(VOVWORLD) - The Hung Kings death anniversary, celebrated annually in Phu Tho province on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, is a national festival that draws people from all over Vietnam, who come to revisit their roots and express gratitude to their ancestors.
Special meaning of Hung Kings death anniversary
On the day of their ancestors’ death anniversary, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese people gather at the Hung Kings Temple in Phu Tho province for ceremonies that pay gratitude to the Hung Kings. The anniversary is also observed elsewhere in Vietnam and overseas by Vietnamese who cannot travel to Pho Tho.
On his visit to the Hung Kings Temple on September 19, 1954, President Ho Chi Minh said: “The Hung Kings founded this nation. We must defend it together.” These words remind people of the sacred responsibility each generation of Vietnamese, today and tomorrow, has to defend and develop Vietnam.
The Hung Kings death anniversary reminds Vietnamese people, wherever they are, that they are children of their ancestral father Lac Long Quan and their ancestral mother Au Co. That’s why it is a major festival and a symbol of Vietnamese unity.
National unity is the foundation of national strength
President Ho Chi Minh once said: “Solidarity, Solidarity, Great Solidarity, Success, Success, Great Success”.
History has proven solidarity to be a source of great strength for the nation. By upholding national unity, the Vietnamese Party, army, and people have defeated all enemies, defended their territorial sovereignty, reconstructed and developed the nation, and elevated Vietnam’s international status. Last year Vietnam recorded a GDP growth of 7.02%, higher than the world average. Vietnam is currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure and ASEAN Chair for 2020. These achievements are results of national unity and a joint effort of Vietnam’s political system and people.
Vietnamese people united in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic
During the current pandemic the Vietnamese Party, State, and government have made protecting the health of Vietnamese people inside and outside the country their top priority. In an appeal for national unity against the COVID-19 pandemic, Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong urged all Vietnamese people to work together to stamp out the epidemic and act as one in implementing all public health guidelines of the Party and State. Each citizen must be a soldier in the battle against this disease, he said.
In response to the Prime Minister’s call, millions of Vietnamese people are now staying at home, going outside only when absolutely necessary. Thousands of messages expressing love for the homeland and faith in the government are being posted on social networks and in the mass media. Thousands of artists, businessmen, and ordinary citizens are contributing financial support as well as moral support to the courageous doctors, nurses, soldiers, policemen, and volunteers on the dangerous frontlines of this war. Upholding their tradition of national unity, the Vietnamese people are confident of ultimately winning the fight against the COVID-19.