Prime Minister lays wreath at Uncle Ho's statue and visits Ho Chi Minh space in France

Immediately after landing at Orly airport in the southern suburbs of Paris at 1:15 p.m. on November 3, local time, a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese Government led by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited and laid a wreath at the statue of Uncle Ho, located in Montreau park in Montreuil city.

Welcoming the Prime Minister and the Vietnamese delegation were Mr. Patrice Bessac - Mayor of Montreuil city, along with a number of leaders of the French Communist Party, the Seine-Saint-Denis Regional Council, representatives of a number of friendship associations and a number of French scholars with ties to Vietnam.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Mayor Patrice Bessac lay wreaths at the statue of Uncle Ho. Photo: VNA

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Mayor Patrice Bessac and other delegates laid a wreath at the statue of Uncle Ho and observed a minute of silence. In his welcoming speech to the high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese Government, Mayor of Montreuil, Patrice Bessac, said that for many years, Montreuil has been honored and proud to be the place to honor President Ho Chi Minh, a symbol of the struggle against imperialism and colonialism, and also a wise man and an outstanding cultural figure.

Looking back at the history of solidarity, friendship and cooperation between the city of Montreuil and the people of Vietnam over the years, Mayor Patrice Bessac affirmed that the city of Montreuil has always been home to Vietnamese friends. Mayor Patrice Bessac mentioned a Vietnamese proverb, that "a tree with roots can grow green branches, water with a source can become deep rivers" and said that this is also the source of friendship and solidarity between the people of Montreuil and the people of Vietnam.

“The reason we are here today in Montreuil is because we share something very important, which is a common history. Montreuil is a city with a tradition of fighting for solidarity, equality, and against injustice. In the past, the city of Montreuil has always strongly supported the struggle of President Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese people,” said Mayor Patrice Bessac.

Responding to the warm welcome of Mayor Patrice Bessac and his French comrades, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh thanked the Montreuil city government and French friends for their good feelings towards the country and people of Vietnam over the years, affirming that Montreuil city, where the statue of President Ho Chi Minh is located, is always a dear and close place to the Vietnamese people.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also expressed his joy that each time he returned to visit the statue of Uncle Ho and the Ho Chi Minh space at Montreau Park, he found this place more beautiful and solemn. The Prime Minister said that this was due to the special affection and "fate" between Vietnam and France.

“This is thanks to the special affection that the leaders of the city of Montreuil through the ages and especially the people of Montreuil have had for Vietnam, for the people of Vietnam, as well as the precious affection for the great President Ho Chi Minh, the national liberation hero, an outstanding cultural celebrity. The relationship between Vietnam and France has many predestined relationships, special ties in all aspects, from history, politics, economy, culture and especially people,” said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

After the wreath-laying ceremony at Uncle Ho's statue, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the Vietnamese delegation also visited the Ho Chi Minh space located in the Living History Museum of Montreuil city, which preserves important relics of Uncle Ho's revolutionary activities in France in the early 20th century, especially the room that recreates Uncle Ho's rented room at house number 9, Compoint alley in Paris.

Next, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Mayor Patrice Bessac planted a memorial tree together, a red maple tree, which, according to Mayor Patrice Bessac, represents independence and freedom, which are the very things that Vietnam symbolizes./.