Three cars serving President Ho Chi Minh recognized as national treasures

(Dan Tri) - Zit car with license plate HN 481, Pobeda car with license plate HN 158 and Peugeot 404 car with license plate HNC 232 that once served President Ho Chi Minh have just been recognized by the Prime Minister as national treasures.

On January 19, in Hanoi, the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site at the Presidential Palace held a ceremony to announce the Prime Minister's Decision to recognize three cars used by President Ho Chi Minh from 1954 to 1969 as national treasures. Accordingly, in the system of relics, documents and artifacts, the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site is preserving three cars used by President Ho Chi Minh from 1954 to 1969, which were recognized as national treasures by the Prime Minister under Decision No. 1712 dated December 31, 2024 (13th batch, 2024). Each car is a treasure, a historical story that holds a particularly profound value for the nation, people and international friendship. Among them, the Zit car, license plate HN 481, was a gift from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to President Ho Chi Minh in 1954. The car was designed with high-strength steel and bulletproof glass. This specialized car was produced in very limited quantities in the Soviet Union and was mainly for heads of state.

Three cars that once served President Ho Chi Minh have been recognized as national treasures (Photo: Thao Pham).

Since 1965, during the fierce war years, the car was always ready to serve Uncle Ho and the Politburo. The car was used to pick up heads of state visiting Vietnam to ensure absolute safety. The car symbolizes the strong friendship between Vietnam and the Soviet Union; it is a manifestation of the valuable companionship and support from international friends for our nation's struggle for independence. Next to the Zit car is the Pobeda car, license plate HN 158, a gift from the Soviet Government in 1955. In March 1957, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Protocol Department transferred this car to the Presidential Palace Office. The car served Uncle Ho from then until 1969. The car has the advantage of being spacious, airy, high chassis, strong engine, suitable for long distances, so it often serves Uncle Ho on business trips to localities far from Hanoi. The car has become a familiar image of the simple leader, always standing side by side with his compatriots in all circumstances. The third car was a Peugeot 404, license plate HNC 232, a gift from Vietnamese expatriates in Tan Dao to Uncle Ho in March 1964. In mid-1966, after a minor stroke, Uncle Ho's health declined, so the car was used more often to help him move around the city. This type of car has a low chassis, a smooth engine, and is convenient to get on and off when his left leg is weak.

Peugeot 404 car, license plate HNC 232, which once served President Ho Chi Minh, is recognized as a national treasure (Photo: Thao Pham).

The car contains the sacred feelings of the children living far away from home for Uncle Ho and their homeland. During the years living far away from the Fatherland, no matter where they are, our overseas Vietnamese still wholeheartedly turn to their homeland, responding to the call of the Party and Uncle Ho, contributing to the cause of national liberation. The three cars took turns accompanying President Ho Chi Minh on nearly 2,000 trips to the grassroots, to many localities as well as daily work in Hanoi. The Prime Minister's decision to recognize the three cars that served President Ho Chi Minh from 1954 to 1969 as National Treasures is a mark of special significance, because, for the first time after 55 years of preserving and promoting the value of President Ho Chi Minh's legacy, the President Ho Chi Minh Relic Site at the Presidential Palace has the honor of having an artifact recognized as a national treasure.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/ba-chiec-o-to-phuc-vu-chu-tich-ho-chi-minh-duoc-cong-nhan-bao-vat-quoc-gia-20250119193303370.htm