Prime Minister attends the ceremony to place a memorial plaque for President Ho Chi Minh in Rio de Janeiro

According to the Vietnam News Agency Special Envoy, during the program of attending the G20 Summit and bilateral activities in Brazil, on the morning of November 17 local time, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the inauguration ceremony of the memorial plaque of President Ho Chi Minh in Santa Teresa neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro city - where he worked when he stopped on his journey to find a way to save the country in 1912.

Photo caption — Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the ceremony to lay a memorial plaque for President Ho Chi Minh in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

The memorial plaque where President Ho Chi Minh stayed and worked in Santa Teresa neighborhood - has an open space, shaded by trees and near the train station, so it is crowded and easy for everyone to visit. The memorial plaque is engraved in Vietnamese - Portuguese, clearly stating: "President Ho Chi Minh (1890 - 1969), Leader of the Vietnamese Revolution, read the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. In 1987, UNESCO passed Resolution No. 24C/18.65, honoring him as 'Hero of national liberation, outstanding cultural figure of Vietnam'. The resolution affirmed that President Ho Chi Minh is an outstanding symbol of the determination to liberate the Vietnamese people, contributing to the common struggle of peoples around the world. In 1912, he arrived in Rio de Janeiro and was present in the Santa Teresa area while on his way to find a way to save the country. Delivering a speech at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Bui Van Nghi said that in his journey to find a way to save the country, in 1912, President Ho Chi Minh worked on a French ship traveling from Vietnam to France. During the trip, he fell ill and went to the port of Rio de Janeiro for treatment. During his days at the port of Rio de Janeiro, President Ho Chi Minh established close ties with the Porto union workers' movement in Brazil. With this event, President Ho Chi Minh laid the foundation for the friendship and cooperation between the two countries from the beginning of the 20th century.

In 1968, students in São Paulo and many other localities in Brazil actively participated in the movement for peace and protested against the war in Vietnam through documents sent by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam. In 1989, Brazil and Vietnam established diplomatic relations. Over the past 35 years, the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Brazil have been developing well. The two countries have established a Comprehensive Partnership; agreed to upgrade the relationship to a Strategic Partnership. Expressing admiration for the life and great career of President Ho Chi Minh, General Secretary of the Brazilian Communist Party Pedro De Oliverira and Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil, President of the Communist Party Luciana Santos both said that the President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Plate is not only an address to mark President Ho Chi Minh's journey to find a way to save the country, honoring the great national hero of Vietnam, but also a special symbol of the connection between the two countries and people of Vietnam and Brazil, a symbol of international solidarity, the aspiration for peace, inspiring the people not only of Vietnam, Brazil but also the whole world. Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his joy, honor and emotion to be present at the inauguration ceremony of the plaque honoring President Ho Chi Minh in Rio de Janeiro on the occasion of attending the G20 Summit, commemorating the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Brazil and especially the 112th anniversary of the day President Ho Chi Minh stopped here on his journey to find a way to liberate the Vietnamese nation, while inspiring oppressed peoples to stand up and fight for independence, freedom and happiness for the people. Sincerely thanking the presence of representatives of the Government, the National Assembly, the Brazilian Heritage Department and local authorities at the ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said he was very moved when Brazilian friends told the story of President Ho Chi Minh's search for a way to save the country "like telling the story of his family, of his country, of the Brazilian people"; Today's event demonstrates the good relationship between the two nations on the journey of fighting for national independence and building the country. According to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, President Ho Chi Minh found the path of the Vietnamese revolution, founded the Communist Party of Vietnam, and gave birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

On that journey, he stopped in Brazil, contributing to creating good friendship between Vietnam and other countries in general and the Vietnam - Brazil Comprehensive Partnership in particular.

President Ho Chi Minh is a noble symbol of the indomitable will in the thousands of years of heroic history of the Vietnamese people. He is a genius leader of the communist and workers' movements in the world, a close friend of peoples who love peace and social progress all over the world; at the same time, he is also a great cultural figure, who deeply understands the values of truth, goodness, beauty, and the noble nature of human beings. With such great contributions of President Ho Chi Minh, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) honored him as one of the "outstanding figures who left their mark on the development process of humanity". The placement of the plaque honoring President Ho Chi Minh is not only to show respect for him, but also to express gratitude for his contributions to the friendship between the two countries and peoples, a highlight in the good relations between the two countries. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the plaque honoring President Ho Chi Minh in Rio de Janeiro city - a place where cultures intersect - will become a meaningful, historical destination, a "red address" for the young generations of the two countries to learn about history, continue and preserve the noble values that he left behind; he believes that with the existing factors of connection, Rio de Janeiro city in particular and other localities of Brazil in general will cooperate more and more closely with localities of Vietnam, contributing to strengthening multi-faceted cooperation at all levels, enhancing people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

On this occasion, on behalf of the high-ranking delegation of Vietnam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his sincere thanks to the authorities of the State and City of Rio de Janeiro, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries, as well as agencies, organizations and individuals who have supported, cooperated and helped to carry out this extremely meaningful activity; and his sincere thanks to the people of Brazil and the people of Rio de Janeiro - loyal friends of Vietnam who have always made efforts to preserve the historical site that bears the mark of President Ho Chi Minh. The Prime Minister hopes and believes that the current and future generations of the two countries will continue to promote the values and legacies left by the great President Ho Chi Minh and previous generations, together determined to promote the Vietnam - Brazil relationship to new heights for peace and development cooperation, for a prosperous and happy life for the people in each country, each region and the world, as President Ho Chi Minh always hoped for during his lifetime.