Vietnamese State President Luong Cuong (left), former Chilean President Michell Bachelet (centre), and Mayor of Cerro Navia district Mauro Tamayo at the ceremony. (Photo: VNA)  

State President Luong Cuong and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam on November 10 morning (local time) visited and laid a wreath at the statue of President Ho Chi Minh in a park named after the late leader in Santiago, as part of their official visit to Chile.

Former Chilean President Michelle Bachellet, President of the Communist Party of Chile Lautaro Carmona, Mayor of Cerro Navia district Mauro Tamayo and a large number of local residents also joined the activity.

Commemorating great President Ho Chi Minh, Cuong along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation and distinguished Chilean guests took a minute to express their gratitude to the late leader for his great contributions to the Vietnamese revolution, and friendship and solidarity with progressive peoples in the world.

On behalf of the administration and people of Cerro Navia, Tamayo expressed his delight and honour to welcome Cuong and the Vietnamese delegation. He highlighted the shining moral example of President Ho Chi Minh and his great contributions to Vietnam's struggle for national liberation.

Tamayo affirmed that the administration and people of Cerro Navia will continue to contribute to caring for and preserving the park as a symbol of solidarity and friendship between the governments and people of the two countries.

For her part, Bachelet expressed her honour to participate in this especially meaningful activity. She said that Cuong's visit to Chile takes place at a time when the two sides are continuing to promote and further strengthen the bilateral friendship.

Bachelet recalled the unforgettable memories of her visits to Vietnam in many different positions as well as the warm, close and sincere sentiments that generations of Vietnamese leaders and people have given to her and the Chilean people. She also expressed her admiration for the indomitable and resilient spirit of the Vietnamese people in their struggle for national independence, which became a symbol in the hearts of peace lovers around the world.

The former President affirmed that the meeting between the Vietnamese delegation with the people of Cerro Navia is not only a symbol of the friendly relations over the years but also an opportunity to open up new, more comprehensive and profound directions between the two countries.

Speaking at the ceremony, Cuong expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the people of Chile, particularly Cerro Navia residents, for preserving the Ho Chi Minh Park as a symbol of the special solidarity, friendship, and cooperation between the two countries.

He highlighted that President Ho Chi Minh’s statue placed within the park stands as a testament to the deep affection of the Chilean people towards the Vietnamese late leader.

Recalling the special relationship between President Ho Chi Minh and President Salvador Allende, Cuong said Allende's Vietnam visit in May 1969 in his capacity as President of the Chilean Senate brought the Vietnamese people a profound sense of solidarity and invaluable spiritual support. This visit became a symbol of the friendship between the two peoples.

The park was established in 1969 by a group of young members from Chile's communist and socialist parties to express Chile’s solidarity and support for the Vietnamese people’s struggle for national liberation. Over the years, it has been renovated and installed with President Ho Chi Minh’s statue, and efforts are now underway to expand the area with a “Ho Chi Minh Space”.

Following the ceremony, Cuong and Bachelet planted a commemorative tree in the park, another symbol of the enduring friendship between the two peoples.

They also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on establishing the friendly and cooperative relationship between Nam Dan district of Vietnam’s central province of Nghe An and Cerro Navia district in the Santiago Metropolitan region of Chile./.