Faith shines brightly

During these historic days of May, in harmony with the nationwide emulation of "Studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh," and the election of representatives to the 12th National Assembly, our province solemnly organized the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's first visit to his hometown and the 117th anniversary of his birth, the 2007 Lang Sen Festival. A reporter from Nghe An Newspaper recently had an interview with Mr. Cao Dang Vinh - Provincial Party Committee member, Director of the Department of Culture and Information.

PV: Sir, could you please tell us the purpose and significance of this solemn commemoration?

Mr. Cao Dang Vinh: With the aim of recalling the profound memories of President Ho Chi Minh's two visits to his hometown, and commemorating the 117th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth, the 2007 Lang Sen Festival aims to propagate and educate cadres, Party members, and the people about the deep pride and gratitude for President Ho Chi Minh's immense contributions. From this, they will strive to study and follow his moral ideology, creating new momentum to promote socio-economic and national defense development, contributing to the successful implementation of the goals of the 10th National Party Congress Resolution and the 16th Nghe An Provincial Party Congress Resolution. Therefore, the Provincial Steering Committee requests that activities be organized in diverse, attractive, practical, safe, and economical forms, linked to the "Studying and Following the Moral Example of Ho Chi Minh" campaign, becoming a widespread political activity and creating many emulation movements and specific, highly effective work programs.

PV: This is a large-scale celebration, so there will be many diverse activities and it will last for quite a long time. Could you please elaborate?

Mr. Cao Dang Vinh: Besides the ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's first visit to his hometown and the 117th anniversary of his birth, which was broadcast live on VTV1 on the morning of May 18, 2007, from the Provincial Labor Culture House, a series of activities had previously taken place in Vinh City, Kim Lien - Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen, and Cua Lo Town. Specifically: From May 17 to 30, 2007, at the Nghe An Museum, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, in coordination with the Department of Culture and Sports, organized an exhibition "Collection of paintings and sculptures about President Ho Chi Minh and some images of Nghe An 50 years of implementing his teachings"; from May 14 to 19, 2007, the Department of Sports and Physical Education organized the provincial volleyball tournament and the national boxing championship; On the morning of May 16th, the opening ceremony of the Lang Sen Singing Festival will take place at the Vietnam-Germany Children's Cultural Center, and in the evening of the same day, the opening ceremony of the 2007 Lang Sen Festival will be held at the Lang Sen - Kim Lien stadium. On the evening of May 19th, at the Nghe An Folk Song Theater, the Department of Culture and Information, in coordination with Nghe An Radio and Television Station, will organize a meeting and exchange with witnesses who had met President Ho Chi Minh - broadcast live by NTV. From June 3rd to 5th, 2007, at Ho Chi Minh Square and Binh Minh Square in Cua Lo town, the Department of Culture and Information at the grassroots level, in coordination with the Department of Culture and Information, will organize the National Amateur Dance Festival. This can be considered one of the final activities of this commemorative period.

PV: Sir, given its unique function, how has the Culture and Arts sector prepared?

Mr. Cao Dang Vinh: First, the sector focuses on building grassroots cultural life according to Ho Chi Minh's ethics and ideology. Special attention is paid to building cultural units, cultural people, and cultural institutions, creating conditions for people to enjoy healthy spiritual and cultural values. The sector has planned to assign relevant units to organize activities with profound educational significance, expressing President Ho Chi Minh's affection for his homeland and the homeland's affection for him. Therefore, in addition to organizing propaganda through banners, slogans, billboards, and posters about the 50th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's visit to his hometown, the 117th anniversary of his birth, and the campaign to study and follow the moral example of Ho Chi Minh... the Nghe An Folk Song Theater has revived the play about President Ho Chi Minh, "Everlasting Faith," and created an epic artistic performance, "President Ho Chi Minh and His Homeland." The Nghe An Song and Dance Drama Troupe has created an artistic program, "Footprints Ahead." In addition, the department conducted surveys and research to compile dossiers for ranking several historical sites related to President Ho Chi Minh's two visits to his hometown. It published several books about President Ho Chi Minh and his hometown of Nghe An. It organized an exhibition of rare books and documents titled "President Ho Chi Minh with his homeland, his homeland with President Ho Chi Minh." It also organized exchanges with students to learn about the 50th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's visit to his hometown. The 2007 Lang Sen Festival included cultural and artistic activities, and the "Village of Sen's Songs" folk art festival from the district to the provincial level. Progress was accelerated on several items such as the memorial area, exhibition house, system of commemorative plaques, service area, and the tomb of Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan... At this point, most of the tasks set by the Department of Culture and Information have been completed, ready to serve the commemoration in the best possible way...

PV: Thank you very much!

Thanh Hien(Perform)