(VOVworld) - The northern central province of Thanh Hoa held a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the 60th year since the day it welcomed the arrival of cadres, soldiers and revolutionaries who relocated from the south under the 1954 Geneva agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam.

President Truong Tan Sang speaks at the ceremony (Photo: VNA)

Sam Son town in Thanh Hoa province was the major place to welcome the revolutionary southerners. Addressing the ceremony, President Truong Tan Sang extended his greetings to millions of people and soldiers in both the north and the south, including those who relocated to the north 60 years ago. Mr. Truong Tan Sang said they fought bravely and made heroic sacrifice to the fatherland’s independence and freedom: “After the reunification, Vietnam has gained remarkable achievements in its industrialization, modernization and international integration process.  Thanh Hoa province in particular has also done best in every field. The anniversary recalled an important event in the nation’s revolutionary history. The Party and the Vietnamese as a whole are proud about the tradition of great unity and the strong will of the nation for national freedom throughout its thousand-year history. We will do our best to build Vietnam as a prosperous, democratic, fair and civilized society”.

Earlier the same day, President Truong Tan Sang attended the ground-breaking ceremony for a memorial site dedicated to the relocated southern people.