(VOVworld) – A meeting was held in Hanoi on Friday to mark the 40^th anniversary of the signing the Paris Accords for ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam. Present at the ceremony were Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong, the President Truong Tan Sang, NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung, war veterans, eyewitnesses and foreign representatives.

President Truong Tan Sang addresses the meeting. (Photo: VOV)

President Sang said the 1973 Paris Accords were a great encouragement for peace and justice advocates around the world, who had accompanied and supported Vietnam in the country’s long struggle and the negotiating process for the Paris Accords. The agreement opened a new period in Southeast Asia, the period of peace, stability, and closing the hostile past. The Paris Agreement was the pinnacle victory during the resistant war against American imperialism and a brilliant milestone of Vietnam’s diplomacy. President Truong Tan Sang said ‘Along with the war of nerves at the negotiations table, activities to win international support at the Paris Conference aimed to help people around the world understand justice of our struggle and the Vietnamese people’s goodwill for peace. The activities also aimed to disclose the trickery, injustice, and cruelty of aggressive wars contributing to mobilizing people worldwide to protest the US involvement. The international support became part of the Vietnamese people’s history of a resistance war for national independence, freedom, and justice in the world. We believe that you will forever accompany the Vietnamese people in our national construction and defense.’

 Mr. Sang highlighted five major lessons drawn from the Paris Conference and the Paris Accords. They were the Party’s lucid leadership with resilient diplomatic policy of independence, self-control, applying creatively President Ho Chi Minh’s diplomatic guideline, harmonizing Vietnam’s relations with major nations, and tapping the national and international solidarity.

Helene Luc, Senator of honor of the French Senate and President of the France – Vietnam Friendship Association addressed the meeting ‘It is necessary to organize such an event to review Vietnam’s heroic tradition and victory which was strongly supported by international solidarity. In Choisy-le-Roi, we also held a meeting to mark this event. We’ll tell our younger generation about your heroism and the friendship between the two nations.’

On this occasion, President Sang conferred the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces title for two delegations of the Vietnamese Democratic Republic and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the South Vietnam for their special contributions to the resistant war against imperialism.

Various activities have been held in and outside Vietnam to mark this occasion.