections, and establish a working group that will receive and respond to health information from May 18 to the end of the political event.

The Ministry of Information and Communications should work harder to encourage voters to cast their ballots on the day, he said, suggesting the utilisation of both traditional and modern communication methods, with more attention paid to remote, far-flung and ethnic minority-inhabited areas.

Prompt actions are needed to handle distorted online information about the elections, the PM stressed.

Meanwhile, the Ministries of National Defence and Public Security will continue with the task of dealing with acts that aim to harm political security and social order and safety, and sabotage the elections, as reported by VOV.

Second national conference on general elections held

National Assembly (NA) Chairman and Chairman of the National Election Council (NEC) Vuong Dinh Hue on May 18 chaired a national conference to implement the tasks for the upcoming general elections.

The conference, which was held virtually, connects the NEC with the Election Committees in 63 centrally-run cities and province.

Addressing the event, Hue said that this is the second national conference that the NEC has held to direct activities related to the elections of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels in the 2021-2026 tenure.

NA Chairman and Chairman of the National Election Council (NEC) Vuong Dinh Hue speaking at the conference

So far, preparations for the elections have completed, making the nation ready for the elections that will take place on May 23, he noted.

According to NA General Secretary and Chairman of the NA Office Bui Van Cuong, the preparations for the elections have been implemented comprehensively in line with the process stated in the Law on Election of Deputies to the National Assembly and People’s Councils.

Cuong, who is also head of the NEC Office, said that at the request of 15 provinces, the NEC has issued a document allowing many polling areas in these localities to conduct early voting.

So far, some areas of Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Khanh Hoa and Quang Nam has organised early election, NDO reported.

Forty-eight local COVID-19 cases take national tally to 4,512

The Ministry of Health confirmed 48 new community infection cases of COVID-19 on evening, bringing the national patient tally to 4,512.

The latest patients are residents in Bac Giang (33), Bac Ninh (13), Dien Bien (one), and Thai Binh (one).

The number of new COVID-19 cases confirmed from May 1 to 7:00 pm on May 18 (Chart: VGP)

With 105 cases confirmed earlier, the total number of new cases confirmed on Tuesday reached 153 – a new single-day record.

The same day, the ministry reported that 19 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the total recoveries to 2,687.

The fourth wave of local transmission, which broke out on April 27, has spread to 28 cities and provinces with 1,472 confirmed cases, in which the two northern provinces of Bac Giang and Bac Ninh have been hit hardest 507 and 306 cases, as reported by VGP.

Russian expert highlights Ho Chi Minh’s ideology in modern era

Professor Vladimir Kolotov, head of the Ho Chi Minh Institute at St. Petersburg University in Russia, was interviewed by the Vietnam News Agency on the promotion of President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology in the modern age as his 131st birthday on May 19 approaches.

Discussing key points in Ho Chi Minh’s thought, Kolotov quoted President Ho's remark that "the Hung Kings founded the nation, we must protect it", saying that it is a guiding point of view that carries both the ideology of communism and the concept of protecting the interests of the Vietnamese people.

Reviewing the revolutionary career of the late president since 1923, when he first set foot in the Soviet Union, Kolotov said that Ho Chi Minh had been able to catch the most important parts of the ideological systems in the East and the West.

The Russian professor emphasised that Ho Chi Minh’s thought has been realised through the formation of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam - a free, developed, and civilised country.

Vietnam can creatively promote this ideology to protect its legitimate interests in a volatile world, he said, adding that this legacy is the country’s compass for national defence in complex situations, according to VOV.

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