Celebrating the 155th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in Hanoi

Attending the Celebration Ceremony held on the morning of October 2, 2024 was Mr. Nguyen Dy Nien, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam.

Mr. Nguyen Dy Nien, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, spoke at the Commemoration Ceremony held on the morning of October 2, 2024 in Hanoi. Photo: Embassy of India

The ceremony included a floral tribute at the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in the Embassy premises, attended by Ambassador Sandeep Arya; Ms. Phan Lan Tu, President of the Vietnam-India Friendship Association in Hanoi; Dr. Le Thi Hang Nga, Head of the Journal of Asian and African Studies under the Institute of South Asian, West Asian and African Studies; Ms. Phung Thi Thao, Head of the Department of Indian Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the Indian community, students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH), friends of India in Vietnam and staff of the Embassy of India.

Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Sandeep Arya and delegates offered flowers in memory of Mahatma Gandhi.

At the event, Ambassador Sandeep Arya commemorated Mahatma Gandhi's contributions in many fields, from politics to economics, social reform, environment, etc., besides his leadership role in the Indian independence movement. According to the Ambassador, Mahatma Gandhi's influence has been recognized by many world leaders, especially the United Nations General Assembly choosing Mahatma Gandhi's birthday as the International Day of Non-Violence, recognizing the universality of the principle of non-violence with the spirit of tolerance and understanding.

Delegates attended the floral tribute to the great leader of India.

Former Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien highly appreciated the profound influence of Mahatma Gandhi globally as well as in Vietnam, and recalled President Ho Chi Minh's visit to the Mahatma Gandhi memorial in New Delhi in 1958. President Ho Chi Minh was a great admirer of Mahatma Gandhi and once said, "I and others may be revolutionaries, but we are all disciples of Mahatma Gandhi, whether directly or indirectly." More interestingly, Mr. Nguyen Dy Nien pointed out the similarities in the personalities of the two leaders and their thoughts and actions that are still valuable to the world today.

Mr. Nguyen Dy Nien recalled his meeting with the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong when the two of them passionately discussed Mahatma Gandhi for many hours. At that time, he spoke in detail about Mahatma Gandhi's principles of Satyagraha (Truth) and Ahimsa (Non-violence). He emphasized that it was time for us to apply Gandhi's thoughts to build a world of non-violence, peace, unity and cooperation.

At the event, the Embassy screened a short video about the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Also at the ceremony, students from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities performed the song “Bande Mein Tha Dum”, while other delegates quoted famous sayings of Gandhi, recited poems by famous poet Harivansh Rai Bachan dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, and presented a presentation on “The Salt March (Dandi March)” by Ms. Phung Thi Thao, Head of the Department of Indology, Faculty of Oriental Studies. The Indian community sang Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite song “Vaishnav Jan to Tene Kaheyey” – previously performed by famous singer Phi Nhung.

A large number of delegates attended the Celebration.

On this occasion, the Embassy also organized a campaign “Swachhata Hi Sewa” (Cleaning for the Community) inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. Embassy staff participated in the cleaning campaign at the Embassy premises.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/ky-niem-155-nam-ngay-sinh-cua-mahatma-gandhi-tai-ha-noi.html