The first batch of bronze was poured to cast the statue of President Ho Chi Minh.

On the morning of February 3, the Organizing Committee for Celebrating Major Holidays in Ho Chi Minh City held a ceremony to open the furnace and pour the first batch of bronze for the Ho Chi Minh President Monument.

Attending the ceremony were Politburo member, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Le Thanh Hai and Chairman of the City People's Committee Le Hoang Quan.

Before attending the opening ceremony and witnessing the process of pouring the first batch of bronze, the City leaders offered incense at the altar of Uncle Ho located right in Mr. Pham Van Hai's Phuong Nam bronze foundry. Immediately after the incense offering ceremony, the City leaders visited and encouraged all workers participating in casting the Uncle Ho Statue to try their best to complete the assigned tasks.

Statues of President Ho Chi Minh on display since 2013

At exactly 9 o'clock, the first batch of bronze was poured into the mold amid the joy, pride and excitement of the witnessing group and all the workers participating in casting the Uncle Ho Statue.

Mr. Le Hoang Quan, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee said: "It can be said that this is a project of extremely special significance on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the birth of beloved Uncle Ho, the 104th anniversary of the day Uncle Ho left to find a way to save the country. After a period of very serious and thoughtful preparation, today, the Organizing Committee of the City's Major Holidays held the ceremony to cast the first bronze batch of the statue of President Ho Chi Minh".

In mid-2014, after agreeing on the model of Uncle Ho's statue in a standing position by sculptor Lam Quang Noi, the City People's Committee decided to assign the casting of the President Ho Chi Minh Monument to Mr. Pham Van Hai. To prepare for today's casting, Mr. Pham Van Hai, owner of Phuong Nam Bronze Casting Facility, and his workers have been working overtime for the past week. And after the first casting, everything will have to be more urgent to complete the project in mid-March.

In his pride at casting the Ho Chi Minh Statue himself, Mr. Pham Van Hai expressed: “We have to prepare and complete the project in time to welcome the city’s big holiday, so we are working day and night to complete this project. Today I poured the first batch. With the trust of the City People’s Committee, I am very proud and promise to complete it on schedule and meet technical quality.”

Having been involved in bronze casting for nearly 30 years, Mr. Duong Tien Thanh, a worker at Phuong Nam Bronze Casting Facility, said that his feelings today are very different: “I have been doing this job for a long time, but when I get to cast a statue of Uncle Ho as well as symbolize the beautiful city that has Uncle Ho, I feel very happy. I promise to try my best to make it successful.”

The statue of President Ho Chi Minh has a maximum height of 7.2 meters, of which the bronze alloy statue is 4.5 meters high and the pedestal is 2.7 meters. The statue is located in the park in front of the City People's Committee headquarters. This meaningful project is expected to be completed by the end of March 2015 in time to prepare for major holidays of Ho Chi Minh City and the country.

According to VOV.VN